Chandigarh, March 17
Rubbishing allegations of discrimination by the UPA government, the Congress took to offensive by slapping a serious allegation on the SAD-BJP government for diverting subsidised foodgrains meant for BPL families to a private agency of Delhi for “ulterior motives”.

Initiating a debate on the budgetary proposals in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha this afternoon, former Finance, Irrigation and Power Minister Lal Singh slammed the coalition government for its “failure” on all fronts while demanding a probe by the CBI into what he described as a “foodgrain scam” running into crores of rupees.

Of total nine hours discussion on the Budget announced by Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Lal Singh spoke for over an hour by restricting his arguments not only on the role played by the successive Congress and Akali governments on power generation, getting funds and grants from the Centre but also about the aggregation of debt during the past and the present government.

Dubbing the atta-dal scheme of the ruling alliance as a “total failure”, Lal Singh held that the state was drawing 10 lakh quintals of foodgrains from the Central pool at a subsidised rate of Rs 628 a quintal for distribution among BPL families. “Instead of supplying the wheat, the state is giving wheat flour at Rs 12 a kg. After getting wheat for Rs 628 a quintal, the state is paying Rs 220 a quintal to a private agency, Rs 70 for handling and Rs 150 for grinding, besides Rs 70 to the ultimate distributor or a ration depot holder.

This comes to Rs 918 a quintal of wheat flour. However, the selling price is Rs 1,200. Who is pocketing Rs 282 a quintal needs to be probed,” demanded Lal Singh, saying, “We want the CBI to conduct an investigation.” Since the reorganisation of the state in 1966, he said both the Congress and Akalis had ruled the state for almost 18 years each. While the Congress had four governments, Akalis had seven. As such both the Congress and the Akalis were equally to share the blame and the credit for the present day Punjab. While the present SAD-BJP government had drawn more funds and grants from the Centre in the past three years than what the Congress did in its past three years of rule in the state.

Coming to mounting debt of the state, he said while the Congress contributed Rs 15,844 crore to the state debt during its last term (2002-2007), the SAD alliance has added Rs 17,155 crore during its previous term and Rs 16,580 crore during the current term. When the Finance Minister pegged the total debt of the state on March 31 this year at Rs 64,924 crore, he did not include total debt of Rs 38, 596 crores on public sector undertakings of the state. Overall debt of the state comes to over Rs 1.03 lakh crore.

He also challenged the SAD-BJP claim that not even a single unit of power was added during the previous Congress government.

He said Lehra Mohabbet I and 2 were almost on the commissioning stage when the Congress government completed its term in the office.

Chandigarh, March 17
A district and sessions judge, earlier hearing cases against the Badals at Mohali, has been left with a little security. To make the matters worse, suitable accommodation is not being provided to the judge, even after the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s intervention.

Muktsar sessions judge JS Kalar has already brought the matter to the HC’s notice, which has taken a serious view of the judge’s alleged victimisation.

It is believed the judge has told the HC that the local police has curtailed the security cover provided to him. In fact, security has also been withdrawn from the court premises.

He has been putting up in a single room in the canal rest house, ever since he was transferred to Muktsar as the sessions judge some two months ago. He could not move in the house allocated to him, as it was in a “bad condition” with a roof waiting to collapse. In fact, Kalar was told that the house to be allotted to him was with the Rural Department; and they were waiting for it to be vacated.

Muktsar’s SSP Inder Mohan Singh, on the other hand, claimed that adequate security had been provided to the judicial officer. He had been provided with three personal security officers, a residential guard and permanent security at the court complex. “We have provided the judicial officer with whatever he has asked for,” says the SSP.

DC Varun Roojam agrees that the house initially allotted to the judicial officer in accordance with the HC norms had “its shortcomings”, and was not to his liking. “The house now to be allocated to the sessions judge is with the zila parishad,” says Roojam. “We have already shot off communications to the rural development secretary and other officials concerned for expeditious vacation of the house. It’s just a matter of time before it is vacated”.

Roojam says the judicial officer was initially allotted a single room in the rest house, as he had come alone. But the other two rooms are also at his disposal.

