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Chandigarh to Ludhiana
Sports quota cops feel victimised |
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Punjab flying clubs caught in a time warp
Plan to check waterlogging in place: CM
New experiment of Sukhbir enthuses party cadre
SSPs flout DGP’s orders
Radical Sikhs seek Bittu’s release
State can rescue nation from food crisis: FCI
25,000 tonnes of Punjab potato for
Bengal
Target to collect Rs 10,000 cr VAT in two years
Facts belie govt claims on health care
Govt should register all cancer patients: Bajaj
Unbundling: PSEB engineers to protest
After drugs, its Chinese mobiles that bug DRI now
Dalbir Singh, patron, Khalra Mission Organisation, at a press conference in Amritsar on Sunday.
Photo: Vishal Kumar
Barbed fence fails to check smuggling
Rs 135-cr Slum Rehabilitation Project
Dal Khalsa backs govt on water royalty from Rajasthan
Business education needs special
attention: Experts
YSR’s death condoled
PTU’s last counselling from today
‘Reserve seats for rural students in varsities’
2 arrested for stealing trucks
2 held for selling fake gold bricks
Smack worth 7 lakh seized
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Work on rail link back on track
Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service
Samrala, September 6 Farmers were asking for increase in compensation and displacement allowance for the land acquired for establishing the rail link. “Now we have taken the possession of the acquired land between Morinda and Sahnewal and started the earth work to set up the rail link”, the engineer added. It was about 55-km-rail-link between Morinda and Sahnewal. In fact, rail line between Morinda and Chandigarh and Sahnewal and Ludhiana had already been completed. Only Morinda-Sahnewal stretch remained to be completed. With the completion of the rail line between Ludhiana-Chandigarh, a direct rail link would be established between Chandigarh and Punjab, especially to cities such as Jalandhar and Amritsar. Earlier, there was no rail link between Punjab and Chandigarh. Following a lot of pressure, the Union government had agreed to lay rail track between Ludhiana and Chandigarh via Mohali, Morinda, Khamano and Samrala. “In fact, this rail link has been delayed by about three years. It should have been completed by now”, said an officer. With a steep increase in the price of agriculture land in 2005-06, farmers demanded the prevailing market price of the land. They had refused to accept the money offered to them by the authorities concerned. “As now we have got the money as per the prevailing market, we have accepted the payment and handed over the land to the Railway authorities concerned”, said Malkiat Singh, whose two acres of land had been acquired near Autalan village, near here, for the project. He said farmers had got the price in the range of Rs 65 lakh per acre in villages near Samrala because it was an urban belt. He said only 20 per cent payment remained to be released by the Railways. However, farmers were unhappy over the deduction of tax from them at the rate of 11.33 per cent. “The authorities concerned had told us that only 2.5 per cent tax will be deducted and the rest of the amount from deducted tax will be paid back to farmers. But we want that there should be no deduction as tax. We have given our land for the railway project. On what basis tax is being deducted? Malkiat Singh questioned.
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Sports quota cops feel victimised
Jalandhar, September 6 SI Sukhpal Singh, who was part of a police team that won six gold medals in the past, says they are being victimised at the fag end of their career and after they had given their best years to the force. He said many of them were literally dragged to join the Punjab Police from other departments so that their teams were the best in the country. And he is not alone since similar sentiments were echoed by his other seven football-playing cousins, all of whom are in the police. Inspectors Harpal Singh and Suba Singh said in their heyday they brought laurels to the department and were rewarded for it, but the department was now playing a cruel joke on them. DSPs Amandeep Kaur, Surinderjit Kaur and Daljit Singh, all Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sports awardees, said they attended regular courses and were duly promoted as per rules. If there were any lacunae in promotions, it was not their fault, they added. “Until the time circulars to revert us were issued, we did not know whether we have been promoted as per Punjab Police rules or the sports quota,” they said. Till the time they were playing, their basic aim was to win medals for their department and not enquire about the rules and regulations, they explained. They further said in such a scenario, they had no option but to return their medals to the government. “What use are they when they cannot ensure our dignity and self-respect?” they asked. Ironically, the most affected were those who had joined from other departments. Many of their contemporaries were now working at much senior positions today, they added. They said in case the department did not come to their aid, they would have no option but to resign en masse. However, they said they had full faith in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and DGP PS Gill and hoped that they would come to their rescue.
