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19 more Pak nationals freed
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Ghallughara Fateh March
Nabha boy tops in vocational stream
Mohini aspires to be IAS officer
Puffs claim 10m lives annually
Sale of toxic watermelons on the rise
Atrocities against Dalit girl
State appeals for compensation for damage to cotton
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19 more Pak nationals freed
Attari, May 31 Chidambaram is expected to have a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik on the sidelines of the SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference on June 26. Earlier, India had released 25 Pakistani prisoners on May 28. Majority of the prisoners were those who had either inadvertently crossed over to India or had overstayed here after expiry of their visa term. BSF Company Commander Surya Pratap handed over the Pakistani fisherman to Wing Commander, Pakistan Rangers, Salim Sher Jung. Out of the 19 prisoners, one was brought from the Jamnagar Prison and the rest of them were brought from the Porbandar Jail. A Pakistan fisherman Syed Badshah said he along with 17 other fishermen had been apprehended in the Arabian sea by the Indian Coast Guard on February 10 2009. He said they were sentenced for three-months imprisonment, but were now being released after 14 months. Visibly cheerful, the Pakistani nationals were eager to cross over to their country to re-unite with their families after having undergone sentence in Indian jails on various charges. Attired in clean clothes and happy faces were enough to convey their feelings. However, as the day passed without their extradition taking place restlessness was writ large on their faces. Owing to some technical difficulty and completion of paper work their release was advanced to post-Retreat ceremony.
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35,000 delegates expected at AICC mini-session
Chandigarh, May 31 The state Congress proposes to turn the event as a major vote consolidator prior to the 2012 general election. State party chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee told The Tribune, “Nearly 10,000 delegates are expected from other states, while over 25,000 odd would join from Punjab.” The AICC conclave is being held to mark the 125th anniversary of the Congress. The session would be addressed by party chief Sonia Gandhi and will be attended by all senior leaders of the party, including Dr Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, AK Antony and the entire Union Cabinet. A meeting held here today empowered Kaypee to form various committees like finance, accommodation, travel, co-ordination etc. “It involves a lot of planning and arrangements. Today’s meeting has chalked out a broad framework, before going into specifics,” CLP leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said. She accepted and appreciated the suggestion by party MLA from Samana Brahm Mohindra that all groups within the party should be given a due representation in various committees. Earlier, the meeting had authorised Bhattal and Kaypee to form specific committees. It has been decided to name the Mohali venue of the regional conclave as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Though the exact venue has not been finalised, the party has identified three or four locations of which one will be finalised after getting a security clearance. The delegates will arrive on September 26 and leave on September 28 - the actual business will be conducted on September 27. It has been decided that the entrances to the venue will have gates named after senior party leaders, who fell victim to bullets of terrorists. Interestingly, while most state party leaders attended the meeting, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was conspicuous by his absence. Reacting to a query, Kaypee said: “Don’t draw any meaning into his absence. He was present at an earlier meeting in Delhi and will be here the next time”. He refused to comment on certain allegations he had made against Amarinder Singh earlier saying, “Within a family, certain differences do happens, but the state party is united against the SAD-BJP.”
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Cops beat up undertrial on court premises
Ferozepur, May 31 Gurdev was beaten up mercilessly when he refused to go to the court of District and Sessions Judge Jaspal Singh in connection with the hearing of the murder case and allegedly attacked the ASI. Policemen kept on thrashing Gurdev till he fell unconscious. A case under Sections 332, 333, 353, 186 and 323 of the IPC has been registered against Gurdev on the complaint of Vinod. He is already facing four criminal cases in different police stations of this district. Sukhwinder Singh, son of Gurdev, who is a co-accused in the double murder case and was in the courtroom when his father was being thrashed, said when he came out of the courtroom, he found his father lying unconscious. He alleged that policemen started beating up his father when he (Gurdev) asked for water. He claimed that his father could not attack anyone as he was handcuffed. Sukhwinder alleged that his father remained lied unconscious under the sun till mediapersons reached there. Later, the police took him to the local Civil Hospital. He further alleged that doctors did not attend to his father for two hours. It is learnt that a section of people, who were present on the court premises, have raised an objection against the alleged highhandedness of the police and some of them lied down prostrate in the front of their vehicle. The police had to face a tough time to disperse them. SP (headquarters) Surjeet Singh said Gurdev was taken to the hospital on the directions of the District and Sessions Judge. He said Gurdev would be formally arrested after he would be discharged from the hospital. Gurmej Ram, a specialist at the Civil Hospital, said Gurdev had been kept under observation. He added that all his medical tests were normal. Meanwhile, panchayat members of the native village of Gurdev met senior civil official of the district to lodge a complaint against the alleged police brutality.
