Chandigarh, February 13
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has opposed the Union Government’s move to transfer “water” from the State to the Concurrent List.“Any such move will be fraught with serious implications on the economic as well as political fronts”, Badal has said.

He said Punjab was an agrarian state and could not allow any erosion of its jurisdiction over the issue. Water was the be all and end all not only of our farmers but of the entire populace and of the economy of the state. Any move to dilute the state's control over the subject would be inadvisable.

The Chief Minister said his government would strongly oppose such a move. "We have fought for the rights of Punjab on river water resources.

Even as it is, the Centre has found underhand means to rob Punjab of its precious resource. The issue is sub judice with the Supreme Court and the Centre’s proposed move would, apart from cutting at the roots of the federal spirit, also amount to an affront to the judiciary," he added.

" The Centre must desist from tinkering with the basic structure of the statute which clearly demarcates the areas of jurisdiction between the Centre and the states. Already, various Congress governments at the Centre have progressively chipped away at the federal character of the country and turned the Constitution into a document heavily tilted against the states.

If anything, it needs to be amended to make it more federal in character, in keeping with the underlying impulse of the people of the constituent states," said the Chief Minister.

Badal said water resources had rightly been put on the State List but the Centre had always been working to weaken the states’ rights over the subject.

He wondered how the Centre could even think of proceeding with such legislation without taking the states into confidence. " The Centre must appreciate the sensitivity of the matter and not rush to stir up the hornet's nest as it could lead to serious but avoidable complications," he cautioned.

On the question of the falling water table in many states, Badal said that he shared the widespread concern over the over- utilisation of water, but the states themselves were competent to deal with the issue.

"In fact, we have already been the first to take pro-active steps on the subject through a mandatory provision to push back the date of paddy plantation in the state. This step has already shown positive results'" he added. 

Jalandhar, February 13
The Centre has given a go-ahead to set up an integrated checkpost at the Attari-Wagah border. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will lay the foundation stone of the post on February 20.

With the setting up of the integrated post, all services such as customs clearance and immigration clearance will become available under one roof. The project will cost Rs 150 crore.

The Centre, it appears, has carefully chosen February 20 to lay the foundation stone. It will be laid five days before the resumption of Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two countries on February 25 in New Delhi. This action will send another clear signal to all concerned that India is keen to improve its relations with Pakistan provided the latter deals with the elements using its soil against India.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal besides Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu is also expected to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony.

“There is a lot required to be done at the check post for further promoting trade to Pakistan through this route,” said Sidhu.

He said he would discuss some problems faced by the people of border belt with the Union Home Minister.

“As no major industry could be set up in the border belt, there was a need to give special incentives by the Centre to that belt. I will urge the Home Minister to make a special development plan for the border area because the residents have to face several disadvantages for being close to the border,” he said.

Centre to fund return of bodies
Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 13
The Centre will bear the charges to bring back bodies of two brothers, Navdeep Singh Dhaliwal, and Kamaldeep Singh Dhaliwal, recently murdered in Perth, Australia, to India and provide every possible support to the families.

This was stated by Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, while on a visit to the Fortis Hopsital, Mohali, to enquire about the health of a party workers and said it was being ensured that such incidents do not take place in the future.

“Involvement of Indian students behind the death of their fellow Indian students had also come to light,” she added. She further said in order to ensure that foreign-based fake educational institutions do not fleece the Indian students, the ministry was making discreet enquiry about such institutions. In the initial phase, the issue had already been taken up with the governments concerned so that legal action could be initiated against such institutions.

Better late than never
It took almost 20 years before the state decided to go in for police commissioners
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 13
After being in a dither, the state has finally gone in for a change. The Punjab Government has taken the plunge in introducing the police commissioner system in the municipal corporation cities of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.

Though two other cities — Patiala and Bathinda — with municipal corporations will have to wait for some time before they too get the new system, the shift from the antiquated policing system in the three major cities has been welcomed by both serving and retired police officials of the state.

While the new Punjab Police Act has some of the powers of the police commissioner system applied elsewhere in the country watered down, it will not only give the law and enforcement agencies some powers in not only regulating the registration of motor vehicles and the issuance of licences, both driving and for keeping firearms, but also in crowd control and management besides ending the supervisory control of the deputy commissioner as head of the district in criminal matters.

It is not perhaps this provision that may be a major reason for delay in introducing the system as neither the bureaucracy nor the political administration wanted to yield their control over the police. It all started when Beant Singh was the Chief Minister and it was proposed to bring the same three corporation cities under the new system. Some of the powers that normally remain vested in the civil magistracy or bureaucracy like the promulgation of prohibitory orders, fixing speed limits for motor vehicles within municipal limits, issuance of driving licences as well as arms licences, earmarking or specifying parking areas and declaration of one-way traffic zones, etc, will now go to the police in these three districts. The government can also notify the police as the nodal agency for compounding some offences, including traffic challans and those related to the violation of prohibitory orders.

