Chandigarh, November 22
The Punjab Government is seriously perusing a nuclear power plant for the state. After the SAD-BJP government in Punjab announced a reversal from the stand taken on the issue by the previous Congress regime, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Cabinet colleagues have asked the Centre to build a “light water nuclear reactor” in Punjab. Punjab is willing to provide all infrastructural support for the project.

The state is feeling all the more left out after the Central Government has, in principle, approved the Kumharia site in Fatehabad district of Haryana for setting up of a nuclear power project. At the Power Ministers’ Conference held in New Delhi last week, Punjab put up a case before Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, saying that the state’s development would suffer without adequate power.

Though Punjab is hoping to become power surplus over the next four to five years, after the commissioning of the four ongoing power projects, it feels that with the growing demand for electricity, both in the industrial and domestic sectors, only a nuclear plant will be able to keep pace with the growing demand.

Just before the Chief Minister left on a week-long foreign tour, he instructed his son-in-law and Punjab’s Minister for Food Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to make a formal request to Shinde at the Power Ministers’ Conference. Punjab has told the Centre that it would like a plant for itself, but it would also be interested in investing for a share in the Banswara nuclear plant in Rajasthan or the Kumharia in Haryana.

Punjab has reportedly told Shinde that if people in Kumharia did not want the plant to come up there, the same could be shifted to Punjab.

Punjab is expecting to produce 6,480 MW with the four thermal plants coming into operation. “Two thermal plants have already been allotted to private builders on BOO (Build, Own & Operate) basis, Letter of Intent (LOI) for Rajpura Thermal Plant will be issued in few days. But work allotment for the Gidderbaha Project has to be deferred for the moment for want of coal linkages.”

Besides the nuclear plant, Punjab is also lobbying with the Centre to set up thermal units in the state that would enrich the state by at least 2,500 MW. Further Punjab has demanded another 1,500 MW from the 4,000 MW integrated coal pit head thermal plant to be set up by NTPC at LARA in Chhattisgarh as committed by the Prime Minister.

Badal had recently announced that experience from across the world had shown that the nuclear plants were safe and this was the only way to keep pace with the growing needs of power.

The Congress government’s stand has been that being a border state and that, too, with a high-density population, a nuclear plant should not be housed here, but it was not aware of the possibility of granting Punjab a share from a plant to be set up in Rajasthan or any other state.

Bathinda, November 22
The government’s decision of revising the mid-day meal programme to provide dietary support to studens has put the local school authorities in a catch-22 situation.

Rather than accepting the government’s decision of increasing the quantity of mid-day meal happily, teachers here expressed concern about storing the ration sent for preparing mid-day meal.

Pointing to substandard storing facility at schools, the primary and upper-primary school authorities were vexed about the already rotting rice and wheat lying in schools meant for mid-day meal.

“Earlier, self-help groups used to keep wheat and rice sent by PUNSUP for mid-day meal with them. But when the present DGSE came, he gave Rs 60,000 for constructing a kitchen shed to all schools where mid-day meal is supposed to be made.

Schools could not complete kitchen sheds in the amount which left these sheds incomplete that gave way to rodents. Even rat excreta was spotted in meals. Poor storage facility has always been a problem and with the government increasing the mid-day meal quantity, our concern for proper storage rises”, said an ETT teacher from Burjgill village.

The government has planned to revise the mid-day meal programme and increase the daily quantity of pulses from 25 gms to 30 gms, vegetables from 65 gms to 75 gms and reduce the fat or cooking oil from 10 gms to 7.5 gms per child and the cooking cost has been revised to Rs 2.50 for primary and Rs 3.75 for upper primary children which will be applicable from December 1 this year.

Apart from this, PUNSUP sends stock in bulk.

With a majority of government schools not having a watchman, thefts of rice and wheat have been reported from the schools.

Bathinda, November 22
Taking advantage of people’s ignorance and illiteracy to make a quick buck, matriculate quacks, instead of MBBS doctors, are ruling the roost in cancer-hit southwest Punjab.

A conservative estimate by health authorities puts the number of quacks operating in the region at 4,000. In addition, spurious drugs have also found their way into the area.

Ram Lubhaya, a migrant labourer from Bihar, had a skinny figure before he decided to put on some weight. He got in touch with a quack, who recommended a steroid - Methyl Prednisolone.

After a month he put on enough weight and stopped the steroid. However, a few days later, Lubhaya suddenly started vomiting and now he can barely move from bed.