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Ghallughara Fateh March
Patiala, May 31 Furthermore, an announcement by organisers of the march to confer the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur commendation on Bhindranwale has left Baba Banda Bahadur’s followers angry. One such hoarding could be spotted outside Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib here. Besides the photograph of Bhindranwale, the hoarding also has the photograph of SAD (Panch Pardhani) chairman Daljit Singh Bittu, who is at present lodged in the Amritsar Jail. Bittu has been shown behind the bars. To commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Operation Bluestar, the SAD (Panch Pardhani) is taking out the Ghallughara Fateh March, which will start from Chappar Chiri tomorrow and conclude on June 6 at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. In the wake of this, the Punjab Police has started a statewide crackdown on activists and leaders of the SAD (Panch Pardhani) and several party leaders were arrested yesterday. President and general secretary of the District Congress Committee (Urban) Prem Parkash Puri and Bhupinder Singh, respectively, demanded the removal of such hoardings. “The hoardings are provocative and should be removed immediately,” they demanded. President of the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Foundation KK Bawa said: “Baba Banda Bahadur scarified his life for the community and noble cause and no other person can be compared with him.” Meanwhile, Patiala SSP Ranbir Singh Khattra said they were taking all measures to maintain law and order and already some preventive arrests of SAD (Panch Pardhani) leaders had been made in Patiala district. Regarding the hoardings, he said he would look into the matter. However, SAD (Panch Pardhani) organising secretary Jasbir Singh Khanduri claimed that their party would undertake the march as per the schedule and also justified the hoardings.
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Girls outshine boys in PSEB Class XII results
Of the total 3.40-lakh students who appeared in the science, commerce, humanities and vocational streams, around 2.13 lakhs cleared the exams. Difference in the pass percentage between urban and rural students has come down to 4 per cent from 8 per cent in the previous years. Burning the midnight oil, Neha Jagga of JTB Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Malout; and Mohini of SD Girls Senior Secondary School, Moga, shared the top position in humanities stream by securing 93.70 per cent marks. Jaspreet Kaur of Guru Nanak Model Senior Secondary School, Doraha, has topped in science stream by securing 93.33 per cent marks. In the commerce stream, Pooja Garg of Government Senior School, Philkhana (Patiala), has come first by securing 90 per cent marks. The only saving grace for boys was Sanju Kumar of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Nabha, who has topped in the vocational stream by earning 91.33 per cent marks. This time the government school seem to have faired better with 25 students figuring in the merit list. In the district-wise merit list, Ludhiana has topped with 115 students figuring in the list of 350 students. Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts have 39 and 22 students in the merit list, respectively. PSEB chairman Dalbir Singh Dhillon said the board had stuck to the traditional system of pass percentage and at the same time grading the subjects. He said the detailed result, merit list and pass percentage would be available on board’s website www.pseb.ac.in from 6 am onwards tomorrow. This was for the first time the result was being declared online.
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Nabha boy tops in vocational stream
Patiala, May 31 Sanju Kumar, whose father is a class IV employee with the Railways, says scoring well was important for him. “It was my father’s dream that kept me going. Despite facing lot of hardships, he always inspired me to work hard. I also want to thank my teachers and principal who helped in giving direction to my career,” the aspiring engineer adds. Even after the declaration of results, Pooja feels she is still living a dream. She says: “I knew I will score well but never thought that I will top. I am thankful to my principal, teachers and my mother who have always inspired me and showed faith in me. I have never taken any tuition till date.” Her teachers too were all praises for her. “We already knew that she was going to score well. She has not only brought laurels to her family but to the school as well,” they added. Talking about her future plans, she says: “I want to be a CA and will work hard to achieve my goal.”
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Mohini aspires to be IAS officer
Moga, May 31 Mohini, daughter of a class IV employee in the FCI, gives the credit of her success to her school principal, teachers and parents. Having an ambition of becoming an IAS officer, Mohini never thought that she would top the state in the examinations. However, she was sure enough to come in the merit list. Principal Sonia Harsh congratulated Mohini and hoped that she would
further do well in her studies. District magistrate Satwant Singh Johal also hailed her success and announced to provide her with all possible help in further studies.
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Consistent hard work pays off
Kharar, May 31 It is a success-against-all-odds story for this girl, who studied without taking any extra classes or tuitions to get an appreciable 85 per cent score. Her father, Sabu Singh, is a security guard with Swaraj Mazda, Mohali, while her mother, Balwinder Kaur, is a housewife. She is second amongst three siblings, including two brothers. “I want to be a chartered accountant and I will definitely get my goal,” said Dilpreet. She said she did not become a book worm to score good marks. “I simply studied for four hours everyday with complete focus. I am really thankful to my teachers Gurmit Singh and Gursharan Kaur who helped me a lot in every aspect,” she said.
