Jail inmates in Punjab may get cable TV access
Patiala, February 20
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said he would look into the demand of inmates of various jails in Punjab for cable TV connections to watch cricket World Cup matches.

Chandigarh, February 20
After a near dismal performance at the Maghi Mela earlier this year, the Congress appears to be gaining ground in the Malwa region of the state. The trend has reversed for the Congress after Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh focused on the region to counter the internal dissensions with the party in this region.

Amarinder has held mass mobilisation rallies in 13 out of the 20 districts where the response, according to party insiders, has been beyond expectation. He has announced that future of a leader in the party would be based on his/her acceptability among the cadres and their contribution towards improving the party’s chances of victory. This has mobilised the leadership of the party.

Party insiders say that the message has gone out loud and clear and the Congress rallies are now well attended. A senior party leader even compared the crowds the Congress is drawing in the Malwa belt with that of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) by saying, “Amarinder seems to have scored significantly better in numbers over his rivals”.

The four major rallies PPCC president addressed at Moga, Ferozepur, Rampura Phull (Bathinda) and Faridkot witnessed a substantial turnout. These are now being compared in terms of numbers of people in attendance with the rallies addressed in the region by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

A senior party leader said, “This was certainly a good comeback for the party after having been unable to organise a good show at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar. The Maghi Mela turned out to be a lesson for the Congress as they stopped taking things casually. The Maghi Mela had proved to be a disaster as leadership took things quite lightly that had led to a poor show”.

Congress leaders claim that the rally at Rampura Phul in Bathinda district has come as a serious challenge to the Akalis, especially because the constituency is represented in the Parliament by Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Malwa was traditionally known to be a Akali bastion. But with the introduction of BT cotton, Amarinder Singh transformed the economy of the region. Again the repealing of the water sharing agreements in the assembly by Amarinder helped the farmers of this region the most. As a result, the Congress made huge inroads into Malwa in the 2007 poll, putting the party in the lead here.

The steady growth of Congress in the area certainly does not come as good news for the ruling Akalis, who are hoping to make a comeback, particularly after having won three Parliamentary seats of Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozepur in 2009. The Manpreet Badal factor too has certainly got the Akalis worried as he will damage the Akalis more than the Congress.

The question is will the Congress be able to retain the momentum it has gained? The biggest obstacle for the Congress is proving to be the delay of the party high command in approving the list of the officer-bearers, which has demoralised many aspirants and organisers of party functions.

Amritsar, February 20
Taking a strong note of the alleged massacre of innocent Sikhs in Rewari district of Haryana in 1984, the SGPC has decided to initiate steps for taking legal action against the people/officials responsible for the incident as well as those behind covering up the entire matter. It has also sought a judicial probe into the matter.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar stated this today after a committee formed by the SGPC submitted its report to him following a visit to Hond-Chillar village in Rewari. Revealing the findings of the report, he said Manmohan Singh, a riot-hit villager who was 17-year-old in 1984, told the committee that an irate mob had descended on the village on November 2, 1984, but their sarpanch Dhanpat had somehow persuaded them to return.

However, after sometime, the mob, armed with lathis and sharp-edged weapons, returned to the village in three trucks and set ablaze many houses there. “Those in houses died of suffocation, while the ones trying to escape were beaten to death by the mob,” he told the committee. According to Manmohan, 32 persons were killed while he and his three brothers sustained injuries in the attack.

As per the committee report, the villagers, who had somehow managed to escape the brunt of the mob, later cut their hair out of fear. Another village resident Hoshiar Singh told the panel that he himself consigned 27 bodies to flames in the presence of the then SHO, Ram Kishore, while the last rites of partially burnt bodies were performed by the municipal committee staff. Manmohan’s brother Joginder Singh, who is an advocate in Rewari, told the panel that a Sikh Army man who had taken shelter in the village to escape rioters was also killed by the mob.

Makkar said they had established contact with the next of the kin of those killed at Hond-Chillar village in 1984 and they would soon be meeting him. These families were at present living in Bathinda, Ludhiana and Rewari. He said the SGPC would form another panel in this connection that would collect information about revenue and municipal records, FIRs and the action taken by the police and submit a report to him, on the basis of which future course of action would be decided.

