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Motion lauding pro-state role of Centre, Pawar, Guv passed
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on Thursday.
A Tribune photograph
600 farmers taken into custody
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Farmer bodies had planned to disturb peace in Amritsar: CM
March to celebrate Banda Bahadur’s Sirhind victory
Debate on state Budget ends
Blacklisted NRIs
Badal orders probe into micronutrient ‘scam’
HC Registrar Vigilance’s Letter
‘New law on emigration soon’
Non-Acceptance of Demands
Survey of Wakf properties: State gets notice
High Court
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600 farmers taken into custody
Amritsar, March 25 They were part of various factions of farmer organisations protesting killing of their colleague Sadhu Singh Takhtupura, land-ownership rights at Khanna Chamiara and compensation to kin of Kashmir Singh, the farmer who suffered a heart stroke while being arrested by the police. Nevertheless, the Amritsar administration has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the city that prohibits assembly of more than five persons and had transformed the city into a fortress to discourage the farmers from holding their three-day protest scheduled from today, at the IGP office, Border Range, Amritsar. Well-equipped nakas manned by huge cache of the Punjab police force and paramilitary forces had been laid on all routes leading to the city and to the proposed protest site. The buses, trucks and tractor trolleys approaching the city were checked and the police was interrogating passengers with village outlook. Today, over 70 activists of Kirti Kissan Union and Pendu Majdoor Union (PMU) and around 100 activists of the Punjab Students Union were held up today at Amritsar Railway Station for violating
Section 144. State president of PMU Tarsem Peter said, “Hundreds of farmers from Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr, who were part of the protest march, were dispersed in between because of police inaction.” Barring minor scuffles between the farmers’ groups and the police at the Kukkranwala area, 15 km from Ajnala, the protest march in the areas like Baba Bakala, Patti, Tarn Taran, were held peacefully. The farmers also burnt the effigies of police and the ruling party leaders at various places. The Amritsar Police Commissioner told that Section 144 would be in force till May 21, which prohibits assembly of more than 5 persons, organising rallies, dharna, protest meetings and sloganeering etc. Police Commissioner, Amritsar City, Varinder Kumar, said, “Those arrested from within Amritsar would be violators of Section 144 and action under Section 7/151 would be taken against them. The site selected by the Kisan unions is an inadequate place. To gather in such a large numbers at a small place could create serious law and order problem.” According to information, around 400 farmers from the Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ajnala and Tarn Taran areas have been taken into custody yesterday. Even the family members of those having CPI or CPM party connections were on the police list. From Amritsar, after not finding CPM leader Vijay Mishra, his wife, Zila Committee member, CPM, Sneh Mishra was arrested from their home. Similarly, Sushil Kumar’s father Basant Lal has been arrested. Later, the Bharti Kissan Union (Ugrahan), in a press note, declared that these arrests would not deter them from fighting for their cause and the next course of action would be decided in an emergency meeting to be scheduled shortly.
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Farmer bodies had planned to disturb peace in Amritsar: CM
Chandigarh, March 25 The Chief Minister was replying to a demand raised by Congress Legislature Party
(CLP) leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal in the Vidhan Sabha during the zero hour that farmers should be allowed their democratic right to register their
protest. Badal said his government had received information that organisations had told their supporters to reach the protest site along with stones and sticks. “Imagine what could have happened if 3,000 people had been allowed to collect in front of the Inspector General of Police office in Amritsar for three days”, he said, adding pre-emptive arrests were necessary in such a situation.
Badal was clear that the situation should not be politicised and advised the CLP leader as such saying governments came and went but all politicians must realise that they could have to handle a similar situation. Without specifying, he said everyone knew who was behind the “farmer struggle” which he claimed had nothing to do with the cause of farmers of the state. Tracing the entire sequence of events, the Chief Minister said the farmer organisations had resorted to protests after the death of one of their leaders - Sadhu Singh Takhtupura in an incident in Bhindi Sadian village in Amritsar. He said following this, the organisations had demanded action against particular persons without waiting for the viscera report of the deceased or completion of an inquiry ordered into the case. “How can anyone blackmail the government like this”, Badal said, adding he had asked the leaders behind the agitation to meet the state Director- General of Police
(DGP), but they refused to do so. “What could I do after this”, he said, adding farmers could not be allowed to disturb the peace in the state.
