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Centre yet to release paddy bonus
PSEB shifts meters to check power theft
Plan to up power production to 90,000 MW: Shinde
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‘Badal patronising those involved in terrorism’
Capt loyalists project him as next CM
Paddy ‘Scam’
Water Supply in Rural Areas
5 centres for swine flu treatment
Exodus of migrants continues
Principal Secy takes stock of situation
Big B to lend voice to light & sound show at Jallianwala Bagh
Vijay Diwas
Raise retirement age, say teachers
New-look dhabas on anvil
Punj: Rationalise subsidies
Rs 1 lakh free insurance cover for cops
Vatican status for Amritsar sought
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Centre yet to release paddy bonus
Jalandhar, December 16 DS Grewal, director (Food and Supplies), said the state procurement agencies would disburse the bonus immediately after receiving funds from the Centre. About 160 lakh tonnes of paddy has arrived till date in grain markets across the state. However, some part of the crop is of basmati variety procured by the traders for export purpose and domestic market. That is not covered under the levy rice that goes to the central pool. According to sources, the Centre has rejected the proposal for a special package for contribution of the record paddy to the national pool. The state has sought a package of Rs 1,440 crore it had spent to save paddy crop facing crisis owing to prolonged dry spell in the state. It had diverted power from industrial sector to farm sector to save the crop. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had urged the Finance Department and the Planning Commission to compensate the state. Even the Union Agriculture Secretary had strongly supported Punjab’s case for a special package. Even the date to accept pending 4.5 lakh tonnes of levy rice that was procured last year for the national pool has not been extended. The Food Corporation of India had stopped accepting levy rice on November 30. The state government has written to the Centre to further extend the date till December 31.
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PSEB shifts meters to check power theft
Patiala, December 16 While disclosing this, PSEB Chairman HS Brar today said that 40 per cent of the meters have already been shifted out and the remaining would be
done in the next couple
of years. “The Board initiated the movement to shift the meters in 2004-05 and it has gained momentum in the past couple of years. The initiative has resulted in three per cent increase in meter sales till March 2009. The losses have been reduced by 2.62 per cent,” he said. The Chairman informed that till the end of March 2009, the Board had a total of 55,31,345 meter connections, out of which 19,85,582 had been shifted out.
Brar added that during his tenure as SE, Distribution Circle,
Ferozepur, he spearheaded the movement and the village Boote Wala became the first in Punjab where 100 per cent meters were shifted out. “As a result, the quality of supply improved in the village and new connections were given to the villagers,” he said. Meanwhile, to discuss target losses of 15 per cent, Brar convened a meeting with all the Operation Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers in the Head Office, here today. During the meeting, he reviewed the progress of the work and directed all officers to expedite shifting of meters so that losses could be reduced. Special emphasis was given to theft-prone areas and officers were instructed to deal with these on a priority basis. Brar appreciated the efforts of officers of Central Zone,
Ludhiana, and West Zone, Bhatinda, in which the losses have been brought down considerably. He also asked officers of other zones to bring
about improvement in their working.
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Plan to up power production to 90,000 MW: Shinde
Nangal, December 16 Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said this while addressing the gathering at the inaugural ceremony of the Hydro Power Training Institute
(HPTI) here today. Over the past 15 years, the power production stood at just 5,600 MW, whereas the demand had been much more than that. “Under the 11th Five Years Plan, the UPA government intends to produce 90,000
MWs. Efforts are being made to increase power generation from various sources of energy across the country,” he added. Accepting the demand of safai sewaks deployed with the
BBMB, the minister said they should be given 250 sq ft houses instead of existing smaller ones (120 sq ft). He also gave approval for regularisation of employees who had completed 10 years of service. He also approved the setting up of a Rs 2-crore indoor stadium at
Nangal, besides a Rs 5-crore conference hall. In institute will offer two postgraduate diplomas and a 12-week programme for in-service engineers at the Tehri hydropower project. At presently, 30 persons each are undertaking classes for the postgraduate diploma in hydro-plant engineering and the postgraduate diploma in thermal plant engineering. Prominent among others present on the occasion included Director-General of the National Power Training Institute Dr NS
Saxena, BBMB Chairman MK Gupta, Principal Director, HPTC, S Malik, director in-charge,
HPTC, Suresh Kumar, MP from Anandpur Sahib Ravneet Singh Bittu, MLA Rana KP Singh and Deputy Commissioner Priyank
Bharti.