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Punjab flying clubs caught in a time warp
Chandigarh, September 6 Though the state has a rich tradition of flying with the late Karminder Singh setting the trend at the Patiala Flying Club by training a number of VIPs and commoners alike, the clubs fell into disarray in the past decade due to obsolete aircraft, lack of pilots and even engineers. Even though the recently revived Amritsar and Patiala flying clubs got new aircraft as well as flying instructors, old planes continue to be their mainstay. In Patiala the main warhorses are the two Cessna-152s that have been in service for 20 years, one 1964-made Pushpak and only one new Cessna-172 aircraft. The Amritsar club is in a better position with one new Cessna-172, besides one Hansa aircraft that has recently been allotted to the club by its manufacturer, India’s National Aeronautics Laboratory, and one 1964 vintage Pushpak. Punjab Civil Aviation Adviser Capt Abhay Chandra said things had been on the mend for the past two to three years. He disclosed the Amritsar Flying Club would shortly receive its second Hansa plane, adding efforts were on to induct more new trainer aircraft so that
old planes could be retired gradually. Chandra said the staff position at both clubs was at par with those rated the best in the country. “The Amritsar club has one chief flying instructor and two assistant pilot instructors while the Patiala club has one chief flying instructor, one pilot instructor and three assistant pilot instructors. There are about 25
flying trainees on the rolls of each of these clubs, which are presently
self-sustaining”. Meanwhile, efforts are also on to get the Ludhiana Flying Club going. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has recarpeted the runway, besides creating a bigger parking apron and putting in navigational equipment to facilitate night landing. Having recently received maintenance approval, the Punjab government has now applied to the Director General of Civil Aviation for inspection of the
facility before flying can begin there. The club has one Cessna-152 and one
Pushpak. Since its revival in 2006 the Patiala club has notched up about 3,800 hours of flying. It has 187 student pilot licences,nine private pilot licences and 19 commercial pilot licences. Three trainees have been given assistant flight instructor rating and one flight instructor rating since 2006. The Amritsar club has issued 15 student pilot licences, four commercial pilot licences and given four assistant flight instructor ratings and six flight instructor ratings since September last year.
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Plan to check waterlogging in place: CM
Lambi (Muktsar), September 6 Badal said it was a matter of concern that hundreds of acres of land had become waterlogged due to seepage of canal water from the Rajasthan canal and the Sirhind feeder. He said the state government had asked the Central government to extend more financial assistance to deal with the problem. However, farmers were not happy with the CM’s promise of nipping in the bud the problem of waterlogging. Sheetal Singh, a farmer, said: “We have been facing this problem for the past 10 years. The problem is severe at Ratta Khera village. Badal’s rhetoric is not going to take us anywhere. Some concrete steps like waterproofing of the Rajasthan feeder and the Sirhind canal should be taken”. He added that though experts from Holland were invited a few years ago and they had asked the government to get both canals waterproofed, nothing had been done so far. The CM also took notice of the fact that grants to brickline watercourses announced during previous sangat darshans were not utilised properly. He asked villagers to provide matching grants so that watercourses could be bricklined. He cautioned them that if they failed to provide matching grants, he would withdraw government grants announced earlier. Officials of the Punjab Tube Well Corporation informed the CM that plans to brickline watercourses of the Abohar branch and Bhakra mainline had already been sent to Nabard. The CM was accompanied by officials of the district administration and the Punjab Tube Well Corporation.
