Chandigarh, June 19
Despite clear instructions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, municipal bodies in the state continue to use photographs of political leaders on tender and auction notices that appear in newspapers.

On June 14, various newspapers carried an auction notice issued by the Jalandhar Improvement Trust that had prominent pictures of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal along with Minister for Local Bodies Manoranjan Kalia and Chairman of the trust Baljit Singh Neela.

Not just the municipal bodies, other departments of the state government, too, seem to have no problem in wasting public money in issuing advertisements that have large pictures of the political leaders even when the content of the advertisement has no bearing to these politicians.

On June 15, an appeal was issued by the Agriculture Department exhorting farmers in the state not to sow the PAU 201 variety of paddy. This was carried in several newspapers complete with the picture of the Chief Minister, the Agriculture Minister, Sucha Singh Langah, and the Chief Parliamentary Secretary Agriculture, Sohan Singh.

In January last year, the Patiala Improvement Trust issued an advertisement in various newspapers calling for bidders for its property. This advertisement also carried pictures of the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Local Bodies Minister and the Chairman of the trust. In December 2008, the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, had issued a tender notice with photographs of politicians on the top.

In 2006, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by city-based advocate HC Arora, following which the Division Bench of the then Chief Justice HS Bedi and Justice Ranjit Singh had ordered Punjab and Haryana to draft a policy to reduce the expenditure of public money on advertisements that eulogised leaders or political parties especially when they had no connection with the administration.

“The Division Bench had asked advocates-general of both the states to get instructions as to the policy that states wished to adopt in such matters so that the democratic process may proceed without any strain on the public exchequer,” said Arora.

Following these orders, both Punjab and Haryana had given undertakings to the court that tender notices and auction notices issued by the government would not carry pictures of any politician. The Punjab government had further told the court that the Chief Secretary had issued a circular to all departments, boards and corporations to stop this practice immediately.

However, in violation of this undertaking and inviting contempt, the state government seems to have again succumbed to eulogising its political bosses through government advertisements.

In a statement issued here today, Congress MLA from Bholath, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, said, “There couldn't be a lower level of cheap political gimmickry and sycophancy than displayed in these advertisements. The Congress expects the immediate interference of the CM so that such politically motivated advertisements at the expense of the exchequer are not repeated in future.”

656 unmanned level crossings in the division 12 accidents occurred at unmanned level crossings in the past three years. 70 unmanned level crossings to be manned this year. Ferozepur division extends to parts of Punjab, HP and J&K Rs 1.75 crore is the cost of converting one unmanned crossing into a manned one

Ferozepur, June 19
The Ferozepur railway division has earned the dubious distinction of having the maximum number of unmanned railway level crossings in the country.

Due to lengthy procedures coupled with high costs, the Ferozepur railway division authorities have been finding it difficult to curb accidents, which have been taking place on unmanned railway level crossings in various parts of Punjab, Himachal Pardesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Official sources said the Ferozepur railway division had 656 unmanned level crossings, 575 manned level crossings and 313 cattle crossings. The division covers about 1,700 km rail track in Punjab, Himachal Pardesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources added that in the past three years, about 12 accidents had taken place between trains and other vehicles at unmanned level crossings in the Ferozepur railway division. While five accidents, which claimed a number of lives, took place in 2007, three took place in 2008 and three in 2009.

The killing of three persons due to collision of a bus with a running train at the unmanned level crossing near Chak Shakur, 34 km from Jalandhar on the Jalandhar-Jammu highway, yesterday, was the first accident this year, where human lives were lost, the sources added.

The plight of the Ferozepur railway authorities could be perceived from the fact that though the Ministry of Railway had sanctioned manning of 70 unmanned level crossings in the division this year, so far construction of not even a single manned crossing could be started despite the fact that nearly three months of the current financial years have passed. Last year, only 20 unmanned level crossings were converted into manned crossing.

“Conversion of a single unmanned crossing into manned crossing costs around about Rs 1.75 crore that includes Rs 50 lakh on construction of the duty room, three residential quarters, provision of electricity, installation of telephone and Rs 1.25 crore as running expenses,” pointed out SK Sapra, a senior functionary of the railway division.

RV Singh, safety officer, said the railway authorities had been holding counselling camps in rural and urban areas to educate the people on how to cross the unmanned level crossing safely.

