The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Compensation List Indication of Govt’s Pick and Choose Policy Injured left out, Markfed Chairman compensated well Ashok Kaura Phagwara, April 19 The state government has adopted pick and choose policy to give compensation to people, whose properties were vandalised in mob violence in Phagwara in the fallout from the Vienna shootout incident in May last year. What the government forgot is that there were three policemen and nine town residents who were injured and several vehicles which were damaged in the widespread violence. Importantly, the big chunk of the compensation amount was given to Phagwara Sugar Mills MD Jarnail Singh Wahid, who is also the Markfed Chairman. The list comprised 42 other names, including that of eight exporters. Technical Education Minister Swarana Ram distributed cheques worth Rs 1,09,88,140 to these victims for their respective losses in a function held in City Club here today. According to sources, after rampant violence on May 24, 25 and 26 last year, two panels were formed, namely Urban Assessment Committee and Rural Assessment Committee, to assess the damages in Phagwara sub-division. Then EO of the Phagwara Nagar Council Adarsh Sharma put the damage to immovable property at about Rs 7 lakh while the Rural Assessment Committee found damages worth Rs 6.22 lakh and loss of movable property was to be estimated later. The Industries Department was instructed to go into the burning of bio-fuel in a godown of Phagwara Sugar Mills at nearby Khatti village. Meanwhile the compensation amount given to the victims is as follows: Rs 91,73,350 to local Sugar Mill, Rs 2,35,000 to Kultham Exporters, Rs 2,77,000 to Jaswinder Walia Petrol Pump, Rs 1,11,800 to Walia Dhabha, Rs 1,88,460 to Vinay Chaudhary Wine Shops, Rs 1,51,791 to Jhabhar Entrprises, Rs 83,000 to Titoo Bunty Fruit Shop Owner, Rs 77,000 to Maharaja Fashions, Rs 70,000 to Guru Nanak Emporium, Rs 50,000 to Bombay Cloth House, Rs 50,000 to Bawa Hardware, Rs 40,000 to Satbir Walia, Rs 35,000 to Exporter Narinder Vermani, Rs 36,000 to Nathu Ram Jwellers, Rs 25,000 each to Rihana Cold Storage, Kala Juice Wala, Ajit Singh, Rs 20,000 to Ajit Singh, Rs 24,500 to Sanjeev Gupta, Rs 20,000 each to Exporter Ashok Sethi, Lakshmi Traders, Standard Jewellers, Lilla & Co, Bharpur & Sons, Ram Krishan, Rs 15,000 each to Narinder & Co, Lovely Autos, Sat Paul Tea Stalls, Happy Mobiles, Rs 12,000 to Sharma Studio, Rs 10,000 each to Amarjit Singh, Sita Ram & Co, Dharam Paul, Rs 8600 to Nimman Sabzi wala, Rs 8,000 to New Era Fashions, Rs 6,000 to Nangla Hardwares, Rs 2500 to Dilbag Heritage, Rs 700 to MS & Sons, Rs 1,000 to Lamba Cloth House and Rs 2,000 to Bansal Electric Store.
	New policy on damages to farmers for burnt crop Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 19 The Punjab Government has chalked out a new policy of giving compensation to farmers for their losses to crops, damaged in fire, irrespective of the cause of fire. Earlier, compensation was given to farmers only after establishing that the crop was gutted due to over-head high tension wires. Disclosing the new policy, Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner SR Ladhar while visiting different mandis of the district to take stock of purchase of wheat, said he had already directed the Deputy Commissioners to submit a report about the burnt wheat crops in their respective districts so that the farmers should be adequately compensated immediately. It would be ascertained in a proper inquiry after providing them compensation whether the crop was burnt due to over-head high-tension wires or for some other reason, he said adding that the decision in this regard was taken to avoid undue delay in providing compensation to the farmers. Ladhar said the state government deputed senior and commissioner rank officials to take stock of the purchase of wheat crops in different parts. As a part of this programme, he had been asked to look after wheat procurement in the four districts including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar and Tarn Taran. The Commissioner said as much as 10. 670 lakh ton wheat had already been procured in the four districts which was crossed half of the target. Adequate arrangements had been made at the mandis for the facilities of the farmers, he added.