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‘Badal patronising those involved in terrorism’
Bathinda, December 16 He was addressing a public meeting here. PPCC general secretary and his Raninder Singh also accompanied him. Local Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi was conspicuous by his absence while other legislators of the area, Jeetmohinder Singh, Makhan Singh, Ajaib Singh Bhatti and Gurpreet Singh Kangar were present. The Captain alleged that the atmosphere of uncertainty and violence being created by Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal for their political ambitions was detrimental to Punjab from where industry had started fleeing to other states. He said it was unfortunate that having been voted to power for the development of the state and removing poverty, Badal was allegedly trying to break the social fabric of Punjab. He alleged ruling SAD activists fanned the flames of violence in Ludhiana and Jalandhar. He further alleged that the state government had registered over 14,000 false cases against Congress activists and even sitting MLAs were not spared. He claimed that all such cases would be withdrawn when the Congress came to power in the state. He said the state had plunged into financial bankruptcy because of “wrong policies” of the Badal government. “Self-created power crisis has resulted in loss to the industry and also to farmers who had to invest in diesel for operating water pumps to irrigate their fields. During the previous regime of the Congress, there was no scarcity of power as we purchased it from Maharashtra and other states,” he said. Earlier, Raninder Singh accused the Badals of having misled the electorate of the Bathinda parliamentary constituency by making false promises to ensure the victory of Harsimrat Badal. He claimed that after coming to power, the Congress government would appoint a judicial commission to probe into the “excesses” done by the SAD-BJP government.
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Capt loyalists project him as next CM
Bathinda, December 16 Among other party leaders, MLA, Rampura Phul, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and MLA, Talwandi Sabo, Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, were prominent, who kept on addressing him as the next CM of the state, during their speeches. Narrating some old incidents of violence, Kangar said: “We urge you the next CM not to spare any of the Badal-affiliated cop and worker, who falsely implicated and assaulted us during the Assembly poll. We want to take revenge from all of them in your government, which is for quite sure to come to power.” Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu said, “I request you to give us one week in your government so that we can take revenge from SAD men, who have continuously been committing atrocities against our workers.”
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Cong to seek CBI probe: Bhattal
Chander Parkash Tribune News Service
Ferozepur, December 16 The paddy, belonging to the Pungrain agency of the state government, has allegedly been siphoned off despite the fact that it was stored in the joint custody of the mill owner and officials of the agency. A case in this connection was registered against Satwinder Singh, owner of the mill, Inderneel Singh and Devinder Kaur (his associates), labourers and a section of truck operators at the Sadar police station on December 8. Talking to TNS today, Bhattal said she would examine all documents connected with the scam and if it was found that the scam had taken place, the Congress would approach the authorities concerned for a CBI probe into the case. She said the Congress would not allow paddy worth crores of rupees and belonging to the Punjab government to be appropriated by unscrupulous traders with the help of a section of the ruling politicians and government officials. On the other hand, the issue today took a fresh turn when the District Food and Supply Controller (DFSC), Sukhdev Singh, levelled allegations that the police authorities were not cooperating with them in the recovery of paddy bags, taken away from the mill, despite the fact that they had disclosed the locations to them, where the paddy stock was still lying. He added that he had also sought the help of Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav in the recovery of paddy bags. The matter had also been brought to the notice of Punjab Minister for Food and Supplies and senior functionaries of the department. Harjit Singh Pannu, SP (D), while denying the allegations of Sukhdev Singh, claimed that he (Sukhdev Singh) had not given any record to the police for investigating the matter. He added that preliminary investigations revealed that paddy was never stocked in Noor Rice Mill and that a section of officials of the Food and Supplies Department was involved in the scam. Yadav said Sukhdev Singh had not sought any help from him.
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Sukhbir opens complaint centre
Our Correspondent
Mohali, December 16 The SNK has a toll free number (1800-180-2468) which can be used by consumers to lodge their complaints and also get the latest information about the status of their complaints. The complaint centre will function round-the-clock. While addressing a gathering, Sukhbir, who is also the Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation, said that earlier waterworks in certain villages remained non-functional for months and complaints lodged by villagers were not attended to promptly. It was very important to supply clean drinking water to residents as 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the diseases resulted because of impure water. He said launching of the SNK was part of the administrative reforms being brought about by him in order to provide adequate quantity and good quality of water to people living in villages. The SNK would have six telephone lines and the number of these lines would be increased with the passage of time. Punjab would be the only state in the country to provide such a facility, added the Deputy Chief Minister. A mobile water testing van was also pressed into service for monitoring the quality of water being supplied by the department. Every village in Punjab would be provided clean drinking water in the next two years. Later, while talking to mediapersons Sukhbir said all efforts were being made to improve the power position in the state. PS Aujla, Secretary, Water Supply and Sanitation, said there were 14,111 villages in Punjab and it was not possible to monitor the supply of water with the prevalent system. As such an IT-enabled system was launched to bring about an improvement in the working of the department.