Savita Sachdeva, a renowned sociologist working with Adesh College of Nursing at Muktsar, said: “People are being taken for a ride by these quacks because the archaic Indian Medical Degree Act of 1916, which still goes by fines it imposed almost 83 years ago. That means a penalty of Rs 250 for people flaunting fake medical degrees and Rs 500 for any subsequent offence. The Punjab government does not have an anti-quackery cell till date.”

“Whenever we receive complaints about quacks operating in our area, we form teams under the supervision of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) who raid their premises,” said Neelam Bajaj, civil surgeon, Bathinda.

However, nobody in health departments of Bathinda or Muktsar, the two main districts of southwest Punjab, are sure about the number of quacks they have caught till now.

“While some practise as bone surgeons others claim to be experts at treating cancer. These quacks use the abbreviation RMP as a title. The abbreviation should rather stand for Rural Medical Practitioner instead of Registered Medical Practitioner,” said Dr Sudhir Raj, vice-president of Punjab unit of the Indian Medical Association.

“Whether it is cold or cancer, quacks offer dangerous remedies without regret. In the case of childless women, they give steroids which can lead to fluid retention and make the abdomen swell. These quacks should be stopped at all cost,” said Dr Shoubhick Kaushal, a Muktsar-based orthopaedician. 

Amritsar, November 22
Hundreds of lecturers associated with aided non-government colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh became the victim of disparity compared to their counterparts in government colleges, thanks to red-tapism and apathy by the Punjab government.

Due to the partial implementation of the UGC

and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) recommendations, the state

government could not give promotional and monitory benefits to Punjab and Chandigarh college lecturers in a uniform manner.

Consequently, mass anomalies have cropped up, affecting hundreds of lecturers associated with private and government aided colleges.

According to an estimate, the rectification of these anomalies will cost between Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2 crore. A significant portion of this amount, about 80 per cent, can be claimed from the Central government under the UGC norms, subject to the condition that 20 per cent of amount will have to be paid by the state government.

The state government, to avoid parting with its 20 per cent liability, got implemented the revised pay scales and promotional benefits as per the HRD and UGC regulations in the government colleges, depriving the aided private college lecturers.

Though, the UGC and the HRD Ministry had sternly recommended to implement the benefits in uniform manner for all universities’ lecturers, despite this, they have been discriminated against since 1996.

Due to this anomaly, those who joined in 1986 as librarian and DPE suffered a loss of Rs 6 lakh each (about Rs 14,000 a month).

Those who has been placed on senior scale from July 27,1998, suffered a loss of around Rs 4.75 lakh (about Rs 11,000 per month).

Mullanpur, November 22
As landowners here are resisting acquisition of land to the four-lanning of the Chandigarh-Mullanpur road, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is contemplating to offer them alternative residential and commercial plots.

Around 150 acres of land is being acquired in Mullanpur Garib Dass, Ferozepur Bungar, Parol, Pharongian, Hoshiarpur, Majra and Sultanpur areas for widening the road. The widening of the road stretch between Siswan and Mullanpur has become all the more important after opening of the Siswan-Baddi road.

Some land chunks owned by religious institutions also needed to be acquired for constructing the 200-foot-wide road from the UT border to Kurali Siswan T- junction. Around 87 dwelling units and 138 shops would have to be demolished for executing the project. At least 12 landowners had got interim stay from the court.

Sources in GMADA said the offer would be made if the landowners came forward to accept it. For acquiring 150 acres of land to widen the Mullanpur-Siswan road, the land acquisition collector has recommended rates ranging from Rs 70 lakh an acre to around Rs 1 crore an acre.

The offer was being made as GMADA was also acquiring land for urban estate contiguous to the land being acquired for road widening. The residents have urged the government to widen the 33-foot existing road to the 80-foot vacant corridor left by the residents and construct a bypass on the western side of Mullanpur.

Ludhiana, November 22
Decks are clear for Avtar Singh Makkar to be elected president of the SGPC for the fifth yearly term on November 25 when the general house meets. The Makkar camp claims to be certain of his victory.

Makkar is the only Sikh leader who has continued to lead the SGPC after the late Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra who had served the SGPC for 27 times without break.

Makkar was elevated to the post of the SGPC chief by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in order to win over the urban Sikhs who are usually critical of the Jat-Akali leadership.