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New experiment of Sukhbir enthuses party cadre
Chandigarh, September 6 Sukhbir continued his district-wise drive to interview elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) belonging to the SAD. He, along with Gulzar Singh Ranike, Cabinet minister and president, SAD’s SC Wing, former minister Satwant Kaur Sandhu, MLA Jasjit Singh Bunny, Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema, Adviser, Chief Minister and Secretary, SAD, Kiranbir Singh Kang, president, Youth Akali Dal, Harsukhinder Singh Bubby Badal and NK Sharma, president, District Planning Committee, interacted with hundreds of elected representatives from Mohali district at the SAD office in Sector 28 here. He solicited views and suggestions of these representatives for giving them an additional responsibility in the organisational set up of the party from the state level to the block level, particularly in the Istri Akali Dal, Youth Akali Dal and the SAD’s SC Wing, as well as for strengthening of the party at grassroots level. It is for the first time in the history of Punjab that such a comprehensive exercise has been undertaken by any party president and this whole process was aimed to check any factionalism in the party. Interacting with the media, Sukhbir revealed that the whole exercise would be completed within two months after covering all 20 districts and inducting new faces in the Istri Akali Dal, Youth Akali Dal and the SC Wing with 60 per cent new representation to elected representatives and remaining 40 per cent to active and dedicated party workers.
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SSPs flout DGP’s orders
Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 6 While regular district police incumbents were posted in the Police Lines, the attached officials had been working as SHOs, IOs and munshis in “very important” police stations. The first standing order of the year shows that the department had decided not to entertain request for the attachment of armed battalian officials in the district police except in rare cases of public interest. Entertained requests should justify reasons for it. Six months’ attachment in rare cases can not be extended for more than once in any case. The orders also debars attached officials from being posted SHOs, Additional SHOs, Investigation Officers and munshis. They also would not be posted in specilised units like the CIA, Economic Offences wings, PO staff and anti-goonda staff. Officials in the district police, allegedly sidetracked to accommodate attached officials, hoped restoration of their due status after said orders were passed on August 18. But the district police chiefs have yet to confirm if the decision applied to armed battalion officials attached prior to the orders.
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Radical Sikhs seek Bittu’s release
Bathinda, September 6 In the memorandum, they were seeking the release of SAD (Panch Pardhani) chief Daljit Singh Bittu who was arrested by the Ludhiana police after the arrest of Balbir Singh Bhootna, an alleged terrorist. Taking preventive measures, all roads leading to Talwandi Sabo were cordoned off with a heavy deployment of police force. Officials tried hard to make radical Sikhs agree to hand over the memorandum to the ADC at Talwandi Sabo, but found them firm in their determination to proceed towards Bathinda. Irked over the “rigid” attitude of civil and police officials, radical leaders cautioned the administration that they would be held responsible for any untoward incident that took place there. Sensing the gravity, the officials contacted their seniors and after getting nod allowed the caravan to proceed ahead. Though the leaders of the radicals had assured of maintaining law and order during the march on the way, they were encircled with police vehicles till they reached Bathinda. They assembled outside Government Rajindera College in Bathinda, where the first Dera-Sikh clash took place in May 2007. Submitting the memorandum to ADC Upjeet Singh Brar, representative of the Bathinda DC, they urged him to bring their matter to the notice of the Chief Minister. Among others, Baljeet Singh Dadu Sahib, Darshan Singh Jaga, Ram Tirath of SAD (PP), Baljinder Singh Khalsa of Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj, Hardeep Singh of the religious wing of the SAD (PP), Sukhwinder Singh of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Sabha, Haryana, Baba Chadat Singh, Baldev Singh, Pardeep Aklia and Kulbir Singh Bada Pind were prominent in the march. Earlier, before leaving the gurdwara, they gathered at a stage where the Dera Sacha Sauda chief came in for a harsh criticism. They alleged that the Badals were shielding the Dera chief and his followers, but committing atrocities on the Sikhs who opposed the alleged high-handedness of the chief of the sect. Meanwhile, following their weekly practice, a group of Marjeevade (those ready to sacrifice their lives) was also dispatched towards the state headquarters of the sect at Salabatpura, but was intercepted on its way.
