Chandigarh, July 7
The Punjab Congress disciplinary committee today decided to issue a show- cause notice to Bholath legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira for alleging that the incumbent state leadership seemed to be hand in glove with the Akalis even as legislature party leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said “strict” disciplinary action would be taken against him.

Party disciplinary committee chairman G K Chatrath, when contacted by TNS, said he had received a complaint against Khaira from the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. “I have decided to issue a show-cause notice to Khaira asking him to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him”, he said.

Chatrath said he was also writing to the party high command to emphasise the need for action against any leader violating party discipline. “We are taken aback by Khaira’s statement since he is not only a legislator but also the district Congress chief of Kapurthala”.

Meanwhile, Bhattal claimed that indiscipline of the sort shown by Khaira would not be tolerated. She said action would be taken against the legislator soon.

The CLP leader also claimed it was for the people to understand as to whose interests the Bholath legislator was guarding by making such allegations when the party organisational elections were under way. Bhattal said the legislator had been airing his views on various subjects earlier also and had been pulled up for the same. “He had given an assurance that he would be careful in future but now it seems he is helping the Akalis by weakening the Congress through his statements”.

The CLP leader claimed Khaira had not functioned appropriately as Kapurthala district party president. “In last three years he has not held any conference or agitation in his district. There is also not a single instance when he asked the Punjab Congress for help on any issue”, she added.

Khaira, however, is in no mood to relent. He told TNS today that if speaking on behalf of Congress workers was disobedience, he was ready to face any stringent action. He said he had been arrested thrice for taking up people’s issues in the past three years but not once did the CLP leader or Pradesh Congress president Mohinder Singh Kaypee care to meet him in jail.

The legislator said he left it to the party workers of his district and the people of Punjab to judge his performance, adding he had been vocal in the Assembly and outside as far as the SAD-BJP government’s “takeover” of transport, the cable network and bulk liquor trade was concerned.

Amritsar, July 7
Activists of 17 farmer organisations held a joint protest against the policies of the government outside the SDM’s office here today.

Holding placards, the agitating farmers raised slogans against the Central and state governments for their failure in controlling spiraling inflation. They said hike in the prices of petrol and other products would result in increase in the prices of essential commodities. President of the Kissan Sangarsh Committee Satnam Singh Pannu said capitalist policies of World Bank and International Monetary Fund were being implemented in the country. As a result, the Congress-led UPA government had hiked fuel prices thrice in the past one year.

The organisations which took part include the BKU (Ugrahan), Kirti Kissan Union, Kissan Sangarsh Committee, Jamhoori Kissan Sabha, Punjab Kissan Union, Bharti Kissan Union (Krantikari), Kirti Kissan Sabha, Vikas Front, Khet Mazdoor Union, Pendu Mazdoor Union, Dehati Mazdoor Sabha and Mazdoor Mukti Morcha.

Garhi (Samrala), July 7
Fearing the destruction of crops on over 40,000 acres of land submerged under water in Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib, farmers of Garhi, Urna, Mushkabad, Dhande and Neelon villages blocked traffic on the Samrala-Machhiwara road for the second day today.

Even after five days, the administration has failed to take steps to pump out water from 30 flooded villages adjoining Samrala. Urna village, being the last village touching this road, is the worst affected as water from adjoining villages has accumulated here, taking the water level to 8 ft at some places.

Village sarpanch Gurpreet Singh said Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had promised to make arrangements for food during his visit to the village yesterday.

“We are worried as almost all tube wells are dysfunctional and marginal farmers will not be in a condition to make arrangements for two meals a day in the absence of the state’s support,” said Harmel Singh of Pal Majra village.

BKU (Rajewal) chief Balbir Singh Rajewal said approximate loss incurred by farmers in the paddy crop would be between Rs 25,000- 30,000. He demanded that the state government should make immediate arrangements for compensation. “Two pumps set up to drain out water from fields were sent without fuel and people pooled in money for diesel, which points towards the indifferent attitude of the administration,” alleged the BKU president.

