The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Cong infighting at Khadur Sahib Sikki exhibits strength with a rally ‘against’ rivals Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, September 26 Infighting hounds the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha constituency of Khadur Sahib, which witnessed a direct fight among its own leaders when Ramanjeet Singh Sikki, an international potato producer and party leader, organised a rally of his own loyalists at the Reshiana village, 10 km from here today, challenging other leaders of his own party. Sikki was declared as the Congress delegate from this constituency in the party’s previous list, but his name was withdrawn later when local party leaders objected. He joined the party only a year back while the eligibility for the selection of a party delegate was minimum three-year membership. Sikki, who has been functioning in the area for the last one year, projected himself as a strong aspirant for the party ticket from this assembly constituency. During the rally, he said he would give a fitting reply to all his rivals on all fronts. On the other hand, there were four other leaders, who were already in the fray, namely Gurdev Singh Bittu, son of late Master Jagir Singh (minister in Beant Singh’s cabinet), Bhupinder Singh Bittu, former market committee chairman; Pardep Kumar Chopra, alias Bittu Chopra (who enrolled maximum membership from the area in the state) and Pinderjit Singh Sarli. These four leaders organised a party rally on the Gurta Gaddi Diwas (second Sikh Master Angad Dev’s Gaddi installation) at Khadur Sahib on September 18 in which Sikki (being the outsider from the area) was not invited. Sikki, being a strong supporter of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, was nominated as a party delegate on the recommendations of the former CM. The huge gathering in support of Sikki declared their full support to him. The gathering condemned the state government - for its failure on all fronts - which was using police force to curb the voice of the agitating people in the state.
	ETT teachers detained, kept away from Brahmpura Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, September 26 Agitating ETT teachers were not allowed to enter the native village of Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Punjab, as they were detained in large numbers by the police here today. The teachers, on the call of the ETT Teachers Union, Punjab, were to move to the Brahmpura village to gherao the minister’s residence to lodge their protest, after organising a rally here. Ranjit Singh Bath, state general secretary of the union, was detained from his residence at Bath village, early in the morning today. The local Gandhi Municipal Park, where ETT teachers were to organise the rally, was converted into a police cantonment from early morning and no ETT teacher was allowed to come there. Navroop Singh Chabal, the district president of the union, was detained from here, along with four other teachers, by the police. About 200 teachers who returned, organised a meeting at the local Darbar Sahib later, but to restrict them from going to Brahmpura, police parties were deployed at all the four gates of the Darbar Sahib. As many as 100 teachers, including 50 lady teachers, were also detained by the police when, in the afternoon, they came out of Sri Darbar Sahib and started shouting slogans in favour of their demands. The teachers were brought at the far-off by the police. Union leader Ranjit Singh Bath, in a statement, said they were demanding to give back the control of the government elementary schools to the education department from the zila parishads. Bath also condemned the state repression on the agitating ETT teachers. All the detained ETT teachers were released in the evening.
	MP’s green drive tries to tap farmers’ care Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, September 26 MP Avinash Rai Khanna has launched an unique plantation drive which aims to involve farmers in taking care of the planted saplings. Named as ‘Plant and Nurture Four Trees at Every Tubewell’, the drive, according to the MP, would cover about 18 lakh tubewells in the state which means plantation of 72 lakh saplings. He distributed saplings among farmers at environment awareness programmes organised at Bhaddi, Nawanshahr and Banga. Khanna, addressing the gathering of sarpanches, panches, progressive farmers and prominent citizens, said though organising tree plantation drives during the monsoons was a common practice, he had noticed that these drives had more or less become a fashion and nothing concrete was being done to nurture the saplings. He said as the farmers were expert in nurturing plants, the survival rate of the saplings would be more than 90 per cent. He has also written a letter to Union Minister of Environment to adopt this programme for implementing it in the country. Khanna, while making people aware about the menace of global warming, stressed on the need to learn a lesson from Japan, which had been spending huge money on the afforestation project in its neighbouring countries. Dr HS Batth, president of the Doaba Khalsa Trust and an environmentalist, said farmers could play a pivotal role in making the environment preservation drive a success by acting as guardians of the saplings.