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Bittu’s police remand extended by 4
days
Ludhiana, September 6 This was claimed by the police in court proceedings here today when it produced Bittu and his accomplices for seeking police remand. It was also claimed that Bittu had given Rs 1.40 lakh to Gurbir Singh, one of the main accused in killing Lilly Sharma, a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Duty Magistrate Kapil Sharma extended police remand of Bittu and his accomplices Hardeep Singh, Palwinder Singh, Jaspal Singh and Daljit Singh by four days. Public Prosecutor Sukhchain Singh pleaded that hidden weapons were to be recovered from Bittu. He said the statement on concealing of weapons at a secret place was given by Bittu to the police during remand today. He was also accused of reviving militancy in the state. The defence opposed extension of police remand as the accused had already been in police remand for nine days. Bittu and his accomplices were arrested on August 26 for indulging in unlawful activities, after the revelations made by alleged Babbar Khalsa terrorist Balbir Singh Bhootna. Earlier, Bittu, a former militant, had launched protest against the Dera Sacha Sauda and other deras in the state.
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State can rescue nation from food crisis: FCI
Ludhiana, September 6 He said the FCI was confident that the Central government was working on the National Food Security Act that would ensure food security to all. Around 100 officials from all over the state belonging to the regional and district-level committees brainstormed over the safe storage of 60 lakh tonnes of rice. They were taking part in a state-level meeting of the
FCIOA. Harish Chander said: “The country has witnessed four good seasons of wheat and paddy and the credit goes to the state. Our damage through transit and storage losses has been minimal in comparison to various other countries like Canada and Australia”. “The FCI has constantly controlled the prices of wheat and rice to a certain extent through its buffer stock despite skyrocketing price rise in other commodities. Our staff strength is 50 per cent less now still we have generated good result. Therefore, we want justified pay scales on a par with oil companies and redressal of various other demands of our officials,” he added. The meeting of the office-bearers of the regional as well all district committees of the FCIOA was held to solemnise the regular regional committee and to form modalities for organising regional conferences. Various grievances of officers of the region were
also discussed.
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25,000 tonnes of Punjab potato for
Bengal
Jalandhar, September 6 Representatives of the West Bengal Potato Association have arrived here and negotiated price and quantity to be supplied by potato growers. Some officials of the Bengal government will arrive here to inspect potato stock and place orders for its dispatch through the Railways. Bengal distributes potato through the public distribution system during crisis, it is learnt. The price of potato in the open market has shot up to Rs 18/19 kg in that state where the government will supply for Rs 13 a kg. During the Durga Puja festival demand for potato goes up in Bengal. As shortage of potato to 30 per cent has been reported from the state, it has pushed up the price. Bhatti said first rake would be supplied at Rs 12.50 a kg, but following rakes would be supplied at market price. Some traders in Bengal are reported to have hoarded potato to make money in November-December when its price is expected to rise . Fresh potato crop will arrive in parts of Himachal in the end of November. Even in Bengal, fresh crop will arrive in December-end. State farmers said there was shortage of 50 per cent of potato in the national market as potato crop in Karnataka had been hit by blight. Only 50 per cent area was covered under potato in last season. However, of the covered area 50 per cent potato crop was damaged by blight. Even in Maharashtra, potato could not be sown in a vast area owing to drought-like situation there. A seminar on potato crop was organised here by
Markfed. Dr GS Kalkat, chairman, Farmers’ Commission presided over it and called for promoting potato sowing in the state as it is going to have the third position after rice and wheat as staple food all over the world. He emphasised on improving potato varieties and judicious use of pesticides to ensure its clearance for export.
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Target to collect Rs 10,000 cr VAT in two years
Babehali (Gurdaspur),
September 6 He added that the SAD-BJP government had achieved the revenue growth in one year that the Congress could achieve in five years. The VAT collection had touched Rs 5,000 crore and would touch Rs 10,000 crore in two years. Sukhbir, who was here to distribute prizes among winners of four-day national wrestling championship organised on the occasion of Chhinjh Mela in this village recently, said policies of the government were result-oriented for the benefit of people. He announced that the government would organise a world kabaddi league, with prize money of Rs 1 crore to the winner and Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh to the 1st and 2nd runner-up, respectively, in February 2010. He lamented that traditional games like kabaddi, wrestling, hockey and football were neglected in Punjab. New sports policy being prepared would take care of traditional games, focusing on developing sports infrastructure in villages, maintaining the existing infrastructure and improving the district-level infrastructure to the international level, he said. Promising world-class facilities to medal prospects of every sport, Sukhbir said, if needed, services of foreign
coaches would be sought to train players.
