Patiala, November 28
With the five-year stint of Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gen (Retd) SF Rodrigues coming to end on November 30, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said that the SAD-BJP government disapproves of any move of the Union Government to appoint a Chief Commissioner for Chandigarh.

Speaking to mediapersons before attending a programme organised on the 13th death anniversary of Subedar Kartar Singh Dhaliwal, father of the chairman of the District Planning Committee, Patiala, Surjit Singh Rakhra, at Rakhra village here today, Badal said they had already conveyed their reservations on the issue to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram. “If need be, I will personally meet Dr Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram. We’ll not let the Centre take a decision, which is detrimental to the interests of Punjab,” Badal said.

Accusing the Union Government of adopting “anti-Punjab” policies and pursuing a policy of revenge vis-a-vis SAD, Badal said whether it was the issue of giving Chandigarh to Punjab or the water issues, the Centre has always been negative towards Punjab.

Replying to a query regarding the demand of water from Punjab by Jammu & Kashmir, Badal made it clear that as per the riparian laws, only that state has claim over water from where the river passes.

Taking a dig at Capt Amarinder Singh for the latter’s announcement of kick-starting road shows in Punjab, Badal said, “Capt Amarinder Singh has neither any designation in his party nor has he any base now.” 7Reacting to the recent accusations levelled against the Punjab government by Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, the Chief Minister suggested that Preneet should work for Punjab rather than accusing the state government of not cooperating to utilise central funds. Badal, however, appreciated Preneet’s initiative to install Reverse Osmosis (RO) in 50 MC tubewells in Patiala from her MPLAD funds. “Now Preneet should work for bigger projects for Punjab,” Badal said, adding that mudslinging should be stopped in the larger interests of development of the state. 

Ludhiana, November 28
On the heels of the publication of a report in these columns on November 23 highlighting the deteriorating crime situation in the focal point, industrial areas and other business centres of the town, the police administration held a meeting with the industrialists in the office of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings in the focal point yesterday.

SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill assured the representatives of the industry that the police would take all steps to ensure security of the industrialists and workers.

The Tribune had highlighted activities of the bikers gang that has been active in the focal point and the industrial areas for over past two months and had looted the industrial workers of valuables. Some members of the bikers gang have been arrested, but despite that the incidents of waylaying the workers have been reported during the past few days in the focal point. One worker was also killed by the bikers gang last month.

Avtar Singh, general secretary, Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings, said today that they had corroborated the story of The Tribune on November 23 and told the police that there was no patrolling in the focal point and the industrial areas as a result of which the crime was on the increase. He said there was a sense of insecurity among the industrialists and the workers.

The modus operandi of the anti-social elements was very simple, they would stop the industrial workers, search them and rob them of valuables, said Avtar Singh.

The SSP assured the industrialists that the police post in the focal point would be upgraded to the level of a police station and patrolling by the police would be intensified on the dates on which the workers were paid their monthly salary and the advances. 

Amritsar, November 28
CPM state secretary Mangat Ram Pasla today called upon all Left parties to join hands and come on a common platform to raise all issues pertaining to common man who are forced to live a dismal life due to alleged wrong policies of the state and central governments.

He also urged people of the state to come together and fight against privatisation of the Punjab State Electricity Board, pressurising the state and central governments to control rising inflation and providing education and health services to the needy people.

He appealed them to participate in large numbers in the rally being organised at Ludhiana on December 10 in this regard.

He was addressing a rally at Tapiala village organised by the CPM for paying tributes to renowned freedom fighters, including Fauja Singh Bhullar, Acchar Singh Chhina, Sohan Singh Josh, Hazara Singh Jassar, Channan Singh, Surjan Singh Chogawan and Gurdial Singh Tapiala, who spent their youth for the freedom of their country. They had even refused to take pension considering it their moral responsibilities to fight for their country’s freedom.

Pasla criticised the ruling SAD-BJP government, which, he alleged, miserably failed to safeguard the genuine rights of farmers, employees and labour class. He alleged that in order to cover its failure the government had started using its force to curb down the people’s struggle against privatisation of power, education, health services etc.

