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Sahni says Pathankot has no claim to district status
Assembly Poll
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Indians on Death Row in UAE
300 Punjabis ‘illegally detained’ in UAE
BAN ON ONION EXPORT
Punjab forms panel to ascertain credentials of Baaj
BJP Youth Front to unfurl tricolour in Srinagar
Railway security to be beefed up ahead of R-Day
Patiala Police holds function to return valuables
LBP seeks return of 700 Punjabis detained in Saudi Arabia
Cell for non-resident Indians
Nabha MLA bereaved
Rural vets to protest today
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Sahni says Pathankot has no claim to district status
Chandigarh, January 11 Sahni is seeking district status for Batala, another town in Gurdaspur district. Pathankot is not only the hometown of the Transport Minister, Master Mohan Lal, but also that of state BJP president Ashwani Kumar Sharma. The Batala legislator today upped the ante for his struggle to get “justice for Batala” by telling TNS that he would rather be thrown out of the party than relent on the issue. Claiming that Pathankot could not be given district status by ignoring Batala, he said, “I will go to any extent if district status is given to Pathankot”. Internal politics in the BJP is also behind the current imbroglio. Sahni does not get along with Ashwani Sharma and Manoranjan Kalia who call the shots in the party. Both had deserted him when he was relieved of the post of chief parliamentary secretary following a public spat with Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla. Sources said Sahni, who was taken back into the party after being suspended fearing he may side with Akali rebel Manpreet Singh Badal, has now got an issue to re-emerge as a hero for Batala residents as well as spoil the party for his detractors. The submission of demands for district status before the two-member cabinet subcommittee of Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and Manoranjan Kalia is likely to witness BJP leaders and workers of Pathankot and Batala arraigned against each other. The BJP on its part has made up its mind to recommend district status for Pathankot town in Gurdaspur district and Fazilka town in Ferozepur district. It has also made a plea to this effect to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. In the meantime, besides Batala, Abohar has also emerged as another contender for district status in Ferozepur district. However, the fact that it is represented by the Jakhar family of the Congress and is a town where the BJP has no stakes, make its candidature doubtful. However, the party can ill ignore Sahni’s claim as it might lose one seat (Batala) to gain another (Fazilka) in the next Assembly elections. The fact that a decision is likely to be taken for purely political reasons without the formation of any technical committee is expected to pave the way for demands from other towns also for district status.
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Assembly Poll
Chandigarh, January 11 Bajwa and Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala’s son Jasjit Singh Barnala came together to make the announcement at a function here today. Jasjit’s presence at the function organised by the Overseas Congress surprised many, as his family was perceived to be siding with the proposed outfit of rebel Akali Manpreet Singh Badal. Jasjit declined to comment whether he would be contesting the next Assembly elections. Overseas Congress president Vikram Bajwa, who addressed a press conference along with Jasjit, claimed that the Overseas Congress had already appealed to the Punjab Congress to allocate 10 seats to NRIs in the next elections. He said he would now be meeting Capt Amarinder Singh in the next two days to hand over a formal request in this regard. “We are optimistic that our demands will be met as the NRIs are important opinion makers and now also have voting rights,” he added. Bajwa said he would also urge Capt Amarinder to constitute a joint Political Action Committee of the Overseas Congress and the Pradesh Congress to give a practical shape to NRI participation in the next Assembly elections. He claimed that the NRIs were deeply swayed by the pro people and dynamic economic policies of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and were eager to lend support to the Congress. Bajwa also claimed that Sikhs abroad were against the concept of Khalistan and that anyone giving such an impression was not speaking out for the community as a whole.
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Indians on Death Row in UAE
Chandigarh, January 11 “Some of the misinformation is not only prolonging our agony but also complicating the case,” they said in a letter sent to The Tribune. “We want that information conveyed through official channels, including the Indian Consulate in Dubai or through SP Singh Oberoi, should be relied upon,” they said in the two-page letter written in Punjabi. All 17 Indian boys, 16 from Punjab and one from Haryana, have signed it. Yesterday, one of these boys, Dharampaul Singh, talked to this correspondent over the phone and said all his fellow colleagues had faith in the defence team arranged by the Indian Consulate in Dubai and support extended to them and
their families back home by Oberoi. “We are miffed at news items that are baseless. We do not know who is collecting money in our name. No one other than officials of the Indian Consulate or Oberoi visits us. No human rights organisation or any other body has ever approached us or given us any money. We request that no one should pay money to any organisation in our name,” he said. “In spite of our innocence, we have suffered enough. We do not want that our agony should be extended any more. We do not doubt good intentions of genuine people who want to help us. But incorrect news items and misinformation about money being collected in our name were some of our worries that had been complicating matters for us. It is why we thought of approaching the media on our own. I am calling you to make sure that you have received our letter,” said Dharampaul Singh. When asked about the “settlement” with the family of the deceased - Mishri Khan of Pakistan - Dharampaul said: “We have suffered a lot for over two years. Many of us have small kids and old parents to look after. If a settlement can expedite our virtual release from the jail, we won’t mind any such settlement even if it is reached outside the court.” The boys wrote that only Oberoi visited them every week and gave them some financial help. Because of him, they said, their parents could come and visit them in the jail. “Now we are in touch with our families back home as we are allowed to call them once a week,” they wrote. They also mentioned that Akali MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi visited them in the jail and assured them of all possible help in getting them released. They also held that Chandigarh-based lawyer Navkiran Singh, Lok Bhalai leaders Balwant Singh Ramoowalia and Avtar Singh Mullanpuri, also visited them once each. Officials from the Indian Consulate visited them regularly, they added.
