Jalandhar, October 9
Facing a huge crisis with regard to the procurement of paddy, the state government today got relief as the Punjab Rice Millers Association suspended its ongoing agitation allowing the government procurement agencies to stack procured paddy on the rice mill premises. Suspension of agitation has provided a much-needed opportunity to the state government to quicken the pace of procurement of piled-up stocks of paddy in the grain markets.

Confirming that the agitation has been suspended on an assurance given by the state government with regard to the taking up all issues related to rice with the Union Government, association president Tarsem Saini said the government had also given its word that it would not press its agencies to procure paddy with a moisture level beyond 17 per cent.

In absence of availability of space for stacking the procured paddy, the procurement process in the state during the past a few days had been hampered in a big way. Officials of the procurement agencies had suspended the procurement operations because non-clearance of stocks of procured paddy had become a big problem for them. However, as the millers have allowed stacking of paddy on their premises, the government must have heaved a sigh of relief. Grain markets are likely to be cleared of the piled-up paddy stocks in the next 24 hours.

Secretary, Food and Supplies Department, SPSingh and other officials held a meeting with the association in Chandigarh this morning. On behalf of Food and Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh, the Food Secretary gave an assurance to the association that it would get allowed 4 per cent damage and equal percentage of discolour in rice which is to be procured for the central pool by the Union Government. At present, the Union Government allows 3 per cent damage and 3 per cent discolour.

Actually, the association had demanded 5 per cent damage and equal percentage of discolour in rice. However, following negotiations with the government officials, it brought down the figure to 4 per cent. The state government has also assured to set up an independent high-tech laboratory to evaluate the percentage of damage and discolour in the rice that is offered to the central pool.

Millers complained that higher percentage of damage and discolour was shown by the FCI labs in the rice offered to the central pool by millers. The association says that corruption in the FCI often makes things difficult for rice millers.

Saini made it clear that the association had believed what had been promised to it by the state government and was hopeful that a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar would be held soon to take up issues related to rice millers.

Chandigarh, October 9
Be careful while taking sweets this festival. Samples taken by the Health Department at various places in Punjab and Haryana reveal the extensive use of poisonous synthetic khoya and milk in their preparation. A 20 per cent increase in the rates of different sweets notwithstanding, the use of “cheap and poisonous synthetic milk and khoya” has also been on the rise.

A series of raids in different parts of Punjab that led to seizure of large quantities of suspected synthetic khoya and artificial milk used in preparation of sweets has led Health and Family Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla to dole out a red warning to both halwais and health officials against any food adulteration.

Talking of zero tolerance in cases of food adulteration, she has asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to issue instructions for coordinated effort of different departments, including the Police and Health Departments, for stricter enforcement of food adulteration laws. In June The Tribune ran a special series about the open sale of synthetic milk and khoya in various parts of the state.

The Punjab Health Minister has also instructed all civil surgeons of the state to conduct statewide raids on sweets shops to check the supply and use of synthetic khoya in the preparation of sweets. To intensify its campaign launched against adulteration, the Health Department raided sweets shops in Mohali, Kharar and Ludhiana in last 24 hours, where huge quantities of synthetic khoya and some preparations allegedly made from it, including rasgullas, barfi and petha have been seized. Samples of the seized material have been sent for chemical examination.

The Minister said 20 bags of khoya, 50 drums of petha and 200 drums of rasgullas had been seized at Balongi. Similarly, 60 bags of khoya and 54 drums of rasgullas had been taken in possession from a cold store in Kharar. She further said three factories had been raided in Ludhiana late last evening. The raiding parties impounded 35 quintals milk cake, 17 quintals of patisa, 4 quintals of khoya burfi, 8 quintals of besan, 20 quintals of ballushai and 70 quintals of sujji. Last month, special raids led to the recovery of a huge quantity of adulterated edible oils.

Instructions had been sent to all civil surgeons that nobody should be allowed to play with the health and lives of the residents of the state. She said the idea of the raids was not to harass honest shopkeepers but to curb the nefarious practice of some sweets shop owners to indulge in profiteering by selling adulterated khoya and milk products. The focus of the raids should be on wholesalers to net big sharks and this would be warning to others.

Chandigarh, October 9
Medical doctors working for the Punjab government are up in arms over the requirement of completing 33 years in service in order to get full pension benefits and promised parity with central services.

The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association has demanded the immediate de-linking pension from condition of 33 years of qualifying service. State president of the PCMS Hardip Singh has said this is as per the recommendation of the 5th Punjab Pay Commission.