The Jathedars of Akal Takht have remained mired in controversy because they have allegedly been operating under political pressure. But somehow, each time Makkar was able to wriggle out of the crisis.

The present Jathedar of Akal Takht Gurbachan Singh has attracted criticism on the issue of Nanakshahi calendar and punishment of Haryana Sikhs. He probably does not understand that conventions of Sikhism cannot be enforced as rituals.

Akal Takht is basically a religious seat and is meant to guide the Sikhs in their day-to-day religio-social conduct. A religious institution/court cannot be vindictive or harsh according to the Sikh scholars.

Makkar claims to have expanded educational institutions and in order to streamline these, he has created a Directorate of Education in the SGPC. The number of seats for admission to MBBS at the Guru Ramdas Institute of Medical Sciences has risen from 50 to 100 and the number of seats for PG courses in the same has also risen from 9 to 43. A BSc Nursing College has also been started by the SGPC.

The SGPC has signed an MoU with Cambridge University under which five students will go to London for higher studies -- three for PhD and two for MPhil every year from the next academic session.

Makkar said both old and new hospitals of the SGPC attached to the medical institute were running for the benefit of the patients.

He also claims to have freed SGPC lands from the grabbers in different parts of the state.

Regarding the Nanakshahi calendar, Makkar is hopeful that the issue will be solved to the satisfaction of all. A 10-member committee will be set up comprising representatives of both the groups — pro- and anti-calendar.

Makkar also claims that the stress was on maintaining the heritage of Ramgarhia Bunga, Darshani Deori and Baba Atal at the Golden Temple complex.

Chandigarh, November 22
Will Punjab have an elected Congress chief at the end of its membership recruitment drive next month? Not many senior Congress leaders have the answer.

However, they are unanimous that the drive will continue till December-end. But will it culminate in the electoral college for the first-ever democratic election of the state Congress chief remains unanswered by them.

“Why will party high command part with its power of nominating state Congress chiefs?” questions a senior leader of the party, holding that the appointment of new Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee may coincide with the restructuring of the All-India Congress Committee.

The leader argues that appointments may have to wait until March when the UPA government will make gubernatorial appointments. Some of the senior party office-bearers are in the run for these gubernatorial positions. Once these appointments are made, vacancies within the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), especially those of general secretaries, will be filled before the state Congress committees, waiting to be restructured, get their new chiefs.

The AICC may need to have as many as 12 new general secretaries by end of March as some of the present incumbents may be given gubernatorial posts. The argument, besides being logical, also hints at the answer to the question about elected Congress chiefs.

Many of hardcore party leaders and workers believe that power to nominate both state Congress chief and Chief Minister of the Congress-run state will continue to be with the party high command. They do not foresee any near future possibility of this power being delegated to delegates chosen from among primary members.

Though all political parties talk of democratisation and transparency in the constitution of its state committees but at the same time they want their control over these units to continue unabated.

They further their argument by supporting the past practices. There are not many instances in the recent past when elected delegates have ever been given the mandate to elect their state chief or even the leader of their legislature party without the consent and prior approval of the party high command.

“It is alright in cases of frontal organisations like the Youth Congress. No one expects a dramatic change in the existing policy where the Congress high command opts for devolution of its powers. There is no provocation for it and we do not foresee any change,” they add.

Further, those at the helm of affairs will definitely play a role in reinforcing their base during the membership drive besides strengthening their own vote bank. Expanding membership is a step in the right direction but time is still not come when members will be given the right to decide their leader as well.

Jalandhar, November 22
Perturbed over the denial of justice to 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Dal Khalsa wrote a letter to permanent member countries of the UN Security Council, including the US and China, seeking their intervention to press the Indian government to deliver justice to the victims the anti-Sikh riots.

The timing of the letter assumes significance as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is currently in the US for bilateral talks, will meet US president Barak Obama on Tuesday.

In a communique addressed to the High Commissions of the US, the UK, Russia, France and China, the party's secretary for political affairs Kanwarpal Singh pinned hope that their countries must take necessary diplomatic and legal steps to ensure that justice to victims of 1984 carnage is delivered.

The letter stated that the pogrom against the Sikhs in November, 1984, wherein more than 4,000 Sikhs were killed by frenzied mobs, continues to haunt the Sikhs.

It further stated that after 25 years, they still had hope for justice. All attempts to get justice within the legal framework of the Indian system for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh carnage had failed, added in the letter.