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300 Punjabis ‘illegally detained’ in UAE
Amritsar, January 11 Darshan Mattoo, a resident of Gurdaspur district whose maternal cousin is employed at Nasser S Hosiery, Zubail, said, “We received his call last night. He sounded very panicky and told that he along with around 300 other Punjabi workers have been illegally detained in some vehicles there. They are neither being given proper meals nor being allowed to answer nature’s call for the last two-three days.” He, however, pleaded for concealing the identity of his cousin as he felt that the latter may land in the soup in the UAE if his identity was made public. Later, talking to this correspondent on phone from UAE, his cousin told that the Nepali workforce dominate the hosiery unit where he is employed. He said following a tiff between Nepali and Punjabi workers three-four days ago after a Punjabi youth approached a Nepali worker, who was also a lottery agent, to claim some amount which he had won in a lucky draw. “The Nepali worker instead of paying him his due thrashed him which led to a violent clash between the two sides. However, the Nepali workers not only beat us but also ransacked the factory. They also set ablaze some factory vehicles and put the entire blame on the Punjabi workers,” he said. According to him, nine Punjabi workers sustained injuries in the clash and were admitted to a hospital there. However, on the basis of allegations levelled by the Nepali workers, they were later shifted to jail. Mattoo said the hosiery unit management is also siding with the Nepali workforce which outnumbers Punjabi youth working there. He claimed that even their cell phones have been snatched away by the Nepali workers and anybody found seeking help from any quarter is being subjected to more harassment. However, his cousin managed to hide his mobile phone and called him up. Meanwhile, Jagtar Singh Karampura, CPM Secretary, Amritsar
(Urban), has appealed to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to intervene and resolve
the issue.
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BAN ON ONION EXPORT
Amritsar, January 11 According to Om Prakash Arora, Chairman, Indo-Pak Exporters Association, there is hope that the Pakistan government will allow around 300 onion-laden trucks, which were cleared till January 5, to cross over from Wagah. He attributed his optimism to the talks he had with a major Pak exporter, Asgar Bhatti, today. He said the orders of importers from Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan are stuck due to the ban. If the Pak government didn’t reverse its decision they would have no option but to withdraw their orders, he added. Arora said the ban on onion export has also led to a tussle between the traders from Sindh and Punjab province in Pakistan, as the former are opposed to lifting of the ban while the latter are supporting it. His statement is further corroborated by the reports reaching here from Pakistan. “The government is favouring Sindh-based exporters by allowing export of onions through the sea. If the government is not allowing us to export onions through the Wagah border then it must stop export from other routes as well,” Chaudhary Ijaz, president of Anjuman-e-Arhtian, a traders’ body from Pakistan’s Punjab province, was quoted as saying in the report. Onions are reportedly being exported from the Karachi port to Colombo, Dubai, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mumbai and some other places. Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club, Chaudhary Ijaz said the Pak Customs authorities had cleared 160 files relating to onion export between January 3 and 5 which would have led to the export of 4,000 metric tonnes of onions, adding that if the contracted onion quantity was not allowed to be exported it would cause them losses worth crores. He said the government should give its nod to at least export of contracted quantity of onion. About the impact of the ban on onion export from Wagah on local market prices, he said after stopping export from the land route, the prices of onion have come down to Rs 30 from Rs 35 per kg.
