 |
|
|
Canadian MP wants Sikh blacklist to be made public
Ex-MP Zora Singh dead
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
People brave sunshine to welcome
Queen’s Baton
Hoshiarpur, June 27 Braving sunshine, officials of the district administration, sportsmen, politicians, including Member of the Rajya Sabha Avinash Rai Khanna, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, Arunesh Shakar, district president of the SAD, Surinder Singh Bhulewal Rathan, former minister, Punjab, Balbir Singh Miani, and the general public warmly welcomed the Queen's Baton for the 19th Commonwealth Games on its arrival in front of the local DAV College this afternoon.
Alert driver averts train mishap
PTU likely to have 20 new colleges
Drug de-addiction centres proposed
Panel resents denial of quota to PU students
President lauds state’s initiative
on Nanhi Chhan
Police ‘apathy’
Canada toughens immigration laws, Oz keeps its doors open
Canada, Oz amend immigration rules
Wife of late freedom fighter dead
Accidents a routine here
Five Patiala students for C’wealth project
Badal urged to safeguard Punjab rivers
Rural docs rue govt apathy, threaten stir
French citizen told to leave India
|
Canadian MP wants Sikh blacklist to be made public
Chandigarh, June 27 Malhi, who represents the main Opposition party, Liberals, in the House of Commons, is scheduled to call on the visiting Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, tomorrow. He is expected to raise a series of issues with the Indian PM. Interacting with The Tribune online, Malhi maintains that the Punjabi community in Canada feels aggrieved due to a so-called ‘blacklist’, the shadow of which lingers upon every settler here when he thinks of visiting India. “He is haunted by the treatment likely to be meted out to him at the airports in India, of being harassed or even asked to go back. “I suggest that the names in the ‘blacklist’ be made public. Those who are wanted in India in any activity amounting to an offence may be subjected to the extradition proceedings, pursuant to the year 1987 extradition treaty signed between India and Canada. Further, the names of people not involved in any criminal activity be removed from the ‘blacklist’, so that innocent people can visit their home country without any fear,” adds Malhi. He also maintains that the Air India tragedy of 1985 still haunts every Sikh in Canada as a suspect and party to it. “We want this matter to be clarified in an effective way. We feel India had the same powers and the jurisdiction under the International Law to commence proceedings in India and bring the perpetrators to justice, by way of an independent inquiry, investigation or trial, towards which direction India has not taken a single step. Commission after commission in Canada has only scratched the old wounds of the victims’ families besides putting the entire Sikh community on the suspect list that we want to be cleared as early as possible. A step in this direction will help the entire community re-gain its self pride and redress feelings of the injured. Gurbax Malhi also wants the Indian government to fast track the delivery of justice and compensate the families of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Other issues being raised by him are artifacts taken away from the Golden Temple complex during Operation Bluestar to be returned, properties of Punjab NRIs be provided legal protection through legislation, take necessary steps to prevent fraud marriages, take steps and sign old-age security treaty with Canada so that those old people who come to Canada can benefit from old-age security in the new country of their abode and prevent misuse of the provisions of proclaimed offenders laws against the NRIs.
|
|
Ex-MP Zora Singh dead
Chak Suhelewala (Ferozepur), June 27 His son Vardev Mann, a member of the SGPC, and other family members were at his bedside when he breathed last. Born on June 18, 1940, Mann, who remained the sarpanch of Chak Suhelewala village for about 26 years (from 1972 to 1998), became a member of the SGPC in 1996 and then MP in 1998 after he was elected for the Lok Sabha as a SAD candidate. Mann was one among those trusted lieutenants of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who always stood by him (Badal) when he faced political crises and a serious threat to his life from terrorists. He was also known for his exemplary courage, which he showed when he would take terrorists head on whenever they (terrorists) tried to upset or sabotage political programmes of Badal. Mann also earned appreciations from his political rivals for extra pains he would take for supporting his associates and workers of the party. He was also popular among every section of society for his style of functioning and straightforwardness. He also earned a name for himself for bringing various development projects in the border district of Ferozepur. Mann single handedly established one of the best schools in this village where high standard education was being given to rural students. However, a section of SAD leaders succeeded in pushing him to his political isolation, as he was not nominated as a party candidate from the Ferozepur Lok Sabha in the 2009 General Election. The culture of “caste politics”, which gripped the SAD in the past few years, and paving a smooth way for the entry of Sukhbir Badal into the state Assembly with an emphatic win from the Jalalabad Assembly segment were the main reasons behind the “unceremonial exit” of Mann from the political scene of the party and Punjab. Mann was, however, made the patron of the SAD unit of Muktsar district by Sukhbir Badal. Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on the village and its surrounding areas. His body is expected to reach here late in the evening.
