Amritsar, October 31
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) may not only put up its own candidate for the top position of the President of the SGPC in the November 25 executive committee poll, it is also contemplating to don a new avatar in its bid to resurrect itself as a new Akali Dal, based strictly on the principles of the ‘traditional’ constitution of the Akali Dal.

Meanwhile, the SAD (Longowal) President, Bibi Surjit Kaur Barnala, has appointed veteran Akali leader Manjit Singh Calcutta as the patron of her party. The development is being seen as important as leaders of various splinter Akali Dals were also likely to align with the proposed new Akali Dal, particularly in view of the general house poll of the SGPC to be held any time during the next year.

A large number of Akali leaders including Calcutta, Onkar Singh, Baldev Singh Maan, Talib Singh Sandhu and Manjit Singh Tarantarni converged at the circuit house and held long discussions with the SAD (Longowal) chief Bibi Surjit Kaur Barnala, who was in the holy city along with her husband and Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala. It was a different matter that Barnala did not say anything on the issue.

The veteran leaders felt that the spirit of the original 1925 constitution of the SAD was nowhere to be seen in the Akali circles, particularly in the working of the SAD(Badal). “The name of the proposed new Akali Dal is yet to be finalised. We may put up our candidate for the SGPC President’s poll, as we have 35 SGPC members with us, but we will concentrate more on the general house elections of the Mini Parliament of the Sikhs, scheduled to be held next year, said Calcutta.

On the other hand, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee led by Parmjit Singh Sarna is organising a special meeting in New Delhi on November 9 with an objective to hold an exhaustive discussion on the contentious issue of the Nanakshahi calendar. The leaders of the Damdami Taksal, who have been opposing the Nanakshahi calendar, the five Sikh high priests and Pal Singh Purewal, the designer of the calendar, have also been invited to the meeting. The focus of the meeting, it was learnt, will be to make the Sikhs aware about the objections, if any, of orthodox Sikh bodies and their leaders in reference to the Nanakshahi calendar. They would be asked to explain their objections with some logic. A number of Sikh scholars have also been invited, it was learnt.

Devotees participate in a religious procession held in connection with the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday. — PTI

Amritsar, October 31
Spirituality and religious fervour filled the air as thousands of devotees from far and wide, irrespective of caste or religious affiliations, participated in the nagar kirtan organised in the holy city today by the SGPC and the management of the Golden Temple in connection with the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

While the holy city wore a festive look, the nagar kirtan procession took off from the Golden Temple complex at around 12 noon and the procession passed through beautifully decorated Brahmbuta market, Chowk Ghanta Ghar, Bazar Mai Sewan, Bazar Kaathian, Bazar Papdan, Bazar Baansan, Chowk Chatti Khuhi, Chawal Mandi, Chowk Karori, and Chowk Pragdas and returned to the Guru Ramdas market in the evening.

Members of various religious sabhas and societies, students of schools and colleges along with their bands, band parties of the city, members of different ‘gatka’ parties, the staff of the SGPC and its Dharam Parchar Committee and Sikh devotees participated in the event.

Banners and gates laden with flowers greeted the devotees, who followed a beautiful “palki” carrying Guru Granth Sahib. The procession was led by Panj Piaras. The ‘chaur sewa’ was performed by the working Head Granthi of the Golden Temple, Giani Jaswinder Singh.

The devotees were served with langar of sweets, tea and fruits by shopkeepers and residents.

Parmjit Singh, information officer of the SGPC, said, “The procession dedicated to the Parkash Utsav will be organised between 10 am and 12 noon at the Golden Temple, the Akal Takht and Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai on November 2. Jathas of students of various schools will be rendering kirtan at Dewan Hall, Manji Sahib, on the morning of November 2. Similarly, kirtan will also be held in the evening.

Devotees will be enthralled by elaborate fireworks and deepmala at the Golden Temple on November 2.

Chandigarh, October 31
To facilitate pilgrims of the Malwa region to pay obeisance at Takht Hazur Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra, the Railway has decided to start a weekly train from Sri Ganganagar, which after passing through Abohar, Bathinda and other stations, will culminate at Nanded.

Stating this to the media here today, HK Jaggi, Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala Division, said two other trains- Jammu Tawi to Varanasi (daily) and Chandigarh to Dibrugarh (weekly)- would also be introduced soon. However, the introductory dates of the trains were yet to be decided, he added.

Jaggi said the 2486 down train left from Sri Ganganagar on Friday at 4.10 pm and after passing through Abohar, Bathinda and New Delhi reached at Nanded on Sunday at 3.30 am.

