Muradpura (Amritsar), April 28
The city industrial units have apparently found a new place for dumping their highly toxic petroleum ash, if the huge heaps of the waste in this village are any indication.

The toxic ash is being dumped alongside the roads in the rural belt in a clandestine manner apparently to avoid catching the eye of authorities concerned. Unmindful of its health hazards, the villagers are using the ash for filling water ponds in the village, as it is cheaper than using the earth for the landfill. As it is high in sulphur and a cheap source of heat as compared to coal, petroleum coke (pet coke) is being used by the industrial units on the Verka-Ajnala bypass road. On combustion, the pet coke produces sulphur dioxide that reaches in the atmosphere and gets converted into sulphuric acid rain.

“Definitely, being harmful in nature, we cannot dump it. Nowadays coal ash, produced from thermal plants, is being diverted to cement factories for manufacturing premix cement. The industrial units should play a proactive role in sustaining the environment rather than ruining it by flouting all norms,” said Gunbir Singh, Chairman, Punjab chapter of Confederation of Indian Industries. Dumping of fly ash alongside the agricultural fields in the villages has also left the agricultural experts worried. “Sulphur is a micronutrient and required in very little quantity for land health. Excess of it certainly has a negative impact on land,” said Chief Agriculture Officer, Paramjit Singh. He said the Punjab Pollution Control Board should keep a stringent check on such industrial units. However, he added that the department had not received any such complaint of dumping of industrial ash near agricultural land or in the rural belt.

Admitting that it is really a serious problem, KS Pannu, Deputy Commissioner, said the matter was not in his knowledge and added that prompt action would be taken as soon as he got a complaint in this regard. The fly ash dumped on the ground gets into the eyes leading to intense irritation and subsequent ulceration and sometimes it results in the loss of vision. Moreover, it also affects the lungs as on inhalation it gets absorbed leading to respiratory problems, allergies, ashthma and chronic lung diseases. During rains, the sulphur content of the ash seeps into the ground and gets mixed with the drinking water, making it unfit for human consumption.

New Delhi, April 28
Setting aside the rulings of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Supreme Court has held that the Punjab Government can modify the permit scheme in the interest of the public.

“We may point out if the public is put to hardship or inconvenience due to the ailure on the part of the State Transport Undertakings (STUs) to operate services in spite of grant of permits for long time, it is always open to the state government to modify the scheme,” a Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and KS Radhakrishnan ruled yesterday.

Changes could be made in the scheme in the ratio fixed on the basis of passenger road transport needs as assessed by the State Transport Commissioner, but this power was not conferred on the Regional Transport Authority.

“Till that is done, no private operator can operate his service on any part or portion of a notified area or notified route upsetting the ratio prescribed in the scheme except on a temporary permit granted under the proviso to Section 104 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988,” the Bench ruled.

The verdict came on a bunch of appeals filed by the Punjab Roadways, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Nawanshahr, Amritsar II and Batala.

Allowing all appeals, the apex court set aside the HC verdicts in CWP No 8483/2005 and in CWP No 11768/2005 and the May 1, 2007 common judgment in CWP 11916/2006 and connected cases. The SC also set aside the orders of the commissioner passed on October 28, 2005, December 17, 2004, August 25, 2005, October 3, 2005 and August 1, 2005 directing grant of regular permits to the private operators.

The judgment “would not stand in the way of RTAs in granting temporary permits if there is temporary need in the notified routes included in the 1990 scheme as amended in the year 1997,” the apex court clarified.

Chandigarh, April 28
The Punjabi community in the UAE is on the lookout for a lawyer who is an expert in Shariat law to assist the team of lawyers arranged by the Indian Government to defend 17 Indians facing the death penalty in the case of the murder of a Pakistani boy.

Punjab Congress MLA from Guru Harsahai, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi,who along with businessman-cum-hotelier SP Singh visited the Indians in a Dubai prison for more than 90 minutes, told The Tribune that besides the UAE Government, even the Punjabi community in Dubai was doing its best to defend these boys.

Bindu Chettur, a lawyer of Indian origin and practising in Dubai, has been associated with the defence team comprising Mohammad Salman, Abdullah Salman and Abdul Aziz.