	Cong blames government for floods Nawanshahr, September 26 Accusing the SAD-BJP government of lacking in vision as well as adopting indifferent attitude towards flood protection works, Sukhpal Khaira, Congress MLA from Bholath, shared his views on the grave situation of the dhussi bundhs along the Sutlej and Beas in the state. He said the state government had failed to secure funds under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) from the Union Ministry of Water Resources despite the suggestion from the Centre Government. Giving details, Khaira said he had received a letter from the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources in response to his demand for funds to the tune of Rs 10.24 crore for flood protection works in his assembly segment. “The letter says that the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Punjab, has submitted separate schemes for flood protection works on the Beas, including a scheme pertaining to Bholath constituency, to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for techno-economic appraisal and requested for Central Government’s assistance under the FMP. But, as per the FMP guidelines issued by the ministry, such schemes are required to be formulated as an integrated project covering the entire river to avail the central assistance,” said the Congress MLA, adding that accordingly the state government was advised to integrate these schemes but the state government had not responded to the CWC suggestion, consequently virtually putting the life and property of the people of Punjab in danger. — OC
	Kainth to Workers Make people aware on economic, educational issues Our Correspondents Nawanshahr, September 26 Satnam Singh Kainth, president, Bahujan Samaj Morcha, has exhorted the party workers to concentrate more on economic and educational issues to strengthen the party base at grass-root level. He was addressing a district-level cadre training camp here on Sunday. “As our society is having composite culture, hence, we should not waste our energy on the issues based on religion and caste which are detrimental to the social harmony,” said Kainth adding that the need of the hour is to create an awakening among the people that they should lay stress on the educational and economic issues to ensure a better future. Rather than blaming others for the deplorable condition in which majority of our people are living, the BSM activists should mobilise people to introspect and unite for taking concerted efforts to bring in improvement in their social and economic status rather than wasting our energy and sources on petty issues. Phillaur: Describing the SAD-BJP government as anti-Dalit government, Satnam Singh Kainth, also former Opposition leader, has alleged that the ruling coalition hadn’t taken any initiative for the welfare of downtrodden in the state. Talking to newsmen after addressing BSM activists in Phillaur on Saturday, Kainth asked the SAD-BJP government to issue a white paper on funds received from the Centre and the amount spent in the state.
	2 kg heroin seized Amritsar, September 26 The State Special Operation Cell, Punjab, today seized 2 kg heroin worth Rs 10 crore in the international market and nabbed two persons in this connection.Those arrested were identified as Sandeep Singh and Jodhbir Singh, both residents of Hawalian village in Tarn Taran district. Manminder Singh, SP, SSOC said the police team caught the accused when they were waiting for a party to deliver the consignment near the historic Gurdwara Atari Sahib, Sultanwind here. A case under sections 21, 25, 29, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act, PS State Special Operation Cell, has been registered in this regard. The SSOC authorities revealed that during preliminary investigations it came to light that the seized contraband was part of a bigger consignment smuggled from the porous Indo-Pak border recently. He said investigations were being conducted on different lines to unearth the complete nexus and network of this gang. More arrests are likely to made soon, added Manminder. The Pak connection to the consignment and the area from which the consignment was pushed into India, is being ascertained, he added. — TNS Jail clash: Inmate hurt Hoshiarpur, September 26 An undertrial prisoner of the District Jail here was injured when a group of at least seven inmates assaulted him on the jail premises last night. According to Deputy Superintendent of the District Jail Ajmer Singh, undertrial prisoner Sher Singh of Kainthan village, who had been charged with a murder, was injured when other inmates, Navjot Singh of Badoan, Tarsem Singh of Rajpur Bhaian, Daljit Singh of Umarpur, Jaswant Rai of Jaianpur, Kulvir Singh of Bainstani, Gurpreet Singh of Narial and Prince of Jalandhar, allegedly assaulted him on the jail premises on the intervening night of September 24 and 25. Sher Singh was taken to the Civil Hospital and after providing him first aid he was again sent to the jail. Some minor dispute between Sher Singh and other prisoners was the cause of the assault on the former. The police has registered a case under Sections 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC. — OC Youth, parents booked for abducting girl Hoshiarpur, September 26 A teenaged girl of Balmik Mohalla, Bahadurpur, was abducted by a youth, his father and mother of Punj Pipli on the evening of September 24. The police has booked Babba, his father Subhash Chander and mother Geeta Rani of Punj Pipli, Bahadurpur, under Sections 363 A and 366 of the IPC.Savita Bhatti, wife of Harbhajan Lal of Balmik Mohalla, Bahadurpur, alleged that the accused had abducted her daughter Pooja (14), a student of Class X, on the evening of September 24. Pooja went to a chemist shop for purchasing medicine and did not return home. — OC Illicit liquor seized Hoshiarpur, September 26 The Dasuya police seized 3.23 lakh ml of illicit liquor from a vehicle (JK 01D 1597) on Thursday. According to police sources, a police naka party signalled the aforesaid vehicle to stop, for checking. But instead of stopping the vehicle, the driver speeded and due to overspeeding, lost control over the steering, as a result of which his vehicle overturned and fell down in a pit on the roadside. The occupants of the vehicle, along with the driver, managed to escape under the cover of darkness. During the search of the vehicle, a police party seized the illicit liquor. A case under sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered. — OC