Pathankot, September 27
The police registered a case against Raman Bhalla, former Congress Minister, six Shiv Sena leaders and other residents allegedly for blocking traffic by burning tyres on the Pathankot-Dalhousie highway in protest against power cuts, yesterday.

Bhalla and others were booked last night after the directions to the police by the ruling politicians. No arrest has been made so far.

Police sources said a case under Sections 323, 341, 506 and 427 of the IPC and sections of the National Highway Obstruction Act was registered i at police station here as Bhalla and other blocked traffic and burnt tyres on a stretch of national highway apart from speaking against the government.

Police sources said the case was registered to curb dissent against ruling politicians.

Residents yesterday raised slogans against Punjab government, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD and BJP leaders here to protest against power cuts despite power demand for paddy cultivation had come down.

Bhalla also joined the protest and raised the issue of power cuts, insanitation, non-democratic functioning of some of institutions and harassment to Congress workers by the police and a section of ruling politicians.

Bhalla, said Congressmen with residents would plan agitation to be launched shortly. He added residents must get all the facilities, which they deserved.

He alleged when he raised the issue of ‘loot’ by mining mafia, his security was withdrawn by the government and now when he supported residents over power cuts, a case was slapped on him.

Bhupinder Singh, SP, confirming a case having been registered against Bhalla and others, said the matter was being investigated.

The police did not act against members of the SAD and the BJP, who gheraoed and staged dharna in Dhariwal police station of Gurdaspur district few days ago.

Doraha, September 27
While birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh will be celebrated tomorrow , September 28 students of school of Doraha or a number of other schools of the area, it seems, will celebrate due to ‘fault’ of two books in which the date of birth is wrongly mentioned to be November 11.

The book ,Jeewan Punjabi Vyakaran Ate Lekh Rachna written by Dr Avinash Kaur Bhatia and published by Jeewan Books International mentions birth date of Shaheed Bhagat Singh as November 11 in the starting line of the second paragraph of Chapter number-3 entitled ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh’. Similarly, in 12th chapter of Evergreen Punjabi Bhasha Bharati by Subhash Gupta and Mrs Ranjit Bedi published by evergreen publications India again the same date has been mentioned.

A student of class VI of a school said how can Bhagat Singh be born on September 28 when in our book, or in rather two of our books, date of birth of the martyr is November11 “This is blunder of writers and publishers .It is matter of shame young minds are being given wrong messages and are held responsible for the mistakes committed by of called guides” rued a freedom fighter.

A schoolteacher of Sahnewal said she for many years has been teaching date of birth of Shaheed Bhagat Singh to be November 11 .

Prof Balwinderjit Singh, Reseach Scholar of Martyrs History affirmed Janam Patri (horoscope) of Shaheed Bhagat Singh clearly states he was born on September 28 , Saturday at 9.15 am.

Chandigarh, September 27
The state government has decided to call global tenders to procure 3,000 MW of electricity to overcome power crisis.

The decision was taken recently at a meeting by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal following a brainstorming session concluded that none of the power projects initiated by the current or even the previous government would become functional before the next general elections.

Though the government will shortly float global tenders, officials are sceptical if the government will be able to procure it.

At present, the state’s power availability is short by 30 per cent of the requirement (estimated to be about 7,870 MW, while the peak availability is 6,800 MW).

The decision was taken after it became clear that power position in next three years is likely to remain the same. “So why not buy power to meet shortage. Besides, the shortage has a potential to affect poll outcome in the general elections”, a senior official said.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already announced that four thermal plant conceived in two years by the SAD-BJP government will not be operational before 2012 while the SAD-BJP’s 2,640-MW Gidderbaha power plant may take even longer. Work at power projects at Talwandi Saboo (1980 MW) and Rajpura (1320 MW) is yet to start.

Punjab has already floated global tenders for the purchase of 1,800 MW on long-term basis. The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) that put out its requirement almost two months ago is yet to receive any concrete proposal though proposals will continue to be received till October 8. The PSEB has invited bids from supplier who can provide at least 50 MW on a long-term basis.

The Central Electricity Authority had projected that the state would suffer massive shortage with the peak demand in 2009-10 estimated at 9,110 MW while the peak availability was estimated at 6,540 MW.

The government has also decided to set up a 1,000 MW gas-based power plant for which the PSEB has entered into an agreement with the Gas Authority of India (GAIL) for the supply of gas to the proposed plant on the premises of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar.

A spokesperson for the government said a tender had been issued for inviting bids for rendering consultancy and services for lump-sum work on Turnkey basis for obtaining an environmental clearance and an NOC.