Of the 17 boys, in the age group 25 to 29 years, 16 are from Punjab and the 17th is from Kaithal in Haryana. These boys are Sukhjinder Singh of Patti, Sukhjot Singh of Sanghera, Ram Singh of Kanvi , Arvinder Singh of Ghookulwada, Baljeet Singh of Sengwal, Daljeet Singh of Attana,Dharampal Singh of Jhoke Tehal Singh Wala, Satpur Singh of Khanauri Jattan, Satnam Singh of Phuli Kalan, Kashmir Singh of Rattu Ke, Suban Singh of Lohian Khas, Kulvinder Singh of Bansipura, Kuldeep Singh of Kukrana, Sukhjinder Singh of Nikki Miani, Navjot Singh of Raikot, Harjinder Singh of Phagwara — all from Punjab — and Dharanjit Singh of Kaithal.

Sodhi said the local community was organising regular visits to the prison and at times sending food to them. All boys, claiming to be innocent, were in high spirits and wanted that their innocence should be reiterated. It is at their instance and also to boost their morale, efforts are being made to arrange lawyers from within the Indian community in general and the Punjabi community in particular.

Sodhi said former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is also in Dubai, is expected to visit these boys in a day or two. Capt Amarinder Singh will also use his connections in Pakistan to persuade the family of the murdered Pakistani boy to accept ‘blood money’ and thus save these boys from the gallows.

“If need be, I shall be prepared to go to Pakistan and visit the family of the slain boy and persuade them to have mercy on these ‘innocent boys’ and relieve them of their pain and agony by accepting ‘blood money’ as compensation for the slain boy. Shariat law provides for ‘blood money’ provided immediate relatives of the victim accept this recourse.

Sodhi said that after getting another Indian lawyer, he would return to India in a couple of days while Capt Amarinder Singh might stay on till the end of the first week of May.

Ludhiana, April 28
The New Zealand Government is extremely supportive and ensures a conducive environment for all, irrespective of one’s nationality or race. So says Flying Officer Charanjit Singh, the only serving Sikh officer in the New Zealand Air Force.

Serving the force with pride, the 40-year-old Flying Officer says as an immigrant, he could not have asked for more from the NZ Government, which allowed him to work in their prestigious defence services, devoid of any racial and religious biases.“Representing NZ at the international level is a matter of great pride for me,” said Charanjit Singh, who has just returned from a United Nations peace mission at South Korea.

“Being recognised as an Indian no matter where I am gives me immense pleasure,” said the man who is often addressed as the “Flying Sikh”.

Charanjit has not only done the Sikh community proud, but also given the entire nation a reason to look up to him with pride.

Serving in the engineering branch of the NZ Air Force since 2007, Charanjit is proud to be a Sikh and denies being subjected to racial discrimination. “Even when Indians abroad were facing racial assaults, the NZ Government was engaged in safeguarding every resident’s interests,” said the officer, who was in the city today to meet his younger sister.

Talking to The Tribune, Charanjit Singh, who belongs to Kurukshtra in Haryana said, “When one immigrates to another country, one just doesn’t move geographically. One has to adopt the country to be a part of it. Complete assimilation is the key to acceptance on foreign shores.”

He added that he knows at least five Indians working in the NZ Police Department who were completely satisfied with their work and the recognition that they get for it like any other native officer. “This is a clear indication of the secular character of the country,” he remarked.

Charanjit revealed that he had immigrated to NZ in 1998 along with his family after working in BEL in Panchkula, Haryana, for a while.

A role model for his entire family, especially the children, Charanjit does not consider his feat an achievement and says he would like to see more Indians representing the nation across the world and “achieving great heights”.

Chandigarh, April 28
Which is easier? To be able to fool everyone or to be able to please everyone? Punjab’s Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal seems to have deftly done both.

Aggarwal’s ten-page inquiry report into the allegations of irregularities in the selection of doctors by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) seems to be an almost desperate attempt at diluting the glare of the facts that emerged during his inquiry.