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Facts belie govt claims on health care
Gurdaspur, September 6 A medical camp, jointly organised by the Red Cross De-addiction Centre, Gurdaspur, and the Lions Club, Kahnuwan, at Paharipur village, a few yards inside the zero line of Indo-Pak border, turned up this fact. Almost all 725 persons examined at the camp were found anaemic and 50 per cent of them suffering from tuberculosis. It was first such camp organised in the village after the Partition. The BSF helped organise the camp. Section of residents from 13 villages, Makhanpur, Barmal Jattan, Akhwara, Feroza, Farwal, Sheikhupur, Bharial, Bhagwal, Zaidpur, Kanshi Baarman, Baarman, Majhiri Rajputan, Majhiri Aryan, Majhiri Jattan and Dattial was also found suffering from skin diseases and eye ailments. Number of villagers found suffering from asthma was also significant. The camp was like a festival for residents of cluster of 13 villages, which remain cut off from the world in the monsoon .The Ravi, the Ujh and Tarnah rivers crisscross the area. Romesh Mahajan, Project Director, Red Cross De-addiction Centre, said this cluster of villages, was without medical facilities and in emergency, residents either go to Pathankot or Gurdaspur, 50 km away. He added medical specialists from private hospitals, including Mac Robert Hospital, Dhariwal, examined the residents at the camp and villagers were given medicines free of cost.
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Govt should register all cancer patients: Bajaj
Chandigarh, September 6 Bajaj said to avail assistance from the Indian Council of Medical Research for the treatment of cancer, the state should launch a cancer registry at the district. The cases of cancer patients might be much higher than the available data because most of the patients were being treated in other states outside Punjab, Bajaj added. He suggested that hospitals in the state should update their secondary data regarding cancer patients and ask the department to prepare a primary data by conducting door-to-door survey so that the requisite treatment could be given to cancer patients. He also emphasised the need for special efforts for obtaining adequate funds from the Centre to fight the menace of cancer. Taking a serious view of the trend of absenteeism among doctors and other para-medical staff in district hospitals, community and primary health centres and dispensaries, Badal directed the Health Department to conduct regular inspections, at least twice a week, by senior officers of the Health Directorate. He also asked the department to chalk out a comprehensive plan to start a massive drive against the drug abuse in the state. It was also decided that an integrated district health plan would be prepared to provide efficient health care services to the masses. Badal categorically said the state would ensure 24-hour health services in all community health centres (CHCs). He directed the department to prepare a detailed inventory of the unutilised/obsolete equipment lying in these CHCs to replace it with the new one to enhance the quality of health services. Secretary Satish Chandra presented a detailed presentation on the achievements, policies, programmes and future projections of the department.
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Unbundling: PSEB engineers to protest
Patiala, September 6 It was further decided that in case any unilateral action is taken by the state government to unbundle the PSEB, engineers would be forced to resort to direct action, including total strike. The association regretted that despite assurances by the Chief Minister to engineers during its general-body meeting and subsequent meetings that no step in this direction would be taken without consulting engineers, the power secretariat in the state government has been working overtime to force failed model of other states on Punjab. “It is ironical that even the technical members of the board are not being consulted and all proposals are being discussed and finalised by a team of bureaucrats. It is beyond comprehension, how the state will ensure smooth transition without involving the board management or the engineers, who are and will be responsible for running the sector,” the engineers said. Engineers are neither against fulfilling the requirements of the Electricity Act, 2003, nor against introduction of real reforms in the sector, but are determined to oppose any move to segregate the functions of generation, transmission and distribution in the name of reforms, since it has not been mandated under the law. The stand of the association has been vindicated by the latest judgment of the Appellate Tribunal of Electricity, which has held that it is not mandatory to unbundle the state electricity boards as per the Electricity Act, 2003. Firstly, the political leadership of the state had been misled that its mandatory to unbundle the PSEB as per the provisions of the Act and now, it is being propagated that state would get huge Central funds if the PSEB is unbundled, which has been totally baseless and misleading. They added that the PSEB has been already getting funds under both these schemes as per their requirement and entitlement. For generating plants, Power Finance Corporation, has been requesting the board and the state government to set up plant under state sector, for which they have been ready to finance, but the state government has been running after private players for setting up the plants without any success. The association cautioned the political leadership against misleading propaganda of the vested interests. In a scenario of power shortage, the major objective has been the optimum utilisation of available power-generation capacity. Since, power generated cannot be stored, it is necessary to match the power generation with consumption and demand on minute to minute basis, with the transmission system acting as the carrier. This matching of generation with demand could be better achieved only through a vertically integrated structure covering generation, transmission and distribution. Private companies have been operating in an integrated mode and if private companies can generate, transmit and distribute the power in its area of operation, then why state electricity board should not be permitted the benefit of the integrated operations. The main reason for the failure of power sector reforms process in the country is that it has been conceived, drafted and managed primarily by consultants or bureaucrats and the power engineers had been kept out of the process. Any transition from one structure to other has to be well conceived, planned and well debated by involving all the stakeholders particularly those who are supposed to carry forward the change.
