Jalandhar, December 22
The Joint Front of 17 farmers and workers’ organisations today held a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner office in protest against the rocketing prices of eatables, petrol and diesel and bus fares.

The protesters criticised the state government for failing to keep its promise of waiving off the electricity bills of workers.

Giving examples of the scams committed by the politician-corporate nexus, the speakers criticised the high-handedness with which government is dealing with the protesting groups across the state. The resolution, condemning the slapping of cases on peasants protesting installation of electricity meters outside houses in Neor village in Bathinda district, was passed in the end.

Amritsar: Seeking abolishing of electricity bills issued to marginal farmers and farm labourers, a large number of peasants, headed by 17 farmer organisations, held a protest dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner office here today. Carrying placards, they raised slogans against the state government and Powercom authorities.

Addressing the gathering, the leaders strongly criticised the government for its failure to protect the rights of marginal farmers and labourers who were already reeling under huge debts.

Satnam Singh Pannu, president of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, pointed out that the government should exempt full electricity bills charged from small farmers and labourers, irrespective of any caste and religion. They also sought waiving off previous bills on electric motors and of labour class families.

Gurnam Singh Daud, president of Dihati Mazdoor Sabha, alleged that the government was ignoring the genuine rights of the people especially farmers and labour class people under the garb of globalisation and privatisation.

They burned the power bills and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu. They threatened to intensify their stir if the government failed to heed to their genuine demands.

Gurdaspur: Hundreds of farmers, owning allegiance to several kisan unions, laid siege to the office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) for nearly two hours today.

Farmers from adjoining villages arrived in droves in the forenoon and raised slogans against the Punjab Government for privatising the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) and the unions demanded a roll back of their power bills.

Later, the agitating farmers submitted a memorandum to the DC, Pirthi Chand, who assured the union leaders that he wiould look into their genuine problems and forward their case to the Punjab Government.

Prominent among the unions who made their presence felt in a big way were the Jamhoore Kisan Union, Kheti Kisan Union, Bharti Kissan Union (both Ekta and Ugroha), Dehati Mazdoor Sabha, Krishi Sangharsh Committee and the Pind Mazdoor Union.

The Gurdaspur police made elaborate arrangements lest anything go astray and had even positioned a riot control vehicle near the DC office.

Speaking on the occasion union leader Hazoori Lal said,”The erstwhile PSEB was the backbone of this agrarian state and it should not have been unbundled.” He claimed that the next step of the state government would be to privatise the newly formed Punjab State Power Corporation in the garb of unbundling the power entity thus selling out the state’s interests to a few private companies.”

Another leader Tirlok Singh claimed that the hundreds of employees stand to loose their jobs if the state government went ahead with its plans of privatising drinking water supply and education departments.

He added that privatising of power boards across the country was turning out to be a “massive failure” and some ministers of the state government were hand in glove with private players to ensure that there was “a complete privatisation of all state government departments.” He added that the interest of the commoners, particularly the farmers, was suffering due to the “myopic attitude of the state government.”

After submitting a memorandum to the DC, the farmers dispersed peacefully to their respective places.

Tarn Taran: On the call given by the 17 farmers and workers’ organisations, hundreds of their activists staged a dharna at the Deputy Commissioner office in support of their demands.

The activists took out a march in the bazaars of the town raising slogans for their demands.

Kanwalpreet Pannu, convener of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee (KSC), Baldev Singh Bhail, Parshotam Singh and other leaders, while addressing the workers, demanded free power supply to the workers, revenue-free canal water for farmers, cancelation of the Bijli Act-2003, etc.

The farmers also gheroed the office of Land Mortgage Bank against the alleged misbehaviour with farmers in the name of loan recovery.

Jalandhar, December 22
Punjab DGP P.S. Gill awarded two police stations of the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate and the traffic challan compounding branch with ISO 9001:2008 certificates here this evening.

He presided over a function held at the Police Lines in the presence of eminent citizens of the city. The two police stations are at Navi Baradari and Cantonment. He was accompanied by Rajan Gupta, DGP (Law and Order).

