Proposal to promote 27 officers to IPS cadre
Phillaur, September 10
Director-General of Police (DGP) PS Gill has admitted shortage of IPS officers in the state and said a proposal to promote 27 PPS officers to IPS cadre had been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs for an approval.

Khuntia: Don’t allow disruption of Cong conference
Chandigarh, September 10
All-India Congress Secretary RC Khuntia today asserted that the party did not expect the Punjab government to allow anybody to take the law into their own hands and disrupt its regional conference being held in Mohali on September 27.

Jalandhar, September 10
The Chief Information Commissioner, Punjab, has issued a notice to the state Finance Department for alleged denial of information in a stipulated period to the Bharti Kisan Union with regard to the “package of Rs 800 crore” given by the Centre to the state. The Finance Department has been directed to submit the reply on October 4.

The information was sought from the state Finance Department by the Bharti Kisan Union president Balbir Singh Rajewal. The BKU leader had complained to the commission that the state government continued to dodge him deliberately for more than three months.

Rajewal said he had sent two applications -- one to the Union Agricultural Ministry and the other to the state government authorities -- on April 13 seeking information with regard to the “package”. The Union Agriculture Ministry was asked whether it had given any package to Punjab and the state government was asked whether it had received any package from the Centre.

“While the Centre provided complete information in 20 days on receiving the application, but I got no response from the state government till mid-August. My application was sent from one department to the other. And from most of the state government departments, I got the reply that the matter was not related to them,” said Rajewal. “At last I approached the commission again and it issued a notice on August 24 to the state government with regard to the delay in providing the information. Immediately after the notice, I got the information on August 28,” said Rajewal.

“But as it was given only after receiving the notice and was denied in the stipulated period, I argued my case before the Chief Information Commissioner to ask the state government authorities and the Finance Department that why was the information not given within the stipulated period?” said Rajewal.

The commissioner had issued a notice to the Finance Department to explain.

Rajewal said his purpose of seeking the information regarding the package was to find out that on what grounds the state government had sought the package from the Centre.

He said the main plea given by the state government to seek the package was that the farmers had to make additional expenditure last year on nurturing their crops because of the drought-like conditions in the state. 

Chandigarh, September 10
Even as the Punjab Pradesh Congress office today disclosed that the first meeting of the newly elected delegates of the state Congress would be held after the conclusion of the party’s regional conference on September 27, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asserted that the meeting should be held immediately.

The camp of PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee is keen on delaying a meeting of the delegates, as it wants to ensure the continuation of Kaypee as the state party chief. Kaypee’s supporters are looking at the regional conference, which will be attended by both the Prime Minister and the party President, as an opportunity for their leader to cement his hold on the state presidentship.

Amarinder Singh, however, feels that the delegates should meet at the earliest. Talking to TNS, he said he would request the PPCC to hold the meeting of the delegates in line with the programme given by the state election authority. He said according to this the delegates should elect the state president before September 17.

Claiming that he did not have any knowledge as to when a meeting of the delegates would be held, Amarinder Singh said to the best of his knowledge the delegates were expected to pass a resolution authorising party President Sonia Gandhi to nominate the new state president. “I think this should be done at the earliest”, he said, adding following this it was up to the party President to nominate the state party president immediately or after even one or two months.

Amarinder is buoyed after he was able to get his concerns on the nomination of delegates addressed by the party election authority. He was able to get the name of former Patiala Mayor Vishnu Sharma deleted besides getting changes made in favour of his confidants.

Chandigarh, September 10
Punjab’s former Director-General of Police KPS Gill floated the “human bomb” theory “to save his own skin” in the Beant Singh assassination case. The only witness claiming to have seen the “human bomb” was, in fact, working under Gill, the defence today claimed.

As the appeals filed by the assassin and other convicts came up for hearing before a Division Bench of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Arvind Kumar this morning, senior advocate Baldev Singh said KPS Gill was the author of the theory and it came into existence at his instance through Harkesh Singh.

Then deployed with the National Security Guard, “eyewitness” Harkesh Singh had categorically stated he knew KPS Gill. Harkesh Singh had agreed he had served under KPS Gill in the Central Reserve Police Force. At that time, KPS Gill was the DGP. Later, he came on deputation to the Punjab Police, where KPS Gill was the DGP. Baldev Singh has already asserted Harkesh Singh was “introduced” by the prosecution to put in place the “human bomb” theory about four days after the blast. He was examined by the Central Bureau of Investigation only on September 4, 1995, though he was available from the very beginning of the probe.

Continuing with the arguments, Baldev Singh said the investigating officer of the Chandigarh Police did not record Harkesh Singh’s statement at all, though he was being projected as an important witness to the occurrence.