Patiala, June 19
Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today said that on the issue of royalty on water, the SAD-BJP government was considering the holding of an all-party meeting soon. While stating that she had got a call from the Principal Secretary to the CM in this regard, Bhattal said, “We have called a joint meeting of members of the Congress Legislature Party and the PPCC on June 21. The party will clarify its stand on the issue after the meeting.”

On the issue of utilisation of NREGA funds, Bhattal said that during the party’s mini session to be held in Punjab in September, the Congress would issue a “white paper” on the funds being given to the state by the Union Government under NREGA. She accused the state government of failing to utilise such funds properly.

Bhattal said as compared to the funds being given to Punjab by the Congress government at the Centre, the then NDA government “did not give more than 20 per cent of the funds.”

Speaking to mediapersons at the Circuit House this evening, Bhattal said the party was taking legal opinion on the issue of the derecognition of the Shiromani Akali Dal for participating in the SGPC elections. After taking legal advice, the Congress would appeal to the Election Commission of India to derecognise the SAD as a political party. “While the SAD had termed itself as a secular party in documents submitted to the EC, it has mentioned the SAD as a religious body in documents given to the Gurdwara Election Commission. The SAD stands exposed now”, she added.

Congress MLA from Samana Brahm Mohindra, Sangrur MLA Surinderpal Singh Sibia and PPCC secretary Rachpal Singh were also present.

Ludhiana, June 19
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has got another prestigious wheat research project funded by the US to the tune of US $ 1.5 million for a period of three years.

This will be in collaboration with the Washington State University, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Purdue University, and University of Wisconsin, COMSATS University Abbottabad (Pakistan and Punjab Agricultural University).

Dr Kulwinder S Gill of Washington State University is the principal investigator and Dr Johar Singh of the PAU is the co-principal investigator of the project.

According to Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, Dr Manjit Singh Kang, “The main goal of the project is to identify and characterise an alternative dwarfing gene system for wheat and other cereals in order to alleviate adverse effects of the currently used dwarfing genes.”

Kang, who would be going to the US next month to sign the MOU, said, “The real benefit of the project particularly to the farmers with small land holdings will come from the proposed introgression of value-added genes.” — OC

Jalandhar, June 19
In its report submitted before the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC), the state government has admitted that most of the wine salesmen were not even getting the minimum wages, fixed as Rs 4,295.

Punjab Labour Commissioner NK Wadhawan stated in his report that the employees working with wine contractors were paid Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500. He submitted his report to the PSHRC on the directions of its Chairman, Justice RS Mongia, and its member, LR Roojam, issued on a complaint filed by Jalandhar Wine Salesmen and Labour Employees Union general secretary Ravinder Singh Ravi.

The state Labour Commissioner also submitted in his report, prepared on the basis of the scrutiny by Assistant Labour Commissioners (ALCs) and Labour & Conciliation Officials of different areas, that most of the wine contractors forced their employees to work for 15 hours from 8 am to 11 pm, in clear defiance of the Excise Act and the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishment Act.

Interestingly, the Labour Commissioner further stated that the owners of 37 liquor vends were also challaned for defiance of the rules under Section 20 (4) (C) of the Payment of Wages Act, Section 18 and rule 26 (C) of the Punjab Minimum Wages Act 1948 and Sections 13 (2) (1), 20 (1) and 21 (1) of the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishment Act 1958 during scrutiny by the Labour Department officials.

Meanwhile, Ravi said that contrary to the claim made by the state Labour Commissioner that wine salesmen were paid from Rs 4,000 to 4,500 per month, they were only paid between Rs 2,500 and 3,000. He would soon file an affidavit with the PSHRC in this regard, he added.

Earlier in his complaint filed on March 9 this year, Ravi had alleged that most of the provisions of labour laws were not implemented by the liquor vend owners in connivance with government officials.

Ravi said the salesmen were forced to work for 17 hours a day from 7 am to 12 pm in violation of the Excise Act and the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishment Act.

In consideration of the allegations made in the complaint, the PSHRC made out a prima facie case of violation of human rights for proceeding under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993. After registering the complaint as a case on March 26, Justice Mongia and Roojam called for a report under Section 17 (i) of PHRA from secretary, Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Punjab.