Jalandhar, September 27
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said he was ready to face power cuts to show his solidarity with the masses.

He was on a visit here today to attend the wedding of SDM-II Anupam Kler.

Looking perturbed at the prolonged power cuts, the CM said there was little the government could do to ease sufferings of the people.

“We are prepared to buy power from any source. In fact, it is not a state problem now, but a national crisis,” the CM said.

“I am concerned about the problems of the people on this account and I am ready to face power cuts,” he said.

“In fact, we have purchased more power than other affected states, but the reality is that the people will have to bear with the situation,” he added.

The CM said the people would see Punjab becoming a power surplus state since they had added a huge generation capacity. However, such projects had a long gestation period and it would take another two-three years to reach that stage, he added.

On financial irregularities in the overtaking of the Punjab Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) by a consortium, he said everything had been done in a transparent manner.

He also ruled out any Cabinet reshuffle in coming days, but did not elaborate further.

Patiala, September 27
Punjab continues to be in throes of an acute power crisis with the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) facing a shortage of at least 500 lakh units of power daily. With the gap in power availability and demand growing by the day, the board has been forced to resort to massive power cuts.

Sources in the PSEB said here today that the board had been imposing a cut of at least eight hours on all categories of urban and industrial consumers. Even Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, where power position previous year was better that other towns, have been facing long power cuts.

Sources added that power availability as of today was 1,328 lakh units. This included 493 lakh units from the three thermal plants at Bathinda, Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar, 143 lakh units from hydel sources, 123.59 lakh units from its share from the Bhakra Beas Management Board, 67.89 lakh units from NHPC, 88.33 lakh units from NPTC, 11.18 lakh units from nuclear thermal plants, 31.66 lakh units from Himachal Pradesh, 3.32 lakh units from Theri power project, and 42.47 lakh units from the eastern grid.

Additionally, the PSEB has been getting a supply of 117 lakh units under the power purchase agreement, and 32.78 lakh units under the banking system.

Compared to the total availability of 1,328 lakh units, the demand had touched 1,830 lakh units. The board was, thus, left with no option but to resort to long power cuts on all categories of consumers.

PSEB chairman Harinder Singh Brar said because of unprecedented increase in demand, which has resulted due to revival of heat wave, the board has to take various regulatory measures. He said late and deficient rainfall has also increased the board's responsibility in providing adequate electricity to farmers for paddy. He disclosed that supply of power to farmers shall continue till the maturity of paddy and basmati crop.

He said the huge demand of more than 1,850 LUs in last week of September was not anticipated. He disclosed that even though the board has been able to arrange 1,300 LUs that normally is sufficient for this time of year, but the shortfall of more than 550 LUs has forced PSEB to enforce power cuts and take regulatory measures.

Sources said two units of the Lehra Mohabbat plant, which were shut down for maintenance, were expected to go on steam today and this was likely to improve the power availability.

They added that the power position in the state was likely to ease in the first week of October when demand from the agriculture sector was set to go down.

Lundewala (Muktsar), September 27
Residents of this village term it God’s curse on them for no fault of theirs . The land has been waterlogged for a decade, with crops failing every year . These days fields are filled with water. Farmers pleas to government officials to find solution to water logging have not been heeded .

Gurjant Singh, owner of 60 acres says wall of his house collapsed seven years ago but he does not have Rs 10,000 needed to have it repaired it. “Had these 60 acres been in some other district I would have been king”, he remarks. Nature has reduced once prosperous villagers to paupers.

Says Ajmer Singh who with two brothers once had fertile 45 acres here: “Governments come and go and politicians make promises that are never meant to be fulfilled. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We cannot sow fields as accumulated water would damage these. We once sowed paddy since it requires more water than other crops. However, even that failed.

Shiv Charan Singh Brar, a farm expert, says “ Water-logging has become acute in this village. However, construction of drains to remove the water has acquired political overtones. There are instances of farmers close to the powers that be getting drains built to save their fields. Prevention of seepage from the Sirhind feeder and the Rajasthan canal, main cause of waterlogging in the village is urgently needed”.

Villagers have found work in adjoining towns. Arjan Singh is only 25 but looks as if he is into fifties. For many years he and his family members have not sowed his fields , which have become wasteland. They have shifted elsewhere abandoning their home. Akalis assert the Badal government has done lot to check waterlogging in Muktsar district, even giving Rs 1,400- crore grant .

Chandigarh, September 27
The Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department, which recently pruned its atta -daal’ scheme following increase in the number of beneficiaries and paucity of funds will now put 15 lakh beneficiary families up for public scrutiny by listing them village- wise on the Internet.