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March to celebrate Banda Bahadur’s Sirhind victory Varinder Singh Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 25 The Hazoor Sahib-Fatehgarh Sahib sojourn will culminate at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib on May 12. Sikhs from all over the world will participate in the celebrations, the first of its kind to be organised by the SGPC in the memory of Banda Bahadur. An 80-member team of SGPC officials, led by Giani Sukhjinder Singh, head granthi of the Golden Temple, Bhai Sukhjinder Singh and Panj Piaras- Bhai Satnam Singh, Bhai Karan Singh, Bhai Joginder Singh, Bhai Paramjit Singh, and Bhai Komal Singh- left for Nanded today in a caravan of over 20-25 vehicles. They will reach Nanded on March 28 and lead a march of thousands of Sikhs from Nanded to Fatehgarh Sahib on March 30. “The Sikhs participating in the march will pass through four states and will halting at 38 places enroute to Fatehgarh Sahib where they will be part of Banda Bahadur Sirhind Fateh Diwas celebrations. In fact, the six-week-long Sirhind Fateh Diwas will get initiated with the start of the nagar kirtan from Hazoor Sahib on March 30,” said SGPC chief Avtar Singh. SGPC officials and Sikh religious leaders are expected to lead one of the longest religious marches in the history of the country in shifts and turns. The SGPC has made arrangements for the display of historic weapons and for showcasing of achievements of Banda Bahadur with the help of a documentary film and still portraits. Over six buses will carry these articles from the SGPC office to Hazoor Sahib from where these exhibition vehicles will become part of the 4,000-km-long sojourn.
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Debate on state Budget ends
Chandigarh, March 25 There was commotion as the Opposition, perturbed by the Finance Minister’s silence, was contemplating a walkout when the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. Vote on the budgetary estimates will be taken tomorrow. Earlier, Manpreet Badal, while wrapping up the debate not only quoted a series of figures to infer that the “worst was over”, but also promised to put the state back on the path of development. While the Opposition wanted to know how the state was planning to meet the huge revenue deficit of Rs 3,783 crore, Manpreet Badal compared the plan size, allocations under various heads, including welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, between the five years of the previous Congress government and the first three years of the present SAD-BJP government. The Finance Minister nullified all criticism heaped on him about his stand on subsidies, the alleged pre-empting of Budget by the Sukhbir-Kalia recommendations and failure of the state to utilise various central schemes. “No money under any central scheme has lapsed. Even at times, the central grants come at the last moment in March. The date I have on my calendar is September 30 by which the centre has to be informed about the utilization of the funds released under a particular scheme,” he said. Critical of the recommendations of the last Finance Commission, he said allocations made to Punjab under education and welfare of SCs and STs besides other heads was far too meager. When the Finance Minister ended his wrap-up, leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal wanted to know about the status of subsidy on power supply to the farm sector, quantum of free power to Dalits and weaker sections, disbursement of arrears of Pay Commission, continuation of benefits to families evicted because of Shahpur Kandi project and NPA to veterinary doctors. Former Finance Minister Lal Singh wanted a clarification about the loans taken by public sector undertakings and clarification on refund of electricity bills by farmers under Sukhbir-Kalia panel recommendations. When Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon asked the Finance Minister whether he wanted to make any statement on clarifications sought by the Opposition, he said no. Enraged, the Opposition members were getting on their feet when the Speaker adjourned the House.
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Blacklisted NRIs Kanchan Vasdev Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, March 25 She said the “black list” was prepared a long time ago and many NRIs were not able to visit home, as their names were on the list. The minister claimed that she was the first one to take up the matter of blacklisted people. Preneet Kaur was in the city to address a convocation at Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women today. On the sidelines of the convocation, she said though the matter of the “black list” was between the Union Home Ministry and the state government, she was in favour of deletion of names of blacklisted people. She said now the ball was in the court of the state if it was able to revert with the names that could be dropped. On the backlog of over 1 lakh student visa aspirants to the UK, she said about 34,000 aspirants were already granted visas. Only students going in for higher education were given relaxation, she said, quoting the British government. Preneet also made it clear that she was not in the race for the post of the president of the PPCC. Corridor sought
Demanding a corridor linking Dera Baba Nanak with Kartarpur, the Kartarpur Sahib Peace Corridor Project Committee today submitted a memorandum to Preneet Kaur during her visit to the city today. Members of the committee said a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib should be created to enable devotees to enter the Pakistan territory without visa and return home the same day.