Patiala, June 19
Non-disbursal of salaries to the employees working in defunct Rakhra Sugar Mill for past 25 months has virtually made the survival of 450 families extremely difficult.

According to the aggrieved employees, the situation has aggravated so much that now they are not able to provide even three-time-meal a day to their kids. The employees have now decided to take up the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his visit to Patiala on June 24.

General secretary of Sugar Mill Workers Union, Rakhra, Patiala, Gurmeet Singh Assemajra said it was sheer callousness on the part of the government authorities that hundreds of employees were not being given salaries for over the past two years.

“Notwithstanding the fact that inflation has gone up in the past two years, the government instead of giving us some hike has not even disbursed our salaries. How can the Punjab CM claim that the state was progressing, when the government is not even able to give salary to its employees,” he added.

They said they had met senior Akali representatives from Patiala, including SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra and Patiala District Planning Committee chairman Surjit Singh Rakhra, to help them and push their case for the early release of salaries but so far nothing has been done.

“We are struggling for survival, but the government has adopted a completely ignorant approach towards our problem,” said union president Surjit Singh Mann, while adding that few months back when the employees of the closed Fardikot Sugar Mill threatened to commit suicide, the government immediately released funds worth Rs 1 crore for the disbursal of their salaries. The union leaders have threatened to launch an agitation in case their salaries were not released at the earliest.

Though Sugarfed officials were not available for comments but a government spokesman told The Tribune that while chairing a meeting to review the working of State Cooperative Department yesterday, Parkash Singh Badal has directed the MD Sugarfed to expedite the decision of the Cabinet to give the closed sugar mills on long-term lease on BOOT basis to private sector.

Malout, June 19
Mystery shrouds the kidnapping of a 20-year-old son of a local commission agent for a ransom of Rs 3 crore from his family.

As the issue brewed tension in Bathinda, Muktsar and Sirsa districts, IGP (Bathinda zone) Rohit Chaudhary took the monitoring of the case in his hand. Though the family refused to divulge details to the media, sources said the boy, Nandan Nagpal, was a student of Khalsa College, Chandigarh.

On Thursday, he was on his way to Malout in his Honda City when around 8.45 pm he called up his family and informed that he had reached Bathinda. After sometime, he again called up his family and said after staying at his friend’s house in Bathinda, he would reach Malout on Friday. But on Friday, the family received a call from Dabwali in Haryana that some registration documents of a car bearing their address were lying on the roadside. They rushed to the spot (near Alika village on the Dabwali-Sirsa road) and found the documents belonging to Nandan’s car.

During a search operation, they found Nadan’s car at a distance of about 3 km from the location, where the documents were lying. They reported the matter to the Dabwali police, following which the Haryana police registered a case. Meanwhile, the Muktsar police also swung into action and constituted various teams.

According to the police, Raj Nagpal, the boy’s father, stated to the police that immediate after Nandan informed that he was in Bathinda and would come to Malout on Friday, his phone got switched off. Further, Nadan’s kin also informed the police about receiving a ransom call for Rs 3 crore on Friday.Working on various theories, the Haryana police constituted three teams and rushed them to Chandigarh, Malout and Bathinda.

A police team reached Bathinda to investigate the matter. Speaking to the media, the investigation officer said they were in process of collecting clues to crack the mystery. However, he did not confirm the ransom call but maintained, “It cannot be ruled out that after giving shape to some criminal act in Punjab, the accused took the car to Haryana to mislead the probe.”

On the other hand, a senior official in the Muktsar police said the call made by Nandan to his family claiming to be at Bathinda was a bogus call.

Muktsar SSP Inder Mohan Singh said, “We have been probing the matter on various theories but due to some reasons, nothing can be disclosed to the media.”

Despite repeated attempts, IG Rohit Chaudhary could not be contacted for his comment.

Amritsar, June 19
Waking up to the ill effects of drug addiction in Punjab, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and its state unit, the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC), have directed 1.40 lakh of their Aam Aadmi Ke Sipahi (AAKS) to ensure social boycott of chemists and others found to be peddling or selling synthetic drugs to youngsters.

The IYC and PYC have chalked out a strategy to fight drug addiction in the state and at the national level to contain its spread within two years by challenging those found to be selling drugs to youngsters.