|
|
People brave sunshine to welcome
Queen’s Baton
Hoshiarpur, June 27 Col Kuldip Singh Bantsu and a former MP, Sq Ldr Kamal Chaudhary, handed over the Queen's Baton to the Punjab Minister for Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife, Parliamentary Affairs and Labour Tikshan Sud. Sud said the Queen's Baton would strengthen brotherhood among the member countries of the Commonwealth. Appealing to the youth of Punjab not to indulge in intoxication activities, Sud said they should instead take part in sports. Later, Sud handed over the Queen's Baton to former international bodybuilding champion Prem Chand Digra and other sportsmen. The baton was taken in a procession to Government College where a cultural programme was organised to mark the occasion. At 3 pm, it was taken to Hariana, Bhunga, Garhdiwala, Dasuya and Mukerian towns of the district.
— OC
|
|
Alert driver averts train mishap
Bathinda, June 27
According to sources in the railway, around 6.20 am when the Sriganganagar-bound, 4712 Haridwar-Sriganganagar Express, was passing the area near Karamgarh Chatra, which falls between Balluana and Gidderbaha, the driver of the train, Neel Kanth, felt an “unusual jerk” in the engine. Sensing something odd, he immediately applied the brake. When the train halted, he started inspecting the tracks to find out the reason of the jerk only to see a fracture in the track. However, between the application of the brake and the complete halt of the train, as many as 11 coaches of the train passed over the fracture. The driver informed senior railway officials about the incident. Soon, the rail staff of the department concerned and the nearby stations reached the site and tied the fish plates as a stop-gap arrangement to avoid disruption of the rail movement. The train was allowed to run at a speed of 10 kmph. Later, the damaged part of the track was replaced and sent to the railway lab for testing to ascertain the reason behind the fracture. Railway sources said rail fracture was common during summer, particularly at the time of drastic fluctuations in temperature. Rail officials, including Bathinda ATM Sher Singh, AE MP Singh, RPF commander MK Panwar and others reached the site and conducted the repair work. The Haridwar-Sriganganagar resumed journey after an hour, the sources said.
|
|
PTU likely to have 20 new colleges
Jalandhar, June 27 Of the total applications that have come to the AICTE and PTU for an approval and inspections, 13 have come for opening new engineering colleges while seven are for MBA and MCA colleges. If all applications are accepted, PTU, which has 82 engineering colleges, will have 95 colleges in the new session. Since an approval for new colleges is still awaited, these could not participate in the first round of the online counselling -the results of which were declared yesterday. It is learnt that there has been a proposal that some of these colleges be given to Punjabi University or Guru Nanak Dev University in their respective areas so that the system may be managed more conveniently and students may be saved from any further harassment. PTU VC Dr Rajneesh Arora, however, refuted any need to shift the affiliation of colleges. “We are managing the system comfortably. The number of complaints of students has gone down even as their overall strength has multiplied. We already have added some staff and are in the process of getting more people,” he said.