Meanwhile, the Dal Khalsa has urged the Haryana Chief Minister to constitute a judicial commission headed by a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to probe into the “well-planned killings and bring the conspirators and perpetrators to book”. Sikhs for Justice, a New York-based human rights advocacy group, has also decided to take up the matter with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on February 23. 

Ropar, February 20
A seven-member committee has been formed to investigate into the killing of 60 to 70 persons during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots at Hond village in Rewari district of Haryana.

The committee comprises five members from Punjab and two from Haryana. Talking to mediapersons yesterday, Adviser to the Chief Minister of Punjab Daljit Singh Cheema said the members would soon be visiting the village to establish facts and submit a report.

“During the riots, 60 to 70 persons were killed, but the FIR lodged mentions only 10 deaths. At that time, the Congress was in power both at the Centre and the state level. The Congress-led government hid facts, to save its people,” Cheema said.

Among the committee members are: Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Harish Rai Dhanda, Amarjeet Singh Chawla and Harjinder Singh Jakhu from Punjab; and Dr Joginder Singh Ahluwan and Raghuvir Singh Virk from Haryana.

“During the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, many bodies were found from the well situated in the Bagh. At Hond also, people had jumped into the village well to save themselves,” Cheema claimed. He said the SAD-BJP government would move the Supreme Court besides raising the issue in Parliament.

Cheema was here on the occasion of joining of SK Sandhu, who has been appointed as the first Commissioner of the newly carved Ropar division.

Khadoor Sahib, Feb 20
A silent green drive is sweeping the countryside in Punjab, thanks to the efforts of Padam Shri Baba Sewa Singh Khadoor Sahibwale who has been adopting villages in the state for his plantation drive for the past one year and aims to augment green cover in 100 villages every year.

Throwing light on his new project in an exclusive interview with The Tribune here yesterday, Baba Sewa Singh said, “We have been planting trees on the roadsides for almost a decade now. After planting around 2.5 lakh trees alongside different stretches of roads measuring 250 km, we thought of adding a new dimension to our drive. We started adopting villages for boosting green cover in the state. Under the project, we plant at least two trees, preferably neem and jamun, in every household. The project has turned out to be a huge success with around 35,000 trees being already planted in 76 Punjab villages over the last one year.”

According to him, they will adopt another 100 villages this year in Bathinda, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts. “We are targeting plantation of at least 500 trees in each village, which would make a total of 50,000 trees in 100 villages every year,” he added.

Baba Sewa Singh also revealed that another advantage of their new drive was that common people were getting involved in environment conservation. “Earlier, when we used to plant saplings alongside roads, it was entirely up to my staff to maintain the new plantation, but now the people are also taking interest. The cost of maintaining growth of plants has also come down drastically.”

“For undertaking plantation alongside roads, we first need to have tree guards for protecting plants. Then we should have 10 water tankers of 10,000 litre capacity each and a team of 30-40 staff members who watered new plants at regular intervals. However, while planting trees in villages, the villagers themselves take care of the plants’ growth.”

To keep tabs on the growth of plants, Baba Sewa Singh has entrusted the job of monitoring the situation to three-four individuals in each village. These volunteers maintain a record of all the people on whose premises trees have been planted.

Apart from it, Baba Sewa Singh would also be planting saplings on “phirnis” (village boundary demarcating the residential area) in five villages every year. The plantation on “phirnis” would become the property of the farmers on whose land these were standing. Recently, they have planted 150 mango trees at Baniya village, near here. “Now, it is up to the villagers whether they want to utilise mangoes at their homes or sell them in the market to earn extra income,” he added. 

Chandigarh, February 20
Besides serving as a geographical boundary between Punjab and Haryana, the Ghaggar, midway in its much-publicised widening and realignment project, continues to be the most dreaded natural water channel that brings monsoon misery to the people living on its embankments in both states.