Sounding a veiled threat, the association has said the Punjab government has already been very short of doctors and if the working conditions were not improved, the health services in the state would suffer a serious setback. Demanding immediate intervention of the government, the association has said the “de-liking of pension from qualifying service” had already taken place in the case of employees of the Central government services.

The association in its case before the government has argued that PCMS doctors were the biggest sufferers, as they could not join the government service at a young age due to the long years of medical education. Due to joining late they are invariably unable to meet this 33-year job clause, whereas simple graduates who join Punjab Civil Services at a younger age easily complete this tenure and end with much higher pensions at superannuation.

Quoting from the 5th Punjab Pay Commission, Dr Hardeep Singh said, “In paragraph 7.7 on page 150, the commission has suggested that linking of full pension with 33 years of qualifying service should be dispensed with. Full pension should be allowed once the government employee has rendered the minimum qualifying service of 20 years.”

In the case of all the Punjab government employees, the government had revised the pension in a manner that they would get a pension that shall be 50 per cent of their basic pay (plus non practicing allowance). It would be calculated on the basis of last pay drawn or 10 months average whichever is beneficial to the employee. 

Amritsar, October 9
Thousands of devotees celebrated the 475th “Parkash Purab” (birth anniversary) of the fourth Sikh Guru Ram Dass by taking a holy dip in the ‘sarovar’ of the Golden Temple, which, wore a celestial look with Sikhs thronging the place with enthusiasm and took a look at the display of Sikh artifacts at the complex.

The three-day celebrations concluded with the world-famous spectacle of “aatishbazi”, which, offered a rare delight for the eyes and wore a marvelous look as it was adorned by impressive lights.

The celebrations - an annual ritual of immense religious value for the Sikhs and others as well - had taken off on Thursday with “Nagar Kirtan” and a series of competitions and other functions of religious importance. Guru Ram Dass was also known as “Jetha ji” and was born in 1534 at Chuna Mandi in Lahore (Pakistan). The fourth Guru penned down 638 hymns in as many as, 30 “ragis”.

Devotees, in large numbers, had started descending at the complex in the wee hours to not only to pay their obeisance to the Guru but, also to take part in the community service there.They also took part in the celebrations at Gurdwara Attari Sahib, Sultanwind, Gurdwara Pipli Sahib, Putlighar, and Bhai Vir Singh Hall, Lawrence Road, from where they headed for the “Ghanta Ghar Chowk” in shape of a “Parbhat Pheri” and were led by the “Panj Piaras”. The Sikh and other devotees also enjoyed an exhibition of rare artifacts of religious importance (Jalau) organised by the SGPC authorities at the Golden Temple Complex, the Akal Takht and Gurudwara Baba Atal Rai between 9am and 12 am.

Earlier, on Thursday night, devotees listened to “shabads” in an “Alaukik Raag Durbar” held at the Diwan Hall Gurudwara Manji Sahib. World famous “Ragis” Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa, Bibi Ashupreet Kaur Jalandhar, Bhai Manjit Singh, Hazoori Ragi, Golden Temple, Bhai Gurmit Singh Shaant, Bhai Sarabji Singh Rangila Durg, Bhai Harjinder Singh Srinagar Wale, Dr Gurnam Singh Patiala, Bhai Balbir Singh, Bhai Sarbjit Singh, Bhai Amrik Singh Zakhmi, Prof. Kartar Singh, and a “Raagi Jatha” of “Miri Piri Academy” rendered Kirtan.

Padam Sri Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa and Prof. Kartar Singh were honoured with the title of “Shiromani Ragis” by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Avtar Singh and Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, who presented them with silver plaques and “Siropas”.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh also released recording of a collection of 31 “ragis” of Guru Granth Sahib rendered by Dr Gurnam Singh. The entire “Raag Darbar” programme was also live telecast on the SGPC website www.sgpc.net- and on the PTC TV channel.

The Golden Temple Head Granthi Giani Jaswinder Singh, and Sikh priests, Giani Jagtar Singh, Giani Sukhjinder Singh, Surinder Kaur Badal, the wife of the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti were among those present at the function.

Sangrur, October 9
As part of the efforts to sort out the controversy regarding the under-construction Golden Temple lookalike shrine on the premises of Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib at Mastuana Sahib in a peaceful manner, President of the SGPC Avtar Singh Makkar today held a closed- door meeting with the president of the Yadgiri Sant Attar Singhji Maharaj Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib Charitable Trust, Sant Baba Sadhu Singh, at Mastuana Sahib.

However, details of the talks between the two could not be known immediately.

Sant Baba Sadhu Singh presented a shawl to the SGPC President to honour him.

