Manpreet gets BJP backing on subsidy issue
Free power to be reviewed, hints Kalia
Chandigarh, January 13
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal may be isolated in the SAD on the subject of subsidies but as far as the BJP is concerned he is not only talking sense but his view is in consistency with the saffron party’s stand on the issue.

21 rural branches of coop bank may be closed down
Board of directors rejects move
Moga, January 13
Much to the inconvenience of the farming community, the SAD-BJP government is considering a shutdown of 21 rural branches of the Moga Central Cooperative Bank due to staff shortage and merging these with other branches in the district.

Mild sunshine brings light relief
Jalandhar, January 13
After experiencing cold weather conditions, gone worse by the persistent fog, over the last one week, residents of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today got some relief as the day started with a mild sunshine. Isolated spells of rain were also witnessed, which eased out the dense morning fog. The day also experienced a slight increase in temperature.

Muktsar, January 13
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to restrain Congress activists from interfering in Sikh religious affairs to prevent serious consequences. Badal was addressing a political conference of the SAD here at the Maghi mela on the occasion of Lohri. Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, Punjab BJP president Rajinder Bhandari and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar were among those present.

The Chief Minister asked Manmohan Singh to rein in those Congress leaders who were trying to disturb peace by interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs in view of the coming general elections to the SGPC. Such manoeuvring of the Congress was a threat to Sikh-Hindu unity in the state, he said. He alleged that the Congress had been trying to capture the SGPC through its “agents” but so far had miserably failed to achieve this because the Sikhs in general had understood its gameplan and refused to oblige it. He called upon the people not to be swayed by the false propaganda of the Congress to destabilise the SGPC through its “cronies” like Paramjit Singh Sarna.

Accusing the Congress of engineering the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, Badal said the inhuman incidents had exposed the “secular image” of the Congress and attached a permanent blot on its leadership. He blamed the Congress for shielding the culprits responsible for these riots and asked the party leadership to be sincere and honest to bring the guilty to book immediately. Criticising the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Badal accused it of providing “step-motherly” treatment to Punjab and badly harming its agriculture and industry. Successive Congress-led governments at the Centre backed out of the Rajiv-Longowal Accord by not transferring Chandigarh to Punjab and not including Punjabi-speaking areas in Punjab, besides denying its legitimate share in power and river waters. He also criticised the indifferent attitude of the Congress-led government towards Punjab by denying the special package of industrial incentives provided in the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir that had resulted in the flight of industry from Punjab to these states.

Accusing the Centre of “anti-farmer policies”, Badal said though Punjab was an agrarian state, the entire policy on the procurement of foodgrains, fixation of the minimum support price and supply of DAP and other fertilisers was framed by the Centre without taking the states into confidence. Sukhbir Singh Badal said the SAD-BJP government had drawn up an ambitious plan to make Punjab power surplus by 2012 by adding new thermal plants at Talwandi Sabo, Goindwal Sahib, Rajpura and Gidderbaha.

Following the recent bout with the SAD on the issue of electricity tariff, state BJP chief Rajinder Bhandari described Parkash Singh Badal as one of the tallest leaders of the country. Earlier, SGPC chief Avtar Singh warned those who were challenging the supremacy of Akal Takht. The other speakers included Sher Singh Ghubaiya, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (both MPs).

Muktsar, January 13
The political conference of the Congress at the Maghi Mela here today again brought dissensions in the party to the fore as Capt Amarinder Singh and many other sitting legislators abstained from the show.

It was not only the former CM, Capt Amarinder Singh, but also a majority of the state leadership, except three sitting MLAs, the CLP leader, the party President and a few of former MLAs, ministers and local leaders, did not turn up.

Taking a serious notice of their absence, the convener of the conference, senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar, lashed out at them, saying, “No indiscipline of wilfully skipping such state-level events will be tolerated.”

Indirectly hitting at his party colleagues, who remain embroiled in controversies due to their foreign friends, Brar said, “Being politicians, we cannot get away with the excuse that such activities are a part of our personal lives. We can never shy away from our public responsibilities.”

Talking to The Tribune, he said most of the state leaders, who were willing to attend the conference, had been asked by a particular party faction to cancel their visit. However, he termed the absence of senior leaders Mohsina Kidwai, Raj Babbar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda due to unavoidable circumstances.

The Congress legislature party (CLP) leader, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, was the first to deliver her speech but she immediately left the venue, without listening to other leaders, including the party President, Mohinder Singh Kaypee.

During her speech, she used strong language against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and other relatives of the Badals in politics. Denouncing the “Ravan raj” policy of the ruling government, she accused Parkash Singh Badal of indulging in nepotism and looting the state.

MLA Darshan Singh Brar and youth leader Sukhwinder Singh Danny accused the SAD-BJP government of failing on all fronts.

