Mansa, March 24
Claiming to have bust an inter-state gang of kidnappers, the local police today recovered the 27-year-old son of a renowned doctor couple of the town from Narvana in Haryana.

The police arrested four accused and recovered an SUV from them. The kidnapping had created panic in the town as the victim was reportedly kidnapped on gunpoint from the market located near the police station on Monday. The accused had been repeatedly seeking a ransom of Rs 1 crore from his parents, with threat to the victim’s life, if the police was informed.

Hailing the success of cops, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was here today, announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh along with appreciation letters to all four police teams, constituted for the purpose. Meanwhile, he also assured promotions to all deserving members of the teams.

Giving details, senior police officials said the man in question, Puneet Bansal, was kidnapped from outside his cement store, near police station (city) on Monday. Immediately after the incident, the alleged kidnappers, using the victim’s mobile phone, started calling his parents, Dr Satpal Bansal and Dr Pushp Lata. They demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore.

However, information reached the police and after verifying the preliminary aspects, a case was registered at police station (city) Mansa on the same day.

Further, four special teams were constituted to trace the kidnapped boy. During the mission, the police took the parents of the victim along with them. Collecting clues through various sources, including searching mobile towers, the cops traced the location of accused at Narvana in Haryana.

On conducting a raid, the police rescued the victim and arrested four of the accused, namely Mandeep Singh and Joginder Singh of Rohtak, Harwinder Singh, alias Kaka, of Dhade village (Bathinda) and Vicky of Nangal Kalan village. However, other accomplices fled. The police seized the vehicle used in committing the crime, a Scorpio (HR 56 7222).

Talking to The Tribune, SSP Mansa HS Mann said the accused kept on shifting their location. They took the victim to various villages of Bathinda, Barnala and Sangrur districts. Then they crossed the inter-state barrier and entered Haryana.

During interrogation, the four named nine accomplices as Nirmal Singh, Saurav alias Rinku, Satpal Singh and Gurpreet Singh alias Mota, all belonging to Mansa, Sonu DK of Rohtak, Veer Bahadur, alias Kala, Sukhdev Singh of Bhaathua of Moonak (Sangrur), Kuldip Singh, alias Deepa, and Motu of Lehragaga (Sangrur).

Chandigarh, March 24
Emphasising on the need to empower thousands of underprivileged college students, who cannot make it to universities, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee pointed out that India’s access to higher education was still below the international standards.

He said this while addressing a gathering at the 59th annual convocation of Panjab University.

Deviating from his formatted speech to highlight the statistics related to higher education, the minister said nearly 500 new universities and 30,000 educational institutes were required to meet the demand of higher education in the country.

He added that there must be emphasis on inculcating employment skills in students, keeping in view the trends of the market.

Meanwhile, girls outshined boys by grabbing 143 medals out of 180. Total 641 students received medals and prizes, which were distributed by Vice-Chancellor Prof RC Sobti.

The convocation ceremony witnessed an assortment of educationists, politicians and eminent personalities, including Prof Goverdhan Mehta, eminent scientist and chairman, NAAC, HK Dua, former Editor-in-chief, The Tribune, Dr AR Kidwai, Prof Yash Pal and industrialist SP Oswal.

Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia, Union Cabinet Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal, and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal were special guests on the occasion.

Prof Yash Pal was awarded the Vigyan Ratan and SP Oswal was awarded the Udyog Ratan award by the PU, while HK Dua, AR Kidwai and Prof Goverdhan Mehta were awarded the doctorate degrees (honris causa).

An interesting point made by the minister on public delivery mechanisms was that a major challenge that could hold back the nation from progressing in years to come was weakness in government systems, structures and institutions.

Ludhiana, March 24
The Department of Health and Family Welfare has issued a notification to civil surgeons, the Director, Health Services, and drug controllers to check the illegal sale of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) pills.