Gill said the ISO certification was part of an ongoing exercise to improve the professional standards of the police and to make it people friendly. “We will get one police station in each district ISO-certified for improving the standards of our service,” he said.

He said Suvidha Centres at the subdivisional level and outreach centres would become operational before March 31. “Our stress would be to provide online services to obviate the necessity of physical contact between the citizens and the police,” he said.

IG R.P. Mittal proposed a vote of thanks, while CP Gaurav Yadav explained the standards and time limits applicable to the services being provided.

Phagwara, December 22
Careless working of the employees of the National Highway Authority of India, engaged in the six-laning of the national highways, created a major snag in civil communication lines, as they damaged underground copper cables of BSNL and other private companies near the Elite Cinema and Chahal Nagar, along with the national highways in Phagwara, yesterday and today.

The entire communication system, including broadband services of telecom companies, was paralysed and could not be restored till the filing of this report on Wednesday.

When contacted, JTO Purshotam Lal said BSNL had to suffer a major financial loss, worth more than about Rs 18 lakh, due to the cutting of telephone cables by NHAI employees engaged in the digging work of the construction of the six laning work of national highways in one month.

Lal alleged that more than 800 telephone numbers of BSNL installed in Hadiabad, Mehtan, Gandhwan, Nawanpind etc. were lying dead and the BSNL department had suffered a financial loss of Rs 25 lakh due to the cutting of underground telephone cables by the employees of the sewerage department engaged in laying sewerage lines in the Hadiabad area.

The JTO alleged that though the BSNL department had repeatedly lodged police complaints with the concerned police stations, nothing was being initiated by the police to book the violators.

Meanwhile, Lal told The Tribune that the BSNL authorities had issued a demand notice of more than Rs 2 crore from the NHAI authorities to fulfill the losses of the BSNL department.

Meanwhile, the Phagwara SDM Amarjit Paul said stern action could be taken for the careless working of the NHAI staff, as no risk could be taken about the communication system. He has asked the NHAI authorities to adopt all necessary preventive measures for the safety of underground cables belonging to telecom companies.

Hoshiarpur, December 22
Activists of the BJP and its Mahila Morcha Wing, led by their district general secretary Kamaljit Satia, president of the Municipal Council Shiv Sud, president of the District Mahila Morcha Satwant Kaur and Rakesh Sud, wife of Punjab Minister Tikshan Sud, staged a dharna at Bhagwan Balmik Chowk here yesterday against the rise in the prices of vegetables, especially onions, which is adversely affecting the budget of the common man.

They raised slogans against the UPA government for its failure in controlling the price hike and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not taking any action against the black marketeers and hoarders.

Addressing the rally, Kamaljit Satia and Shiv Sud condemned Union Minister Sharad Pawar for his alleged irresponsible statements. Instead of taking concrete steps to control the price hike of essential commodities, he was giving unwarranted statements over the issue causing further deterioration of the situation.

They asked the UPA government to take effective steps for controlling the price hike, failing which the BJP along with other parties would launch a countrywide agitation.

Tarn Taran, December 22
Five members of a family of Jalandhar have been booked by the city police for demanding dowry and torturing a married woman. The accused have been identified as Daljit Singh (husband), Bakshish Singh (father-in-law), Joginder Kaur (mother-in-law), Reeta and Moto (sister-in-laws).

The victim, Rajwinder Kaur, daughter of the local Sachkand road resident, was married to Daljit Singh 10 years back. She in her complaint alleged that the accused had been harassing her mentally and physically for dowry. Four months back the accused after torturing her threw her out of the house keeping her three children with them. A case has been registered. — OC

Amritsar, December 22
Two persons were crushed to death by a truck near Ganpati factory here last evening.

The deceased, identified as Dhanmantri of New Nehru Colony and his colleague Nand Lal of Majitha Road were returning to their homes from Vallah on their bicycles when the accident took place.

The truck driver fled leaving the truck (PB.02 AV 9832) behind. A case under Section 304 of the IPC has been registered at Ram Bagh police station here.