Besides, the new system gives the police some additional powers in controlling local crime, improving its own intelligence network and exercising the powers that in the existing system even the Deputy Inspector-General or even Inspector-General of the range or the zone could not exercise.

Restructuring and modernising the police had for a long time been on the agenda of the state government. Except for talk nothing practical was being done. Notifying of new police stations by linking them to the physical boundaries of the assembly segments and posting of senior men of the force, not below the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, as police commissioner, are all parts of the new exercise.

While the government has named the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police for both Amritsar and Jalandhar, the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana is still to be announced.

Since the next Assembly elections will be due only in 2012, the state government has not taken into consideration the home districts of the new police commissioners. Hopefully, the new police commissioners will get a fixed tenure posting and remain free from political interference and indulgence.

Patiala, February 13
Showing scant regards for rules laid in the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the Patiala Municipal Corporation Mayor Ajit Pal Singh Kohli is not convening the general-house meeting of the corporation on monthly basis. Because of his casual approach towards this important matter, resentment has started brewing among the councillor’s of the ruling SAD-BJP house.

While accusing the Mayor of adopting a “dictatorial” attitude, majority of the councillor’s having allegiance with SAD, BJP and Congress asserted that they would not allow the Mayor to run MC in his “self-styled” way. Some of the Akali councillor’s are even planning to take up the matter with Punjab CM and Deputy CM.

Expressing his anger, Congress councillor Niranjan Dass told The Tribune, “According to the PMC Act, 1976, it is necessary to hold at least one meeting in a month but completely overlooking the laws, Mayor is functioning as per his wishes. In the past two years, only six-seven general house meetings had been called by Mayor.” He further asserted that monthly meeting gives the councillor’s a platform to take up the problems of their respective wards.

SAD councillor Jaspal Singh said that every councillor want that his grievances should be addressed to and the house is the right place to do so, while adding, “By not calling the meetings, Mayor is running away from his responsibilities.” He added that it has been two and half months since the last house meeting was held.

Replying to the query regarding the reasons behind not convening the meeting, a senior Akali councillor, preferring anonymity said, “Finding it difficult to give a satisfactory reply to queries of councillor’s, Mayor prefers to call meeting after four-five months.”

Airing his views on the issue, Sohan Lal Jalota, who became municipal councillor for fourth time said civic issues pertaining to problems of water scarcity, poor roads, faulty streetlights and choked sewerage could be debated upon properly in house meeting only.

Interestingly, the councillor’s of SAD are more worried with non-convening of the house meet. “If attention was not paid to redress grievances of councillor’s and house meeting is not convened regularly, next time no Akali Councillor will be able to retain his seat,” said a group of Akali councillor’s.

Patiala, February 13
The message is loud and clear. Any Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) employees found conniving with those indulging in power theft, he would have to face action that would amount to immediate suspension. While announcing this, board chairman HS Brar has said “stringent” action would be initiated against the erring employees.

Cautioning the employees to refrain from facilitating the power thieves, Brar said the board would not spare any employee found helping either domestic or commercial establishment stealing power.

“The recent suspension of two senior executive engineers, an SDO and a JE for their alleged involvement in power theft at an industrial unit in Rajpura is a message for all the employees to desist from conniving with power thieves,” Brar added. Further asserting that the board is determined to bring down the transmission and distribution losses from its present level of 19.91 per cent to 15 per cent by year 2012, Brar said the Enforcement and Operation Wing of the PSEB have already been issued instructions to accelerate the drive to check the menace of power theft.

The board chairman also said setting up of anti-power theft police stations in the distribution zones of the PSEB Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda is a step in this direction. “Now, cases will also be registered against the owner of the commercial/industrial units indulging in power theft,” he said. Brar claimed that recent raids conducted by the board teams in Amritsar and Rajpura had yielded good results with detection of a “good number” of tampered electricity meters.

“During yesterday’s raids at big industrial units in Amritsar and the adjoining areas, 29 units were found involved in power theft and a penalty of Rs 74 lakh was imposed on the defaulters”, he told.

Brar further said now 26 teams of enforcement wing, under the headship of Chief Engineer/Enforcement HS Randhawa, have been assigned the job to check industrial connections of more than 500-KW and Hotels/Restaurants and commercial connections in the areas of Verka, Majitha, Chehrata, Jandiala Guru, Sultanwind, Chatiwind, Lawrence Road, Batala Road, Ajnala Road, Majitha Road, Malmandi, Tarntaran, Goindwal Sahib, Jhabaal, Raiya and Batala.