However, he added that it would not be succeeded in their attempts.

Meanwhile, the CPM demanded Rs 10 lakh to next to the kin of farmers who were killed during a clash with the SGPC task force at Khanna Chimayari village in Gurdaspur on November 3 in order to evict the agriculture land belonging to the Shiromani committee from their possession. Two farmers were killed while 10 others were injured during the clash.

Chandigarh, November 28
The Punjab government is considering declaring cancer as a notified disease.

In case this is done, Punjab would be the first state in the country to wake up to the need to notify the disease in order to gauge the extent of the problem in the state.

Members of the Cancer Council of India (CCI), a Patiala-based NGO, met the Principal Secretary (Health) Satish Chandra today in this regard.

“Once the disease is notified it will be binding on all doctors across the state to report to the government in case they come across a patient suffering from cancer. This will help bring out the true picture of the quantum of the problem in the state,” said Karamvir Karan, secretary of the CCI.

Satish Chandra said the matter was under active consideration of the government. “We will have to see under which section of the Act can we notify this disease. Normally notified diseases are infectious diseases which spread quickly,” he said. The last disease to be notified was swine flu following which it was mandatory for all private health practitioners to inform the government about every such case.

Dr Aslam Parvez, president of the Rural Medical Services Association and executive member of the CCI said it was essential to notify cancer as it would help in knowing about the cancer causing agents across the state and region specific causes. Once we have data about this we can direct our efforts in a focused direction,” he said. Karamvir Karan added that this would also help identifying the disease early and preventing delay in treatment.

“Also once the state has statistically proved knowledge it can start a ‘cleansing’ procedure to remove cancer causing agents,” he said.

Quoting an article from the journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research Dr Parvez said the premature greying of hair and premature ageing and predisposition to cancer at Jajjal village in Punjab was studied by a team from AIIMS and is now being studied internationally. “Punjab should be the repository of such research and bring together under one cell all information that is available or is being generated in this regard,” he said.

Jalandhar, November 28
Fear of dominance at public functions has led to petty politicking resulting in an insult to an elected representative.

Talking to The Tribune here this evening, MP Navjot Sidhu said the whole issue of moving a privilege motion against Amritsar DC KS Pannu was for not inviting him to events in his constituency was being projected as Sidhu versus Pannu in the media.

“This is trivialising the whole issue that is a matter of grave public importance having far wider ramifications across the country,” he pointed out.

He said he would be speaking on the issue in Parliament and would put forth the way elected representatives were shoddily being treated across the country. “In my case, I moved the motion only after having been ignored on seven different occasions, the latest being the visit of Canadian Premier Stephen Harper. By resorting to such low-down tactics, the powers that are not unfairly targeting me but insulting the very people who have elected me, he said.

Sidhu vowed that he would take the case to its logical conclusion as it was not “an individual’s case, but a national issue.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has already admitted the motion and has sought all details of the case from the District Administration.

He said neglecting an MP by the babus was a national issue. “I am seeking my right as an MP and a civil servant is meant to be a facilitator to the elected representative,” Sidhu said, adding that, findings of privilege motion would not be restricted to Punjab and would imply in all over the country.

Asked whether he wanted transfer of Amritsar DC, Sidhu ruled out the same and said, “Transfer of any bureaucrat is a very petty issue, I want to settle the issue once for all.”

On a query that there might be some political power behind the DC’s attitude, Sidhu said, “Let Pannu explain on whose instructions he neglected me. He will have to submit his reply to Parliament,” he added.

Commenting on the poor implementation of the NREGA scheme in Amritsar, he said last year Rs 14 crore were spent that was the highest in the state, but this year the figure was an abysmal Rs 4 crore only. The authorities have also not furnished me with the duration and nature of works executed under the scheme.

In addition to this, no social audit of the works were carried and the names of the beneficiaries were also not provided, he pointed out.

Bathinda, November 28
In the wake of detection of more than 100 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive cases and death of two Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients in the first 10 months in Bathinda district, the situation seems to be alarming and grim in the district as far as the matter relating to HIV/AIDS cases is concerned.