Ludhiana DC Rahul Tewari said work to open nullahs on the Samrala-Machhiwara road had begun. Water would recede in a few hours and farmers would be compensated for their losses as promised by the Deputy CM, the DC added.

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 7
With the flood-like situation in areas of Fatehgarh Sahib, panic has gripped the residents over the rumours of water damaging houses, roads and recently sown paddy crop. There is flood scare in about 180 villages of the area. Residents of villages situated along Sirhind Canal are disturbed over the rise in water level.

“There is hardly any information about weather, water level and damage caused by incessant rains. We rush from one place to another after reports of water entering into villages,” said Tejwant Singh of Bassi Pathana.

He said the villagers with the help of government officials had plugged patches of Bhakra Canal near Thablan village yesterday but so far lack of coordination among people and the government officials has lead to chaos all around.

Water level is increasing as incessant rains continued on the fourth day today. The newly constructed roads have also been damaged.

The road leading to Mahadiyan village from Sirhind and the link road near the administrative complex has developed cracks and weakened at many places. Water has also entered the MC building, grain market and residential areas of Sirhind.

Illegal constructions over the Sirhind Choe have blocked the path of water and it has come out on the roads and residential areas near Dashnami Akhara.

Sikandar Singh of Marofal said the villagers were forced to break roads to pave way for the water. The roads constructed near Kotla village adjoining the Farmer Training Centre do not have siphons and few thin pipes are not enough to drain out the large amounts of rainwater. He added that nearly 100 acres in the village had submerged.

Shaheedgarh, Mahadiyan, Raipur Gujran, Mehmudpur, Meerpur and Jodhpur are also affected due to the continuous rains. Though Deputy Commissioner Yashvir Majahan rushed to the affected areas and pacified villagers, but the residents rued that the water had damaged their crop, houses and roads due to lack of pro-active approach of the administration.

Patiala, July 7
The District Congress Committee (Urban) leaders today came out in support of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the issue of river water royalty. DCC(U) president Prem Krishan Puri stated that Amarinder had rightly pointed out that the Akali leaders, including the CM, were issuing statements that could prompt Himachal Pradesh to demand water royalty from Punjab.

“It is really unfortunate that it was the Akali government during whose tenure the SYL project was taken up. They never paid any heed towards laying of more water channels to provide requisite water for irrigation. Instead of criticising Amarinder, the present government should focus on pursuing the state’s case in the Supreme Court as the latter would be taking up the inter-state river waters dispute on July 13,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Puri along with Congress activists today visited the areas that have been affected due to breach in the Ghaggar in Patiala. He urged the district administration to take necessary measures to deal with the situation and also provide monetary help to the affected families.

However, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Ajay Thapar has criticised the SAD-BJP government for failing to make proper arrangement to deal with the flood situations in the state. “Despite the fact that every year villages on the banks of the Ghaggar have to bear the brunt of flash floods, the Drainage Department and the administration have failed to make necessary arrangements to deal with the exigency,” he alleged.

Amritsar, July 7
Former Jathedar, Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, has demanded a fresh probe to find out the reasons leading to the accident of a Santro car (PB-10-BE-2288) near Khajjiar in which Senior Deputy Mayor Ajaybir Pal Singh Randhawa’s wife, Mandip Kaur, and daughter, Anhadnoor Kaur, 9, were killed about one and a half years ago. Addressing mediapersons here today, Bhai Ranjit Singh said the car belonged to a resident of Ludhiana, which Ajaybir had borrowed from Sub-Inspector Sarbjit Singh, who was then SHO of Police Station C division.

He alleged that the Himachal government, under pressure of the BJP and Akali leaders of Punjab, had cancelled the case registered under Sections 304-A/287, IPC, without even holding a proper investigation, ascertaining the ownership of the car and its forensic check-up.

He furnished a six-page report compiled by the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) and added that Ajaybir remarried Rupinder Kaur on June 20.

Meanwhile, Chairman, PHRO, Justice (retd) Ajit Singh Bains posted the report to Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh, PK Dhumal, to conduct an independent inquiry into the case to nail the culprit.