A Rs 432-crore central project approved in late 90s after the issue was taken up by the then Patiala MP Prem Singh Chandumajra in the Lok Sabha has been held in abeyance after the completion of the first of its three phases. The reason given, and vehemently opposed by the Punjab Government, is linking the completion of the remaining two phases of the project with the Hansi-Butana canal.

“It is a clear case of discrimination against Punjab. After completing phase I, imposing conditions before undertaking work on the remaining phases is like using strong-arm tactics against a state government that has been fighting ever since its reorganisation in 1966 for every drop of its water,” says Prem Singh Chandumajra.

To protest against the Central Government action of suspending the work on the project, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) would organise a massive rally at Munak tomorrow, he said.

The first phase of the Ghaggar project, spanning over 25 km, covered Khanauri to Makorar at a cost of Rs 113 crore. The second phase would cover area from Makorar to Jakhal, while the third phase would take care of the area from the GT Road to Khanauri.

The work on the second project would not be taken up because of non-clearance from the Central Water Commission.

By holding the remaining project in abeyance, the Central Water Commission was not only playing with the sentiments of the people of Punjab but was also responsible for endangering their lives and property as the river wreaks havoc on its embankments during every rainy season.

Criticising the Haryana Government’s stand that Hansi Butana canal be completed first before the work on the remaining two phases of the Ghaggar project was allowed to be taken up, Prem Singh Chandumajra said the people of Patiala, Sangrur and Mansa would have been the major beneficiaries following the completion of the Ghaggar project, as approved in 1996.

He also appealed to the Congress leadership of the state to pressurise the Congress-led UPA government for the early completion of the project.

“We are trying our best and have even taken to legal recourse to get the suspended work resumed. But legal battles take long time to resolve. So, we have decided to take the battle to the court of the people by holding a public rally at Munak tomorrow, where the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal would be the main speaker,” he added. 

Ludhiana, February 20
Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal today refuted reports of a rift between the SAD and the BJP following a vigilance inquiry into the recruitment of doctors appointed by
the PPSC.

He made the above statement while interacting with mediapersons during his visit here to attend a state-level function organised in memory of Shaheed Baba Moti Ram Mehra.

Sukhbir when asked about the pressure being exerted by Punjab Cabinet minister Manoranjan Kalia to safeguard the interests of PPSC member Anil Sareen, a senior BJP leader said the fate of the persons involved in the PPSC scam will be decided by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. When asked about the proposed Right to Service Act, he said for the first time any state government in the country had contemplated the move to bring an element of accountability among public servants. He said public servants would have to act as servants of public, providing them all citizen services listed in the Act within the stipulated timeframe. Paying tributes to Baba Moti Ram Mehra, the Deputy CM said Baba Moti Ram Mehra sacrificed his own family to serve the Chhote Sahibzadas, who were in prison.

Amritsar, February 20
Great granddaughters of nationally acclaimed Sufiana singer, Bibi Noora, carry forward the family tradition of Sufi singing in the second decade of the 21st century. Teenage sisters, Sultana Noora and Jyoti Noora, mesmerised the audience with Sufiana ‘kalams’ (couplets) of Bulle Shah and Sultan Bahu at the Amritsar Virasat Mela last night. Receptive connoisseurs of Sufiana encouraged the girls with equally energetic applause.

Both of them desired to become playback singers. For them, ideals are their great grandmother, Bibi Noora, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Reshma. Sultana (16) studies in high school while Jyoti (13) is in the sixth standard.

Sultana said: “Meaningful ‘kalams’ of Sufi saints of yore illuminate my mind and soul and the recitation of these in a rhythmic way gave a feeling of satisfaction that I am spreading their message of oneness of humanity and brotherhood among people.”

Apart form singing, Jyoti likes studying mathematics, but her goal is to sing for Bollywood movies.

Before these fourth generation Sufi singers, their grandmother, Swarn Noora, who had trained under her mother the late Bibi Noora, had earned name in Sufiana and recorded many audio cassettes. Their late grandfather, Master Sohan Lal, husband of Swarn, was a Qawwal who performed at Jalandhar Doordarshan many times. The family is settled in Jalandhar. Both sisters are learning the traits of singing from their father Gulshan Mir and grandmother Swarn Noora.