Pointing out that apart from causing huge financial loss to the PSEB, power theft damages the transmission and distribution system, Brar said, “Because of the power theft, board is compelled to impose power cuts, which otherwise could be avoided.”

Patiala: Two persons of a family, including a seven- month-old child, were killed, while four persons of the same family sustained serious injuries after the Bathinda-Patiala train hit a Maruti Zen at an unmanned level crossing on Korjiwal-Dhablan, near Patiala, this afternoon. The deceased have been identified as Jaswant Singh (56) and his grandson Gurnam Singh, residents of Gharam village, Patiala.

The injured have been admitted to a local hospital, while the bodies of the deceased have been sent to Government Rajindra Hospital for a postmortem. The injured have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, Manjit Kaur, Navdeep Kaur and Mansirat Kaur, all of whom are Jaswant Singh’s family members. It is learnt that after attending Anand Karaj at Gurdwara Korjiwal, Jaswant Singh’s family was on its way to a marriage palace on Nabha Road.

The injured were rushed to a nearby local hospital. 

Ludhiana, February 13
Giving a major relief to parking woes across the state, Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia today announced Punjab Parking Policy under which vacant land and plots could be put to use.

Kalia said: “Under the policy, the vacant plots and land owners within the municipal corporation and committee limits would be eligible to turn their lands into public parking. No tax would be charged from them for the purpose.”

Apart from it, the land owners would not pay change of land use charges for converting their lands into public parking, the minister added.

Another important part of the parking policy would be multi-level parking. Those who want to construct multi-level parking on their plots would be exempted from house-tax for 10 years. Apart from it, the policy also allows display of advertisements on vacant plots and lands.

He said: “Under the system, the land owners would be allowed to charge money from vehicle owners to park their means of transportation. It would not only generate employment but would also help in saving empty lands from encroachments.”

The policy has come give as a major relief to the traffic police. SP (Traffic), Ludhiana, Rupinder Singh, said: “In our city alone, there are over 10 lakh registered vehicles. With limited parking spaces, we have been facing hard times in mobilising traffic. However, the policy would give a boost to easier traffic management”. 

Bathinda, February 13
Beware love birds! Activists of the Vishav Hindu Parishad (VHP) along with their ally organisations are claiming to put their tooth and nail to check the celebration of Valentine’s Day in Bathinda.

Terming the celebrations as an intruded product of western ethnicity, VHP secretary Sukhpal Saran said the Valentine’s Day was nothing else than a blot on the rich culture of Hinduism that would not be allowed at any cost.

Saran said: “We have been urging people not to allow their kids to celebrate the day. If unmarried couples are found celebrating the day in parks, hotels and markets, they will be punished.”

“We have reports that some of the hoteliers are going to organise functions for Valentine’s Day and they will not be allowed at any cost,” Saran said, adding: “This time we are not going to submit a memorandum to the administration as it is their duty to check such celebrations that create tension in Hindu organisations.”

On the other hand, owners of hotels, banquet halls and eating joints have termed the warning of the VHP as a slap on the face of the administration.

SHO Kotwali Gujeet Singh Romana said: “We are going to beef up security arrangements to ensure that people enjoy the day in a peaceful manner. Any one who tries to take law and order in his hand would surely be dealt with strict hand.” 

Chandigarh, February 13
In a bid to plead his innocence, suspended IAS officer VK Janjua today launched a vicious attack on several senior officers of the state, holding them responsible for his condition. The tirade has, however, evoked a stronger response with Janjua’s colleagues not only rubbishing his charges but also levelling counter allegations.

Addressing mediapersons, Janjua today alleged that his immediate boss, Principal Secretary Industries, SS Channy, was “jealous” of him and had been inimical towards him. He also alleged that another officer, Sanjay Popli, who was his former colleague in the Industries Department had been charging Rs 500 each for sanctioning leave to the employees of the department against whom he had written to the Chief Secretary.

Janjua further alleged that Inderjit Pradhan, Chairman of the Small-Scale Industries Board, who is a close aide of the CM,could have “planted” Rs 2 lakh of the bribe money found on Janjua by the VB.He added Pradhan, TR Mishra and Channy had earlier also hatched a conspiracy to get him transferred. “Mishra filed an affidavit in October 2008 with the CM, levelling allegations against me. He also procured three more complaints and another affidavit and submitted these collectively. The fact that the complaints were filed jointly by totally unrelated persons shows that someone had submitted these to the CM,” he said.