The action has been taken following suo motu cognizance taken by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) of a report carried in The Tribune on February 23.The PSHRC considered the story as a complaint and registered a case of violation of human rights and asked the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, to submit a report before the next date of hearing.

The notification from the office of Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Satish Chandra states that immediate action should be taken against chemist shops/drug stores selling abortion pills particularly Misipristone and Misoprestol without the prescription of a doctor. The Secretary has stated that the civil surgeons and drug inspectors should ensure that no drug store sold MTP pills without a prescription.

In a violation of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, chemist shops and drug stores across the state have been indiscriminately selling MTP pills, which have resulted in 80 per cent increase in complications in unwanted pregnancies. 

Chandigarh, March 24
Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has sought the initiation of perjury proceedings against witnesses resiling in the corruption case against the Badals.

Seeking Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal’s intervention in the matter on the administrative side, he has asked him to put the trial under his “special scanner, so that justice could be ensured”. This, he has asserted, “would go a long way to enhance the credibility of our judicial system”.

The plea comes soon after the surfacing of reports in the media on the witnesses turning hostile in the case registered by the Vigilance Bureau on June 24, 2003, at Mohali against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and others. Quoting reports, Khaira has asserted: “Watching the unfolding of events in the trial myself, I, being the elected representative of the people, have decided to bring this travesty of justice to your notice. As per reports, key prosecution witnesses, who have resiled include IG Chattopadhya, retired IG Gurdinderpal Singh, SSP Surinderpal Singh, who is the investigating officer, and several officials of the rank of SSP and SP…Even the office of the Advocate-General has indulged in facilitating the collapse of this case by changing the persecution team with instructions to weaken the case.”

Describing it as a “classic case of the powerfulcircumventing the law to their advantage by misusing their official authority,” Khaira questioned: “Will senior officers resiling from their statements be tried for perjury?” He asserted: “All those officers, who have resiled, howsoever senior, must be summoned and tried for perjury to clear the mist that either they have succumbed to pressure now or they built a false case against the Badals under political pressure then.”

Amritsar, March 24
In order to intensify their agitation against inflation and “anti-people” policies of the UPA government, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and other Left parties will launch a jail bharo andolan all over the country from April 8.

Stating this, Bhupinder Sambar, state secretary of the CPI said here today that the state units of the CPI and the CPM would hold a meeting to chalk out a plan in this regard soon. He claimed that thousands of people would take part in the jail bharo movement.

Meanwhile, he condemned the government’s move to suppress the people’s protest in Amritsar where various farmers’ organisations were agitating against killing a BKU leader, Sadhu Singh Takhtupura. He said the ban order issued by the administration was “undemocratic”. 

Chandigarh, March 24
Punjab’s coffers might be empty for the common people, but when it comes to financially rewarding fellow brothers and sisters in the Vidhan Sabha, there appears to be no opposition to bite into the dwindling resources of the state. The government has decided to send back all MLAs richer at the end of the current budget session.

Preparations are on to introduce the “Punjab Vidhan Sabha (Salaries and allowances of members) Amendment Bill 2010”, a Bill enhancing the allowances of all legislators that is expected to be tabled in the House on March 26. Though the exact details are “privileged information”, it is expected to make the legislators earn several thousand more towards their allowances. Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon has already assured the House on the issue. Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, too, assured the Speaker that he would do as desired by the Speaker.

The government is trying hard to seek the approval of the Punjab Governor for a Bill that will also enhance the salaries and perks of ministers and chief parliamentary secrataries. While the government is trying to bring both Bills together, but if the Governor’s sanction is not accorded in time, then the Bill enhancing the salaries and perks of ministers may be put off till the monsoon session.

Currently, the legislators get a salary and emoluments amounting to about Rs 25,000, besides a hundred litres of fuel, telephone reimbursement and accommodation in the form of a flat, besides TA/DA to travel to Chandigarh for official business. Though the salary component may not be hiked, all other allowances are expected to be raised.