The saving grace in Aggarwal’s report is the table that he prepared (published in the Tribune on Wednesday). The tell-tale table makes it very clear how as many as 135 candidates with a remarkable track record were ignored by the PPSC during the selection of the 312 doctors. These 135 doctors (75 in the first lot and 61 in the second) had secured anything between 78 per cent to 68.6 per cent marks in their MBBS, but did not make it to the final list of successful candidates as they were given very low marks in the interview.

Among those who made it to the final list were 64 (out of 312) such candidates who had secured anything between 50 per cent to 57 per cent marks in their MBBS but were marked so well in the interview that they made it to the final list.

The story, however, does not end with a comparison of extremes. In the first lot of 100 selections, 54 doctors were chosen from among 656 such candidates whose score in MBBS ranged between 57 per cent to 62 per cent and only 21 were chosen from among 317 such candidates whose score in MBBS ranged between 62 per cent to 68 per cent!

In the second lot of 212 selections, 105 doctors were chosen from among 725 such candidates whose score in MBBS ranged between 57 per cent to 62 per cent and only 45 were chosen from among 330 such candidates whose score in MBBS ranged between 62 per cent to 68 per cent.

Its is amply clear that most of the candidates selected by the PPSC were from among those who had fared very poorly or poorly in their MBBS course. In the first list of 100 selections, there were 75 such candidates (75 per cent of the total selections) and in the second list of 212 selections there were 148 such candidates (70 per cent of the total selections).

Having generated this tabular data, the Chief Secretary, however, goes onto say in his report that “It is not clear whether any systematic attempt was made by the PPSC to award more marks to candidates who are otherwise not good”.

(To be concluded)

Patiala, April 28
The government will soon amend the 1894 Jails Act to remove various flaws in it. It will also frame a cultural policy to check factors that were posing threat to the culture of Punjab.

This was stated by state Cultural and Minister for Jails Hira Singh Gabria during a press conference at the Circuit House here this evening. He said the birth anniversary of Jassa Singh Ramgarhia would be celebrated on May 5 at a state-level function here.

Gabria admitted that the existing Jails Act was outdated and there were various flaws in it, as a result of which the administration was unable to handle a few problems efficiently.

However, a new committee had been formed by the government under BS Sidhu, former IG Jails, which was analysing various aspects of the Act and amendments required as per the current scenario.

On his project of constructing government quarters at Kapurthala and Faridkot jails where families of jail inmates could stay with them, he said it was for those persons who either didn’t get holidays or were under trial for a long period.

He said the project was underway and would be completed at the earliest.

Taking about cultural advances in the state, Gabria said the government was working on a new Cultural Policy, which would be complete by June 30.

Later, it would be put online by July-end to take suggestions from the people of the state, he added.

He said the policy would be implemented within weeks of its formation and would tackle various practices that were against the culture of Punjab.

Chandigarh, April 28
Following a free run given to black marketeers who have jacked up the rates of Bt cotton seed by as much as 25 per cent per packet, the Punjab Agriculture Department today constituted special teams to conduct raids in the cotton belt to stop farmers from being fleeced by private dealers.

Private dealers indulging in black marketeering in Bt cotton seed will face arrest as it is now covered under the Essential Commodities Act, according to State Agriculture Department Director BS Sidhu. He said the licences of such dealers would also be cancelled. Dr Sidhu held a meeting of agriculture officers here and also discussed ways and means to make favoured seeds available to farmers.

Farmers in the cotton belt of Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar and parts of Sangrur and Ferozepur districts are being forced to pay Rs 250 to Rs 300 more per packet of Bt cotton seed for the last more than one week. A Bt cotton packet weighs 450 gm and two packets are needed per acre of land.

The problem has mainly arisen because varieties of a few seed companies are the most in demand. Among these Bt-2 cotton varieties, 6488 and 6588 of have proven to be more successful in Punjab as these are credited with more yield and also need less water than other varieties.

While this has resulted in a straight increase of Rs 300 per packet over the Rs 925 per packet price of these varieties, private dealers are also charging between Rs 200 to Rs 250 more for Bt-1 cotton varieties.

Farmers are not only complaining of the higher charges but also claim that they are also being forced to purchase fertiliser and a mix of other varieties if they approach private dealers for the 6488 and 6588 varieties. Jasbir Singh of Kotguru in Bathinda district said though complaints had been made to the Agriculture Department, the required action was not being taken.