State President of the party, Kaypee, spoke on issues of power shortage, lawlessness and misuse of central grants, including NREGA funds, adding that the state government was directionless.

The main speaker of the conference, Jagmeet Singh Brar, raised a number of questions over the functioning of the state government. He accused the Badals of nepotism and adopting money-grabbing tactics.

Chandigarh, January 13
The Punjab Education Department today held a much-delayed meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), clearing the way for the appointment of regular principals in hundreds of government senior schools in the state.

The DPC meeting, which had been postponed on various grounds several times in the past, got through with representatives from the Education, Personnel and Welfare Departments attending the same.

The Tribune had recently highlighted that 1,175 senior secondary schools in the state had been without regular principals for nearly a decade. This extraordinary situation had been created because the DPC that approves lecturers, headmasters and vocational masters for promotion to head senior secondary schools as principals had been postponed or cancelled for a record 17 times.

Taking suo motu cognisance of The Tribune report Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued notice for January 22 to the Secretary, Education, Punjab, asking him to file an affidavit explaining the actual position on the matter. Following widespread criticism, the Education Department fixed a meeting for today.

In the two-page order, Chief Justice Mudgal asserted: “In the scheme of Constitution of India, creating a welfare state, Right to Education of a child has been made a fundamental right under Article 21-A. Education here refers to quality education and it is evident that quality of education imparted by an educational institution, not having a principal, would be unsatisfactory.”

It is learnt that the DPC today reviewed the cases of nearly 750 lecturers. The DPC cleared 374 cases each from among the male and female categories out of which 49 in each category were cleared under reservation for SC candidates to be promoted as principals.

Punjab has about 1,700 sanctioned posts of principal that also include posts like District Science Supervisor and District Education Officer.

Chandigarh, January 13
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal may be isolated in the SAD on the subject of subsidies but as far as the BJP is concerned he is not only talking sense but his view is in consistency with the saffron party’s stand on the issue.

The Finance Minister, while talking to TNS yesterday, had claimed that the SAD-BJP coalition government had committed a “huge political miscalculation” by not reviewing its policy on subsidies. He had also said that populist policies do not pay and that the people were aware and ready to give credit for development work even if it saw the light of day after years together like in the case of thermal plants.

Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia, who is part of a two-member committee whose report on resource mobilisation is overdue, told TNS that the BJP had also voiced the same thoughts to its alliance partner at several meetings. “We had called for full service and full charge” while referring to agricultural power supply. He said, however, the alliance government did not agree to review the free power supply facility given to farmers.

Kalia said the issue had, however, been opened again as necessity demanded it. “We feel now is the right opportunity to do it (review free supply). Let us do it”, he said while giving an indication that the facility was going to the reviewed. He also disclosed that the resource mobilisation report of the two-member committee would be submitted within this month.

BJP president Rajinder Bhandari ,when questioned, said though he could not comment on Manpreet’s statement as it was a matter of collective responsibility, the coalition partners must discuss all issues, including free power, with an open mind. “We cannot make any issue a holy cow and should be ready to take bold steps if needed with the only parameter being the interest of the state”.

Veteran BJP leader and former Minister Balramji Dass Tandon was more candid on the issue. Narrating the sequence of events at a meeting held in 2007 on the issue of free power, he said even then Manpreet Badal had clearly detailed that going along with subsidies would prove suicidal for the state. “Manpreet even advocated that the coalition government could put the blame on him in case there was a political backlash due to non-extension to the free power facility to farmers”, Tandon added.

The BJP leader said, “We urged the SAD not to play the vote bank card but our pleas were not heard”. He said the PSEB had run up a profit when the free power facility was withdrawn during the earlier Congress regime and that the spiralling cost of providing the facility was telling on government finances with the subsidy cost going up from Rs 2,000 crore in 2007 to Rs 2,600 crore in 2008 to Rs 3,100 crore in 2009.

Moga, January 13
Much to the inconvenience of the farming community, the SAD-BJP government is considering a shutdown of 21 rural branches of the Moga Central Cooperative Bank due to staff shortage and merging these with other branches in the district.

However, the board of directors of the bank had rejected the move of the government yesterday and called an emergency meeting of the board later this week to discuss the issue.

As per the details, Bhupinder Singh, district manager of the bank, has recently written a letter to the registrar of the Cooperative Societies giving details of the 21 branches that could be shutdown and merged with other branches. These branches exist in Daroli Bhai, Gholia Kalan, Buter, Saidoke, Balkhandi, Talwandi Mallian, Nathuwala (West), Bhalur, Sukhanand, Thathi Bhai, Tharaj, New Grain Market Moga, Gholia Khurd, Manuke, Samadh Bhai, Patto Hira Singh, Sekha Kalan, Daudhar, Bajeke, Kishanpura Kalan and Lohara villages.

