B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

PM remark irks ex-servicemen
Bathinda, March 7
The recent statement of the Prime Minister in Parliament that the recommendation regarding enhancement in the pensions of jawans and JCOs has been implemented, has created a flutter among members of the Indian Ex-servicemen (ESM) Movement.

Maj Gen (retd) Satbir Singh

Rice scam: FCI for recovery of losses
Moga, March 7
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has stated that the food agency was taking care to recover default amount along with penal interest from the concerned rice millers of Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar, Sangrur, Barnala, Bathinda and Ferozepur districts against whom the CBI had registered a case for delivering substandard rice. The CBI had initiated criminal proceedings against a rice mill of Bathinda, five of Moga, 13 of Faridkot, 14 of Sangrur and 17 of Ferozepur district.

Punjab govt to give Rs 2 lakh to kin of deceased
Muktsar, March 7
The state government today announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each for the bereaved families of two labourers, both cousins, who died of asphyxiation inside the manhole of the under construction main sewer line at Jalalabad road, here on Saturday.

College library upgraded
Abohar, March 7
The DAV College of Education here has got itself enrolled among 35 per cent of the colleges across the country who had introduced computerised bar-code system in their libraries. While inaugurating the system last evening former SDM BL Sikka and local managing committee member Dr B L Somani complimented principal Dr Venita Singh for leading the institution to new horizons within a short span.

Cheques distributed
Fazilka, March 7
Local MLA Surjit Kumar Jyani distributed cheques worth Rs 1.6 crore for all-round development of the villages and over Rs 28 lakh for Shagun scheme, in the Market Committee office here on Saturday.

Victims of terrorist attack remembered
Abohar, March 7
The town today remembered 31 citizens who had been killed during the indiscriminate firing by hardcore terrorists on March 7, 1990. Flowers were offered at the memorial located outside Sadar Bazaar by a group of social activists. Later, the Sadar Bazaar Association organised a langar.

‘Set up Rly washing line facility in Fazilka’
Fazilka, March 7
Northern Railway Passengers Samiti has asked the chairman of Railway Board SS Khurana to set up a washing line in Fazilka. The samiti president Dr Amar Lal Baghla, patron Mahasha Dev Raj, general secretary Babu Ram, secretaries, Sham Lal Goyal and Sham Lal Chhabra and others met the Railway Board chairman in Muktsar on Saturday and demanded him that the washing line facility should be revived.

PM remark irks ex-servicemen
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 7
The recent statement of the Prime Minister in Parliament that the recommendation regarding enhancement in the pensions of jawans and JCOs has been implemented, has created a flutter among members of the Indian Ex-servicemen (ESM) Movement.

Taking strong exception to the recent statement of the Prime Minister, Major General (retd) Satbir Singh, vice-chairman, the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement, said the reason as to why the PM made this “wrong” statement was beyond comprehension.

In an exclusive interaction with The Tribune, here today, Satbir Singh said the way the PM brushed aside the issue of pensions of defence personnel by stating that the enhancement recommended by the committee had been implemented, revealed that either the staff at his office had not correctly briefed him or the government itself was indifferent to their genuine entitlements.

“It is emphatically reiterated that the enhancement of pensions of jawans and JCOs as announced by the government in Parliament on July 6, 2009 and again announced by the Prime Minister on August 15, 2009 from the ramparts of the Red Fort for which Rs 2,140 had been earmarked to benefit 12 lakh ex-servicemen jawans and JCOs has not at all been implemented,” claimed Satbir Singh.

Accusing the system of damaging the morale of the ex-servicemen, the vice-chairman of the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement said, “It is a sad reflection of the government's attitude that 22000 prestigious medals have been returned to the President of India by ex-servicemen on six different occasions to express their anguish and hurt feeling. Still, the government continues to ignore their main demand of one rank, one pension (OROP).”

“Witnessing the callous attitude of the government towards our problem, we are going to intensify the protest. Ex-servicemen from all states will deposit their medals with the President of India for the seventh time on March 14 along with a memorandum signed in blood to express deep anguish over the apathy of the government,” said Satbir Singh.

“This is not the only pain. The President of India is not even granting audience to the delegation of the movement, who have been leading the protest to secure justice for the Defence personnel,” alleged the vice-chairman.

Terming it as the job of the forces to uphold the democratic values of the country and safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the country, the Major General (retd) warned, “Any tinkering with the ethos and morale of the armed forces would be to the country's peril.”

Targeting the government for depending upon imports from other countries, Satbir Singh said, “The Arjun Tank, which is supposed to be an indigenous production, has now a major import dependency. The government is somewhere ignoring that one of our neighbouring country is increasing its all-round capacity, and is waiting for a chance to pounce upon us.”

Rice scam: FCI for recovery of losses
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, March 7
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has stated that the food agency was taking care to recover default amount along with penal interest from the concerned rice millers of Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar, Sangrur, Barnala, Bathinda and Ferozepur districts against whom the CBI had registered a case for delivering substandard rice. The CBI had initiated criminal proceedings against a rice mill of Bathinda, five of Moga, 13 of Faridkot, 14 of Sangrur and 17 of Ferozepur district. The Tribune in its report ‘Despite HC orders, FCI fails to act’ published on February 18 had reported that the high court had ordered to recover the “default amount along with penal interest” from the accused rice millers.