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Puffs claim 10m lives annually
World No Tobacco Day kicked off today with its theme as “gender and tobacco”, focusing on the harmful effects of tobacco marketing and smoking on women and girls. However, the district authorities have made very little efforts to spread awareness about the ill-effects of tobacco consumption and smoking. Experts say it starts with addiction that later translates into a life of nicotine dependence, poor health and premature death. They assert that there is need on the part of the government authorities to effectively implement the Tobacco Control Act, 2003. Under the Tobacco Control Act 2003, smoking is banned at all public place and violators are to be challaned. All government departments are supposed to put up notices informing the public about it, on their premises. Also, the sale of tobacco products is completely banned in an area of 100-m radius from the boundary wall of schools. The Act also mentions that no vendor would sell tobacco products in bulk and to those under 18 years of age. The Act mentioned that the health authorities would spread awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. Smoking is the single most alterable risk factor contributing to premature morbidity and mortality in the country, accounting for approximately 10 lakh deaths annually, says cardiologist Rajneesh Kapoor. He says in both rural and urban India, between the age group of 30 and 69 years, about 5 per cent females and 37 per cent males are smokers. Dr Kapoor says investigations have demonstrated a substantial decrease in heart disease mortality among former smokers. Persons with diagnosed heart disease experience as much as 50 per cent reduction in risk of reinfarction, sudden cardiac death, and total mortality, if they quit smoking after the initial infarction. Experts say smoking has emerged as the single largest reason of heart attack among young people in the country. “Usually youth use it as a stress buster, it gives a good feeling for a while, but in long term it adds to the stress,” a cardiologist says. “The tar from smoke blocks the arteries increasing blood pressure and ultimately leading to heart attack. It can even lead to rupturing of arteries,” he adds. Another cardiologist, Dr Pramod Jaiswal says there is need to put up notices in governmental, educational and other institutions about the ban on tobacco consumption/smoking at public places, and the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. Heart specialist Dr Biswajit Maharana said, “Though for the past sometime, tobacco products have been carrying pictorial warnings, however the photographs should be scarier, so that smokers and tobacco consumers could understand that they are inviting death by taking such products.”
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Sale of toxic watermelons on the rise
Rajpura, May 31 “The people should not purchase watermelons blindly and must check pricking on this juicy fruit during summers,” said District Health Officer (DHO) Charanjit Singh, who conducted special checks on the Patiala-Chandigarh road. He said the complaints in this regard were received a few days back and now the checking has been intensified. Roadside watermelon sellers have been strictly told not to sell cut fruits. “Anyone found mixing intoxicants in the fruit, in order to increase its redness, would be dealt with an iron hand,” he said. While a section of the residents of the area pointed out that the fruit sellers adulterate the fruits to hide small holes created by insects and other
deformities. The Health Department officials said the sellers adopted the evil practice of injecting a dye into the fruit to give it a bright red colour. Usually, such dyes are toxic and may spell doom for health of the consumers.
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Atrocities against Dalit girl
Moga, May 31 The girl gave birth to a baby on April 19, 2009, after she was sexually abused by wards of influential families of her village and then married-off in violation of the Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, 2006. Dalip Singh Pandhi, member of the commission who came here to hold the inquiries, said the police has filed an application before the sessions’ court here for closure of the case merely on the basis of an affidavit that she was 19-years-old and not a minor. Pandhi stated that the police did not cross-check her age from the school or local revenue authorities. She was sexually abused at the tender age of 14 years and gave birth when she was 15, he added. He said the commission would write a letter to the additional sessions’ judge not to pass orders of cancellation of the case.
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State appeals for compensation for damage to cotton
Chandigarh, May 31 Normally,
cotton sowing starts from the last week of April and continues for
around two weeks. Seedlings do not require water for one month post
sowing with the crop dependent on pre-monsoon showers or a dip in night
temperatures. However, with May being unusually hot this year, the crop
has wilted in areas where the irrigation facility was not
adequate. State Agriculture Minister Suchha Singh Langah told TNS that
the state government had requested the Centre to give a special package
to cotton growers as the yield was expected to fall by 15 per cent due
to the extreme heat wave conditions. Meanwhile, sources said the
chances of a compensation package from the Centre were slim. They said
this was because under present norms farmers were eligible for central
compensation if they suffered more than 50 per cent loss. The sources
said it would be left to the state to compensate farmers. Manager,
Cotton, Markfed, Vinod Kumar, when questioned on the issue, said
girdwaris had been conducted to access the damage to the cotton crop.
Damage figures of 5 to 7 per cent had been revealed in Mansa and
Talwandi Sabo blocks. He said this damage had occurred due to late
sowing as well as extreme heat wave conditions.
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Mohali, May 31
Patiala, May 31