The Bill was introduced in the Winter Session of the Vidhan Sabha, but was withdrawn at the last moment after being circulated among the members of the House. The Bill is expected to be tabled again during the next two days. The recommendations of the General Purposes Committee of the Assembly proposing an increase of around two and a half times for legislators, already has the approval of the Punjab Cabinet.

The salary and allowances are expected to become on a par with their Haryana counterparts.

The House is also expected to see Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal attend the House during the last two days of the budget session. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will, however, be absent on account of a private overseas visit.

The House will also take up the issue of “withdrawing court cases of political vendetta against politicians” on March 26. Punjab’s advocate-general Hardev Singh Mattewal has already finalised his opinion on the subject and will forward the same to the Speaker before the start of tomorrow’s session, it is learnt.

Amritsar, March 24
To prevent any disrespect to Guru Granth Sahib, the process of issuance of “saroops” of Guru Granth Sahib to devotees has been changed. Now, the five Sikh high priests have directed the SGPC to issue “birs” to only those devotees, who have recommendation of any of the respective area SGPC member, area in charge of the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC or village sarpanch.

The decision was taken at a meeting attended by the five Sikh high priests and their representatives.

However, those who deposit the old “birs” or “birdh saroops” will not be required to submit any such recommendation at the time of their replacement. The high priests have also directed ‘pathis’ or ‘kirtaniyas’ to not to hold path of Guru Granth Sahib or recite kirtan at any place of “jatheras” (places dedicated to forefathers).

Meanwhile, irked over “repeated defiance” of the Sikh clergy by former Akal Takht Jathedar Prof Darshan Singh even after his ex-communication, the five high priests have decided to procure lists of those Sikhs who had organised functions for the former Akal Takht jathedar after his expulsion. “We will discuss the matter only after we get lists,” said Giani Gurbachan Singh.

The high priests also empowered SGPC chief Avtar Singh and Sant Samaj chief Baba Harnam Singh to investigate the issue and take legal action against a newspaper, which had published some “blasphemous” article in respect of Gurbani.

They also sought a clarification regarding the alleged misuse of Baba Lakhi Shah Vanjara hall in New Delhi-based Gurdwara Rakabganj on the basis of a complaint.

Ropar, March 24
Absence of intense fog and late and early blight have given Punjab a bumper potato crop, which has failed to find takers as West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have also witnessed a bumper crop.

Usually traders either buy crop at the farm level or from village-level markets to fetch more profit. The crop is then sent to big markets, terminal markets or national markets where traders get good return.

However, this time Punjab has a different picture to paint. Last year, the state had imported 6 lakh MT of potato to states like West Bengal. This year West Bengal and UP have had a bumper crop.

While Punjab is facing a glut-like situation, UP has flooded the national market with potato being sold at selling price lower than that of Punjab.

In Punjab, the rate of potato is around Rs 300-350 per quintal and potato growers are not interested in selling it at such a low rate.

“All cold stores of the state are already saturated with potatoes. Each cold store charges Rs 70 per bag with added cost of Rs 10 of labour (for filling and bag stitching before putting in cold store) and another Rs 16 as price of gunny bag in order to save produce. Farmers spend nearly Rs 96 per bag that is just 80 kg,” said BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal.

He said if the trend of supply of potato at lower rates continued, state farmers would be at losing end. Demanding intervention of Markfed and NAFED in the market, Rajewal said the government should procure potato and save farmers from opting for distressed sale.

He added that potato crop cycle was similar to that of sugarcane having bumper crop one year and problem for next four years.

However, Director, Horticulture, Baldev Singh said almost 70 per cent of the potato stock had already been procured and 42 per cent of it had been stored in cold stores, 15 per cent exported as crop and seed, 9 per cent got damaged and almost 30 per cent lied in farms waiting to be picked.

Khamano, March 24
In order to give farmers maximum returns from their crops and provide people some respite from fruits laced with toxic substances, the state has decided to come up with 13 fruit-ripening chambers in various districts.