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5 centres for swine flu treatment
Chandigarh, December 16 State Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla today held a high-level meeting to review preparations to tackle the disease during which it was decided to earmark five centres in Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda for the treatment of patients rather than referring them to private hospitals. The minister said these centres would be in addition to medical colleges in the state, which already had facilities to treat such cases. She said while 75 ventilators at disposal of the department would be able to cover all suspected cases coming in as of now, there was a shortage of anaesthetists, who would be taken from medical colleges if need be. She said adequate trained para-medical staff would be posted at all centres. The minister said isolation wards had been created at all hospitals in the state besides announcing a change in policy in the distribution of Tami Flu medicine. She said the medicine would now be first given only to the primary family unit and the dose would also vary for children and adults. Meanwhile, today’s review meeting revealed that the swine flu fatality figure in the state has risen to 14. However, four of these deaths could not be definitely attributed to swine flu. In all, 114 suspect cases have been detected in the state till now with many of these persons still undergoing treatment. The Health Department has decided to conduct an aggressive awareness campaign on swine flu at government schools besides taking the help of alternative medicine systems like ayurveda. Laxmi Kanta will address schoolchildren in one school in each district from tomorrow onward with the drive being conducted in Mohali and Muktsar tomorrow. The department is also taking the help of the Ayurved Department to provide traditional medicines to children besides checking their HB count.
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Exodus of migrants continues
Ludhiana, December 16 Panic and fear persists among the migrants over their safety and they are refusing to work in the factories after sunset. The second shift of the factories is not functioning normally. SP Oswal, Chairman, Vardhman Group, has expressed concern over the situation developing in the city following the incidents of violence and has urged the state administration to restore the confidence of the migrants. The state administration must defuse the situation and bring back normalcy, he said. The migrants have a large community in Ludhiana and they should not feel neglected, he emphasised. Avtar Singh, general secretary, Chamber Of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings, Ludhiana, told The Tribune today that despite assurances, the exodus of migrants was continuing which was bad for the industry. He estimated that 30 per cent of the migrants had left Ludhiana and added that there was an immediate need to restore the confidence of the labour. The police must mend its attitude, he said. The migrants in their interaction with the employers and leaders point out that one person killed in a clash on December 5 was paid heavy compensation of Rs 10 lakh -- Rs 5 lakh each by the state government and the SGPC. A family member has also been given a job in the Police Department. This is clear discrimination, they maintain. Harish Rai Dhanda, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, who met Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal in Chandigarh today, apprised him of the situation developing in Ludhiana. Dhanda has also asked the Chief Minister to give some compensation to the migrants and the factory owners who have suffered losses. AN Mishra, president, Akhil Bharataya Purvanchal Vikas Parishad, said the state government must come out with a plan to restore the confidence of the migrants. He said that about a lakh migrants had left Ludhiana so far and their exodus was continuing.
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Principal Secy takes stock of situation
Ludhiana, December 16 Talwar discussed the various constraints that were witnessed by the authorities while tackling the violence, where more than a hundred people were injured. He directed the officers to write to the Ministry of Home Affairs about their requirements like infrastructure, manpower, etc and assured them that the department would provide it on a priority basis. Talking to mediapersons, Talwar said, "The basic aim behind the visit was to understand what were the difficulties that were faced by the district administration and the police. I have directed them to send a request to my department about constraints like shortage of manpower, inadequate infrastructure, etc."
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Big B to lend voice to light & sound show at Jallianwala Bagh
Amritsar, December 16 The show would be depicting the 1919 massacre wherein, British troops led by Brigadier General Dyer had fired on thousands of unarmed people killing more than 1,500. The brutal killing had evoked feelings of deep anguish throughout the country and the incident had given a fillip to the freedom struggle. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu had written to Amitabh Bachchan urging him to give his voice for the Hindi version of the show. The DC had sent a request stating that Mehrauli-based M/s Integrated Digital Solutions Private Limited was consultant and content provider for the show, which was proposed to be part of the ongoing renovation and upgradation of the memorial. Responding to the request, Bachchan’s aide confirmed that the actor was ready to lend his voice for the project. The script has already been sent to Bachchan. The Jalianwala Bagh National Trust is renovating the memorial and the proposed light and sound show was part of the project that is aimed at enlivening the tragedy so as to motivate youths towards ensuring protection of integrity and sovereignty of the nation. The show has been coincided with Baisakhi on April 13, 2010, as the anniversary of the massacre falls on Baisakhi.