The report claimed that “as per the inquiry of the PHRO team, it is not an accident but a well-planned murder”. It claimed that during investigation, it came to light that Ajaybir had illicit relations with Rupinder and added that both had gone abroad many times. It added that earlier Rupinder had relations with a journalist of an English daily and Ajaybir had made an abortive attempt to kill him through a road accident.

It stated that Rupinder’s brother Palwinder Singh Sandhu had a criminal record and Ajaybir used to protect him from the clutches of the police. It alleged that all three had conspired to eliminate Mandip while Anhadnoor was murdered to present the murders as an accident.

Ajaybir said he was ready to face any inquiry. He said the untimely death of his wife and daughter had already shattered his life.

Gurdaspur, July 7
In a volte-face, rice millers of the district, who had earlier submitted affidavits against senior FCI officers levelling charges of corruption, have now withdrawn them, claiming that they had submitted the sworn statements in a “fit of rage”.

Owners of eight rice mills had submitted affidavits to various agencies, including the Union Food Supply Minister, Director, CBI, and Chief Income Tax Commissioner (Punjab), levelling charges of corruption against Gurdaspur FCI officials.

Subsequently, the General Manager, North Zone, FCI, Neel Kanth S Awadh, initiated a departmental inquiry into the charges. AS Arunachalam, Deputy General Manager (Region), was entrusted with the inquiry.

Insiders claim that once the all-powerful FCI Employees Union — the Bharatiya Khadya Nigam Karamchari Sangh (BKNKS) (Gurdaspur) — started backing their officers, the rice milers found themselves caught in a dilemma. The millers, sources claim, were under tremendous pressure to take back the affidavits.

The millers have become a virtual laughing stock in the district for their volte-face. Interestingly, the rice shellers, in the new affidavits, have termed the same officer, whom they earlier had claimed as “a corrupt officer”, as a “very co-operative and honest officer.”

Amritsar, July 7
To check the growing number of land disputes in the rural areas owing to a hike in the prices of land and non-partition of joint land revenue accounts since 1960, the Amritsar district administration has initiated a drive to ensure partition of landed properties --- khangi takseem --- in association with the Revenue Department.

It was for the first time since the large-scale consolidation of land in the sixties that a mammoth exercise to ensure the partition of joint land accounts (mushtarka khata) was being carried out in any district of Punjab, sources pointed out.

The exercise assumes importance from the social angle also as the non-partition of land accounts was leading to a rise in land disputes and legal tangles over ownership rights owing to the prevailing ambiguity among landowners in Punjab.

Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu said he had involved the Revenue Department as well as the village nambardars to encourage the people to go for the partition of joint property accounts.

The present system of partition of joint family properties, only in case of disputes, was not only cumbersome, but was also leading to long legal battles, burdening the legal system in the state, sources said.

Pannu claimed he had embarked upon a plan by involving the village nambardars, panchayats and revenue officials not only to effect the family partition of properties, but also to create an awareness campaign for encouraging the landowners to come forward for 'khangi takseem'. “As a result of the campaign, about 2,000 joint property accounts have been partitioned during the past 15 days only,” he said.

Chandigarh, July 7
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today issued strict instructions to get the illegal constructions, unauthorised bandhs and encroachments blocking the natural flow of rainwater removed within a month.

Reviewing the flood-protection measures in view of a record 144-mm rain in Punjab during the past 24 hours, the Deputy CM asked the Chief Secretary to issue strict instructions to all Deputy Commissioners to get the rivulets and drains cleared of all encroachments within the next 30 days without failure. He said the Deputy Commissioners of districts concerned should be made accountable and they should send a compliance report to the Chief Secretary.

Sukhbir claimed his aerial visit to the flood-affected areas in Samrala, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali districts revealed that most of the flooding was man- made with encroachments having impeded the natural flow of water. He said the problem of encroachments was acute in Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib district, adding that in case of excessive rain, encroachments in Budha Nullah could flood Ludhiana city.

Accompanied by Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, the Deputy CM said Patiala, a part of Mohali district, Sangrur and Mansa face the threat of flood from the fury of Ghaggar as the Union Government had stopped the channelisation and construction of a flood- protection bandh near Khanauri on the objection of Haryana. He said the district administration of these districts had been put on high alert.