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Badal orders probe into micronutrient ‘scam’
Chandigarh, March 25 Congress legislator Sunil Jakhar raised the issue during the zero hour in the Vidhan Sabha. Jakhar said the corporation was offering a 50 per cent subsidy on the purchase of both zinc and magnesium sulphate to farmers by quoting a price of Rs 23,000 per tonne and Rs 44,000 per tonne, respectively. He said this was despite the fact that both micronutrients were available in the open market at Rs 18,000 per tonne and Rs 37,500 per tonne. Jakhar said the corporation seemed to have colluded with producers of these chemicals. He said he as well as the state CID had proof that the corporation had given benefit to producers by purchasing both micronutrients at prices higher than the market rate. Badal, while replying to the issue, said he would direct the Financial Commissioner, Development, to inquire into the issue. He said the official
would associate Jakhar in the inquiry. Meanwhile, Ripjit Brar of the Congress while waving a cutting from The Tribune pointed out to a news item quoting the relatives of martyr Bhagat Singh complaining that the real photo of the martyr was not part of the advertisement issued by the government on his death anniversary two days ago. Ripjit said besides relatives of the martyr, even Jawahar Lal Nehru University Professor Dr Chaman Lal had pointed out the “insult”. He said the government should correct this wrong immediately. Earlier, during the question hour, Congress legislator Brahm Mohindra asked about the number of sanctioned posts of ETT candidates that were
lying vacant in each district. Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura in his reply said 807
posts were lying vacant. Ferozepur has the highest number of 122 followed by Ropar with 79 and Patiala with 75.
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HC Registrar Vigilance’s Letter Rajneesh Lakhanpal
Ludhiana, March 25 The letter that read, ''Hon'ble Administrative Judge of Ludhiana Sessions Division has been pleased to direct you to advise the judicial officers not to get influenced in any manner by Sh BK Goel, advocate''.(copy of letter with The Tribune) The development did not go down well with the lawyers, who said the letter was issued without any inquiry and a was a setback to legal fraternity. Talking to The Tribune, BK Goel, former Chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, said he was hurt as this letter was issued without conducting an inquiry and without giving him any opportunity of being heard. He said he had moved a written representation to the Chief Justice of India, KG Balakrishnan and Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal against this and for conducting an inquiry into the entire episode. Goel claimed in the letter written to the CJI that the judicial officers interpreted that the high court had given a mandate not to entertain him and no discretionary relief be given in the cases of undersigned. It was sure to harm his clients. The image of the undersigned had been tarnished badly and a blotless career of 32 years had come under a cloud in the eyes of judicial officers and public at large with the issuance of such a letter. This letter had encouraged bad elements to grind their own axe by using the high court as a tool. If this practice is promoted, then anybody can defame anybody by filing annoymous complaints, he added. He also claimed that the above said letter was pasted on the notice board of the District Bar Association and a copy of the same was circulated in the public at large. Former Bar Association President K R Sikri termed it as a very serious issue. Chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana Partap Singh, while talking to The Tribune over the phone, said issuance of such a letter on an anonymous complaint without conducting an inquiry was a serious matter. They would discuss the matter in the full House of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh for chalking out a course of action.
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CPI opposes withdrawal of graft cases
Jalandhar, March 25 Member of the national executive of the CPI Joginder Dayal said here yesterday that such a decision would give a permit to politicians to resort to corruption in future. Such an issue should never have been discussed in the Punjab Assembly. No attempt should be made at the official level to give respectability to corruption in the state by anyone, he added. Dayal said as far as cases of political vendetta were concerned, a high- level committee comprising persons with credibility should be set up. Cases of vendetta should be withdrawn on the recommendation of that committee but at the same time action should be initiated against the police officials and politicians involved in getting such cases registered. He wondered what kind of rule of law existed when elected representatives of the main political parties--- the SAD and the Congress--- had admitted that there had been cases of political
vendetta. “That means there has been no rule of law. The state was being run as per the whims and fancies of people in power,” he added. The eye-for-an-eye political approach followed by the principal actors in the main parties had ruined the
state. “Politicians had admitted that they had been using the police and other official machinery to settle personal scores with their opponents. It was perhaps the biggest sin committed by them in a democracy”, said Dayal. He said there should be consensus among politicians on the development of the state but not to save corrupt elements in politics. Meanwhile, Dayal, who is also the vice-president of the Kisan Sabha, the farmers’ wing of the CPI, has opposed the arrest of leaders of various farmers’ organisations. He said the SAD-BJP government could not suppress farmers by resorting to such actions.