The letter mentioned that a seven-member delegation of the Khalsa Action Committee and the Dal Khalsa met Shalini Dewan, director, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), in New Delhi last week to seek the UN intervention through a memorandum to the UN Secretary General.

Sangrur, November 22
A day after the PSEB slapped a fine of more than Rs 13 lakh on Nagar Panchayat Handyaya for lighting streetlights with kundi connections, more than half of the total members of the panchayat say that the president of the panchayat, who got the streetlights working on kundi connections, should pay the fine.

Ranbir Koshal along with five other members (belonging to the opposition Congress) of the 11 member Nagar Panchayat told The Tribune that the decision to make streetlights functional on kundi connections was never taken by the Nagar Panchayat and it is the president, who belongs to ruling SAD, who got the streetlights working on kundi connections.

“Why should the Nagar Panchayat pay for the misdeeds of the president of the panchayat? It was not the Nagar Panchayat’s decision to make the streetlights functional illegally. The decision was taken by the president of the panchayat individually without taking a majority of the members into confidence,” said Koshal, former president of the Nagar Panchayat and a senior Congress leader. “Since the PSEB has imposed a fine on the Nagar Panchayat for power theft, the person who has made these lights functional illegally should pay the fine.”

Chandigarh, November 22
Former state minister and senior BJP leader Balramji Dass Tandon has come down heavily on the ruling BJP-SAD alliance for its “failure” to fulfil commitment to subsidise power tariff for various categories of consumers.

He said a decision on the issue was taken two months ago at a meeting of the coordination committee of two parties headed by none other than Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Tandon’s letter, the second in recent days, has come as an embarrassment to both his party as well as the SAD, as such criticism generally comes from the Opposition and not from members of the ruling alliance.

Tandon has also criticised a two-member committee of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Industries Minister Manorajan Kalia for its “failure” to review the issue of subsidies in the state and come out with a report within one month, as was decided at the coordination panel meeting.

He said, “Not only the period of one month is over, but it is already two months that the report on the subject is still awaited.”

“Since the final report is yet to come and it has to pass through many channels, the people of the state have been suffering on account of enhanced power tariff,” he added.

“The government should issue instructions to the Punjab State Electricity Board to issue bills to consumers on original rates from December 1, otherwise the credibility of the government regarding its commitment will suffer,” he said.

The leader also asked the government to tell the tariff commission to submit its yearly recommendations well before the start of the financial year and consumers should not be required to pay electricity bills retrospectively. He added that report of the commission should be submitted by February-end every year so that consumers were given at least one month to adjust accordingly and pay bills prospectively from April 1.

Ludhiana, November 22
Although the Ludhiana police has succeeded in busting bikers gang and arrested five members, yet the fear of being waylaid and assaulted continue to haunt industrial workers of the city.

The bikers gang had been active in the Focal Point for the past two months and looting the industrial workers. The gang had committed a number of acts of waylaying workers and snatched cash and mobile phones from them. This had caused lots of fear among the workers and even industrialists.

The arrest of the biker-gang members will give some relief to the industrial workers and the industrialists but the sense of insecurity still haunts them. Groups of anti-social elements have been active in these areas and they loot workers.

The industrialists have told The Tribune that these groups are active after sunset when the worker go back to their homes.

The industrialists explain that these incidents take place on 7th, 10th, 15th and 25th of a month when the workers are paid their monthly wages and advances.

Similarly in the areas of hosiery units in Bajwa Nagar and Sunder Nagar, anti-social elements are active. In these areas, the incidents of waylaying are also very common.

Peti mafia is also active at the railway station which helps hosiery industrialists in evading the state taxes. Members of the peti mafia have also assaulted officials of the state excise and taxation department in the recently at the railway station when they tried to check the VAT evasion and other taxes.

The officials of the state excise and taxation department are finding themselves helpless in the face of patronage to such elements by the political bosses. Even the small time police official are afraid of taking any action against the anti-social elements and they keep their eyes closed when such incidents are 
taking place.

Bathinda, November 22
The enrolment rate of girl students in government schools in Punjab is dipping. The teaching fraternity of the state owes it to the poor economic condition of the rural masses coupled with a lack of awareness while the Punjab Government website blames unplanned public schools coming up in every nook and corner of the state.