The former CM and others were killed in the explosion outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat on August 31, 1995. The RDX, stuffed in a belt, was used by “human bomb” Dilawar Singh to trigger off the blast. Convicts Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh are facing the death sentence. Three other convicts, Shamsher Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Lakhwinder Singh, have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Referring to the statements of other witnesses, Baldev Singh said the driver of another bulletproof car, Baljit Singh, was standing about 10 ft from the CM at the time of the incident. He saw the CM come and sit in the car before the explosion. But he did not utter a word on “any person coming towards the CM”.

The case will now come up for resumed hearing on Tuesday. 

Chandigarh, September 10
All-India Congress Secretary RC Khuntia today asserted that the party did not expect the Punjab government to allow anybody to take the law into their own hands and disrupt its regional conference being held in Mohali on September 27.

Addressing a press conference here following a meeting held to finalise the organising committees for the conference, Khuntia said since the Prime Minister would attend the conference, the party expected the state police to make appropriate arrangements. He was reacting to a statement by an Akali leader that party workers would show black flags to the senior Congress leadership on the conference day.

Khuntia, who was flanked by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Pradesh Congress President Mohinder Singh Kaypee and former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, also announced that a 31- member organising committee had been finalised to conduct the conference.

When questioned about the composition of the committee and differences in the party, CLP leader Bhattal claimed “you can see all of us are sitting together”. However Capt Amarinder Singh said it was true that there were differences in every party but the leaders were one on party issues, as was the case with celebration of the 125th anniversary of the party.

Answering another question on how wives and relatives of senior Congress leaders, who were not active workers in the party, had made it as delegates, Khuntia said the party would look into any complaint if made on the issue. State Mahila Congress President Ratna, when questioned on the same, got up to speak on the issue but was requested by both Bhattal as well as Khuntia to let it be.

Later, talking with TNS, Ratna said she had been asked by National Mahila Congress President Prabha Thakur to submit a list of wives and relatives of Congress leaders who were not active in the party organisation but had still made it as delegates. She said Thakur had promised to take up the issue with the party President.

Meanwhile, the organising committee list includes former party presidents as well as MPs from the state. Party General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai is the Chairperson and PPCC President Kaypee its convener. Senior leaders included in the list are Union Minister Ambika Soni, Amarinder, Bhattal, Jagmeet Singh Brar, former ministers Lal Singh, Jagmohan Singh Kang and Ashwani Sekhri, Mahila Congress President Ratna and AICC Secretary Praveen Davar. 

Amritsar, September 10
Policemen in plain clothes detained seven members of the Unemployed ETT Teachers’ Union, Punjab, inside the Golden Temple complex when they were returning after submitting a memorandum alleging sacrilege of turban and kes (hair) by the Punjab police to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.

The delegation of the union, accompanied by President, SAD (Amritsar), Simranjit Singh Mann, and its other office-bearers submitted the memorandum at Akal Takht.

In the memorandum, they demanded action against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur as per the Rehat Maryada (the Sikh code of conduct).

The delegation of the union wanted the Akal Takht to take action. On Teacher’s Day, members of the union were cane-charged when they were trying to force their entry in Guru Nanak Dev University, where a state-level function was in progress. During the police action turbans of some of the protesters had fallen off.

Giani Gurbachan Singh, talking to reporters, said that since the matter of sacrilege fell in the religious domain, it would be taken up in the forthcoming meeting of the five Sikh high priests. He said the decision would be conveyed to the state government through SGPC President Avtar Singh. 

Ferozepur, September 10
Even as the controversy over the presence of glass pieces in midday meal served to students of Government Primary School of Khalchian Kadim here a few days ago is yet to die down, dead flies, worms and stones were found in the food, which was served to students of another primary school of Ramewala village today.

Kewal Singh Brar, a member of the Village Education Development Committee, Ramewala, whose son detected worms, dead flies, stones and other impurities in the midday meal today, said he along with other residents brought the matter to the notice of school Principal Gurmel Kaur.

“Though Gurmel Kaur brought the matter to the notice of the Block Primary Education Officer concerned, what action has been taken by the latter could not be known so far,” he said, demanding that all those responsible for handling the midday meals in the school must be taken to task.

DEO (Elementary) Joginder Singh said he had asked the in charge of the midday meal supply and the BPEO, who was supposed to check the kitchen of every school where midday meal was cooked everyday, to submit their report in this regard.

Meanwhile, residents of the village demanded that the supplier of the midday meal should not be paid money for the substandard food supplied by him to students today.

Amritsar, September 10
“South Australia is a safe and sound place for students. I ask the Indian parents not to have any apprehension regarding the safety of their children, who have headed for Adelaide to pursue higher studies,” said the Premier of State of South Australia, Mike Rann, here today.

Rann was in town, along with his wife, Sasha Carrouzza, and a 10- member delegation from Adelaide that paid a visit to the Golden Temple today.

