The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE
TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Spreading warmth: The residents of Veer Colony celebrate Lohri around a bonfire on Thursday in Bathinda. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Women empowerment
Fazilka girls make it to armed forces
Fazilka, January 13
If given a chance, girls can make a mark in different fields! This is what the eves hailing from this town, have proved by joining the armed and police forces.

CM assures Rs 100 cr for clerks, steno-typists
Bathinda, January 13
The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) today said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had agreed in principle to grant Rs 100 crore to be given to clerks and steno-typists in lieu of its demand for Rs 10,300-Rs 34,800 pay-scale in the light of an increase in the educational qualification (graduation) for these posts.

CM to skip Takhtupura rally
Moga, January 13
Former Chief Minister and President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Captain Amarinder Singh will take on Deputy Chief Minister and President of the ruling SAD Sukhbir Badal on the eve of Maghi festival at Takhtupura in the Moga district on Saturday.

Bathinda to have 3 astroturf surfaces
Patiala, January 13
The Punjab Sports Department has decided to dole out a major portion of its finances for infrastructure in the Malwa region. Bathinda will have three astroturfs besides a synthetic athletics track.

Inter-state gang of dacoits busted, queries remain

Bathinda, January 13
The Bathinda police today claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of eight dacoits, who had allegedly looted several fuel stations during the past week. Giving details, the SP (D) Jatinder Singh Benipal said the police could arrest five of the accused while the three others were still absconding.

SP (D) Jatinder Singh Benipal shows arms recoverd from the accused in Bathinda on Thursday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Gurjant Singh case
Bathinda SSP challenges sessions judge’s report
Chandigarh, January 13
Adding a twist to the controversy over ‘immolation’ by four of a family in Bathinda district, a senior superintendent of police today literally challenged the sessions judge’s report indicting the Punjab Police for fabricating evidence, abetting suicide, dereliction of duty and misrepresenting facts,

Jewellery shop looted
Guru Harsahai (Ferozepur), January 13
Two unidentified youth, carrying firearms, looted jewellery items from a showroom located in this town yesterday. Police sources said Rajesh Kumar, owner of the showroom, had reported that gold and jewellery items, worth lakhs, were looted.