The PYC has already started holding workshops in the state under the banner of “Nasha Mukat Punjab”, as the first phase of its “eliminate drug addiction” programme, supervised directly by AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and by IYC chief Rajiv Satav.

“More than 70 per cent of the Punjab youth have fallen a prey to the menace of drug addiction, particularly addiction to synthetic drugs. Now, we have decided to counter the spread of drugs by holding ‘open boycott’ of chemists and others found to be selling drugs to youngsters. The social boycott will be ensured by our Aam Aadmi Ke Sipahi with the help of NGOs in Punjab,” said PYC chief and MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and the IYC Secretary Vikas Upadhya. “We have already started the campaign by holding a three-day workshop at Amritsar,” said Bittu.

In the first phase of the programme, the PYC workers and AAKS volunteers will be deputed in five villages in each block of Punjab where they will be creating awareness against drug addiction among villagers. Similarly, volunteers will be deputed in wards in all cities of the state.

“In fact, the problem is more acute in villages as there is nobody to guide youths. We know we have a huge task ahead of us, but we are determined,” said Bittu, adding that the PYC was also preparing lists of politicians who were patronising drug peddlers.

Mumbai, June 19
Nishant Singh, an alleged Babbar Khalsa terrorist suspected to be involved in the Amritsar car bomb case, was today arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Diamond garden area, in Chembur, north-east Mumbai.

The ATS also detained five associates of Singh on suspicion but their identities have not been established. Their photographs have been sent to Punjab for verification, the ATS said.

Two pistols, one gun and 18 rounds of ammunition have been seized from Singh, ATS sources said.

Singh was wanted in a case involving recovery of 2 kg RDX from a car parked outside Amritsar railway station on May 8.

Later, he was produced before a court which remanded him to ATS custody till June 28. — PTI

Chandigarh, June 19
City-based advocate HC Arora has called upon Chief Secretary, Punjab, to hand over the process of conducting the interviews for the PCS (Executive) to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

In his letter addressed to SC Agrawal, Arora stated that after the Ravi Sidhu saga, the PPSC had been passing through yet another critical period.

“The Vigilance Bureau is conducting investigation into the selection of 312 medical officers by the PPSC, following an indictment of the selections by the Chief Secretary,” he said, adding that the Chief Secretary’s inquiry report had detected the assignment of very high marks to some of the selected candidates and rejection of a large number of meritorious candidates by giving them very low marks in the interview.

“The motives of the PPSC members for their abnormal conduct are yet to be dug out by the Vigilance Bureau,” he wrote.

Arora stated that the PPSC members have been placed in a situation where they had to make selections to the PCS (E), while they themselves have been under thick cloud over their integrity. “The confidence of the public in fairness of the ongoing selection process is bound to be shaken in the prevailing situation,” he wrote.

Arora has suggested to the Chief Secretary that in this situation, “it will only be fair if the state government brings forth a notification for amending the relevant provisions of the Punjab State Civil Services Rules 2009, for handing over the interviews of the selection process for the PCS (E) to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

“The PCS officers on executive side discharge a lot of quasi-judicial and judicial functions and the fairness of the selection process for the PCS officers requires that the judges of the High Court should monitor the interviews for their selection”.

Zirakpur, June 19
The Chhatbir Zoological Park will get a toy train soon. According to sources, after the ban on entry of two and three-wheelers inside the zoo, the authorities concerned had sent a proposal to start a toy train.

The zoo field director said the proposal had been approved by the Central Zoo Authority. The cost of the project was estimated at Rs 3 crore and the work would start soon, he added.

The director said the train would start from the zoo entrance and would have around five stoppages along the way.

He added that at least five wagons would be attached to the engine initially and the number would be increased subsequently.

Each wagon would have a seating capacity of 20 passengers, he added.

Sangrur, June 19
A farmer of Hariou village near Sunam was shot dead today after an altercation with a neighbour over a drain passing through their fields.

The deceased, Gurcharan Singh, was having a dispute with Jangir Singh, a farmer and his neighbour, over a drain passing through their fields, the police said.

Gurcharan, who was watering his fields in the morning, was allegedly attacked by Jangir and his three sons when he entered into some altercation with them.

The police has registered a case under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 of the IPC (acts done by several persons in furthrance of common intention) against the accused, but no arrests have been made so far. — PTI