While taking note of the Sikh historical achievements and the sanctity of religious symbols, the Premier said that no racial discrimination of any kind would be allowed in the State of South Australia.

“Sikhs have a long-lasting bonding with Australia since the 19th centuy. The contribution of the community in the economy and development of Australia can never be ignored. This qualifies them to be virtually a part and parcel of our country and it becomes the liability of the governing authorities to ensure their well being and protect the sanctity of their religion,” he said.

The Premier also emphasised on the cordial relations between India and Australia and cited sharing of culture and trade between the two countries.

Later, Sasha Carrouzza showed a special interest in the community kitchen where langar was being prepared. She also tried her hand at making chapatis.

The Akal Takht chief, Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, and Secretary, SGPC, Dalmegh Singh Khatra, presented the visitors with a replica of the Golden Temple along with a siropa and books related to the Sikh religion.

The foreign delegation included president of the Gurdwara Nanak Darbar Society, Adelaide, Mahabir Singh Garewal, Australian High Commissioner Peter N Varghese and Second Secretary Sarah Kirlew. 

Ropar, September 10
The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) has proposed to put up a toll barrier at Saran Ke Pattan bridge at Nurpur Bedi.

It has spent around Rs 55 crore on this project and planned to collect funds from over 80 villages that will use the bridge on the Sutlej.

Setting up of the toll collection centre will mean adding an extra burden on poor villagers, who weather the fury of the swollen Sutlej during monsoons.

Coming up with the proposal for 28 years, the SAD-BJP government has seen it as its major contributor towards development of the area.

Votes were sought and elections had won over the issue many times.

“When the government is constructing the bridge, why it is putting a burden on common man,” said area residents. It is learnt that even area MLA Sant Ajit Singh has expressed his dissatisfaction over the setting up of the toll collection centre and conveyed it to Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal as well.

The bridge has been in controversy for the past 28 years. During this period, the budget of permanent bridge has swollen from Rs 1.5 crore in 1981 to Rs 44 crore in 2007 and Rs 56 crore now.

In October 2006, then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had laid the foundation of the bridge, to be built at a cost of Rs 44 crore. Even financial bids for the project had been invited and work allotted. Work was to be started in 15 days and completed in 18 months. But due to the elections, it could not be started. Badal reinaugurated the bridge’s work in October 2008, which is going on at a full swing.

Meanwhile, secretary, PIDB, Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, said a decision to set up toll collection barrier would be taken up soon.

Chandigarh, September 10
Punjab Advocate-General Hardev Singh Mattewal is back in office with full powers. And with his return after his recovery from illness, Additional Advocate-General Rupinder Khosla has been stripped off the administrative and financial powers.

In Mattewal’s absence, Khosla was functioning as the Advocate-General with both administrative and financial powers.

The administrative committee with Khosla as a member, set up to manage the affairs of the Advocate-General’s office in Mattewal’s absence, too stands redundant. Besides this, the process of filling posts and regularising the staff, initiated in Mattewal’s absence, has been put on hold with immediate effect.

With this, it is apparent that some processes initiated in the absence of Mattewal have not found favour with the Advocate-General upon his return to the seat. The two orders have come just about a week after Mattewal’s son Pavit Mattewal was appointed Additional Advocate-General.

In an office order issued through “the Government of Punjab, office of the Advocate-General”, Mattewal has asserted: “After my recovery from illness, today I resumed the charge of the office of the Advocate-General, Punjab. The committee formed in my absence has become defunct.”

“Rupinder Khosla, who has been given administrative and financial powers in my absence, will not exercise such powers hereinafter”.

Another order under Mattewal’s signatures says: “It has been brought to my notice that during my absence, the process of filing of the posts of clerks, peons, stenographers and the regularisation of the staff have been initiated. As I resumed the charge today, the further process in this regard is hereby postponed till further orders”.

It is not clear why the office order staying the filling of vacancies has been made public. The order clearly says that it is meant for “Superintendent Administration for strict compliance”.

The Advocate-General’s office was functioning without a head ever since Mattewal suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalised on May 13. Though Mattewal asserted that he had recovered, his health apparently does not permit him to resume active court work and it may take some time more for him to make an appearance before the Bench.

Fatehgarh Sahib, September 10
Despite incessant rains, agriculture experts and farmers look ahead for better paddy yield and high returns this season.

While the area of paddy under cultivation has shrunk in the district witnessed, Agriculture Department experts said per hectare yield was likely to increase.

Last year, the area under paddy cultivation was 86,000 hectares and paddy yield was 45.54 quintal per hectare, while this year the area has reduced to 85,200 hectares and per hectare yield is expected to be 46 quintals per hectare.

Agriculture department officials said the area under paddy cultivation had reduced as many farmers had opted for sugarcane

instead of paddy. “They did so in view of increasing prices of jaggery and the good MSP sugarcane crop fetched last year,” the officials said.