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After drugs, its Chinese mobiles that bug DRI now
Ludhiana, September 6 Officials fear despite the government ban on importing cellphones without an IMEI these were still making their way in huge numbers into the country. The IMEI number helps in tracking mobile phones. A source close to the DRI said the recent seizure was only a one of its kind case. "It was the first instance in which we confiscated Chinese mobiles and that too in large numbers. Till now DRI officials have been seizing contraband narcotics like opium, heroin and cocaine, but Chinese made mobiles is a new entry," it said. However, the source hastened to add not all Chinese mobiles were illegal. "Those seized during the recent raid at Amritsar airport were without essential documents and the obligatory IMEI number. The telecom department has directed all cellular service providers to enable authentication of mobile handsets with an IMEI number for GSM networks and Electronic Serial Number (ESN) for CDMA networks," the source added. The police feels helpless when it comes to tracking illegally imported Chinese mobiles as it cannot confiscate these handsets from stores by conducting raids. Police officials accept the fact they face difficulties in tracking down criminals if they happen to be using Chinese made mobiles without the IMEI number. Stringent checks on entry of these handsets into the country is the only solution, they feel.
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Khalra Mission calls on people to boycott Cong, SAD, BJP
Amritsar, September 6 The KMO has also demanded release of all Sikhs and others, including Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Balwant Singh Rajiana, Navtej Singh and Daljit Singh Bittu, from jails. “The three parties have failed to keep promises to people of Punjab and have encouraged corruption apart from targeting the Sikh ideology. People of Punjab are gripped by drug-addiction, pollution and deteriorating health and education sectors. On the other hand, leaders of all these parties, particularly ministers and MLAs, have been fighting to increase remuneration and perks at the cost of the state exchequer,” said KMO leaders, including Harmandip Singh Sarhali, president, Dalbir Singh, patron, Rajwinder Singh Bains, general secretary of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Kirpal Singh Randhawa. Earlier, they paid tributes to human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra on his 14th anniversary by holding an ardas at Akal Takht. The leaders alleged that the three parties had been trying to befool people of Punjab by not honouring promises and their election manifestos. “We ask people of Punjab to teach these parties a lesson by boycotting them at social level,” they said.