Sources in the Health Department told The Tribune that from January to October as many as 111 HIV positive cases had been detected in three integrated counselling and testing centres (ICTCs), situated at Bathinda, Rampura and Talwandi Sabo, while two AIDS patients died during this period in the district.

Besides, there may reportedly be more HIV cases that are still undetected in the district.

It is learnt that as many as 77 HIV positive cases were detected at ICTC, Bathinda, while 21 HIV positive cases and 13 HIV positive cases were detected at ICTC, Talwandi Sabo and Rampura, respectively, till October. One person died of AIDS in Bathinda subdivision while the other person died in the Rampura area this year. Both were reportedly truck drivers.

As compared to last year, more HIV positive cases have been detected in Bathinda district this year, as in 2008 91 HIV positive cases had been detected in the area while three persons died of AIDS in the district.

During the first 10 months in 2009, 3,556 blood samples were tested in Bathinda for HIV, of which 77 HIV positive cases were detected while in Talwandi Sabo 1,828 blood samples were tested, of which 21 HIV cases were detected and in Rampura 1,973 blood samples were tested, of which 13 HIV cases were detected.

As per information, in many cases illicit sex relations become cause of HIV disease while in other cases HIV disease is found spreading due to drug addiction, use of untreated syringes, blood donation in some cases by professionals, etc.

However, the record of the HIV and AIDS patients is kept secret to save them from social stigma attached to the disease.

Abohar, November 28
Even as the main cotton markets of northern India comprising Punjab, Haryana and Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan have been attracting buyers from various parts of the country, including owners of textile mills, the arrival of the produce into these markets has come down drastically in the past one week.

For the past two days, the markets of northern India have been receiving about 20,000 cotton bales against the arrival of 35,000 cotton bales in mid-September.

The arrival of raw cotton is expected to go down further in the coming days as the farmers have started holding back their produce in anticipation that the prices of raw cotton would go up and touch Rs 4,000 per quintal.

The price of raw cotton has set up a new record as it touched Rs 3,560 per quintal in various cotton markets of northern India on November 23. This led to reduction of arrival of raw cotton into the markets.

A survey of cotton markets revealed that in the past two days, the price of raw cotton had come down and now raw cotton was selling at Rs 3,300 to Rs 3,400 per quintal. However, the farmers still hoped that prices would go up and hence they must hold back their stocks.

Harpal Singh, a leading cotton grower of Lakhewali village of Muktsar district, said he had stocked hundreds of quintals of raw cotton and would dispose it of when the prices would be more remunerative.

Even farmers having small landholdings are stocking their produce with the hope that cotton would pay them more in the coming days, said Kirpal Singh, a farmer.

Ashok Kapur, former president, Northern India Cotton Association, said, “This is not the first time that farmers have been holding back their stocks. Earlier, a section of farmers used to dispose of their cotton produce in the next year.”

He, however, said that it was being seen for the first time that farmers were holding back their produce when the prices of raw cotton were the highest in the history of cotton trade.

Pardeep Shardha, a leading cotton trader of this town, said prices of cotton had gone up as the demand for raw cotton had gone up globally on the one hand and on the other production of cotton crop had come down considerably all over the world due to adverse climatic conditions.

He added it was difficult to predict whether holding back the produce would prove beneficial for the farmers or not. 

Chandigarh, November 28
Members of the Institute of Sikh Studies today called upon the state government and Sikhs to work towards preservation of the Sikh heritage.The members of the institute met here today for a conference on the “Battles of Banda Singh Bahadur: Strategy at Chappar Jhiri.” 

One of the aims of the conference was to suggest to the Punjab government the shape that the Chappar Chiri memorial will take. The memorial is to be constructed by the government to mark the 300 years of the decisive battle of Chappar Jhiri between Banda Singh Bahadur and Mughal governor of Sirhind Vazeer Khan.

The strategy drawn up by Banda Singh Bahadur, whose men defeated a much-larger Mughal army at Chappar Chiri in 1710, was also discussed.

Lt-Gen Kartar Singh Gill (retd), Lt-Col Jagtar Singh Multani and Dr Kirpal Singh recreated the battle scene, pointing out the formations, use of sand dunes at the site for keeping a watch on the movement of the enemies, the route taken by Banda Singh Bahadur, and finally the attack.