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Punjab forms panel to ascertain credentials of Baaj
Patiala, January 11 On December 13, 2010, TNS had highlighted the plight of the state bird, which was on the verge of extinction and the fact that no concrete details were available if it was religiously important. Sources confirmed that while the State Wildlife Department was itself not sure if Baaj was the actual bird associated with Sikhism, it continued to be the state bird following a notification issued by the Punjab Government in 1989. After the matter was highlighted, the government has appointed a committee of wildlife experts, top academicians, historians and members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) and zoological experts to find relation between Baaj and establish its relation with Guru Gobind Singh. While the Wildlife Department had brought a Falcon breeding project in Punjab, it clearly kept the government in a dark about the fact that Falcon was only a species of hawk, but was different from Baaj. Till date the bird is religiously considered important as it is considered that it was Guru Gobind Singh, who carried the bird on his hand, other than a horse and a sword. “We have decided to form a committee, which will guide us on this bird,” claimed Gurbaj Singh, chief wildlife warden, Punjab. Baaj seems to be sliding inextricably towards extinction. Wildlife organisations and experts refute the Forest Department's claims, saying that Baaj is fast disappearing in Punjab- where it is ironically the state bird - due to poaching, habitat destruction and lack of conservation effort. Punjab Minister for Wildlife and Forests Tikshan Sud confirmed that the committee would give all details about the state bird and its association with Guru Gobind Singh and experts from all fields were put into it. “We would ensure that steps are taken to know the exact status of the Eastern Goshawk,” Sud added.
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NRIs can play crucial role in Punjab: Rakhra
Patiala, January 11 While asserting this, the head of the SAD NRI Wing and the former MLA, Surjit Singh Rakhra, said the NRIs could play a constructive role in the progress and the betterment of Punjab. “Many NRIs have been making a significant contribution for the promotion of Punjabi culture, sports and development activities at their native villages in Punjab. But we still feel that more and more NRIs should come forward to strengthen the cultural ties with the Indian dispora and also make investments on the development activities in their motherland,” he added. Rakhra said the Punjab Government had already instructed the various departments that problems pertaining to the NRIs must be disposed off on priority basis. “Majority of the complaints by the NRIs pertains to property and land disputes. But now the delay in redressing the grievances at the bureaucracy level will no more be there,” he assured. Rakhra further said setting up of the specialised NRI police stations in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga and Nawanshahr by the SAD-BJP Government couple of years back was to provide an exclusive facility to the NRIs for filing their complaints with the Punjab Police, which proved fruitful as well.
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Bathinda temp drops to -0.5°C
Jalandhar, January 11 Both Srinagar and Bathinda recorded a maximum temperature of 7.8°C and 13°C, respectively. Even yesterday, mercury remained at its lowest with 0.4°C at Bathinda as compared to Srinagar, which saw a low of 1.4°C. Earlier in the morning, dense fog engulfed most parts of the region leading to poor visibility. However, the later part of the day saw a mild sunshine bringing a little respite from cold. Mercury declined at Adampur too with a minimum temperature of 0.6° C as compared to 4.7°C yesterday. Amritsar also witnessed extreme cold with a low of 1.4°C followed by Halwara, which recorded 1.9°C. The Met Department at the Adampur Air Force station said till date, 1972 had been the coldest ever as mercury had declined below normal at Adampur with a low of -5.2°C. Chandigarh recorded a minimum temperature of 3.2°C followed by Pathankot, which saw a low of 3.7°C. Met officials at the Adampur Air Force station have predicted cloudy to mainly over cast sky with fog, mist and haze in the next 24 hours. “A thick blanket of fog may engulf the plains on January 13 leading to even more chill. However, weather may improve after January 13 onwards, ” they added.
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BJP Youth Front to unfurl tricolour in Srinagar
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 11 Khanna was talking to mediapersons at Khalsa School, Sirhind, where he participated in a function organised during the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. He said the tricolour would be unfurled by the youth members of their party participating in the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra. He said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s statement against the unfurling of tricolour is not acceptable as Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. He said the yatra would be welcomed in Punjab and rallies would also be organised in Ludhiana and Amritsar to encourage the youth for their participation in the yatra. Speaking over the coming Vidhan Sabha elections, Khanna pointed out that decisions over distribution of tickets are yet to be taken. So far there is no major shift in the distribution of tickets however seats on which the SAD-BJP has lost could be altered accordingly. The MP said, “The coalition of the SAD and BJP is social, political and religious and every move is made after thoughtful discussions with members of both parties.” Replying to a query, Khanna said, “The grant distributed by the Punjab Chief Minister during the sangat darshan programmme is without any prejudice. The grants are purely based on the idea behind development of Punjab. Even if somebody assumes that there is any partiality over the distribution of grants one can directly meet the Chief Minister during the sangat darshan programme.” He did not forget to attack the UPA Government and termed it full of scandals. During the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh he urged everyone not to waste water and asked them to plant at least one sapling in a year.so that our coming generations should not fight with water problem. Khanna also planted a sapling on the Khalsa School premises.