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Barbed fence fails to check smuggling
Amritsar, September 6 Gurdev Singh, father of Jagdip Singh, was also in Amritsar jail on similar charges. He was held the first time in 1994 with 29 kg heroin. Later, he was arrested with another consignment of contraband in 2003 and has been in jail since then. Questioning of Jagdip is said to have revealed that heroin consignment had landed in the Indian territory through the stretch of the Indo-Pakistan border in Ferozepur sector. The DRI, in fact, seized 10 kg of heroin in March and 118 kg of powdered substance, used to purify opium, in June this year. The powder was to be smuggled to Pakistan where opium pours in large quantities from Afghanistan and where it was converted into heroin using chemicals. More than 50 kg of heroin, including 25 kg seized by the BSF, was learnt to have been recovered by the DRI, BSF and Counter Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police in six months in border areas, sources said. The smugglers tell their contacts on the other side of the border to throw packets of contraband over the fencing at night towards the Indian side when crops grow taller in monsoon. These packets are lapped up bygangs on this side of the border and are said to have been supplied to their contacts in Delhi and Mumbai for smuggling to European countries and North America where 1 kg of heroin fetches Rs 3 to Rs 5 crore. The police was also said to have been watching activities of Jagdip, the sources said. DRI, Intelligence Officer, Sameer Shankar said a naka was put up on the Harike-Patti road on Saturday evening and the team had signalled to stop a Tata Sumo vehicle. Instead of stopping, the driver accelerated the vehicle and drove away. The DRI officials chased the vehicle. The driver even tried to hit the vehicle carrying DRI officials when they tried to overtake him. Later, the driver lost control and the vehicle got overturned on the road and a scuffle between the driver and DRI officials ensued as he tried to escape. One DRI official and the driver, later identified as Jagdip Singh, were injured in the scuffle. On checking the Tata Sumo 12 packets containing 12.970 kg heroin were recovered from from a cavity in the vehicle. Jagdip was arrested and a case against was registered under the NDPS Act, 1985.
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Rs 135-cr Slum Rehabilitation Project Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 6 Reviewing development in four districts recently, Sukhbir said it was government’s duty to ensure clean environment to lakhs living in slums of industrial cities. He said the government had already approved housing projects in Amritsar, Ludhiana Jalandhar and Rajpura and work on these projects be expedited. Sukhbir said under Basic Services to Urban Poor Programme, 320 dwelling units were being constructed by spending Rs 5.79 crore in Amritsar to cover three slum clusters. He said in Ludhiana, four slum clusters were being covered by building 4,832 dwelling units spending Rs 66.64 crore. He said construction in Ludhiana and Amritsar would be completed by September, 2010. He also reviewed progress of 1,755 dwelling units being built in Jalandhar by spending Rs 42.40 crore to rehabilitate those living in 22 slum clusters. He was satisfied with the progress of Rs 20.16-crore project for building 720 dwelling units for slum dwellers in Rajpura and ordered completion of project in 18 months. He instructed basic necessities like water, sanitation, drainage, streetlight, roads and solid waste management should be integral part of the new colonies. He said infrastructure like community centre, library-cum-reading room, multipurpose hall for functions and health centre, livelihood centre, market, playing space, parks and green belt should also be developed as part of the project.
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Dal Khalsa backs govt on water royalty from Rajasthan
Hoshiarpur, September 6 Party president HS Dhami and spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh said as the state was giving river water to the non-riparian neighbour since 1966, it had the right to ask for royalty. Punjab legislators should unanimously resolve in the Assembly on this and take steps for its implementation, they said. Asking royalty from non-riparian state Rajasthan for using 40 crore million acre feet (MAF) of Ravi-Beas waters, they said Punjab owned waters of the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas and no legislation could deprive the state from its right of ownership. In the past, Punjab used to get royalty from Rajasthan and Pepsu for water supplied to these two states through Bikaner and Sirhind canal, respectively. Rajasthan owes Punjab billions for the water received through the Rajasthan canal for more than 43 years now, says a river waters expert. They said, “Even after two and a half years, the SAD has failed to keep its promise made during the Assembly elections in 2007 to check the flow of river waters to non-riparian states as Punjab needs it for its land in danger of turning into desert”. They urged the Punjab government to abrogate clause 5 of the Punjab’s Termination of Agreements Act, 2004.
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Business education needs special
attention: Experts
Patiala, September 6 Bir Devinder Singh, former Deputy Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha was the chief guest at the event, which was held in association with Punjab Commerce and Management Association (PCMA). Speaking at the session, Bir Devinder said in era of globalisation commerce has a vital role to play. He said there had been an immediate need to spread awareness on management education and grooming young students for future jobs. President of PCMA AS Chawla said by taking up management education, young students would become able managers to take up higher responsibilities and make India a more developed country. Former registrar of Punjabi University BS Bhatia said business education requires special attention. Reena Ramachandran of JK Business School of Gurgaon said India could emerge as the reservoir for the diverse HR needs of the global market. Professor in Department of Business Management, HP University, Shimla, Yogendra Verma talked about the emerging paradigms in commerce and management education. Director (education) Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee Gurmohan Singh Walia emphasised that there has been an urgent need to overhaul the existing business education system.