The purpose is two fold. Public scrutiny is expected to weed out undeserving people enjoying the scheme, which will allow them to purchase 25 kg wheat flour and 2.5 kg of pulses from next month onwards at Rs 4 and Rs 20 per kg per month. Earlier the beneficiaries were allowed 35 kg of flour and 4 kg of pulses .

The department will direct the Deputy Commissioners to survey beneficiaries in three months following which the beneficiary list will be revised.

Food and Supplies Minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon says undeserving people, the new list would also have those left out. He said putting the list on the Internet will enable scrutiny of the beneficiaries. The minister said allocation of wheat has gone up from only 15,00 tonnes two and a half years back to 35,000 tonnes. And number of beneficiaries, went up to 15 lakh from 12 lakh just three months earlier.

Kairon said the department recently purchased cheaper pulses and run the scheme in a more efficiently the minister added.

Ludhiana, September 27
The central and state governments have announced the implementation of the recommendations of the sixth and fifth pay commissions, respectively. The teachers of Panjab Agricultural University (PAU) will get new pay scales as recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission while the non-teaching employees will receive the new scales from the state government under the Fifth Pay Commission.

According to A C Rana, Comptroller of the PAU, requirement of funds for 2009-10 will be actual expenditure of salary during 2008-09. The PAU’s income from its own resources is just Rs 11,79,52,844.

In a bid to find out a solution to the financial woes of the PAU, the Board of Management set up a seven-member committee headed by Dr SS Johl, former vice-chancellor, Panjab University, to suggest ways and means to meet financial crisis of the PAU in March 2008. The committee has since submitted its report to the state government and the PAU.

Johal committee recommended, “The PAU cannot be compared with other universities of the state which have a very large student base and a large number of colleges affiliated with them.

They hold entrance tests and are able to collect money from these colleges if needed. There is no such option available to the PAU. Moreover, the research of this university caters to the social service needs mainly of small, marginal and medium-size farmers.”

The committee recommended, “In order to financially strengthen the PAU, a market cess at the rate of 50 paise per Rs 100 on arrivals may be levied by the government on produce - seller - farmers.

The revenue generated on this account will be approximately Rs 150 crore per year which may be treated as an extra-budgetary provision and be passed on PAU to meet its expenses on research, education and extension activities… and other liabilities including pensions.” The Chief Minister accepted the report and agreed to implement the same. But later retracted under pressure from the farmers’ lobby.

The vice-chancellor, Dr Manjit Singh Kang, said, “We are basically a research institute and our mandate is to serve the farming community. We cannot indulge in commercial activities.”

Dr Kang said, “We have started some self-financing courses, but the income accruing from these would be needed to raise the infrastructure and they would be sufficient only for their own programme. We are basically a research-oriented university and research costs a lot of money. We are not able to spend anything on research under the Rs 100 crore annual grant from the Punjab government.”

Chandigarh, September 27
The state government has decided to call global tenders to procure 3,000 MW of electricity.

The was decided by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal following a brainstorming session concluded none of the power projects would be functional before the next General Elections.

Though the government will shortly float global tenders, officials are sceptical if the government will be able to procure it.

At present, the state’s power availability is short by 30 per cent of requirement (estimated to be about 7,870 MW while peak availability is 6,800 MW).

The decision was taken after it became clear power position in next three years is likely to remain same. “So, why not buy power to meet shortage. Besides, the shortage has potential to affect poll outcome in General Elections,” a senior official said.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already announced four thermal plant conceived in two years by the SAD-BJP government will not be operational before 2012 while the SAD-BJP’s 2,640-MW Gidderbaha power plant may take even longer.

The state has already floated global tenders for the purchase of 1,800 MW on long-term basis. The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) that put out its requirement almost two months ago is yet to receive any concrete proposal though proposals will continue to be received till October 8. The PSEB has invited bids from suppliers who could provide at least 50 MW on long-term basis.

The Central Electricity Authority had projected the state would suffer massive shortage with the peak demand in 2009-10 estimated at 9,110 MW while the peak availability was estimated at 6,540 MW.

The government has also decided to set up a 1,000 MW gas-based power plant for which the PSEB has entered into an agreement with the Gas Authority of India (GAIL) for supply of gas to the proposed plant on the premises of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar.

Chandigarh, September 27
The Punjab government has approved setting up a vegetable export trade mission on the pattern of Maharashtra’s to give logistic support to the vegetables and fruit growers of the state for exporting the produce in the international market.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal decided it after a series of meetings with exporters and growers of vegetables and fruits, floriculturists and potato growers here today.