Bt cotton seed is also not available in rural agriculture cooperatives. Last year it was available well in advance in the societies and more than 1.80 lakh packets were sold statewide. This year Markfed has scaled down its target to only 45,000 packets.

Owing to the high prices and unavailability of the seed of their choice, some farmers are resorting to purchase of spurious seed coming in from Gujarat, which is available for Rs 250 per packet. Abohar legislator Sunil Jakhar says it is the government’s responsibility to maintain quality, adding farmers suffered huge losses every year due to poor quality seeds.

Meanwhile, sources said even though farmers were being asked to grow more cotton and the area under cotton cultivation was likely to increase from 5.25 lakh hectares last year to six lakh hectares, farmers want sufficient canal water for sowing their crop.

Jalandhar, April 28
Punjab farmers will lose Rs 1,100 crore because of the fall of 10 lakh metric tonnes (mt) in wheat production this year. The initial target was to procure 115 lakh mt of wheat for the national pool, but later it was brought down to 110 lakh mt.

As the wheat harvesting season has come to an end in all parts of the state, wheat arrival in various grain markets till today was about 95 lakh mt. At the end of the procurement season in a next few days, the overall procurement figure is expected to stay at 100 lakh mt.

Worried over the fall in wheat production, PAU scientists and officials of the Agriculture Department and the Punjab Farmers’ Commission will meet next week to devise a strategy to develop new wheat varieties. “We need to withdraw certain wheat varieties such as PBW 343 under which about 60 per cent was sown this year. It is an old variety that appears to have lost its charm,” said Dr PS Rangi, a consultant on the commission.

“We need to breed high temperature resistant varieties of wheat to replace the existing varieties, which are intolerant to high temperature,” he added.

The commission had warned against the sowing of PBW 343 in the Ropar-Ludhiana-Jalandhar-Gurdaspur belt this year. Because of this reason, perhaps, wheat production in this belt remained better compared to the Malwa region.

However, what has come to the rescue of farmers is hay (dry fodder), which is prepared from wheat straw. It is sold at a good price not only in the state but also in Rajasthan.

Patiala, April 28
The Punjab Civil Medical Service-I (PCMS-I) Association has reiterated its demand for a CBI probe into the PCMS doctors recruitment scam. Asserting that Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla is also in favour of a CBI probe into the scam, the association general secretary, Dr DC Sharma, today demanded that the Health Department should make a formal proposal for a CBI probe and till the completion of the probe, the appointments of the 312 doctors should be kept under suspended animation.

“We demand that the CBI probe should cover not only the allegations of corruption against the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) but should also look into the role of the Punjab Health Department in abetting these alleged large-scale irregularities in the selections,” stated Sharma.

He further said that the association felt that the inquiry by the Chief Secretary may prove to be a mere eyewash and fail to uncover the truth, keeping in view the magnitude of the scam and alleged involvement of powerful persons.

Dr Sharma added that their association was against the recruitment of officers, including the doctors, by the departments concerned instead of the PPSC. “The PPSC is a constitutional body and the recruitment agency for other categories of state services and hence should not be made defunct. Rather, it should be purged of corrupt elements, if any, established by a proper and impartial high-level probe, by an outside agency like the CBI,” claimed Sharma, while demanding that during the interviews being conducted by the PPSC, there should be a panel of three medical experts and one or two commission members, who should be there to facilitate as mere coordinators.

Moga, April 28
In the ongoing investigation into the Moga passport scam, the special investigation team has summoned 300 files of passports from the regional passport office, Chandigarh, for verification.

Earlier, the police had gone through the files of as many as 1,000 passports obtained from the RPO pertaining to the years 2006 to 2009, out of which 288 passports were found made on forged documents.

Stating this, Rohit Chaudhary, IG of Bathinda range, said the police had also written to the immigration authorities for verification of persons who went abroad on these fake passports.

He said 17 persons had been identified by the police who went abroad on fake passports. “We have initiated the process to arrest them by writing to the embassies concerned,” he said.