|
|
Drug de-addiction centres proposed
Chandigarh, June 27 The minister reaffirmed the state’s commitment to fight drug menace. She said three de-addiction centres were functioning in state medical colleges at Patiala, Amritsar Faridkot and another seven de-addiction centres were working at district hospitals at Tarn Taran , Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Hoshiarpur. The minister said 15,113 patients had received treatment at one of these de-addiction centres through their OPDs and 2,421 patients were admitted for de-addiction in 2009 in de-addiction centres set up by the government. She said the Health Department had commissioned a study on drug abuse in the border districts of Punjab funded by the NRHM Punjab at the cost of Rs 5 lakh which was almost complete.
|
|
Panel resents denial of quota to PU students
Jalandhar, June 27 Over 200 members of the committee from across the state held a meeting here yesterday and demanded that the university should restart giving reservations in admissions to students belonging to the Backward and the Other Backward Classes (BC and OBCs) with immediate effect. The reservations should be on the pattern followed by other universities, they demanded. The committee threatened to hold a protest in front of the office of the PU Vice-Chancellor if the provision of reservations in admissions for the BCs and OBCs students was not restored. Talking to The Tribune, Swaran Singh, president of the committee, said the PU had scrapped reservations for the BC and OBC categories in all academic courses in 2004. Harbajhan Singh, president of Baba Makhan Singh Lubana Foundation, Chandigarh, said the issue was taken up with the university authorities which admitted to scrapping of reservations in admissions to the BC and OBC students. The authorities, however, failed to justify the step, he claimed. Kehar Singh, a former president of the committee, claimed that the issue had already been taken up with the Secretary, Social Welfare, Punjab, and the PU VC. The committee was hopeful of a favourable outcome at the next meeting of the PU Syndicate, scheduled for June 29. The committee members have also demanded 27 per cent reservation in admissions for the BC and OBC categories students in the PU as in other universities.
|
|
President lauds state’s initiative
on Nanhi Chhan
Chandigarh, June 27 Harsimrat received accolades, who visited the President to invite her to inaugurate a national conference on “Missing Girl Child Phenomenon” to be held in Amritsar in October-November. According to sources, the President has agreed to the invitation. The conference had to be held last year, but it was deferred as Harsimrat had taken ill. The MP reportedly told the President that Punjab had the most unfavourable child sex ratio in the country due to the problem of a preference for a male child. She said the past over one year had seen a marginal improvement in the sex ratio due to awareness initiatives launched by the state.
|
|
Police ‘apathy’
Bathinda, June 27 Sources said a couple of days ago, Gurcharan Singh had a quarrel with a kin of a SAD-affiliated family of the village. During the fight, Gurcharan had sustained a deep wound in his head. Later, he was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Rampura Phul. Accusing the police of not taking action against the alleged accused, Natha Singh, Gurcharan’s uncle, today visited the Balianwali police station and asked for the reason for taking the case so callously. But the cops asked him to reach a compromise with the accused party. Irked over this, “harassed” Natha Singh threatened them to commit suicide in the police station. However, taking his words as hoax, cops asked him to do whatever he wished to do but outside the police station. Natha Singh left the office and tried to commit suicide by hanging himself with a tree at the entrance of the police station. After seeing him taking such action, worried cops rushed to him and assured him of proper action against the alleged accused. However, the SHO, Balianwali, said, “The delay was not on our part but the injured himself was not lodging his statement with the investigation officer.”