According to the Punjab Government’s website, girls accounted for 46.18 per cent of the total enrolment in schools in 2004 as against 46.75 per cent in the previous year. Girl students in the age group 6-11 years enrolled in 2004 was 46.87 per cent, in the age group 11-14 years 46.74 per cent and the figure dipped to 46.43 per cent in the age group 14-18 years. The dropout rate of girls in high school in 2005-06 was 46.25 per cent, 34.76 per cent in Classes VI to VIII and 21.33 per cent in primary classes.

Gurdeep Singh, principal of Government Girls School situated on The Mall here, said poverty was the primary reason for the high dropout rate prevalent among girls.

“Schools situated in rural areas have a higher dropout rate as compared to my school because students studying in village schools come from poor and backward families. Parents, while giving preference in education to sons, ask their daughters after they learn how to read and write to sit at home and do home chores. The moment girls turn 18 they are married off. Another reason for girls leaving schools is poor academic performance. The maximum dropout rate is in Classes VIII and X. Families do not have money to send their daughters for repeating a class,” he said.

The dropout rate is higher in secondary classes but primary classes also contribute to the total dropout percentage every year. “Around five girls get their names struck off the school register every year. There are already three girls this month who have been absent for a long time. Their parents say they have gone for plucking cotton to Rajasthan,” said Jagseer Sahota from a government primary school at Burjgill.

While teachers held economic conditions responsible for the dropout rate, the government’s website, which still shows 2003 figures, states that unplanned public schools were responsible for students leaving government schools. 

Ropar, November 22
Harminder Singh, the Babbar Khalsa terrorist arrested at Ropar a few days ago, used hawala corridors and human couriers for illegal money transactions to pump in funds for promoting terrorist activities.

Ropar SSP LK Yadav said the terrorist made these revelations during the interrogation adding that the criminals’ activities were funded from abroad. The accused even committed frauds with banks and was involved in smuggling heroin to create funds. “The funds collected were primarily used for pursuing court cases of terrorists lodged in various jails. He even used to send money orders to terrorists undergoing trials,” Yadav added.

Harminder and his colleagues committed frauds involving Rs 2.16 crore in Chandigarh, Mohali and Hoshiarpur areas. From the money earned through frauds, Rs 90 lakh was spent on buying a flat at Kharar and some land at Jandpur village in Kharar. The rest of money was spent on illegal activities. He is also a proclaimed offender in various cases.

The police has booked him under Sections 16, 17, 18-B and 20 of the Unlawful, Activities (Prevention) Act, Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act.

Besides this, Daya Singh Lahoria and his nephew Sukhwinder Singh (both currently lodged in the Tihar Jail) from the Chananwal area of Pakistan were involved with Harminder in smuggling heroin and arms at a large scale.

Sukhwinder Singh had brought heroin and 10 revolvers from Pakistan. Five of these revolvers were given to Baljit Singh (alias Bhau), an accomplice of Harminder Singh, while he kept the remaining revolvers with himself. Sukhwinder was arrested with five revolvers and a large quantity of heroin at Jagraon, while Bhau was arrested with revolvers by the Delhi Police.

Rajpura/Sirhind, November 22
There has been considerable rise in tax collection at various sales tax barriers of Punjab, including Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Sangrur, Mohali and Patiala, after the IRB excise battalion took over the reins of these barriers.

An increase of Rs 3.36 crore was registered in the month of October this year at 36 tax collection centres in these districts as compared to the collections made last year. A sum of Rs 96 lakh was collected from tax evaders as fine.

As many as 15 criminal cases have been registered over the past two-and-a-half months wherein 12 transporters from various parts of Punjab were booked and 61 persons (mostly truck drivers) were arrested with seizure of goods in 46 vehicles. Goods, including iron scrap, steel pipes, liquor, sugar, tabacco products and electronic products, were seized during raids.

The exercise has not only instilled fear in the minds of those trying to circumvent tax barriers, but also has limited the use of illegal methods to get a consignment through.

Sources said registration of criminal cases and consequent arrests had proven to be a big deterrent in the illegal plying of consignments, wherein some government officials were also hand-in-glove with transporters.

“There is a visible panic among transporters and local businessmen who did not care two hoots for the law earlier,” said a senior IRB official. Several trucks had been seized by the cops and their drivers and cleaners arrested. Sometimes, it becomes difficult for IRB personnel to impound a large number of trucks with a handful of force.

Commandant of the 6th IRB excise battalion Mandeep Singh Sidhu said the maximum increase in revenue was in Ludhiana zone where revenue went up by more than 112 per cent.