Channy said, “Had I been against him, I could have sent these affidavits for a detailed inquiry to the Vigilance. But I filed the case after an inquiry. Other than this, the Chief Secretary had asked me to inquire into four other serious complaints against Janjua. All of these are full of charges of corruption. I sent these to Janjua for comments but he did not bother to even reply. Finally I sent these complaints back to the Chief Secretary.”

Popli said he was “shocked” at the allegations made by Janjua. “I have been transferred from that department for over one year now. After I was transferred, Janjua started calling for my explanation on various frivolous issues even when he did not have the authority to do so. Pradhan said, “I have been telling Janjua to stop taking bribes for almost one year. In fact, 10 days before he was nabbed by the Vigilance, Janjua came to meet me in my office. I asked him why he took bribes. About the Vigilance incident, I came to know only on television..”

Patiala, February 13
The state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has objected to the attitude of the state government for not clearing the cases of 25 doctors, working as lecturers in medical colleges at Patiala and Amritsar, for the posts of assistant professor.

Association representatives claimed that the lecturers had done postgraduation and fulfil the necessary qualifications laid down by Medical Council of India (MCI) for being promoted as assistant professor, but due to the “casual” attitude of the Department of Medical Education and Research their cases are hanging fire.

DS Bhullar, chairman of In-Service Doctors Wing of the state branch of IMA, said though the matter was brought to the notice of Dr Jai Kishan, director, Medical Education and Research, during a state council meeting of IMA (Punjab), nothing concrete has been done in this regard.

The association also pointed out that in Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, which falls under Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, the doctors with postgraduation qualification were directly appointed as assistant professors in accordance with the regulations of the MCI, but the same norms were not followed in medical colleges at Patiala and Amritsar that were under the jurisdiction of the same university.

“In August 2009, even Medical Education and Research Minister Tikshan Sud had directed the secretary concerned to put up the file immediately, but till date there has been no move to promote these 25 lecturers as assistant professors,” Bhullar said, adding that this attitude of the authorities had left the lecturers high and dry.

Sangrur, February 13
In spite of directions of the Chief Minister’s Office to get erected display boards prohibiting the sale of alcohol to a person below the age of 25 at all liquor vends , the Excise and Taxation Department has failed to comply with it.

The directions were given in response to a petition filed by civil society groups regarding the violation of the law prohibiting under-age drinking. Moreover, it has also failed to get removed decorative boards. A memorandum in this regard was submitted to the CM by coordinator of stop under-age drinking campaign, Kamal Anand, also Excise and Taxation Minister, on September 1 last.

He had asked to get erected display boards: “Sale of alcohol to person below the age of 25 years is an offence” at liquor vends, which are violating it by selling alcohol to under-age persons. Even the Excise Ministry through the Joint Commissioner, Excise Department, had directed the department through its orders dated November 17, 2009, to get the display boards erected.As per Section 29 of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, no vendor is allowed to sell liquor or intoxicating drug to any person, who is below the age of 25. However, this is being openly violated across the state.

As per the Chapter D of the Punjab Liquor Rules, 1956, it is prohibited to display decorative lights on the premises of liquor vends. It also directs to display anti-drinking slogans as and when required by the Punjab Excise Department. But this is being violated.

Kamal Anand said: “The department concerned knows much about the Acts and government orders restricting the sale and consumption of alcohol, but it seems to be turning a blind eye towards this grave violation”. 

Harike (Tarn Taran), February 13
Five persons were killed including two women, sisters, and six others were injured, all of a family, in a road accident at Harike township today. The deceased included two couples. Harike is situated on National Highway No. 15, known as a killer highway.

The deceased have been identified as Kirpal Singh (45), his wife Ranjit Kaur Rani (42) of Marrimegha , Gurdip Singh (75) and his wife Balbir Kaur (73) and their grand son Jagroop Singh (13), all residents of Sabhra village. Deceased Ranjit Kaur and Balbir Kaur were real sisters.

The injured include deceased Gurdip’s son Bakshish Singh and grand daughter Manjit Kaur, Kirpal’s son Kuldip Singh besides Jasbir Kaur, wife of Sulakhan Singh, and her daughters, Komalpreet Kaur and Kirandeep Kaur. The condition of Bakshish Singh is said to be critical and he has been referred to a Ludhiana hospital. Three of the injured have been admitted to the Primary Health Center, Sarhali, and the other two have been referred to Amritsar. All the victims were returning after attending a marriage ceremony from a village in Ferozepur district in a Mohindra Jeep towards Harike when their vehicle was hit by a truck.

SSP Sukhdev Singh Brar said a case under various sections of the IPC had been registered at Harike police station against the driver of the truck who fled from the spot after the accident.