Ravi Pandit, under whose chairmanship the meeting of the board of directors was held, and Pawan Thapar, a board member, contended that the bank expanded its branches over the years to help the farming community and cooperative societies in the rural areas.

Thapar said: “We have earned a profit of Rs 3.5 crore in the last financial year, but the state government is not giving us the permission to fill-up staff vacancies for smooth functioning of the rural branches of the bank”.

He said there was no financial burden on the state exchequer to fill-up the backlog but the government for no reasons was bent upon to shutdown the operations, which would affect thousands of people living in these villages.

Out of the total of 352 sanctioned posts, 214 posts were lying vacant in the district. In 1998-1999, the bank had 183 employees working in 35 branches. In 2009, the number of branches increased to 47 but the manpower had decreased to 138 employees.

As a result, the needs of farmers and agriculture cooperative societies were rarely addressed as per the expectations of the customers because some branches were having just one person performing the duties of a peon, clerk, accountant, cashier and also manager.

As many as five posts of senior manager were lying vacant against six sanctioned posts and 14 posts of managers were lying vacant against 22 posts. Besides, 108 posts of clerk and 54 posts of peon were lying vacant for the past many years in addition to the shortage of other posts of steno, accountant and assistant manager.

Thapar added that they could earn more than Rs 10 crore in the next financial year and also serve the cause of helping the farming community.

Jalandhar, January 13
After experiencing cold weather conditions, gone worse by the persistent fog, over the last one week, residents of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today got some relief as the day started with a mild sunshine. Isolated spells of rain were also witnessed, which eased out the dense morning fog. The day also experienced a slight increase in temperature.

Much to the relief of the residents, Amritsar, which remained the coldest in the plains during the past few days, today registered a rise in mercury. The city recorded a minimum of 5°Celsius, as compared to a low of 2.2°Celsius yesterday. Earlier, the mercury hovered around sub-zero level in the city.

Under Malwa belt, Bathinda’s minimum temperature today stood at 6°Celsius, compared to that of 3.4°Celsius yesterday. Halwara recorded a minimum of 6.5°Celsius. Pathankot, too, saw a slight rise in mercury with a minimum of 6.6°Celsius, followed by Adampur (6.8°Celsius).

At a low of 7°Celsius, Chandigarh, however, saw no change in temperature. In Ambala, the mercury plunged to a low of 5.4°Celsius after witnessing a rise yesterday (7°Celsius).

Meanwhile, the mercury also saw a noticeable rise at Jammu and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, where the minimum temperatures were recorded at 6.2°Celsius and 5°Celsius, respectively. Yesterday, both the cities had recorded a low of 3.1°Celsius and 0°Celsius, respectively. However, the higher altitude areas of the valley continued to reel under intense cold. Leh recorded a minimum of minus 17°Celsius while Srinagar and Avantipora in upper reaches saw a minimum temperature of minus 0.4°Celsius and minus 1.2°Celsius, respectively.

And in Himachal Pradesh, the capital Shimla experienced season's first snowfall today while lower areas of the state were lashed by rains, bringing the temperature down sharply. Shimla recorded 6.4 cm of snow and a night temperature of minus 0.5°Celsius, a sharp fall from the yesterday's 6.3°Celsius, the Met office said.

Meanwhile, the Met department at Adampur Air Force Station has predicted rain in the next 24 hours. Met officials said there were likely chances of rain in the wee hours tomorrow morning.

Abohar, January 13
The security of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was allegedly compromised by the police authorities concerned when he visited the house of local industrialist RD Garg yesterday.

Garg had organised a small function in his bungalow yesterday in connection with his formally joining the SAD in the presence of party president Sukhbir Badal. Hundreds of residents, including Vijay Laxmi Bhadu, chairperson, Punjab Social Welfare Board, had come to the house of Garg at his invitation.

It is learnt that no metal detector was installed at the main entrance of the house. No frisking of more than a hundred visitors was done by any one. No anti-sabotage team or a dog squad were pressed into service to detect explosives.

Only four-odd commandos deployed in the Deputy Chief Minister’s security wing came about half an hour before Sukhbir Badal reached the venue with his cavalcade.

SPS Parmar, SSP, Ferozepur, who came to the venue along with Sukhbir Badal, said they were not informed about the programme by the DIG, CM’s security, NS Dhillon, in his written communication sent to the district police authorities by him.

On the other hand, Garg said that he had informed a section of the officials of the district police and civil set-up well in advance about the visit of Sukhbir Badal. He added that a few sleuths of the CID and a section of government officials were present in his house since early morning.

Jalandhar, January 13
The Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has decided not to impose penalty on government-aided recognised private schools. The penalty was imposed on those schools where a fixed number of students had not appeared in the examination centres set up by the board.