Earlier, the SGPC President took a round of the controversial shrine. He visited the shrine for the first time after becoming the President of the SGPC.

Makkar said he had seen the entire structure of the shrine personally and would now submit a written report to Akal Takht that would take a final decision in this regard.

Makkar said though the management of the controversial shrine had made efforts to change the look of the structure, the changes were not in accordance with the edict issued by Akal Takht. He said the management had tried to change the look by constructing a verandah around the shrine while it had stated that it would also cover the upper portion of the shrine which had domes.

Makkar said he had also asked the gurdwara management to drain out the water from the sarovar immediately and fill it with earth to show that the building of the shrine was not in the sarovar. He said he had also asked the gurdwara management to demolish a bridge connecting the bank of the sarovar to the shrine building. He expressed the hope that the gurdwara management would accept his views on the issue.

Those present included chairman of the trust Jarnail Singh Changal and member of the trust Jai Singh Nambardar. 

Jalandhar, October 9
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission has sought a report from the Secretary, Health Department, regarding the action he intends to take against doctors and other staff that was found absent at the time of a visit of a member of the commission Avinash Rai Khanna to the Community Health Centre, Haryana in Hoshiarpur district.

The members of the commission- Justice Baldev Singh, L.R. Roojam and K.K. Bhatnagar- in their order in this regard has referred to a report submitted by the Director, Health Services, confirming the absence of the doctors and other staff except one nurse and one homeopathic doctor in the hospital at the time of inspection conducted by Khanna.

Khanna had visited the hospital on May 30 this year.

He was told that there were five doctors posted in the hospital and in addition to one homeopathic doctor at the health center. “ Only one homeopathic doctor was present at the time of my visit at 8.40 am. No other doctor was present.

Later two doctors came and that too after some staff member of the hospital called them. The rooms, which doctors used to sit were locked. One pharmacist and one nurse was on leave”, Khanna had stated in his report to the commission. No lab technician was present, only nurse present was looking after the 9 indoor patients in the hospital. Many beds in the hospital were without bed-sheets. The compound of the hospital was in bad shape.

Khanna had recommended that the government should be asked to make necessary arrangements for the maintenance of the hospital and staff absent without leave application should be punished as per the service rules and transferred to other districts.

The hospital should be brought under the Punjab Health Systems Corporation so that the charges collected from patients can be utilised to run the hospital.

Bathinda, October 9
To clear extra rush in view of Gurta Gaddi Samagam, the railway has decided to run special trains between Nanded and Sriganganagar for three days.

“The special trains would run from Nanded on October 15, 19 and 23 and from Sriganganagar on October 17, 21 and 25,” said senior divisional commercial manager, Ambala, Karan Singh.

The 2715-C would start its journey from Nanded at 10.30 pm on October 15 and reach Sriganganagar at 9.30 am on October 17 via Bhopal, Beena, Jhanshi, Palwal, New Delhi, Rohtak, Jind, Jhakhal and Bathinda. The train would reach Bathinda at 6.25 am on October 17.

The 2716 C would begin its journey from Sriganganagar at 5 pm on October 17 and reach Nanded at 3.30 am on October 19. The train would reach Bathinda at 6.40 pm on October 19.

Ludhiana, October 9
The long list of achievements of the late writer, lyricist and film producer Inderjeet Hassanpuri were not enough to fetch him the “state honour”. Despite having been recommended for the state award by Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation at least six times, the state government failed to acknowledge Hassanpuri's contribution to the Punjabi language in particular and culture at large. Hassanpuri died yesterday. He was cremated today noon in his native village Hassanpur.

Requesting anonymity, an art connoisseur from Ludhiana (who was a close associate of the late writer) after witnessing the brigade of VIPs in the funeral procession of Inderjeet Haasanpuri taking a jibe at the political protocol, said it is rather sad that a person like Inderjeet, who spent his life in selfless and good work has not been acknowledged.

“He was not lauded for his work during his lifetime and now, the whole brigade of VIPs from the district as well as state level have come for his cremation,” Hassanpuri's associate added.

Punjab Minister for Jail, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Hira Singh Gabria visited Hassanpuri's village to pay tributes to the departed soul. He announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for a library to be constructed in his name.

SSP Ludhiana Sukhchain Singh Gill, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kuldip Singh along with eminent laureates, singers and performers from the city also paid their tributes to him. The Antim Ardas and Bhog ceremony of late Inderjit Singh Hassanpuri will be held on October 18 from 12 noon to 2 pm at the Gurdwara of Hasssanpur village.