These chambers will ripen fruits using ethylene gas, a method that has been internationally accepted. These fruits include banana, mango, papaya, sapota and winter guava.

“Presently, farmers and fruit-sellers use carcinogenic calcium carbide to ripen fruits. Although banned in 1960, the chemical continues to be used widely with little being done to check it,” said project manager of the Punjab Mandi Board GPS Randhawa.

Two districts have already got such ripening chambers. The chambers in Ludhiana have been installed by the Punjab Mandi Board, while Tata-owned Voltas is privately managing a chamber at Malerkotla.

With the Punjab State Farmers Commission (PSFC) offering subsidy on banana plantation using tissue culture, a lot of farmers are opting for banana crop. As per the PFSC, planting banana assures return of Rs 1 lakh per acre and saplings have to be replaced after every three years.

For small farmers, banana crop means handsome additional income with subsidised inputs. This has led to an increase in area under banana cultivation and subsequent coming up of ripening centres would add quality to the crop giving them longer shelf life.

Randhawa said the chamber-ripened fruit sells Rs 2 to Rs 3 costlier than ordinarily chemical-treated fruit. With summers round the corner, the chambers are expected to be fully loaded with mangoes.

Six chambers and five cold rooms are already running in Ludhiana on commercial basis and the Mandi board plans to further lend it on lease basis. Amritsar, Batala, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Phagwara, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Abohar, Ferozepur and Moga would get ripening chambers in the days to come. The project, however, would cover only 15 to 20 per cent of the fruit market of the state. The project may be extended further on the nature of response it evokes.

Fatehgarh Sahib, March 24
Shortage of turmeric seeds in Punjab has left farmers high and dry. The farmers willing to grow turmeric in Amloh and adjoining areas have been shuttling between South Indian states for the past few days to procure seeds.

The farmers said seeds available in the state were too expensive to purchase even in bulk. They said varieties available here were Selam, Rajapur, Punjab I and Punjab II. Excluding Punjab-I and Punjab-II, other varieties are available, however, they are very costly.

“Usually, farmers selling the seeds demand a price of Rs 30 an acre that is quite expensive as compared to the cost of same seeds in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” they said.

They added that they had even visited Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) where the experts said they had limited quantity of seeds.

Ravinder, a farmer in Amloh, said he had decided to grow turmeric for the first time on his 60 acres.

“I decided to grow turmeric as its cost has increased manifold during the last two years. The market price of turmeric is nearly Rs 200/kg,” he said.

The major problem farmers have been facing is in processing. Though there were some processing units in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar, they were needed near Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib, too, said Ripudaman Singh, a resident of Haripur village.

Chief Agriculture Officer Sarabjit Kandhari said the farmers had been approaching department officials. Turmeric experts organise regular seminars in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. He said the crop would be sown in March and April.

Jalandhar, March 24
Farmers are miffed owing to prolonged power cuts in the countryside. They need power at this stage to irrigate their wheat crop before starting its harvesting in two weeks from now. “Neither there is assured power supply nor water in canals,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, President of the Punjab unit of the BKU.

He said owing to power cuts, farmers could not operate their motorised tube wells. He said he had been making efforts to contact the PSEB Chairman, but he was not available on the phone. “I feel that neither the Punjab Government nor the PSEB is worried about farmers,” he said. Rajewal said he had also written to the Chief Minister. “The CM should pull up the PSEB authorities and direct them to ensure adequate power supply to farmers,” he said.

Chandigarh, March 24
A Leftist farmers’ group which has part of its roots in the earlier Naxalite movement is increasingly occupying centre stage in farm politics in Punjab and even giving the jitters to the government due to its success in bringing the small farmer as well as the khet mazdoor on one platform.

The conglomeration, which is an alliance of around 22 farmers’ organisations, has tasted success earlier on several issues like that of farmer suicides and restructuring of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB). It is now engaged in a relentless fight in favour of dispossessed land owners.