|
|
Canada toughens immigration laws, Oz keeps its doors open
Chandigarh, June 27 Incidentally, announcement of the new immigration rules has coincided with the visit of Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to Canada. On the other hand, Australia has also introduced major changes in its immigration rules that are welcoming for the prospective immigrants as well as old applicants who are in the queue. Some of the new occupations included by Canada in its demand list are primary production managers (except agriculture), adjusters and claims examiners, biologists and related scientists, architects, dentists, pharmacists, social workers. Many of the existing trades have been omitted. The new rules that have become effective immediately require all federal skilled worker applicants to have experience in one of 29 in demand occupations or have a job offer to be eligible to apply for permanent residency (PR). Moreover, Canada will now accept only 20,000 applications with a maximum of 1,000 applications per occupation for processing for those applying under the occupation list. The cap of 1,000 applications in each occupation has been introduced to manage the intake. For these applications, once the cap is reached, will be sent back and their processing fees will be refunded. But the applications with a job offer are not restricted to this 20,000 cap. In addition, all Federal skilled worker and Canadian experience class applicants will now be required to send a complete and comprehensive file, including IELTS result to the Central Intake Unit (CIU) at the time of filing the application to promptly get into the processing queue. After introduction of the new rules that limit annual global intake to 80,000, they push India from its second top immigrant source to seventh slot. BS Sandhu, Chairman and Managing Director, WorldWide Immigration Consultancy Services Ltd. (WWICS), told The Tribune that “all cases filed on or before June 25 will not be affected by the changes. Pendency of cases filed in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 will now be cleared on top priority. Once the backlog is cleared, I anticipate the Canadian immigration intake will increase again making 1 per cent of the Canadian population. But clearing of this backlog of 3,80,000 applications may take another two-three years. People keen to immigrate to Canada will have some other options as well.” “The federal investor immigrant programme has been suspended awaiting new changes in the eligibility criteria. Until the changes in network and investment are finalised, the Government will stop accepting new investor applications,” said BS Sandhu. Talking about the Australia immigration changes, Sandhu says, “Australia has also come up with a dynamic programme introducing new skill occupation list (SOL) to come into effect from July 1.” For the past four months, Australia has stopped accepting new applications but with the new SOL it has opened the doors wide open. Now all major skilled professionals and trade persons are included in the SOL applicable for federal and state- sponsored programme. Prospective immigrants can take full advantage of the same, adds Sandhu. “In the past, 30,000 families used to immigrate to Canada under Skilled Worker Programme from India and India has been the second highest immigrant source country. But with the changed scenario, Australia will soon become the number one destination for Indians seeking immigration abroad,” he added.
|
|
Canada, Oz amend immigration rules
Chandigarh, June 27 Both have announced new occupation lists and Australia, which had stopped accepting new applications for the past four months, has thrown the doors open again, according to a press note issued by immigration consultancy firm WWICS here today. Canada has come up with a new occupation in demand list, adding that occupations like primary production managers (except agriculture), adjusters and claims examiners, biologists and related scientists, architects, dentists, pharmacists and social workers while omitting some others. However, Canada will now accept only 20,000 applications with a maximum of 1,000
applications per occupation for those applying under the occupation list. In addition, all federal skilled worker and canadian experience class applicants will now be required to send complete and comprehensive file, including IELTS result, to the Central Intake Unit at the time of filing the application in order to promptly get into the
processing queue. Meanwhile, Australia has come up with a new Skill Occupation List (SOL), which will come into effect from July 1, 2010. Now, all major skilled professionals and trade persons were included in the
SOL,Lt-Col BS Sandhu (retd), CMD, WWICS, said.
|
|
|
Wife of late freedom fighter dead
Chandigarh, June 27 Though she lost her husband in 1984, she dedicated her life to prayers and social work, choosing to lead a quiet and unobtrusive life. Her biggest contribution was to bring up her children and grandchildren with strong Indian values, constantly reinforcing in them the value of being born in a free and democratic country where thoughts, feelings and opinions could be expressed in an unfettered and fearless way, things her generation had to fight hard for and often at the cost of grave personal risk and expense. She leaves behind four sons, two daughters besides a loving brood of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was particularly proud of the Durga Das Foundation, an institution that was named after her husband, and is a legacy that the family intends to dedicate to his memory. Cremation will take place at the Sector 25 cremation grounds on Monday at 11 am.