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’71 war martyrs remembered
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 16 Brigadier AK Ganguly, Deputy GOC, Panther Division, laid a wreath at the memorial to pay tributes to the soldiers. He was accompanied by senior serving officers of the station including, Commander of Khasa Brigade, and other senior officers of the Panther Division and the Dograi Brigade. A large number of ex-servicemen were also present. Talking to the media, Brig Ganguly said on December 16, 1971, the 14-day war with India had resulted in division of Pakistan and eastern Pakistan was liberated into a new country - Bangladesh. He said the Army in the Eastern Sector forced the Pakistani forces, led by Lt Gen A A K Niazi, to surrender to Indian Army Commander Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora. More than 93,000 Pakistani soldiers were forced to surrender. It is the largest military surrender after World War-II. Since then, December 16 was celebrated as Vijay Diwas to mark the historic victory of
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Raise retirement age, say teachers
Jalandhar, December 16 Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary and JS Kahlon, general secretary of the Punjab Government College Principals’ Association and vice-president of the Punjab Government Teachers’ Association, respectively, said the last recruitment was carried out in 1996. Commenting on the “dilly dallying” attitude of the state government to raise the superannuation, they said the Ministry of Human Resources and Development has allowed the Central educational institutions to enhance the age to 65 years for those involved in classroom teaching to attract eligible persons. In addition to this, the Centre has also authorised the Central varsities to revise the retirement age of VCs from 65 to 70 years. Kahlon said the new rules provided for re-employment beyond superannuation. Such an exercise would be done selectively for a limited period of three years in the first instance and then for another period of two years. The retirement age in case of state government teachers too should be raised to 65 years in light of the HRD directions.
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New-look dhabas on anvil
Chandigarh, December 16 The scheme, which has been launched with the brand name PURE (Project to Upgrade Roadside Eateries) aims to improve hygiene, food production and service standards of establishments which opt for it. It is also open for petrol stations and existing restaurants provided they adhere to specifications and conditions stipulated by the board. The establishments stand to benefit by way of standardised design, uniform branding as well as the provision of facilities to train existing employees. The State Tourism Department will recognise the dhaba owners opting for the scheme and they can put up banners stating “Approved by the State Tourism Department”. This, a board spokesman said, would result in more visitors flocking to such establishments. The board has invited dhaba managements to apply for the certification, which would entitle them to an orientation course. The spokesman said three dhabas on the Chandigarh- Ludhiana road, Mittan da dhaba, New Zamindara dhaba and Mangat Dhaba, had already been approved for the certification under the scheme after a rigorous inspection-cum-orientation exercise.
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Punj: Rationalise subsidies
Chandigarh, December 16 On the Ludhiana incident and the role of legislator Harish Bedi, Punj said the legislator did not contribute to spoiling peace in the area by organising a function of Ashutosh Maharaj.
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Rs 1 lakh free insurance cover for cops
Chandigarh, December 16 Calling upon the bank to come out with a housing loan scheme for Punjab police officers and jawans, Sukhbir said these employees were facing specific problems, as banks, due to unwritten instructions, were reluctant to give loans to police, press, advocates and politicians. He asked the bank to sanction emergency cash credit limit for them who could utilise the credit facility in case of any emergency. Promising to come out a new housing loan as well as cash credit limit scheme for the Punjab police personnel, G Pandey, regional head of the HDFC (North), said all Punjab police personnel would be issued gold debit cards with personalised bank account numbers.
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Vatican status for Amritsar sought
Patiala, December 16 The organisation has submitted petitions to the President, the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha on the issue. It has also decided to approach all MPs belonging to various political parties to support the demand. President of the organisation Manjit Singh Randhawa said the demand for giving category ‘C’ city status to Amritsar by describing it as a “heritage city” seemed tricky, because no such status had till date been granted to any of the cities despite having immense heritage value. Awarding Vatican-like status would ensure unhindered flow of followers of Sikh faith from across the globe.
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Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh today accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of giving patronage to those who were actively involved in terrorism and had massacred innocent people.