	Agents fined for improper cleanliness of wheat Hoshiarpur, April 19 The districts officials led by Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj took several commission agents to task for improper cleanliness of wheat besides other reasons. In a surprise move, the DC along with District Controller Food and Civil Supplies Mangal Dass, District Mandi Officer Naresh Bains, District Manager FCI B K Bhasin and District Manager Warehouse S.S. Sharda took rounds of procurement centres at Tanda, Alampur, Dasuya, Naushera Pattan, Harsa Mansar, Hargobindpur, Hajipur and Hariana yesterday. The commission agents of Tanda and Dasuya were fined Rs 2,000 each for not maintaining proper cleanliness of their respective piled wheat stock. The District Mandi Officer also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each and Rs 500 each to six commission agents of Naushera Pattan for packing the wheat in gunny bags without its proper cleanliness and for not stamping brand of wheat on the gunny bags. Similarly, he fined Rs 500 each to 8 commission agents of Harsa Mansar and 5 of Hargobindpur for not stamping brand of wheat on the gunny bags and Rs 1,000 to another agent for improper cleanliness of piled wheat of the same procurement centre. Rs 1,000 fine was also imposed to the same commission agent for violating weight norms. A fine of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 has been imposed on commission agents of Hajipur and Datarpur for not doing proper cleanliness of wheat. Two agents of Hariana procurement centre were fined Rs 2000 each for improper cleanliness of wheat. — OC
	Pak Rangers resort to heavy firing on BSF posts Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, April 19 The Pakistani Rangers resorted to heavy firing on Border Security Force posts near Simbal Sanghol and Bhamiyal late last night. Confirming this DIG S.S. Chatrath said the Rangers fired on the two Border Security Force posts for nearly 20 minutes. BSF personnel retaliated with machine guns. Chatrath said at least four rockets were fired from the other side of the border. The firing was totally unprovoked and there were no causalities on the Indian side. “The volume of firing was heavy and our men were up to the task. We retaliated in no time and after 20 minutes the Pakistani Rangers stopped the firing,” the DIG added.
	NRI Sabha to amend its constitution, says president Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 19 The NRI Sabha will amend its constitution to make it more efficient and remove certain limitations and ambiguities. The amendments would be made as per suggestions of the sabha members, claimed Kamaljit Hayre, newly elected president of the NRI Sabha. Hayre was interacting with media after assuming the charge of his office here today. He revealed that a proposal about the amendments would be placed before the Sabha members in an annual general meeting scheduled to be held in the months of December and January. Besides this, the sabha has also chalked out certain proposals like increase in tenure of presidentship from two years to three years, setting up of NRI police stations and NRI courts in other district having sufficient population of NRIs. He also demanded the list of blacklisted NRIs be scraped and ‘Sangat Darshan’ programmes be started especially for the readdressal of grievances relating to the NRIs in every district on monthly basis. He also announced the officer bearers of the Sabha. Meanwhile, Jagvir Singh Shergill, a member of the Sabha, has challenged the elections process followed in the sabha elections. He alleged that being a British citizen Hayre was not eligible any contest in India. Union Home Ministry, Foreighner’s Division, bars any overseas citizen from contesting elections in India, he pointed out. Jasvir Singh Gill, a contestant, said eligible documents of a candidate must be thoroughly checked before filing the nomination papers of the contenders. He said he would file a complaint before the Jalandhar divisional commissioner in this regard to challenging the eligibility of Hayre.
	BJP leaders irked after being told to obey traffic rules Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 19 Even as the district traffic police is on a challaning-spree, the BJP leaders seem to be hell-bent on getting away scot-free. Two incidents of the sort occurred here, which brought the issue before the public. The leaders of the BJP Yuva Morcha today argued with an ASI at the Company Bagh Chowk as he tried to stop two party activists going on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet. As the youth reportedly tried to rush off ignoring the ASI’s indication, he (ASI) is said to have held them by their arm and took out keys of their motorcycle. The incident occurred near the site where the local BJP leaders were holding a signature campaign against the Central Government over escalating prices. Seeing this, the President of the BJP Yuva Morcha Minta Kochhar reportedly tried to snub the ASI for manhandling the boys. After exchange of heated arguments, they were allowed to go without imposition of any challan. In another episode, Circle Presidents of the BJP Yuva Morcha, who had approached an ASI of division number three, were allegedly manhandled at the police station as they reportedly tried to pressurise him for canceling challans of some party workers. SHO Sukhjit Singh said he was present at the police station at the time when the youth came and no such manhandling had taken place. “We told them that challans cannot be cancelled like that. They just believed that if we would create hue and cry, our demand would be considered. But that is not always the case. ADCP S.K. Kalia had turned up and settled the issue”, he explained. BJP District President Ravi Mahendru and Minta Kochhar, however, seemed very disturbed after the two episodes. “How can an ordinary person expect a decent behaviour from police officials if they behave like that with the activists of the ruling party? We are amazed with the changes which have come in the city after the implementation of the Commissioner rule,” he rued.