The IG accompanied by SSP Sneh Deep Sharma said it would take a long time to complete the investigation process. So far, the police had gone through the files pertaining to three years. The police was yet to initiate the process to go through the files of passports made between 1995 to 2005. Moga district was made in 1995, after which the process of processing the files of passports began here.

The IG said the police had asked the authorities concerned of the passport office to take departmental action against all those officials who were allegedly involved in the scam.

Bathinda, April 28
The veterinary doctors have failed to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) that has taken the shape of an epidemic among the black bucks in the Bir Talab deer park near here.

The epidemic broke out about 11 years ago and has refused to finish despite efforts of the veterinarians of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Chhat Bir Zoo, and local hospitals.

More than 60 black bucks have died in the past few years because of TB although the enclosures and the earth were disinfected repeatedly and the animals were given Direct Observation Treatment (DOT). Employees of the park engaged in feeding the black bucks were also being administered DOT.

According to the data available with the CZA, 24 male and 10 female black bucks besides three female sambars died in the deer park during 2005-06. Four male and two female black bucks and a male spotted deer died during 2006-07. As many as two black bucks, a sambar and a deer hog died during 2007-08. The situation turned alarming when about 20 black bucks died in a single enclosure.

However, deaths of animals in the park have been controlled now, but incidence of TB continues as the population of black bucks was multiplying fast.

Divisional Forest Officer Anand Kumar today confirmed that many black bucks were suffering from hair fall that was a symptom of TB, but it could also be due to some allergy.

He said the authorities were aware of the fact that the two enclosures of black bucks were overcrowded. Two new enclosures were proposed to be constructed and one of these would be reserved for the black bucks showing signs of TB.

Ropar, April 28
Wild grass, broken stage and neglected toilets are the salient features of a historic park once witness to a meeting between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Lord William Bentick, the Governor of India, in 1831. And the neglected state of affairs here -- Maharaja Ranjit Singh Park -- despite Rs 97 lakh having been spent on its sprucing up and beautification by the Ropar district administration in November 2008.

Having currently become a haven for drug addicts, the district administration had, in its bid to promote tourism here, even blocked the approach road to Ropar city from near the park and converted it into a ‘sairgah’ (path for walkers). Apart from its basic beautification, a fountain and toilets were also constructed here.

But wth zero maintenance and no department authorisd to look after it, the park has failed its purpose and as of now only serving as a haven for drug addicts and anti-social elements. And with no power, the fountain, too, stands dry.

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 28
The Municipal Council, Sirhind, has failed to recover encroached prime land worth around Rs 300 crore.

As per Deputy Director, Local Bodies, Ashok Kumar Sikka, 448 kanals of land of the MC has been encroached upon in the Sirhind area. This includes 295 kanals of land the case of which lies pending with Sikka’s office and 153 kanals the possession of which is yet to be handed over to the MC by the Revenue Department.

Most of these encroachments are in Brahman Majra, Bara, Bahadurgarh, Attewal and Humaunpur areas. Officials said the encroachments could not be removed earlier from those areas where farmers had grown seasonal crops. Now that the harvesting season was over, officials of the Local Bodies Department had swung into action and were trying to get encroachments removed from the land adjoining the main road. Land prices along the roadside hover around Rs 1.5 crore per acre.

Cracking the whip on officials allegedly indulging in dilly-dallying over getting the encroached land vacated, Sikka’s office recommended the suspension of a Sirhind MC court clerk last week.

Earlier, the SDM was conferred with powers under the Punjab Public Premises and Land (Eviction and Rent Recovery) Act, 1973, wherein it disposed of cases of execution for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Sirhind has 26 encroachments which the MC should have got cleared through the tehsildar, the SDM and the area kanungo.

Now government has given powers to the deputy directors of local bodies to decide upon these cases. “Though a notification of transfer of cases from the SDM to the deputy director was issued last year, the cases have not been transferred yet. I received very few cases in February this year,” Sikka said.

While Sirhind MC president Gurvinder Bhatti could not be contacted despite repeated attempts, executive officer Charanjit Singh said 273 kanals of encroached land had been regained so far and efforts were on to get other encroached areas vacated.