Similarly, the 2485 up train would leave Nanded on the same day at 10.30 pm and reach Sri Ganganagar on Tuesday at 9.50 am, he added.

He said the daily 2238 down train would start from Jammu Tawi at 2 pm and after passing through Ludhiana, Ambala and Saharanpur would reach Varanasi at 1 pm next day.

He said the third weekly 5904 down train would start from Chandigarh on Wednesday at 11.10 pm and after passing Ambala and Saharanpur would culminate at Dibrugarh on Friday at 6.00 am. The 5903 up train would start from Dibrugarh on Monday at 8.15 pm and arrive at Chandigarh on Wednesday at 1.15 pm.

He further announced that the 2329 up train, which was earlier running between Sealdah and New Delhi, had now been extended up to Amritsar. It would also have a 
new number.

The 2380 down train would now start from Amritsar on Saturday at 3.10 pm and would have only one stoppage at Ambala Cantonment. The train would reach Sealdah on Sunday at 3.15 pm. Similarly, the 2379 up train would start from Sealdah on Sunday at 3.25 pm and reach Amritsar on next day at 3 pm.

Amritsar, October 31
More than 1,000 Sikh pilgrims - about 800 of them as part of the SGPC-organised jatha - left on their seven-day sojourn to Pakistan, where they will participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.

Meanwhile, over 100 members of different groups of Sikh pilgrims hailing from states like UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Bihar faced some inconvenience and confusion as they were not aware whether they had to reach the Amritsar city railway station or the Attari railway station.

They had started descending on the Amritsar city railway station at around 8 a.m. and could begin their journey to Pakistan only around 2.30 p.m. when a special train took them to Attari, from where they headed for Nankana Sahib, it was learnt.

On the other hand, the 800-strong SGPC jatha of pilgrims left the Attari railway station for Nankana Sahib under the leadership of Jagir Singh and Bibi Harbans Kaur.

The jathas reached Nankana Sahib-based Janam Asthan Gurdwara in the evening. After celebrating the Guru’s birth anniversary at the place on November 2, the Sikh pilgrims would be visiting Sikh shrines like Sacha Sauda Gurdwara, Panja Sahib Gurdwara, Dehra Sahib Gurdwara, and Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara before its return to India on November 6.

A large number of Sikhs participated in the SGPC-organised bhog of akhand path in memory of Beant Singh, one of the killers of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, at Jhanda Bunga Gurdwara in the Golden Temple complex.

A number of Sikhs and members of staff of the SGPC participated in the ceremony which is held every year at the place.

Bhai Narinder Singh, Hazoori Raagi of Golden Temple, rendered kirtan of bani, while the ardas was performed by Bhai Kulwinder Singh. Also present on the occasion were Giani Jagtar Singh, Granthi of Golden Temple, SGPC member Jaswinder Singh Advocate, SGPC secretary Joginder Singh Adliwal, Ram Singh, in charge of publicity wing of the SGPC and the Golden Temple manager Balbir Singh.

Chandigarh, October 31
Petroleum dealers in Punjab are up in arms against state Excise and Taxation officials for demanding value added tax (VAT) on stock variation in petro products.

The department has begun serving notice on these dealers, demanding that they pay VAT even on the petrol and diesel that evaporates while being stored at petrol stations. Punjab charges 27.5 per cent VAT on petrol and 8.8 per cent VAT on diesel. The state gets its major share of VAT from the sale of these petroleum products, with the average daily sale of petrol in the state amounting to 5,000 kilolitres and the average daily sale of diesel being around 8,000- 9,000 kilolitres.

Petroleum dealers are up in arms against this notice, saying that they cannot be made to pay for the loss of fuel because of a natural process. Petroleum products expand and contract because of a variation in the temperature, which can lead to a different stock position at different times of the day. “Even the Union Ministry of Petroleum recognises an evaporation of 0.6 per cent to 0.7 per cent per kilolitre in these products. We cannot be forced to pay for this loss,” said a dealer in Jalandhar, while requesting anonymity.

Talking to TNS, J. P. Khanna, president of the Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association, said the Excise and Taxation Department had earlier, too, issued a similar notice. “We had replied to them, quoting a decision of the Supreme Court, wherein we cannot be forced to pay VAT on quantum loss of goods. Even the apex court now recognises that stock variation is permissible because of this phenomenon,” he added.

Khanna threatened that if the harassment of the dealers by the excise officials did not end, they would be forced to shut all pumps in the state.