	Row over canal water turns fatal 70-yr-old burnt alive by kin Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS Faridkot, January 13 A 70-year-old man was burnt alive by his brother’s grandsons following a row over distribution of canal water to irrigate the crops at Chahal village, about three km from the district headquarters, last night. Police has registered a criminal case under sections 302 and 34 of the IPC against four youths, namely, Gursewak Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Avtar Singh and Sewak Singh, all residents of the same village. However, they were eluding arrest till the time of writing this news report. As per the details, Inderdeep Singh, son of Jagseer Singh, grandson of the deceased Iqbal Singh stated to the police that his cousins, the alleged accused persons, had many a times quarreled with his grandfather over the distribution of canal water in the past 15 years after his father’s death. The grandfather was staying with Inderdeep after his son’s death. “Last night, when my grandfather went to irrigate the fields with the canal water, the alleged accused attacked him and burnt him alive. He died on the spot,” Inderdeep stated. Faridkot SSP Gurmeet Singh Randhawa said preliminary investigations had revealed that there was a row over just 11 minutes of the water supply. The old man diverted the flow of canal water to irrigate his fields while the alleged accused youths opposed him, which led to the tragic incident. “The alleged accused fled from the spot after committing the crime. Efforts are on to nab them,” claimed the SSP. Meanwhile, the body was handed over to the family members after the post-mortem, which was conducted at the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, this morning.
	Lohri spreads good cheer Tribune Reporters Abohar/ Sriganganagar/Ferozepur, January 13 Lohri was celebrated at the LRS DAV Senior Secondary School in Abohar today. The students enthralled the gathering by presenting a folk dance. Principal Kusum Khungar spoke on the occasion. Meanwhile, to promote higher education among the women, the Chamber of Commerce (COC) in Sriganganagar has offered a Rs 1.37 crore package. The incentives were offered during the Vth Annual Kanya Lohri festival held by the COC at the Ramlila Ground in Sriganganagar. Chairman Bansi Dhar Jindal was joined in lighting the Lohri by Radhey Shyam (MLA), Raj Kumar Gaur, former chairman, Improvement Trust, Major Dr Meeta Singh, Sandeep Chauhan (ASP) and Arvind Ojha, secretary, Urmul Trust. During another function, DC Subeer Kumar said a financial help of Rs 15 lakh had been provided to the victims of fire that had gutted over dozen shops in the Tibetans Refugee Market in Sriganganagar. In Ferozepur, the members of the District Bar Association organised celebrated Lohri. Besides, Sri Hargobind Sports Club Markhai along with the Gram Panchayat of the village also celebrated Lohri at the Government Elementary School. Bhajan Singh, president of the club, said the festival is held to celebrate the birth of all the newly-born girls in the village. Chand Singh Gill, president, Block NGO Coordination Committee, also spoke on the occasion. Meanwhile, in Bathinda, SAD area in-charge Sarup Singla visited the Old Age Home at Amrik Singh road and donated blankets to the senior citizens. He also celebrated Lohri with them. Managing committee chief Dr Shiv Dutt, Gurdass Garg, Kailash Garg and Gyan Garg were also present.
	Women empowerment Fazilka girls make it to armed forces Chander Parkash/TNS Fazilka, January 13 If given a chance, girls can make a mark in different fields! This is what the eves hailing from this town, have proved by joining the armed and police forces. “So far, we have found a number of women hailing from Fazilka, have been serving in different security forces, educational institutions and making waves in the Bollywood and Indian television. Some of them have carved a niche for themselves in their respective fields,” said Navdeep Asija, secretary (Administration), Graduate Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF). These included Meeran Chadha Borwankar, IPS, first woman police commissioner of India, Nitu Bhattacharya (Thatai), Commandant, 88 Female Battalion (head of only women battalion in the country), Amrita Brar, PPS, AIG, Punjab Police and Lt Gurpreet Toor, Army Medical Corps and winner of the prestigious President’s gold medal. Other women, who have earned a place for themselves include Pushpa Hans, a noted actress and folk singer of yesteryear who has been given the Padam Shri, Mandira Bedi, a model, actress and television presenter and Shiju Kataria, a TV actress, he pointed out. “This town became the first in Punjab where special functions are organised to celebrate Lohri on the birth of the girl child. This initiative was taken by a local NGO floated by the Sarhad Kesri newspaper about four years ago,” he disclosed. He said the GWAF had been honouring these achievers by bestowing the title of Fazilka Rattan on them by organising special functions every year.
	CM assures Rs 100 cr for clerks, steno-typists Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service Bathinda, January 13 The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) today said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had agreed in principle to grant Rs 100 crore to be given to clerks and steno-typists in lieu of its demand for Rs 10,300-Rs 34,800 pay-scale in the light of an increase in the educational qualification (graduation) for these posts. Talking to TNS, president of the PSMSU Darshan Singh Bajaj said an agreement in this regard was reached during a meeting held between the CM and a deputation of the PSMSU led by him on Wednesday evening. Several officials, including the Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary to the CM, the Principal Secretary (Finance) and the Secretary (Personnel), also attended the meeting. Bajaj said a two-member committee, comprising the Principal Secretary (Finance) and the Secretary (Personnel), along with representatives of the PSMSU would chalk out modalities for distributing the grant among clerks and steno typists. He said the amount would be provided for in the budget for the next financial year i.e. 2011-12. Earlier, the officials reportedly told the CM that the PSMSU's demand of higher pay-scale for clerks and steno typists was unjustified, as neither the Centre nor any state had fixed such a high pay-scale for such posts. The PSMSU countered the argument saying that no state government had fixed such a high qualification (graduation) for these posts. The officials also told the CM that the acceptance of the demand for raised pay-scale would put on state an additional burden of Rs 480 crore per year. The PSMSU, however, rejected the claim and sought Rs 200 crore a year for clerks and steno typists. Nevertheless, Bajaj said, the CM agreed in principle to give Rs 100 crore adding that the amount would be provided for in the next financial year’s budget.