The government, which has moved now by arresting more than 300 leaders of this group, apparently woke up to the need to take them on after the organisations got together at Jagraon recently and announced they would demonstrate in front of the office of the Inspector-General of Police, Amritsar, for three days from tomorrow. The organisations want action against those they claim are responsible for the “murder” of BKU (Ekta) leader Sadhu Singh Takhtupura as well as subsequent violent attacks on group members.

Takthupura was killed in a clash when sewadars of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) tried to take over land being ploughed by peasants in Bhindian Saida village in Amritsar district in February.

The kisan unions, headed by the BKU (Ekta) and others have earlier been successful in forcing the government to announce a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of farmers who have committed suicide due to indebtedness. They have also been successful in forcing the government to put off the restructuring of the PSEB after a violent rally in Chandigarh.

Though BKU (Ekta) leaders claim they hold peaceful dharnas only, BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, who is from a mainstream kisan organisation, claims most of the Ekta group leaders as well as others associated with them are former Naxalites. Rajewal says the radical group has harmed the farmers’ movement in Punjab by resorting to violence on many occasions and even accuses them of getting farmers killed.

Punjab has two mainline farmers’ organisations headed by Mandi Board Chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal and the other by Rajewal. Both are identified with the state government and also with middle-income farmers. In 1988 there was only one BKU but now there is a smattering of organisations.

Ekta group secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan could not be contacted today but has earlier admitted while talking to TNS that some group leaders had a Naxal background but insists all programmes are held in a completely peaceful manner.

Punjabi University academician Suchha Singh Gill says all Leftist organisations have got together under one group and that this group was taking up issues like indebtedness and increase in input costs besides fighting for protecting the land rights of small and marginal farmers. “All these issues are dear to the Punjab farmer”, he adds while explaining the surge in the popularity of the new kisan group. 

Chandigarh, March 24
Anti-Sikh riot victims, who led protests against the Congress during the last parliamentary elections, now feel they have been “used” and are going to block the road to Delhi from March 27 onwards in case their demands are not met by the Punjab Government in 48 hours.

The SAD had benefited from protests held by the Punjab Danga Peedat Welfare Society during the run-up to the parliamentary elections.

However, the Danga Peedat Society seems a disillusioned lot today. Its president, Surjit Singh, claims that officers do not listen to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and says there is no choice left but to start a protest demanding justice for the riot victims.

Apparently the riot victims are at the end of their tether because the scheme, which envisages the payment of compensation of Rs 2 lakh, will come to an end on March 31. Surjit Singh claimed that 3,000 riot victims had still not been issued red cards in the state. He said the position was the worst in Ludhiana.

The Danga Peedat Society president demanded that besides the issuing of red cards to all remaining persons, the government should allot flats to riot victims as promised earlier. He said riot victims were awaiting the allotment of 1,700 flats in Ludhiana, 237 in Mohali and 200 in Patiala. He said similarly booths had been promised to riot victims as well as stamp vendor licences but nothing had come of it.

Sadik (Faridkot), March 24
At least two persons died and 10 others were injured when a massive fire spread on the state highway on the outskirts of Janerian village, 4 km from Sadik town in Faridkot district, after an oil tanker of Bharat Petroleum overturned. A fire broke out from the sparking of a car coming from the Ferozepur side this evening.

The injured were taken to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot from where three critical patients were referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital at Ludhiana.

The injured, admitted to the Faridkot hospital, were identified as Amrik Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Dilbagh Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Gurmail Singh and Jagan Nath, while those referred to the DMC, Ludhiana, were identified as Bheero, a woman, Harjinder Singh and an unidentified person. Two persons, including a woman, were declared brought dead by the hospital authorities.

They are: Sohan Singh and Kaura, the woman. As many as one car, one jeep, one truck, seven motorcycles/ scooters and four tractors caught fire, which spread in an area of around 500 metres on the highway. Fire tenders were called from Ferozepur, Moga, Faridkot, Kotkapura, Bathinda and other nearby towns.