Badal directed the Punjab Agro Export Corporation (PAGREXCO) to work out modalities of forming vegetable export trade mission to enable fruit and vegetable growers to export the produce.The Chief Minister also agreed to send a delegation to Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Uzbekistan and some Central Asian countries to explore export potential .

The Chief Minister also assured exporters farm power tariff would be charged on the green houses and also directed the chairman, PSEB, to provide special transmission lines to the cold rooms and release the pending power connections under drip irrigation scheme positively by March 31 on a priority basis. Badal also asked the Punjab Agro-industries Corporation to immediately establish 10 pack houses equipped with the latest grading and packaging facilities.

The Chief Minister also gave nod to set up a litchi estate at Pathankot and Pears Estate at Amritsar on the pattern of existing Citrus Estates in Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur and Muktsar districts to promote the quality production of these fruits and provision of marketing and export facilities too.

Responding to the issues raised by the floriculturists, Badal asked the director, floriculture, of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, to impart training to the floriculturists and develop a nursery for the production of gladiolus bulbs besides importing cornels from Holland and Brazil. He also asked the Mandi Board to allot a shed in the fruits and vegetables market in Ludhiana for the marketing of flowers.

Amritsar, September 27
Despite the government’s U-turn on court fee stamp vendors have been selling stamps on increased rates.

Major Mohinder Singh of Dr Surat Singh road alleged a vendor in court here charged from him Rs 50 court fee against earlier rate of Rs 1.25.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal directed the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, on September 16 to re-examine issue of judicial stamp fee hike following recent amendments to the Punjab Court Fees Act and also announced till a decision the increased rates would not be implemented.

Major Mohinder Singh said to transfer his case from the court of Hemant Gopal, Additional District and Sessions Judge to the court of Rajiv Beri, Additional District and Sessions Judge, he needed to pay court fee in shape of judicial stamp fee.

When I referred to the report of putting on hold hiked fee the vendor replied he was not aware?, Mohinder Singh said. When he approached an official in the court on higher charges for judicial stamps and also apprised him of the new orders. He claimed, the official said they had not received new notification. The CM had also constituted a panel to examine the issue of hiked court fee and asked it to give a report to the government for moderating the increase to reasonable level.

Earlier, lawyers had gone on strike and the Bar Council of Punjab (BCP) had moved Punjab and Haryana High Court against the hike effected by the state government. The high court had granted stay on the hike in the court fee up to November 16.

Deputy Commissioner Kahn Singh Pannu said at present previous rates of judicial stamp fee were being implemented. The new rates had been introduced for brief period and any aberration would be dealt sternly.

Pathankot, September 27
Four youths in the age group of 23 to 25 years were killed in an accident on the Pathankot-Jammu national highway last night.

The police said , all four youths, Parveen Kumar, Surinder Kumar, Sukhpal and Gulshan Kumar, of Madhopur Kulian village in Pathankot subdivision were returning to their village last night on a motorcycle (JKQ-506) after watching Ram Leela in Sujanpur town. As they reached near Nawa Pind, 10 km from here, on the Pathankot-Jammu road, a Delhi- bound bus (UP-78-AT-8373) coming from behind hit the motorcycle killing three youths on the spot.

The fourth, Surinder Kumar, succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the civil hospital here.

Driver of the bus, Pal Singh, resident of Chandigarh, fled the scene, leaving the bus . SP(City) Bhupinderjit Singh Virk here said a case had been registered against the driver and the bus impounded.

Nurpur Bedi, September 27
A marriage ceremony turned mournful when youngsters opened fire killing one and injuring 10, including four children.

The incident took place on Saturday at Takhtgarh village when two group of youngsters clashed during the celebrations.

Lucky and Pammu of Lehriyan village and Makhan Singh of Bhatton village had a tussle with Balwinder Singh of Bhatton village. Sohan Singh of Saupur village tried to settle the dispute. He managed to pacify both factions. Thereafter, Lucky called up his friend Manpreet Singh Maini and few others in a bid to “teach” Sohan Singh and others a lesson.

Manpreet and his accomplices started beating up Sohan. However, on seeing some villagers, they tried to run away. When Sohan and others tried to catch them, Manpreet fired two rounds from his pistol.

A bullet hit Sohan Singh in the head and he died on the spot. Ten others were injured with bullet splinters, including four children. The villagers rushed the injured to civil hospital, where Sohan was declared brought dead.

The police has booked 15 persons on the statements of Sohan’s brother Charanjit Singh. The accused have been identified as Manpreet, Gurtej Singh of Anandpur Sahib, Dipti of Bhalana village, Kaji of Bhauwal, Lucky and Pammu of Lehriyan and Makhan Singh of Bhatton village.

A case has been registered. None of the accused had been arrested till the filing of the report.