An examination centre is set up only if the school concerned ensures the appearance of 100 students. In case the appearance of students is less than 100, the board charge Rs 300 penalty per student in case of matric examination and Rs 250 for middle standard examination. The board had issued notices to several schools to pay the penalty before the starting of the annual examination and in case of failure their examination centres would be abolished.

However, reacting to the notices, the Punjab Government Recognised Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union had opposed the penalty and refused to pay it to the board. Union adviser Manohar Lal Chopra had announced that the board would not be allowed to conduct examination in aided schools in case the penalty was not waived.

Chopra had urged the board authorities to pay service charges and other charges to the aided schools for using their infrastructure to hold examinations.

Chopra had argued that the board had been charging fee from students for conducting their examinations and also separate fee for taking practicals. The Tribune had highlighted the issue. That amount should be shared with aided schools where the examination is conducted.

Responding to the threat given by the union, board’s vice-chairman and other officials held a meeting with union representatives. Besides vice-chairman, the controller of examination and other officials of the board were also present at the meeting. Gurcharan Singh Chahal, Chopra and other office-bearers represented the union.

At the meeting, union leaders told the board authorities that the imposing of the penalty was an unjustified and illegal act.

Bathinda, January 13
With an aim to financially assist the 22 hockey players of the country, Brills Institute, a local educational institution, today started a 15-day campaign for collecting copies of old newspapers and empty bottles from the city and villages of the district. The institute authorities will sell the waste material in the evening on daily basis.

The institute has also planned to involve rural sports clubs of the district in collecting the waste materials.

The money collected from the waste material will be deposited in a bank account, which is being opened in the name of “Chak de India” by the institute with a sum of Rs 1 lakh as its contribution. Ashok Sadiora, director, Brills Institute, though avoided to disclose the target fixed by the institute with regard to collecting money, yet he gave an indication that the amount would be in lakhs.

The hockey players were insisting that the Hockey India (HI) should meet their financial needs.

From the collected money each player would get an equal amount. The institute had also decided that this amount would be disbursed among the 22 players.

Sadiora said it was a matter of concern that HI had not bothered about the grievances and demands of the hockey players, payment of arrears worth Rs 1.08 crore to them, at a time when the World Cup was just one-and-a-half months away.

He asked Union Sports Minister MS Gill to resign immediately by saying that he had “failed” to perform his duties in this direction.

Patiala, January 13
Acting on the complaints of Patiala residents about the haphazard manner in which the mobile service providers are putting up their towers in the district, the Patiala Deputy Commissioner has issued orders that no mobile tower would be allowed without clearance from the district administration.

As per the orders by Patiala DC Deepinder Singh, now the mobile service providers would have to seek no objection certificate (NOC) from the district administration before installing any new mobile tower.

Earlier there were no guidelines from the Patiala administration about the installation of the mobile towers, because of which the mobile service providers installed their towers in residential areas, near schools and hospitals in the Patiala district. Notably, in wake of the fact that electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones and their base stations (mobile towers), many states had already prohibited the installation of mobile towers near schools or hospital premises as the children and patients are more susceptible to electromagnetic fields.

Speaking to The Tribune, Deepinder said he received numerous complaints from the residents of different areas. He added that complainants mainly stated that menace of installation of mobile phone towers on rooftops accompanied by generator sets, particularly in residential areas, near schools and hospitals, is a source of public nuisance and innumerable health hazards. “In wake of this, I have issued the orders, making administration clearance, a mandatory requirement for installation of mobile tower”, he said.

“Since, unregulated installation of mobile towers by various telephone/mobile companies including Airtel, BSNL, Spice and Reliance can lead to a major mishap, it is hereby ordered that every company has to seek NOC from the district administration before installation of mobile tower”, reads the orders issued by DC, a copy of which is with The Tribune.

Deepinder said that once the mobile companies apply for the installation of mobile towers to administration, different government departments including civic body and town planning, will ask the applicant to furnish the details about the structural safety of the site, fire arrangements etc. The permission for putting up the mobile tower would be given only after completion of all necessary procedures”, revealed the DC.

Deepinder also said objections from the area residents would also be listened in the public hearings. Meanwhile, the district administration is in a fix about hundreds of mobile towers, which already exist in Patiala.

Chandigarh, January 13
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board to prepare a detailed report on level of pollution in Budha Nullah.

The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Jasbir Singh, asked the Board to compare the present level with the one at the time a petition in this regard was filed.

The directions came during the hearing of matter on pollution in Ludhiana, Budha nullah included. Punjab Additional Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Environment and Non Conventional Energy, Harjit Singh Kandhala, also filed a detailed status report.

There was a proposal to install two Central Effluent Treatment Plants with the capacity of 38 million liter daily (MLD) and 100 MLD at Bahadurke road and Tajpur road for medium and small scale dyeing industry.