Jalandhar, October 31
As if it wasn’t cause enough for concern that it’s October-end and the region still hasn’t heard from persons concerned at the Kapurthala Heritage Festival, recent rumours that the preparations for the festival have taken a massive hit due to financial constraints, have added to the woes of music lovers across the region.

Just a year after INTACH and the royalty of Kapurthala were sidelined from the festival, it already seems like the festival is in doldrums.

To add fuel to the fire, two eminent cultural organisations, Umak and Society for Promotion of Art and Culture (SPARC) along with advocate and District Bar Association (Kapurthala) president Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia, on Friday sent memorandums to the Finance Minister, Secretary Finance, Education Minister and Secretary of Culture and Tourism of the state, asking them to “expedite the release of at least some funds” to the organisers of the Kapurthala Heritage Festival.

The festival preparations chiefly involve the Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, and the district administration at large.

Talking to The Tribune, Deepak Bali, the president of Umak, said, “It hurts to see such a prominent festival of the region being hit just due to lack of funds. There is no clear signal from the government whether it wants to send funds or not. If the government creates hurdles in holding such important festivals, where will the artists go?” Bali added.

Chaitanya Kochar, general secretary of SPARC, said, “Ideally, everything regarding the finances of the festival is settled in September, but this time the district administration has not received funds till now. People of the region will lose out on imbibing essential values and culture if the government does not ensure that the festival takes place. We, as an organisation for the promotion of art, think it is important to urge the government to issue funds immediately.”

Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia said, “The festival has been almost a decade-long tradition and breaking the link just because of funds will be extremely unfortunate. Earlier it was scheduled for November 6, but financial constraints led to the cancellation of the visits of many artists. If funds don’t come in even now, we have a fear that the festival might not take place at all.”

SDM, Phagwara, Amarjit Paul, a member of the cultural committee of the festival, said, “The festival will surely take place.” Paul refused to comment on the issue of finances.

Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, was discreet about the whole affair, “We are waiting for funds.”

Interestingly, Finance Secretary, Punjab, Karan Avtar Singh, said he wasn’t aware about the state of affairs regarding the festival and said the funds had been allotted. “As far as specific funds for the festival are concerned, the cultural department is responsible for them.” He said he knew nothing about any memorandums.

Sources said that ideally a three-day affair, this time the festival was going to be reduced to a two-day event.

Secretary Culture, Geetika Kalha, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Jalandhar, October 31
Students of government and other schools have impressed a group of teachers from the United Kingdom. What has overwhelmed the teachers is the conduct of students in these schools. “They are very well behaved compared to students in the developed countries,” said Maisie Keay, leader of the group of teachers from the UK.

The teachers had come on the invitation of the Heritage, Institute of Art, Culture and Education, Mohali, under an Indo-British Teachers Exchange Programme.

“Their handwriting is very good and behaviour excellent. They are so respectful,” said Julie Saxton. The group visited a number of schools in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Mohali and other places. It is a widely known fact that many students in the West are wayward in their conduct and often resort to violent actions and even take firearms to schools.

“We found most of the students happy and cheerful, which is not the case back home. They are very friendly,” said Jill Bailey, a facilitator of the exchange programme. “We got hearty welcome from students and teachers everywhere,” said Maria Keeley.

“In the UK, the qualification for teachers, who teach at the nursery, elementary and secondary level is the same,” said Pamela Lees. However, this is not so in India and Punjab.

In primary schools of Punjab, ETT teachers are appointed, whereas in high and secondary schools, B.Ed teachers impart education. “We believe that the teachers who impart education at the primary level should be as qualified as at the secondary level. The primary level is a stage where foundation is laid to build a future of student,” said James Cudmore.

Teachers from the UK said government schools in Punjab were making a good contribution. At least these schools afford opportunity to students who could not go to public schools owing to financial reasons.

Patiala, October 31
Terming the state bandh call given by Panthic organisations on November 3 to mark 25 years of the anti-Sikh massacre as nothing but an “anti-national” step, senior Congress leaders have said such steps are “detrimental” to peace and stability of the state.

They said mixing religion with politics was against the interest of the state.

Party MLA from Nabha Randeep alleged, “It is unfortunate that religion and politics is being mixed by certain elements. Rather than working sincerely for the national integrity, certain groups are disturbing peace.”

Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Shamsher Singh Dullo said the state had already witnessed bloodshed, hence no one should indulge in any act that could disturb peace.

Bathinda, October 31
To ensure quick response to distress calls received on its assistance number 100, the Punjab Police is going to upgrade its police control room (PCR) system with ultra-modern equipment.