Chandigarh, October 9
Punjab Chief Secretary BC Gupta and Financial Commissioner NS Kang are in the contempt loop over the issue of direct payment to farmers.

Referring to July 2 proceedings before the Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia, the Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations yesterday claimed the state on that day had submitted a notification dated April 16, 2008, for “payment of price of the produce directly to the farmers” would not be withdrawn.

At that time also, the counsel for the petitioners had submitted that the “arhtias” had given a call for strike; and the pressure built up by their “lobby was likely to make the government buckle and withdraw the notification”.

In a petition seeking the initiation of contempt of court proceedings “for wilful, intentional and malafide act of disobedience,” the petitioner have now alleged, “the fear of the farmers became a reality, when Kang issued notification on October 1 clearly going back on the undertaking given in the court.”

The petitioner added, it had left the farmers at the mercy of the commission agents; and was making the position of the farmers worse under the pressure of the commission agents.

They added: “Keeping in view the narration of events and the conduct of the respondents of showing scant regard to the orders of the court, they deserve swear punishment under the Contempt of Courts Act, as by passing the order, they have also played with the lives of the farmers.”

Taking up the petition, Justice Nawab Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to both the respondents for November 6. 

Chandigarh, October 9
Nearly three years after the PSEB raised a loan of Rs 300 crore for infrastructure development works through an arranger after paying a commission of Rs 1.62 crore, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered a probe by the CBI.

Acting on a petition filed in public interest by advocate HC Arora, the Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia ordered: “The Director, CBI, shall order registration of preliminary inquiry into the allegations of criminal misconduct on the part of the public servants, including the bank officials and the officials of the board.

Speaking for the Bench, Justice Ahluwalia asserted: “The inquiry may be assigned by the Director, CBI, to any officer of the rank of Joint Director or DIG, with expertise in investigating banking, commercial and financial frauds.

In case the preliminary inquiry reveals the commission of a cognisable offence, a regular case be registered and investigated, and thereafter, taken to its logical conclusion”

In the detailed order, Justice Ahluwalia observed: “Whether a middleman, called a loan arranger and payment of the commission was required or not? Whether Rs 1.62 crore, the amount of commission, was a booty shared by the employees of the bank and the board….all these issues are important, especially in the context that a few days before the deal was finalised towards the end of August 2005, the bank had refused to process the request of the board. But when a loan arranger was associated, the loan was cleared immediately.”

Justice Ahluwalia observed: “Whether the agreement of the Board to give 0.49 per cent commission to the loan arranger was a magical wand which led to sanction of the loan within 72 hours for which the bank had earlier refused?

The matter would have remained under the carpet and would not have surfaced, if for compliance of statutory requirements in March 2008 in the session of Punjab Legislative Assembly, on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha, the report of Controller and Auditor-General of India (commercial) had not been laid. 

Gurdaspur, October 9
Lakhwinder Singh, who was facing a murder trial in the district courts, allegedly committed suicide in the local Central Jail by hanging himself with the iron rod of a ventilator of one of its bathrooms late last night.

After the death of Lakhwinder Singh, the inmates raised slogans against the jail authorities, alleging that medical care was not being given to them as and when required. The jail authorities did not allow mediapersons to enter the jail premises.

Ashok Kumar, DSP, who reached on the spot, said that Priya Sood, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), would conduct an inquiry to find out the reasons behind the death and the allegations levelled by the kin of the deceased against the jail authorities that Lakhwinder Singh had died due to some foul play on the part of jail authorities.

Satpal Singh, Superintendent, Central Jail, when contacted, said Lakhwinder Singh was being being treated since October 7, 2009 after he was admitted to the jail hospital. He added that Lakhwinder Singh went to sleep after watching the television in a normal manner last night. However, he committed suicide late in the night and his body was found hanging with a piece of cloth being used as a headgear by the deceased in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, kin of the deceased, who reached the Central Jail, alleged that two days ago his brother Baljinder Singh, who was also in the jail for the same crime and was bailed out few weeks ago, visited Lakhwinder Singh.

Lakhwinder Singh told Baljinder Singh that though he had been having fever and other problems, he was not being shifted to the civil hospital. Lakhwinder Singh had made the same complain to another kin, who visited him in the jail few days before Baljinder Singh visited him.

Information gathered by TNS revealed that Lakhwinder Singh, who was 20-year-old, was lodged in the jail since May 19, 2006 after a murder case against him and his kin was registered at the Dera Baba Nanak police station.

Information revealed that the body of Lakhwinder Singh was taken to his village Nikku Sarai after the postmortem was done at the civil hospital.