BKU (Ekta) state president Balvir Singh Rajewal, expressing satisfaction over the condition of the paddy crop, said: “Farmers with fields near canals such as Sangrur, Nabha, parts of Patiala and Ludhiana are waiting with their fingers crossed, while in rest of Punjab the situation was not so grim. Good weather holds the key for better yield and profit.”

He added that if it continues to rain in the affected areas, crop might be badly hit. Farmers of flood-affected areas have already complained attack of leaf folder, root sucker, aphid, sheath borer, black hopper and green hopper.

PUSA, widely grown variety of paddy this season, is also suffering from leaf blight due to high moisture content in parts of Ghanaur, Nabha in Patiala and Samrala in Ludhiana.

Patiala, September 10
Reacting to the Punjab Cabinet’s nod to approve the regularisation of services of 9,998 teaching fellows and 4,000 education service providers recruited on contract by the Department of School Education, thousands of computer teachers, working on contractual basis in government schools, have now threatened to intensify their ongoing agitation.

Accusing the state government of meting out stepmotherly treatment to 7,200 contractual computer teachers, leaders of the Punjab Computer Teachers Association has announced that if their meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal failed to bring the desired results, they would launch protest demonstrations across the state.

The contractual computer teachers from across the state had blocked the National Highway Number 21 and held a massive demonstration against the state government in Kharar recently.

Speaking to The Tribune, vice-president of Punjab Computer Teachers Association Gurvinder Rattan said, “We have been working on a contract basis since 2005 and getting only Rs 10,000. During our meeting with Badal on August 30, he offered us a hike of Rs 5,000. But we want regularisation and the pay scale of Rs 21,000.”

Rattan claimed that as per the present government policy, teachers, who had served for three-and-a-half years in the education department on a contractual basis would be regularised. “But it is ridiculous that teaching fellows and education service providers, who were recruited in 2008 will soon be regularised, whereas the computer teachers, serving on a contractual basis for the past five-and-a-half years have beenrunning from pillar to post to get justice”, he added.

President of the Patiala unit of the association Sukhdeep Singh stated that notwithstanding the promises made by SAD in its 2007 assembly election manifesto that services of computer teachers would be regularised, nothing had been done so far. “In case, the September 15 meeting with Badal turns out to be inconclusive, we would chalk out future course of action for launching massive agitation”, he told —TNS.

Patiala, September 10
Expressing resentment over advertising of 87 posts of professor, associate professor, assistant professor and lecturer by the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER), representatives of the Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association has stated that the new policy of recruitment by the Department was completely “unjustified”.

While asserting that this decision would hamper the promotional avenues of the serving faculty, association president JPS Walia said: “The direct recruitment is against the natural justice, as the Punjab Civil Medical Service (PCMS) and Punjab Medical Education Service (PMES) rules have not been amended for the new recruitment policy.”

Criticising the government decision, Dr Walia told The Tribune that as per the old system, 25 and 75 per cent posts were filled through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) and Departmental Promotion committee (DPC), respectively. “It is for the first time in five decades that the department itself would making the recruitment, but our association condemns this and would oppose this decision tooth and nail,” he said, while adding that because of the new recruitment system, many senior members of the medical faculty may resign in protest.

Giving further details, association general secretary Gurmeet Singh said: “By way of direct recruitments by the DMER, the senior posts may go to those candidates of private medical colleges, who at one point of time were students of the present faculty, working in the DMER, which would not only demotivate the existing faculty but would also lead to resignations in protest.”

Patiala, September 10
The representatives of the Punjab Civil Medical Service-I (PCMS-I) Association and in-service wing of the Punjab branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have expressed resentment over the denial of several benefits attached with the Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) to the PCMS-I doctors and medical teachers.

In a memorandum submitted to Minister for Medical Education and Research Tikshan Sud at Chandigarh yesterday, general secretary of the PCMS-I Association DC Sharma and chairman of the in-service wing of the IMA DS Bhullar have urged Sud to look into the matter. Dr Sharma and Dr Bhullar said Sud had promised to take up the matter with the Punjab Chief Minister and the Punjab Finance Minister.

“Our associations also demand immediate payments of arrears of revised pay fixations on account of the implementation of Punjab Pay Commission repor,” they said.

Jalandhar, September 10
The Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi, has granted its membership to Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, at its 304th meeting held at AIU House, New Delhi, recently.

A spokesperson for the university said they had received a letter from the Secretary-General, Prof Beena Shah, in this regard.

The university has now got a place in the mailing list of the AIU’s sports, youth affairs, publication, sales divisions and allied activities.

Besides, the Vice-Chancellor of the university had also been invited to attend the North Zone Vice-Chancellors’ conference.