Six major cities of the state-Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda, Patiala, Ludhiana and Mohali- have been selected under the proposed upgrading project.

The project involves geographical information system and global positioning system technologies-based automatic vehicle tracking system to track PCR vans and motorcycles along with display its geographic position on digital city maps at the respective PCRs.

According to information, the Punjab Police Housing Corporation (PPHC) has assumed the job to arrange all systems for the state police. The project requires upgrading of 605 vehicles of the six selected cities with all required equipment.

To keep a tab over all activities in such districts, it is being planned that the digital map of such cities and PCR vans/motorcycles will also be made available on a central screen using a heavy duty map projection system in their respective PCR and the Punjab Police Headquarters, Chandigarh.

Being hi-tech, the system is expected to be capable of identifying the nearest PCR vans and motorcycles from the point of distress call. Further, it will also display the shortest possible route for the purpose. To make the record foolproof, it is proposed to carry out recording of all calls received at two places simultaneously.

Confirming this, the managing director of the PPHC, MK Tiwari, said, “The project is being launched with a motive to serve the people in a better way. Besides the SSPs of the districts, the top cop of the state police, if wants, can also check the location of any of the PCR vehicles in any of such districts. Analysing the success rate, it will be introduced in rest of the districts also.”

Gurdaspur, October 31
Parminder Singh alias Pinka, who has been facing trial in a criminal case on the charge of causing grievous hurt to another person, allegedly committed suicide in the local central jail by hanging himself with a piece of cloth from the rod of the exhaust fan in his barrack late last night. This is the second incident of committing suicide by an undertrial in the local Central Jail within a month.

Earlier, Lakhwinder Singh, who was facing a murder trial in the district courts, allegedly committed suicide on October 8. The inmates of the Central Jail raised slogans against the jail authorities when Lakhwinder Singh allegedly committed suicide. The authorities at that time did not allow mediapersons to enter into the jail premises.

What has been raising suspicion in the minds of kin and other acquaintances of both Parminder and Lakhwinder is the fact that both were in their early youth when they committed suicide (Parminder was 22- year-old while Lakhwinder was only 20-year-old), both committed suicide in the dead of the night and that, too, in a similar fashion. Iqbaljit Singh, DSP, Central Jail, denied any foul play behind the death of Parminder. He said it was a clear case of suicide by the inmate and a section of inmates, who had brought his body down from the exhaust fan, had also recorded their statement before the Judicial Magistrate that Parminder had committed suicide.

He said Parminder, whose feet were shaking, was taken to the civil hospital immediately by the jail staff where he was declared brought dead. There was no torture mark on the body. The DSP said all formalities in connection with the suicide had been completed and his body would be handed over to his kin after the postmortem. Parminder belonged to Kular village of the district.

It is learnt Parminder appeared in a court of law at Batala in connection with the hearing of a criminal case on October 29. The hearing on the bail application moved by him was fixed for November 12. He met his mother and brother one day before he allegedly committed suicide.

Patiala, October 31
The Punjab State Information Commission has dismissed a complaint filed by All India Hindu Suraksha Samiti (AIHSS) against the Punjab police for non-supply of information under the RTI Act.

The AIHSS had claimed that they had demanded information from Punjab DGP that “as per the police records, whether Sikh ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, killed in Operation Bluestar, was a saint, a militant or a common man” and the police failed to give the information.

In its orders, dated October 29, 2009, Chief Information Commissioner, Punjab, RI Singh disposed of the complaint stating that under the RTI Act, a Public Information Officer (PIO) is not supposed to give his opinion or comments or views on any issue.

“The information, which a PIO is legally obliged to provide must fall within the ambit of Section 2(f) of the Act. The complainant may ask for copies of the documents or record, which is held by or under the control of PIO. Therefore, there is no merit in the complaint and has been dismissed. The complainant is free to re-approach the PIO to seek copies of any document or record,” according to the orders of the Commission.

Notably, on August 18, 2009, under the RTI Act, president of AIHSS Rajiv Tandon had sought information from the Punjab police that “as per the police records, whether Bhindranwale was a saint, a militant or a common man.” On September 8, 2009, the office of Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) cum Public Information Officer sent a letter to Tandon, mentioning that information demanded by him is “vague” and does not exist in the record.

Aggrieved by this reply of PIO, on October 7, 2009, the complainant filed a complaint to the State Commission under Section 18 of the RTI Act and charged the state police for non-supply of information. On October 29, the Commission heard the arguments of the complainant and respondent and finally dismissed the complaint. Meanwhile, now the AIHSS leaders have shot off a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh requesting that the government must clarify the matter.