As an additional sessions judge at Mohali, Kalar was hearing the corruption and disproportionate assets case against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, son Sukhbir Singh Badal, and wife Surinder Kaur Badal.

Chandigarh, March 17
The estimates committee of the Vidhan Sabha today slammed the Irrigation Department and the Department of Local Bodies for rampant corruption and failure to take action against the erring officials.

The reports submitted by Virsa Singh Valtoha, chairman of the committee point towards instances of corruption indulged in by the officials of the departments in the construction of weirs, roads, purchase of material and tendering of works.

The committee has also unearthed a scam worth crores on the construction of a weir across the Ghaggar by the Irrigation Department and has also recommended action against executive engineers and the contractor. “Everyone from the top to bottom was united in this act of corruption,” states the report.

The committee members said the contractor had grabbed the project on the basis of fake and misleading documents. It has also asked the government to lodge an FIR against the contractor, besides blacklisting him.

The report adds that two executive engineers supervising the project allowed payments to be made to the contractor despite knowing that his working was not satisfactory. Also, instead of penalising the contractor for delay in the project, he was given two extensions.

Pointing further connivance of the officials with the contractor, the committee members said the contractor was allowed a variation in cost estimates of about 30 per cent, while according to the established rules it cannot be more than 10 per cent.

The report also stated that the director (Prosecution and Litigation) played an anti-government role in the case when he advised the state not to move an appeal for the recovery of penalty from the contractor.

Meanwhile, on the local government, the committee members have also found the material used for the construction of roads in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar was not satisfactory. The report also pointed towards the misuse of funds and purchases done by the corporations at rates higher than the market.

“In some cases, the corporations have allowed certain individuals to construct buildings far beyond the height laid down and in others allowed construction without approved building plans,” states the report. It also point towards the mushrooming of illegal housing colonies in the municipal areas.

“Local bodies have many sources of income, but many taxes and fees are not being paid because of the immunity provided by certain officials. Also the income which is generated, is being misused,” states the report. Committee members have recommended action against officials found responsible for the irregularities.

The committee recommended that the municipal commissioners and executive officers of the local body be held responsible for irregularities and not just the junior staff. They added that the municipal engineers should certify the quality of road construction and road history be maintained by each local body. The committee members also put on record their disappointment with the officials of the two departments, who despite clear orders from the committee members, refused to cooperate with them.

Chandigarh, March 17
For members, who have not been able to stand together for even a joint photograph for the past eight years, a lunch hosted by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the Vidhan Sabha today raised the prospects of reconciliation and an end to vendetta-style politics in Punjab.

Sukhbir, when questioned on the issue by TNS, said he wanted to make reconciliation between political opponents a reality. “This is a first step”, he said while explaining that the process of meeting each other had started. Sukhbir interacted with Congress legislators on the occasion and even requested Congress legislator and former sportsman Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi to assist in starting a shooting league in the state.

The Deputy CM maintained he did not believe in vendetta politics while apparently referring to the cases initiated against his family as well as SAD leaders during the earlier Congress regime. However, when asked whether the SAD wanted to initiate this step after expelling former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from the Assembly, he claimed the expulsion was a completely different issue.

Be what it may, the reconciliation line did get takers after an informal discussion among Congress legislators on whether they should attend the lunch or not. Congress legislators have been keeping away from lunches hosted even by the Speaker and there was talk this time also that attending the lunch may send the wrong signals.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who has been earlier accused by Amarinder Singh of playing a friendly match with the Akalis, kept out. However, Congress MLAs, including Lal Singh, Sunil Jakhar, Kewal Dhillon, Rana Sodhi, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Makhan Singh, Ajitinder Singh Mofar and Ripjit Singh Brar, among others, came for the lunch.

Sunil Jakhar, when questioned on the issue, said it was a good beginning. He said vendetta politics had entered Punjab through Haryana and at a time when the neighbouring state had given up such kind of politics, Punjab also should follow suit. Jakhar said the reconciliation should not only be confined to dropping of the Privileges Committee recommendations against CLP leader Bhattal but should cover all politically motivated cases.