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Monuments fail to attract visitors
Lalru, January 11 After visiting this monument it was found that all rooms are in a bad condition and there is no proper arrangement of sitting and residing and a very few people visit the monument. Some villagers, who were present in the monument said the government had not developed this inn as a beautiful monument. Mughal emperors had used this inn for the purpose of residing. But at presently it is not fulfilling its purpose of attracting the visitors as a beautiful monument, the villagers added. According to the Cultural and Archeological Department, there are 64 different types of monuments in the state that are protected by the department. According to department sources, some more inns of Mughal time were also situated in Punjab along the GT Road as Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind, Doraha and Laskhrikhan near Khanna that were also protected by the department. Archeological officer Kuldeep Singh Sidhu said, “There are 64 monuments in Punjab, which are being protected and maintained by the department and available funds are used on the maintaining of monuments.”
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Railway security to be beefed up ahead of R-Day
Patiala, January 11 Sources confirmed that following the threat perception ahead of January 26, the railway police officials held a closed-door meeting in Patiala to discuss security-related issues. “Emphasis was laid on track patrolling and train escorts by the police for better security of the passengers,” they added. ADGP Railways RP Singh said the platforms should be monitored throughout the state and checks on people entering railway station should be intensified. “Suspected persons should be stopped and checked time and again to avoid any untoward incident,” Singh told the officers gathered for the meeting. A senior official said following intelligence inputs, the Railway wing was on the vigil and a regular AIG Railways was posted recently. The post was vacant till recently.
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Patiala Police holds function to return valuables
Patiala, January 11 Organisation of this function following an initiative of the state government that has asked all districts to follow the pattern of returning the goods and valuables recovered from the accused, will be the second such function to be organised by the city police. Last year, a similar function, organised to hand over the recovered valuables, was held and was attended by the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab. “We are hopeful that such a function will increase the confidence level of the public in the Police Department Inspecter General of Patiala Paramjit Singh Gill will also attend the function, which will be held under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police Patiala Gurpreet Singh Gill,” claimed senior police officers.
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LBP seeks return of 700 Punjabis detained in Saudi Arabia
Ludhiana, January 11 Quoting a fax message received from these youth at the party office Ramoowalia said, “An Indian firm had employed the youth at its branch near Dhahran airport in Kocbar city of Saudi Arabia two years back. They were hired through travel agents based at Mumbai and Punjab after paying Rs 80,000 each.” As many as six of the youth are lodged in jail for illegal immigration, Ramoowalia said. “At times we are made to work without food or water by the Keralite owner of the company and we can not return
on our own as we are not paid salaries,” the fax message states.
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Cell for non-resident Indians
Chandigarh, January 11 The other members include the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, or his secretary-level representative, and the Director-General Police, or his representative. DS Mangat, OSD to the Chief Minister, will be the Member Secretary of this cell.
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Nabha MLA bereaved
Nabha, January 11 Her mortal remains will be consigned to flames at Shahi Smadhan on the Bhawanigarh Road tomorrow. Her body would be brought to the Sewa Bhawan tomorrow. Mother of local MLA and senior Congress leader Kaka Randeep Singh and Youth Congress leader Jasdeep Singh Nikku, Bibi Satinder Kaur served on various key posts in the Congress party in the state as well as the centre. She also founded Mahila Congress in the state in 1985. She remained a member of the All India Congress Committee, chairperson of the Social Welfare Advisory Board, member of the Advisory Committee of the Punjab State Electricity Board as well as Director of Punjab Public School, Nabha. She is survived by three sons and a daughter.
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Eight nagar kirtan culminate at Takht Sri Kesgarh
Anandpur Sahib, January 11 Nagar kirtan from Gurdwara Kusht Niwaran Sahib, Bhatpur, Gurdwara 34 Shaheed Singh, Saran
Pattan, Gurdwara Neera Sahib, Chandpur Bela, Gurdwara Sri Bhabhour Sahib,
Nangal, Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Lalpur Badwa, SGS Khalsa Senior Secondray School, Anandpur Sahib, Gurdwara Behli Sahib and Gurdwara Kot Sahib, Kiratpur Sahib reached Sri Kesgarh Sahib. Jathedar Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Giani Tarlochan Singh, advisor to CM Punjab Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema and others addressed the gathering.
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Rural vets to protest today
Patiala, January 11 Condemning the SAD-BJP Government for not paying any attention towards their demands, the leaders of the Rural Vets Regularisartion Front (RVRF), Punjab, have threatened to intensify their agitation in case government continues to overlook the matter of regularisation of the
RVOs.
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