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YSR’s death condoled
Chandigarh, September 6 In a statement issued here today, Bajwa said, “With him ends an epoch of Andhra political history. His main aim was the upliftment of the rural population of his state and poverty alleviation. A quintessential rural politician, he was a high-minded and visionary individual. He remained a pillar of the party throughout his career.” “As a parliamentarian, YSR excelled in debate and effectively projected the concerns of his constituents in the hallowed portals of the Parliament. He will be missed very much not just by Congressmen and the people of Andhra Pradesh but by all Indians. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family and pray to the Almighty to give them strength to bear this irreplaceable loss with fortitude,” he added.
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PTU’s last counselling from today
Jalandhar, September 6 Position regarding vacant seats uploaded by officials on the website to inform students indicates it. The candidates, who had surrendered the seats they had got through CET counselling before taking chance through plus II merit, have been returned their seats.
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‘Reserve seats for rural students in varsities’
Nangal, September 6 National executive member of CPI Joginder Dyal said, while addressing mediapersons here today. He added that presently just three per cent students from the rural areas reach university level studies. Coming heavily on the SAD-BJP government in the state, Dyal said only motive of the government had been to promote its Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal. “The state government is synonymous to non-governance and non-performance,” he said. Talking on privatisation issue of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Dyal said that as per orders of Central Administrative Tribunal it is not obligatory. The CAT has clarified that it was up to the state government to privatise the PSEB or improve its condition.
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2 arrested for stealing trucks
Rajpura, September 6 The accused have been identified as Angrez Singh and Kulbir Singh, both residents of Khadauli village in
Rajpura. They were arrested from near Ganda Kheri village on Friday. They had been operating in adjoining industrial towns of Himachal Pradesh for the past two
years. Sadar SHO Bikramjeet Singh Brar said the accused used to dismantle and cut trucks in a workshop at
Rajpura. Five gas cylinders, two sophisticated cutters and nine quintals of iron parts of trucks were found lying in that workshop.Police parties have been dispatched to the Baddi and Parwanoo areas of Himachal Pradesh to arrest co-accused of the arrested thieves. They admitted that they had stolen around 12 trucks over the past few years that were sold off in various scrap markets of Rajpura and its adjoining towns after cutting. A case under Sections 379, 411 and 201 of the IPC has been registered. The accused were produced in a local court that remanded them in police custody for four days.
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2 held for selling fake gold bricks
Rajpura, September 6 The accused have been identified as Kulbir from Chanarthal village in Fatehgarh Sahib and Harpal from Amritsar. Sadar SHO Bikramjit Singh Brar said the accused, with the help of some residents of Alwar in Rajasthan, had procured some fake gold bricks. They used to engrave something in Urdu on the bricks to make them look ancient. The bricks appeared so real that even professional goldsmiths failed to identify these. The accused asked prospective buyers to keep the “relics” hidden saying their sale and purchase was banned in India. A case under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered.
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Smack worth 7 lakh seized
Patiala, September 6 They intercepted a white-coloured Maruti car (HRO5E-8358) coming from Naniola side and recovered 1 kg smack worth Rs 7 lakh from their possession. Arrested have been identified as Ashu Kumar, son of late Yash Kumar Jain of Ambala Cantt and Rajpal, son of Puran Chand of Ludiana, now a resident of Shahbad Markanda, Haryana. A case under Sections 21, 61, 85 had been registered.
— TNS
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rail link via Khamano and Samrala has begun in the right earnest.
“If the work continued on the existing pace, the rail link is likely to be completed by the end of 2011”, said a senior railway engineer.
Bathinda, September 6
Punjab alone can rescue the entire nation from food crisis emerging out of the negative state of monsoon.
This was stated by Harish Chander, President, Food Corporation of India Officers Association of Punjab
(FCIOA) and Regional Manager, FCI, here today.