Congress legislator Kewal Singh Dhillon said a healthy democratic process was necessary and that for this there must be a dialogue between the government and the Opposition. He said the lunch hosted today was a positive step in that direction.

Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is known for his firebrand speeches against the government, however, felt “sincere efforts” needed to be made to achieve reconciliation. He said for this it was necessary to address the issue of giving back due rights to elected representatives as pointed out by Ripjit Brar in the Assembly. “Unless issues like making the Opposition a part of the development process are addressed, reconciliation is difficult”, he added.

Chandigarh, March 17
It is easy to become part of the Punjab Police if you are tall. According to new recruitment rules, more height fetches more marks.

Starting at a minimum of 5 ft 7 inches, the taller you are the more marks you get. Your qualifications too matter now. More degrees will take you higher on the merit list. “The logic is to look for tall men who are also well educated,” says DGP PS Gill.

But the new criterion has met with some criticism. “How can marks be assigned on the basis of a physical attribute? The built of an aspirant like chest size, height etc can be, at best, an eliminating factor but not the deciding factor,” said an aspirant.

Deviating from the system of a centralised system of recruitment, where a central board at the headquarters conducted the whole show, the new system entails the constitution of district-level boards headed by the SSPs.

Critics of the new system point out that this will lead to local politicians interfering in the recruitments. Gill, however, pointed out that the new system was, in fact, fairer than the previous one. “Interview is the subjective criterion and we have limited it to only two marks. The possibility of anyone trying to influence the recruitment is almost nil,” he said, adding, “District-level recruitments will ensure that the chosen cops are posted in their home districts.”

A problem, however, seems to have come in with aspirants applying in over one district. “We are not sure where we will be able to get through. So we are applying at several places at the same time,” said another aspirant.

Also under fire is the “redistribution” of vacancies. All vacancies accruing have been pooled together and divided across the state in proportion to the population of the districts. The change, sources say, does not have the government’s nod. “We have vacancies where we don’t need cops and where we need cops we don’t have vacancies,” explained Gill.

Nearly 3,400 constables are to be recruited in the Punjab Police, the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) and the India Reserve Battalions. The recruitment process is already underway and interviews are due to begin by the month-end.

The Punjab Police district boards have also been asked to recruit constables for the PAP. “The PAP has its own system of recruitment. How can the district boards undertake this work,” said a cop in the PAP. “The district boards will have the range IGs as the over all in charge. There is no problem in the same board recruiting both for the PAP and the district police,” said Gill.

Chandigarh, March 17
Cornered by the Opposition on the supply of wheat seed, Punjab Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah had Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon on his side to get time till tomorrow for replying to their questions.

Sunil Kumar Jakhar wanted to know how much production seed was given by Punjab Agricultural University to various agencies producing certified seed for use by farmers in the state.

Though the Agriculture Minister had laid on the table of the House a list of agencies and the total wheat seed supplied by them to Punjab farmers, he could not tell how much production seed was given by PAU to these seed agencies.

Langah also could not satisfy the Opposition benches on why Punjab farmers were given a subsidy of Rs 500 a quintal on the supply of wheat seed to them against the Union Government’s subsidy of Rs 700 a quintal.

As Congress legislators insisted on knowing the quantity of production seed and the reasons for slashing the subsidy, the Speaker allowed Langah to answer their queries at the next sitting of the House.

Earlier, PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa agreed to hold a departmental inquiry into the allotment of work for the construction of a road between Kohara and Macchiwara.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also had to assure the House that he would get an inquiry conducted into how a Deputy Medical Superintendent charged by the Vigilance Bureau for accepting a bribe was never sent to jail. He was released from hospital after he had been granted bail and subsequently promoted and made Director, Health Services Corporation. Congress MLA Luv Kumar Goldy wanted to know why he was not arrested and was given promotion within weeks of charges of corruption against him.

On the intervention of the Speaker, the Punjab Rural Development Minister agreed to get a survey done on the state of village ponds in the state after some members of the House complained that ponds had vanished and influential people had encroached upon their land.

Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia agreed to get an inquiry conducted into encroachments on shamlat land in the villages included in the municipal limits of Kharar. He said it was the duty of the civic body to look after shamlat land after a village came in the municipal limits.

Congress MLAs also complained of discrimination in providing reverse osmosis systems in villages where the quality of drinking water was unfit for human consumption. The Deputy Chief Minister had to intervene and assured the House that it was the gravity of the problem that determined where the RO systems were provided first.

Jalandhar, March 17
INLD supremo and former Chief Minister of Haryana Om Prakash Cahutala has demanded that on the pattern of the Women Reservation Bill, a new law should be enacted to enforce 33 per cent reservation for women in all political parties.

Chautala, who was here to attend a meet-the-press function, organised by Press Club Jalandhar, demanded that it should be made mandatory for every party to grant 33 per cent share to women in its all major committees and membership and the Election Commission should de-recognise any party that fails to fulfil the criteria.

He hailed UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for suggesting that those having reservations on the existing form of Bill should first implement women reservation with suggested modifications in their respective parties.

On the issue of water dispute between Punjab and Haryana, he said after completion of Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal, Haryana would have gained only that much share of water, which was granted to the southern parts of Punjab after the partition.

Commenting on the issue of a separate SGPC for Haryana, he said it was an internal matter of the Sikh community and all political parties should refrain from intervening in the matter.

He said the Congress delayed the implementation of Punjabi as a second language in Haryana by five years. “We have framed a law for this on December 1, 2004. However, we failed to issue notification owing to the imposition of Election Code of Conduct. Instead of hailing this move of the Congress, one should ask why notification of this Bill was delayed for five years,” he added.

Chandigarh, March 17
The All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (AISAD) today claimed it would form a joint front along with like-minded parties to oust the SAD headed by the Badal family from the SGPC in the coming elections.

AISAD president Jaswant Singh Mann, while talking to newsmen here, said the party would also urge BSP chief Mayawati to support it in the SGPC elections.

Speaking about the broad front proposed to take on the SAD, Mann claimed his party would approach prominent Akali factions headed by Simranjit Singh Mann, Daljit Singh Bittu, Ravi Inder Singh and Paramjit Singh Sarnain this regard. He said his party would only go in for seat adjustment.

Mann claimed that a broad-based front was needed to take on the SAD which, he claimed, had “destroyed” the SGPC through rampant corruption. He announced new office-bearers, including Malkit Singh Nagpur, who he said had been given the responsibility of talking to Mayawati to secure her support in the SGPC elections. Other office-bearers include Bhagwant Singh, who has been made in charge of the NRI cell, and Joginder Singh Shaan, who have been made in charge of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit.

The AISAD president claimed that the SGPC had come under pressure from various self-styled “babas” and made changes in the Nanakshahi calendar to please them. He said the front would call for a return to the old calendar. He said the front would also lay stress on the opening of more educational institutions and complete transparency in the monitoring of gurdwara funds.

Amritsar, March 17
SGPC president Avtar Singh will unveil a model of the Golden Temple at the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost on March 19.

The 2.25-foot-high model with 2 ft width and 4 ft length is placed on the central verge under a curved shade and is inside a glass enclosure. The model and its setting up will cost over Rs 6 lakh to the shiromani committee.

The city has models of the Golden Temple at Amritsar International Airport and the railway station.

Ludhiana, March 17
As many as 90,000 applications have been received for the allotment of 6,000 liquor vends in the state. The draw of lots would be held on March 19, simultaneously, all over the state. The second draw would be held on March 25.

State Excise and Taxation commissioner A Venu Prasad said today that the state had received a revenue of Rs 150.2 crore against the revenue of Rs 119.25 crore of the last year. The revenue earned this year pertains to the sale of application forms only and no advance security was received along with the applications. The receipt of advance security was waived in order to promote the small players, he added.

The sale price of application forms in Ludhiana was Rs 50,000 each. Small-time liquor contractors alleged such a high price of application forms was fixed at the instance of bigger players. The money received as a result of the sale of application forms is not refundable and the small players feel reluctant to spend this much on the purchase of application forms, as they are not sure if ‘fate’ would help them in the draw of lots.