Justice KS Ahluwalia, while pronouncing separate judgements on the petitions filed by as many as nine rice mills on October 14, 2009, had ordered “default amount along with penal interest is to be deposited to the satisfaction of the FCI. The petitioner may approach the FCI for making the payment. In case such a request is made, the FCI shall communicate to the petitioner, the amount which petitioner is liable to pay within two weeks”.

Inder Kumar Negi, Deputy General Manager (Quality Control) of the FCI, said the FCI had initiated the process of recovery of notifying the losses and issuing notices to the defaulting millers by identifying them individually much before the judgement of the court. The FCI has further stated that the stocks of rice that were found unfit for human consumption were tendered to the registered parties dealing in animal feed as per the law.

Punjab govt to give Rs 2 lakh to kin of deceased
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, March 7
The state government today announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each for the bereaved families of two labourers, both cousins, who died of asphyxiation inside the manhole of the under construction main sewer line at Jalalabad road, here on Saturday.

The announcement has been made by Muktsar deputy commissioner Varun Roojam on behalf of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. The CM has also expressed deep condolence to the bereaved families of Raju Singh and his cousin Lal Singh, both residents of the town.

Sources said the sewer line was almost complete and the contractor was getting it finally examined before handing it over to the department concerned. For the job, two labourers, Raju Singh and Ruldu Singh, were demolishing the temporary wall raised inside the sewer line and checking it thoroughly. After testing, they were sucking out the water flown in it, with a machine.

After some time, Ruldu Singh went for some work and Raju Singh kept doing the job. Meanwhile, due to some technical fault in the machine, he entered the manhole and did not return for a couple of minutes. Suspecting something wrong, onlookers assembled there.

Receiving information, Lal Singh, cousin of Raju, reached there and went inside the manhole to pull him out. However, he too did not come out. People then informed the police.

Taking the help of people and some experts, police managed to pull both of them out of the manhole. Finding them unconscious, police rushed them to Civil Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.

SHO police station (city), Davinder Singh said, "We have booked the contractor Ashok Kumar under section 304-A, for negligence as the labourers were put on job without providing them with safety equipment. However, he is still absconding."

College library upgraded
Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 7
The DAV College of Education here has got itself enrolled among 35 per cent of the colleges across the country who had introduced computerised bar-code system in their libraries. While inaugurating the system last evening former SDM BL Sikka and local managing committee member Dr B L Somani complimented principal Dr Venita Singh for leading the institution to new horizons within a short span.

Dean of the library Prof S K Oberoi informed that the new system will result in saving 75 per cent of time in getting and depositing the books by the students who would be now able to have an access through computers.

The college also plans to make the library digital besides increasing the number of computers.

Principal Dr Venita Singh revealed that the Union Human Resources Ministry had chosen the college under its NEEICT project that extends BSNL broad band internet facility to the students in modernised libraries.

Cheques distributed

Fazilka, March 7
Local MLA Surjit Kumar Jyani distributed cheques worth Rs 1.6 crore for all-round development of the villages and over Rs 28 lakh for Shagun scheme, in the Market Committee office here on Saturday.

Shagun scheme cheques were distributed to 199 families and development work cheques were disbursed to the representatives of different panchayats.

“The SAD-BJP government has fulfilled almost all the promises in three years,” claimed Jyani while addressing a gathering in the Market Committee office. — OC

Victims of terrorist attack remembered
Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 7
The town today remembered 31 citizens who had been killed during the indiscriminate firing by hardcore terrorists on March 7, 1990. Flowers were offered at the memorial located outside Sadar Bazaar by a group of social activists. Later, the Sadar Bazaar Association organised a langar.

Notably, most of the victims had fallen to bullets and subsequent bomb explosions in the Sadar Bazaar when about half a dozen terrorists struck there.

Some of the witnesses remember that the city police station staff had preferred to bolt the main gate from the inside and avoided coming out for an hour instead of chasing the culprits. Health services too had been paralysed after the incident.

‘Set up Rly washing line facility in Fazilka’
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, March 7
Northern Railway Passengers Samiti has asked the chairman of Railway Board SS Khurana to set up a washing line in Fazilka. The samiti president Dr Amar Lal Baghla, patron Mahasha Dev Raj, general secretary Babu Ram, secretaries, Sham Lal Goyal and Sham Lal Chhabra and others met the Railway Board chairman in Muktsar on Saturday and demanded him that the washing line facility should be revived.

It has been stated in the memorandum signed by the representatives of almost all the leading political parties that there was a washing line facility in Fazilka since 1990. However, it was uprooted after 1990 when the meter gauge on Fazilka-Rewari track was converted into a broad gauge. The samiti presented several memorandum to the higher railway authorities for reinstallation of washing line but the demand could not take a practical shape. The representatives have also pleaded that there is sufficient land with the department to set up washing line here. In the absence of a washing line, the possibility of introducing a new train from Fazilka to distant areas could not be materialised.

The members have also sought that the railway department should start a new train “Shri Mukti Sahib Express” between Fazilka to Delhi via Muktsar and Kotkapura.

The chairman along with his family members had come on their personal visit to pay obeisance at Darbar Sahib Muktsar. Interestingly, the wife and mother of Khurana reportedly also favoured the demand of the samiti members to pay tributes to Muktas in whose memory Gurudwara Tuti Gandhi Sahib Muktsar was raised.