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‘New law on emigration soon’
Mohali, March 25 Union Minister of State for Culture, Planning and Parliamentary Affairs V Narayanasamy said this after presenting visa papers to 200 immigrants at an investiture ceremony of World-Wide Immigration Consultancy Services
(WWICS) here today. Listing various steps being taken by the ministry in this direction, he said there was proposal to sign an MoU with Gulf countries, schemes for skill upgradation and pre-departure orientation of potential emigrants, setting of overseas Indian Centres to coordinate on site welfare, revamping the recruitment system and setting up council for overseas employment. He told reporters that an expert committee headed by Union Telecom Minister Raja had been constituted to give its recommendations to provide impetus to the development of hardware and software sector in the country. Stating that the Centre’s focus is on promoting the country’s IT sector, he pointed out that this move follows the rising import of electronic as well as IT items, including software and hardware, which is expected to reach $292 billion by 2020. He said the Centre had increased funds for the sector under Rashtryia Kisan Vikas Yojna
(RKVY) and Backward Regions Grant Fund to encourage agriculture. Earlier, CMD of the WWICS Group of Companies Lt Col BS Sandhu said the company was already doing what the government wanted to do through legislation. He revealed that the Canadian government was reconsidering its priority list of 38 occupations and a new list would come into effect from May 1.
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Govt staff to observe pen-down strike today
Sushil Goyal/TNS
Bathinda, March 25 State president of the union Darshan Singh Bajaj said these days were very crucial for the state government, as the financial year was going to end on March 31. He said if the government forced them to continue their strike for an indefinite period from March 27, all grants and funds to the tune of crores of rupees would lapse after March 31, as no bill would be passed by treasuries and no money would be collected by offices. Bajaj said the main demand of the union was the scrapping of government’s decision related to passing of Punjabi type test or computer test by clerks and stenos. He said due to non-passing of type test, clerks, who were in service for 15 years, had still been working on the basic pay scale of Rs 3,120, as no increment had been given to them. Meanwhile, ministerial employees, including women, today held a rally outside the mini secretariat here in support of their demands.
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Survey of Wakf properties: State gets notice
Chandigarh, March 25 The petitioner, Ludhiana-based Dayal Singh, submitted that Punjab Law Commission chairman Justice Amarbir Singh Gill in his September 2009 report to the Chief Minister recommended fresh survey of all Wakf properties in the state. Advocate HC Arora made the suggestion on a representation. The chairman had stated that first survey was conducted in 1966 and a list of the Wakf properties was notified in 1970-71. It was carried out in total violation of the Punjab Wakf rules, as such a fresh survey was required. The petitioner submitted that the Punjab government accepted the Law Commission’s report and decided fresh survey. It even appointed all Deputy Commissioners as Additional Survey Commissioners under the Wakf Act in September 2009 itself. But Additional Survey Commissioners and Survey Commissioner Jaspal Singh were yet to start the work. On other hand cases filed by the Punjab Wakf Board in the Wakf Tribunals, based on first survey, were pending. If decided before the completion of the fresh survey, irreparable damage would be caused to the persons like the petitioner facing cases filed against them by the board.
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Explosives’ disposal: Notice to Chief Secretary
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 25 Justice Rajive Bhalla issued the notices for April 20 on a contempt petition filed by Advocate HC Arora. The petitioner stated the High Court had directed Ludhiana DC to remove the stock at Dhandari Kalan dry port within two months. A Division Bench had, in its November 8, 2009 order, further directed the authorities concerned, including the Army, to be at the DC’s disposal for the purpose. The Home Secretary was personally asked to monitor “Operation Sanyam” for destroying the explosives.
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In a major shift from its traditional anti-Centre bashing, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today proposed a “Thank You” resolution to appreciate the “pro-Punjab” attitude of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil.
Mohali, March 25