	CM to skip Takhtupura rally Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS Moga, January 13 Former Chief Minister and President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Captain Amarinder Singh will take on Deputy Chief Minister and President of the ruling SAD Sukhbir Badal on the eve of Maghi festival at Takhtupura in the Moga district on Saturday. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is not attending the political conference of his party, here. However, he is addressing the public gathering at Muktsar on Friday. The CM is leaving for the US on January 16 along with his Additional Principal Secretary Gagandip Singh Brar to meet his ailing wife in New York, confirmed a senior official of the state government. No matter, Simranjit Singh Mann, Balwant Singh Ramuwalia, leaders of the CPI, CPI (M) and Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad of the AISSF would address separate gatherings here at Takhtupura but people are eager about ‘Maharaja’ and ‘Kakaji’ as they are expected to announce their political agendas for the forthcoming assembly elections. Interestingly, Manpreet Singh Badal has decided not to hold any public conference at Takhtupura. After the Maghi conferences at Muktsar and Takhtupura, Amarinder would also address at least six to ten public conferences in different parts of the state before and after the budget session of the state assembly in the coming few weeks. On the other hand, Sukhbir Badal is expected to announce the administrative reforms being put into force in the coming days to keep a check on the bureaucracy and financial sops likely to be brought out for the next financial year in the coming budget session of the assembly beginning on March 4.
	Bathinda to have 3 astroturf surfaces Aman Sood/TNS Patiala, January 13 The Punjab Sports Department has decided to dole out a major portion of its finances for infrastructure in the Malwa region. Bathinda will have three astroturfs besides a synthetic athletics track. One more astroturf surface is to come up at Mohali. Sources say, “The government has decided to lay three hockey turfs in the Malwa belt alone besides a synthetic athletic track.” According to a recent advertisement by Punjab Sports Department and Punjab State Sports Council, an Expression of Interest (EOI) has been floated that invites global firms to lay synthetic hockey surface and synthetic athletics track along with a drainage and sprinkling system. Astroturf surfaces will be laid at Government Rajindra College, Bathinda, Sports School, Ghudda village in Bathinda, Government Barjindera College, Faridkot, and Sports Complex, Mohali. An athletics track will also be built at Sports School, Ghudda village. “We hope to complete the work by August,” said an official.
	Inter-state gang of dacoits busted, queries remain Rajay Deep/TNS Bathinda, January 13 The Bathinda police today claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of eight dacoits, who had allegedly looted several fuel stations during the past week. Giving details, the SP (D) Jatinder Singh Benipal said the police could arrest five of the accused while the three others were still absconding. He informed that the cops had recovered several weapons including two pistols (.315 bore and .12 bore) along with three live cartridges, Rs 5,000 in cash from their possession and a Tavera used in the crime. Benipal informed that during the interrogation, the accused have confessed the crime. They had looted various fuel stations, including one at Nandgarh village on January 7 and three others located at Chak Ruldu Singh Wala, Ghudda and Shekhupura villages in Bathinda district on January 9 within one-and-a-half hours. The accused also admitted that the looting of pumps at Maluka, Bhagta and Panj Garain was their handiwork, the SP said. The accused arrested were identified as Swaranjeet Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Harpal Singh, Gursewak Singh of Naruana village and Sucha Singh of Ghudda. Three of their absconding accomplices were named as Satvir Singh of Bathinda and Bhappa Singh and Khan of village Jandawala in Rajasthan. However, some queries still remain to be answered. According to the SP (D), the raid was conducted on a tip-off by an Assistant Sub-inspector that all the eight accused were sitting at a secluded place at the Bir Talab Basti in Bathinda late on Wednesday evening. He further said, as the ASI claimed to be present a few meters away from the spot and had reliable information, the Sadar police registered a case under section 499, 502 of the IPC along with 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act. It was mentioned in the FIR that conducting an immediate raid, cops arrested all the accused. However, the SP (D) claimed that the accused were arrested on Thursday morning. This gap, between the information received and the arrest of the accused, stated by the police, gave raised doubts as to whether the delay allowed three of the eight accused to flee? And if the cops had confirmed information about the presence of the accused, why theywasted time in registering another FIR instead of acting quickly as the Sangat police had already registered a case of dacoity against unidentified persons. The press release issued by the cops stated that the five accused, behind the bars, were going to be produced in the court on Wednesday, which contradicted the police statement today, that it would be on Thursday. On the other hand, sources in the district police said the accused were held on Wednesday night but in view of the press meet on Thursday, some change in the presentation had been done. However, the SP (D) refuted the allegation.