Patiala, April 28
The Patiala Police today claimed to have solved the blind murder case of three-and-half-year-old Prince, who went missing under mysterious circumstances on April 19 this year.

The accused, identified as Mohammad Safiq, a neighbour of the deceased, had murdered the child while trying to sodomise him.

According to the police, Prince died of asphyxiation, as Safiq covered his face with a pillow, while trying to sodomise the child. Notably, the accused is father of nine children.

On April 19, Prince went missing from his house in Babu Singh Colony. A day after, his body was recovered in a plastic bag in a vacant plot near the house of accused Safiq. A case in this regard was registered at the Tripuri Police Station.

Speaking to the mediapersons, Patiala SSP Ranbir Singh Khattra said a team of cops, including SP City Shamsher Singh, DSP City-II Satbir Atwal and Inspector Bharpoor Singh, had cracked the case.

Giving the details, the SSP said, the accused took Prince, who was playing nearby, to his house around 9 am on April 19. “When Safiq tried to sodomise the child, he started crying. The accused covered the child’s face with pillow, following which he died of asphyxiation”, he added.

Khattra said Safiq later put Prince’s body in a plastic bag and dumped it in a vacant plot near his house. During investigations, the police searched Safiq’s house and quizzed him. “During questioning, Safiq confessed to the murder,” he said. The accused has been arrested and a case under Sections 201/302/511 of IPC has been registered against him.

Faridkot, April 28
Chief Judicial Magistrate of Faridkot DP Singla today issued a non-bailable warrant against Puneet Jain, son of Moga’s Congress MLA Joginder Pal Jain, and directed the police to arrest him.

Puneet, along with his MLA father, mother Swaran Lata Jain, brother Akshit Jain and sister Rohini, was booked by the police for selling off agricultural land for commercial and residential purposes. An FIR was registered against them under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995, on August 26, 2009, at the Mehna police station in Moga. In October 2009, the police filed a challan in this case at a Moga court.

However, the case was shifted to Faridkot in March this year on the request of the MLA, who feared that senior leaders of the ruling party could influence the case against him and his family at Moga. In Faridkot, the case came up for hearing before the CJM on April 1 this year. The court ordered Puneet to present himself in the court personally on the next hearing, which was slated for today.

However, Puneet, who is at present settled in Canada, did not appear in the court. In the past too, he had been evading his presence by filing applications of leave on medical grounds through his counsel.

Today, Puneet filed an application in the court through his counsel that despite his best attempts, he could not get a ticket to fly back home, and therefore he be granted more time to appear.

However, CJM DP Singla issued a non-bailable warrant against him asking the police to arrest him.

Four months ago, MLA Joginder Pal Jain after seeking permission from the Punjab and Haryana High Court went to Canada to convince his son to come back and get bail from the court in this case. But, his son reportedly refused.

Chandigarh, April 28
A day after the Supreme Court ruled that Capt Amarinder Singh’s expulsion from the state assembly on September 10, 2008, was “Constitutionally invalid” and ordered restoration of his membership, the Punjab and Haryana High Court made it clear that the Bench wanted to see the judgment’s effect on the case pending before it.

As the former Chief Minister’s petition for quashing the FIR registered against him in the Amritsar Improvement Trust case came up for hearing, Justice MMS Bedi fixed May 25 as the next date of hearing, while observing the effect of the judgement has to be seen.

Justice Bedi asked counsel for the state of Punjab NK Sangi and Capt Amarinder Singh’s counsel APS Deol whether they had gone through the apex court judgement. Justice Bedi added it was available on the Internet and even gave details of the websites where the judgement had been floated.

Sangi asked the bench to give time to the state to place on record the judgement. Deol also asked for time to study the judgement and place it before the bench. Referring to the order, Deol added all the actions emanating from the subcommittee’s report were illegal.

Seeking the quashing of the FIR dated September 11, 2008, under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC, and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the former Chief Minister is claiming there is not even a single word in the challan against him with regard to pecuniary benefits.

Capt Amarinder Singh added the controversy was under the Supreme Court scanner. But the vigilance department, pending decision by the apex court, on the directions of the party in power, hurriedly submitted the challan sheet without seeking the Supreme Court permission.