Prasad said liquor contractors from the neighbouring states, including Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal had also applied for allotment of vends in the state. The state government has increased the liquor quota by 15 per cent this year from 1.5 crore cases to 1.75 crore cases of PML. There is no fixed quota of IMFL.

Ludhiana division, comprising three excise districts of Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib, has received 20,000 applications and the revenue receipt was Rs 39.75 crore, according to Parampal Singh, DETC, Ludhiana division.

Chandigarh, March 17
The Punjab State Education Board today virtually received a rap on its knuckles for “the sorry state of affairs”.

Ruling that the board’s functioning “warrants reprimand” in a case involving issuance of certificates to the students, the Punjab and Haryana High Court also imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the board.

Justice Permod Kohli also directed the board to issue certificates to the students studying in a government school at Amritsar.

Pronouncing the orders in an open court, Justice Kohli said the petition depicted sorry state of affairs regarding the school board’s functioning. It “warranted reprimand” for taking the petitioner to ransom for no fault of theirs; and for wasting one precious year of the students.

In their petition before the high court, the students, Harjit Singh and others, had earlier asserted that they passed the class X examination conducted by the board in 2009. But, the certificates were not issued to them.

Enquiries revealed there was a dispute between the school and the board regarding examination fee of 52 students. As a result, the board did not release certificates to some of the students, the petitioners included.

According to the conditions laid down by the school board, the court observed, students appearing from a particular centre should not be less than 100. In case it was so, the school would be required to pay for the remaining seats. In the present case, there were 48 students, and the board had demanded fee for another 52 seats. Following the failure of school to pay the amount, the board decided to withhold students’ certificates and also directed the cancellation of the centre for the next year.

Justice Kohli held the board’s action was uncalled for and rules did not permit it to withhold certificates of the students. The Judge further directed the board to deposit the compensation within two weeks that would be shared by the petitioners.

The order would also be treated as a decree and in case of failure of payment of compensation, the amount would be recovered from the board chairman’s salary.

Chandigarh, March 17
Five daughters (three of marriageable age), a widow, a son and an aged mother, Roor Singh’s custodial death has proved fatal to the happiness of many. But applying interim balm, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the payment of Rs 1 lakh as interim compensation to his kith and kin.

The directions to the state of Punjab and other respondents by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Jasbir Singh came just over six months after the Kapurthala district resident’s death in custody. The matter will now come up for further hearing on July 7.

The high court has already handed over the inquiry to the IGP (crime); and has also directed the transfer of station house officer (SHO) Gurmukh Singh to a far-off police district. The officer stands indicted for Roor Singh’s illegal detention.

Roor Singh of Nurpur Jattan village had died in the Dhilwan police station in Kapurthala district, allegedly due to poisoning during his illegal detention in September, 2009. After the incident, the irate villagers had blocked the National Highway No. 1, demanding action against the guilty police officials. He was arrested for allegedly possessing over Rs 92,000 in fake currency.

Congress legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira, representing the Bholath state assembly constituency, had alleged that the accused were being shielded by the administration at the behest of the Badals-led ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. An inquiry has already established that the victim was in illegal custody till a day before he died of poisoning.

The report has also categorically stated that there was no possibility of the victim being in possession of the poison. The report was earlier placed before the Bench of the then Acting Chief Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Ram Chand Gupta.

Chandigarh, March 17
Abandoned by his mother in the streets of Southhall two years ago, 12-year-old Gurinderjit Singh will soon return to his family in Punjab as the Ministry of External Affairs had granted him temporary travel documents.

Appearing on behalf of the Centre, the lawyers submitted the copies of the emergency travel certificate issued to Gurinderjit Singh in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Gurinderjit was found abandoned at a bus stop at Southall in west London in March, 2007. After his pictures were flashed across British and Indian newspapers, two families, one from Bihar and another from Punjab claimed him.

Subsequently, the DNA profiling ordered by the Indian High Commission in London confirmed he was the nephew of Kuldip Singh, a farmer of Tanda Ram Sahai village in Hoshiarpur district.