Jalandhar, July 7
Thousands of passengers were put to hardship here on the second consecutive day today as seven trains passing through this railway station were cancelled and the rest were delayed by hours.

Rail traffic could not be restored to normal on the Ambala-Delhi route even today. Northern Railway PRO AS Negi told The Tribune that water accumulated on the rail track in Ambala had starting receding.

He said it would further take several hours to restore the rail traffic here, adding that trains were diverted to a long route of Kurukshetra, Narwana and Jalakhal to reach Amritsar and Jammu.

Meanwhile, Amritsar-bound Swarna Shatabdi, Shan-e Punjab, Amritsar-New Delhi Super, Ambala passenger and Delhi-bound Jan Nayak and Jan Sadaran trains were cancelled today.

The rest of the trains were running late from two to 13 hours. While Jalianwala Bagh Express reached here by 12.30 hours late, Howrah mail and Howrah duplicate did not reach here. The Railway Department had to bear a huge loss as several stranded passengers preferred to board buses for their short destinations whereas a number of passengers cancelled their tickets due to delay in the arrival of trains.

Chandigarh, July 7
Members of the IAS-PCS Cooperative Housing Society yesterday stated that they had not “grabbed” any land in Chandigarh’s periphery and the land in the possession of the society had been bought from the landowners by the members after informing the government.

NS Sangha, general secretary of the PCS Officers Association, and also member of the managing committee of the society, stated that the members had written to the chief secretary explaining the position with regard to the land purchased by the society.

“An erroneous impression has been created as if the land owned by the society has been grabbed by officers using their influence. However, the fact is that the society members bought this land directly from the landowners over a period of four years. All purchases are bona fide and the membership of each person has been reflected in his or her property returns,” said Sangha.

He added that the society had not flouted any rule of the urban authorities and had gone out of its way to include more members so as to complete the earmarked 100 acres required for the setting up of a group housing colony in the periphery,” he added.

Some other members of the society pointed out that all charges due to the government had been paid by the society. “Not an inch of either shamlat land or forestland has been touched by the society and this can be checked from the revenue records,” said a member.

He added that the IAS-PCS officers’ society was one of the five group housing societies that were coming up in the area. These societies include professionals, doctors, engineers and judges, he said.

Another member said the interim report filed by ADGP Chandreshekhar had only mentioned that 48 members had not furnished information regarding the source of funds, which were used in buying land for the society. The report objected to that and named those IAS and PCS officers as having furnished incomplete information.

“All members had pooled in money to purchase land for the society. As a result when the property returns were filed no one was an owner of immovable property. It was duly mentioned in the return that we are members of the society and they have applied for a plot of a particular size. But since the plot was not allotted there was no point in giving information related to the funds,” said another member adding that the information which the Chandrashekher Report found lacking had now been given and there was no deliberate concealment of any information.

Patiala, July 7
In protest against non-fulfilment of their demands by the Punjab government, the Punjab Civil Medical Service-I (PCMS-I) Association will stage a demonstration at Directorate of Health Services, Punjab, coming July 9.

General secretary of PCMS-I association Dr DC Sharma said about 250 PCMS-I doctors, serving as senior medical officers (SMOs) in the Health Department of the state, were not granted the promotion increments from the date they were assigned the post of SMO.

“Under pressure of our association, the Health Department gave promotion increment to 172 SMOs by giving them formal promotions through the departmental promotion committee this year, but from the current date and not retrospectively with effect from the dates they were actually appointed and functioning as SMOs,” he claimed.

“Hence supported by the association, the affected doctors will be filing a civil writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard,” he announced.

Dr Sharma also pointed out that non-practising allowance (NPA) of the state government doctors has always been treated as “pay” for all intents and purposes, including calculation of the house rent allowance and rural area allowance. “But now, due to a mere typing error in the notification pertaining to the NPA, the Punjab doctors are being denied the house rent allowance and some other allowances on the NPA,” he rued.