District Magistrate Vijay N Jade and SSP of Faridkot AK Mittal said with the efforts of the local police, nearby residents and fire brigades, the district administration had managed to control the situation within two hours.

The tanker was carrying around at least 10,000 litres of petrol. It leaked in an area of about half a kilometre after the tanker overturned on the highway. The fire engulfed the entire road.

The DM further said that he had marked an inquiry and announced immediate relief of Rs 10,000 to the injured.

Chandigarh, March 24
After being endorsed by the Haryana and Uttarakhand governments for admission to all business schools and MBA colleges in their states, a proposal to accept the MAT conducted by All-India Management Association (AIMA) has now been forwarded to the Punjab government.

The AIMA and the PTU have jointly sent the proposal for enforcing uniform code of entry to all business schools and MBA colleges in the state.

While talking to The Tribune at the PHD chambers here yesterday, the director of MAT exam, AIMA, Wing Commander VS Bejoy said MAT has now emerged as the largest such aptitude test in the world with nearly 3.9 lakh students appearing last year and more than 500 business schools in the world accepting its score.

Stating that a majority of students from Bihar and Jharkhand take the MBA entrance tests, hoping to study in other states, which provide better educational facilities, Bejoy pointed that the system of online exams in the country was yet to take off.

Speaking at a national seminar on management education in India, conducted by the Aryans Business School, the director stated that the biggest challenge to the management education in India was the shortage of good teachers.

“The Aryans Business School is now accepting the GMAT score and has received the nod from the Graduate Management Admission Council to use the score,” informed the director of the college.

Chandigarh, March 24
Just over two years after “immolation” by four members of the same family in Bathinda district sent shock waves across the state, a judicial probe has indicted the Punjab Police for fabricating evidence, abetting suicide, dereliction of duty and misrepresenting facts. The cops have also been held at fault for “faking visits” to get the victims declared proclaimed offenders in an attempt to murder case.

Bathinda district and sessions judge Kuldip Singh has asserted victim Gurjant Singh and his daughter Veerpal Kaur were indeed “harassed on account of registration of FIR number 109 of 2005”.

Gurjant Singh and his family of Behman Jassa Singh village had set themselves afire after being “hounded by the police”. The report says they had poured kerosene on themselves to scare away the cops, after the police entered the house by scaling the wall. Instead of dousing the fire, the cops escaped from the spot and planted kerosene cans.

Bringing the incident to the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s notice, the World Human Rights Protection had sought an independent probe.

The inquiry officer has asserted the police never visited Gurjant Singh’s house, as claimed in the case diary. Gurjant Singh and Veerpal Kaur had “got declared proclaimed offenders by false statement of facts. The true facts of the FIR were never verified by the police by conducting an inquiry before deciding to arrest the two. A fair inquiry could have clearly established that the occurrence, as alleged, did not take place”.

Moreover, “the arrest should have been made during the day” as Veerpal Kaur was a woman.

The sessions judge added that the raiding party on September 29, 2007, had disconnected power supply to the house, apparently by using “some force”.

As a result, “the entire family was scared and Gurjant Singh in order to scare away the police party put some kerosene on himself and on his wife… Daughters Beant Kaur and Veerpal Kaur also put kerosene on themselves for the same reason and probably lit the matchstick to scare away the police party. But one of the victims caught fire. Then, the family started embracing each other, probably to save each other, but also caught fire….” “The act of the police in disappearing from the scene of crime after Gurjant Singh and his family put themselves on fire is an illegal omission…. Inspector Mohinder Kumar Ghai, ASI Amritpal Singh, ASI Gurjant Singh, SPO Kaka Singh, HC Mander Singh, HC Surjit Singh, HC Major Singh, PHG Amrik Singh and MC Mohinder Singh have committed the offence of abetment of suicide,” the sessions judge concluded. The report will come up on April 29 before the High Court for consideration.