|
|
Accidents a routine here
Rajpura, June 27 Three accidents took place today, hardly 15 km away from Shambhu Barrier in Rajpura. Two trucks coming from Delhi towards Rajpura overturned, while a car collided with a two-wheeler today on the NH-1. A truck (HR 37 A 9857) carrying scrap from Delhi was on its way towards Mandi Gobindgarh and its front wheel bumped with one of the stones kept adjoining the pavement. The accidents took place in the wee hours today. “Since the stones pose danger to commuters it must immediately be removed from the roadside. I tried my best to escape these stones, but got hit by one of them,” said the truck driver, trying to remove scrap from his vehicle. The truck owner, advocate Jatinderpal Singh said truckers have been paying hefty toll and even then no facility had been provided to them. He also demanded that the road should immediately be repaired or re-carpeted. Single entry for a car from Shambhu to Karnal has been Rs 47 and for double its Rs 70, trucks and buses pay Rs 164 for single entry for the same distance and for double they pay Rs 247. For class IV double axle trucks Rs 264 has been the charge for the single entry and for double Rs 397 up to Karnal from Shambhu. The police officials at the Shambhu police post said they have witnessed rise in accidents during the past few days and numerous complaints have also been received by the commuters in this regard. As potholes get deeper after the rainy season, the highway has become more dangerous during night hours, they said. While the officials and employees at the toll plaza refused to comment, however, maintenance manager Devinder Kumar admitting the problem said the problem would be solved soon. Project manager Colonel (retd) R. Rastogi assured to look into the problem.
|
|
Five Patiala students for C’wealth project
Patiala, June 27 The students have been selected as research fellows to guide players to make their physique better. Two more students of the department have been selected as junior scientific officers. Dr Parambir Singh, head of the Sports Science Department, said the five students who were selected as research fellows were Karamjeet Kaur, Rupinderjeet Kaur, Rupinder Kaur, Yogwinder Singh and Neha. These students had done MSc in sports sciences, he said. The students would be attached with the Sports Authority of India even after the Commonwealth Games. They will do research on various samples taken from the bodies of various athletes. —
TNS
|
|
|
Badal urged to safeguard Punjab rivers
Patiala, June 27 SSF president Parmjeet Singh Gazi said these Sections were ultravires of the Constitution of India, and thus, void. Gazi told the TNS: “As per entry 17 of List-II under Seventh Schedule of the Constitution; water, that is to say, water supplies, irrigation and canals, drainage and embankments, water storage and water power are exclusive subjects of the states. However, in case of inter-state rivers, this entry is subject to the provisions of entry 56 of List-I that is the Union List, which authorises the Centre to regulate inter-state rivers. Using this power, the Centre has enacted the ‘Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956’.” — TNS
|
|
|
Rural docs rue govt apathy, threaten stir
Patiala, June 27 Though rural doctors, working under zila parishads, had been accusing the state of ignoring their interests, yet government’s recent decision pertaining to the re-employment of doctors retiring from the Department of Health and Family Welfare has triggered the momentum of anger among rural doctors. Notably, while stating that in order to cope up with the situation arising out of shortage of specialist doctors in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the state cabinet in its meeting held on June 17, had announced that the Health Department could re-employ retired specialist doctors against clinical posts. The said decision evoked sharp reactions from some of the doctors’ associations, particularly the Rural Medical Services Association and the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association. Karanvir Singh, president of the RMSA Ferozepur unit, said: “We had already given ultimatum to the state to withdraw the decision by June 28, failing which our association would launch a agitation in the entire state.”
|
|
French citizen told to leave India Ropar, June 27 SSP Ropar LK Yadav said the 65-year-old French lady Annie Mary Catherine had been living in the Naval Ji Ki Kutiya (an ashram) area of Nangal since May 28, 2007. The issue came to light when Catherine requested an extension of visa expressing her desire to stay at the ashram forever and pursue her religious pursuits. As per her request application, she had come to India in 1989. During this time period, she came in contact with Swami Basant and Swami Naval. Since 1997, she has been regularly coming to the ashram on tourist visa.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Chandigarh, June 27
Zora Singh Mann, who was MP from the Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency for three consecutive terms, from 1998 to 2009, died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in New Delhi this morning. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
Chandigarh, June 27
Rajpura, June 27