Prof Jaspal Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, said Prof Sukhdayal Singh, also from the university, talked about the position of Banda Singh Bahadur in Sikh history and gave a background of the situation in Punjab during his time.

Suggesting a design for the memorial at the site of the battle, Gurdev Singh said the sand dunes and Chiri should be preserved and a convention centre of international standards be constructed.

Gurbakhsh Singh Shergill said memorials should be built at the sites where other important events of the Sikh history took place especially the places where two great Sikh massacres took place.

Zora Singh, a former sarpanch of Chappar Jhiri, recalled the stories told by those who lived in the village and how it had taken a big effort to convince the state government to not acquire the whole of the village land and use it for development.

Prof Baljit Kaur related the efforts made by the Institute of Sikh Studies in convincing the state government in setting aside 20 acres here for the memorial. Kulbir Singh Sidhu said the government should “rearrange” the history syllabus in Punjab schools so that children were oriented towards their culture and heritage. “Why should always Guru Gobind Singh be a footnote in the history of the Mughal empire? Aurangzeb should be a footnote in the history of Sikhs,” he said.

Gurcharan Singh Giani, chief adviser of the Ramgarhia Educational Foundation, said the role of the Ramgharias in the Sikh battles could not be undermined. “The weapons and forts were made by the Ramgarhias and they occupy a special place in Sikh History,” he said.

Earlier, Prof PS Kohli, in his welcome address, introduced the topic of the seminar and laid down the themes of discussion. Gurpreet Singh, while delivering a vote of thanks, criticised the tendency of apostasy among the Sikh youth and exhorted them to wear turbans. 

Chandigarh, November 28
A day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s orders made it clear that the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) would not have to pay to the Railways surcharge on freight, the board has decided to seek refund of Rs 94 crore.

The amount is lying with the Railways as security.

PSEB chairman Harinder Singh Brar said it was their rightful dues as the award was in their favour and they would be adopting the prescribed procedure for getting the amount back. For the purpose, the PSEB was already in touch with the advocate-general’s office.

The dispute before the court was whether the PSEB was liable to pay surcharge on the freight to the Railways for period prior to July 27, 2002.

Justice P.K. Bahri of the Delhi High Court, appointed as an arbitrator in the matter, announced the award on November 21, 2003, holding that the PSEB was not liable to pay the surcharge.

Subsequent to the award, the Railways board raised objections before Patiala district judge. But the arguments put forth on behalf of the Railways did not find favour with the district judge and the petition was dismissed on May 21, 2005.

Following the dismissal orders, the Railways once again moved the high court on several grounds, including jurisdiction.

As the appeal came up for hearing before Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, Pavit Mattewal appearing on behalf of the electricity board argued the objection to jurisdiction was not raised at the stage of arbitration.

As such, it was not within the rights of the Railways to take up the plea at the stage of the appeal. Mattewal argued that the appeal, as such, was liable to be dismissed. After hearing both parties, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur dismissed the petition in the electricity board’s favour.

Justice Nirmaljit Kaur observed: “There is nothing in the award requiring intervention by the court. Thus, the award is in accordance with the dispute referred to it.

The arbitrator had the jurisdiction to interpret the contract and accept the scheme…. Consequently, the appeal has no merit and the same is dismissed with no order as to cost.”

Custodial Death
HC notice to Punjab
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 28
Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports on alleged custodial death, acting chief justice-designate Mehtab Singh Gill of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice for December 4 to Punjab.

Justice Gill also directed that the entire record pertaining to the case should be sent to the registrar for placing it before the appropriate bench where the case was listed.

Aroor Singh of Nurpur Jattan village died in the Dhilwan police station Kapurthala district allegedly due to poisoning during his illegal detention on September 4 and 5, 2009. After the incident, irate villagers had also blocked the national highway, demanding immediate action against the guilty police officials.

The inquiry into the incident conducted by judicial magistrate Jatinderpal Singh had held SHO Gurmukh Singh and other personnel guilty of the death.