They felt that the responsibility to take the family tradition forward fell on their shoulders. Hence, they are putting in their best three hours on a working day and much more on weekends and holidays to practice. A nationally acclaimed singer of Sufiana, Bibi Noora, was a disciple of a noted classical singer, Ustad Bade Miyan. She died of cirrhosis 32 years ago.

Amritsar, February 20
A delegation of NRIs from the USA has urged former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal to intervene in protecting their agriculture, residential and commercial properties in the country.

Manmohan Singh Gumtala, who led the delegation that met Manpreet Badal recently, said Indian citizens living abroad must be allowed to purchase agricultural land in Punjab.

As per the current laws, an NRI who resides outside India for more than six months in a year cannot purchase agriculture land or plantation property or a farmhouse in India. 
However, he can purchase residential and commercial property.

Citing Article 102(1) of the Indian Constitution, Gumtala said they also intended to contest elections. “The NRIs can participate in all elections in India, if he/she has not acquired the citizenship of any other country during their stay abroad,” he said.

Confirming the meeting, Manpreet Badal’s spokesperson Amanpreet Singh Chhina said the current amendment in the legislation was silent on the eligibility of NRIs to contest elections.

“Article 102(1) clarifies that after getting a foreign country’s citizenship, a person cannot contest elections in India, but it is not clear that whether an NRI who is an Indian citizen and holds a Green Card or Permanent Residence Card or Work Permit can contest elections in India or not. We will write to the Central Government and the Election Commission of India to give clear directions in this regard,” said Chhina.

Among the other members of the delegation were: Rana RS Khalon, Commissioner, Consumer Affairs Commission, Alameda County, Darshan Singh Khalon, Dalvinder Singh, Karanbaljit Singh, Roopinder Singh and Manjit Singh Sandhu. 

Chandigarh, February 20
Agro-processing has suffered another failure in Punjab with the two multipurpose juicing plants established at Hoshiarpur and Abohar, primarily to give a fillip to citrus cultivation, failing to process any kinnow in the ongoing crushing season. Kinnow is grown in around 40,000 hectares in the state and this year’s production is calculated at six lakh tonnes.

The state, which experienced a bumper kinnow crop last year, has experienced a less than normal crop this season. This has increased the average kinnow price to Rs 13 per kg from last year’s price of Rs 8 per kg.

Both multipurpose juicing plants, set up at a cost of Rs 84 crore, were established keeping in view the projected citrus growth in Punjab, following planting of imported citrus varieties four years back. With most of the citrus varieties having failed, the plants are mainly dependent on processing of kinnow in the winter months. Other fruits and vegetables are also being processed, but in very small amounts.

While last year the Hoshiarpur plant processed 100 tonnes of kinnow, which itself was a minuscule quantity taking into account the plant’s capacity to process 20 tonnes of fruit per day, this year it has drawn a blank. So has the Abohar plant.

Plant authorities say the high price of the fruit this year is responsible for their inability to purchase the fruit for processing. They say the price of the fruit is much lower in Pakistan due to which it is not economically viable to process the fruit for export or for selling it to multinational companies.

For the farmers, the inability to get a good price from both juicing plants is frustrating. Grower Jaswant Singh Chautala says the government can step in and get its agency Markfed to bottle the juice and even advocates a mix or kinnow and carrots, saying such ventures will give a fillip to horticulturists in the state.

The Horticulture Deputy Director, Dr Gurkanwal Singh, advocates using a kinnow by-product limonim, which is known for its anti-cancerous properties, to make both factories viable. He says the factories can extract limonim, found in kinnow seeds as well as its peel, through separate machinery.

Dhianumajra (Fatehgarh Sahib), February 20
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has spreads its tentacles in Dhianumajra village and its residents are silently counting their dead animals. Nearly 13 animals have died and more than 12 are suffering from the deadly virus, which leads to blisters in animals’ mouth and feet and causes lameness besides high fever. Village lambardar Nirmal Singh rued that none of the government officials had come to administer vaccines to the animals despite making announcements a month ago.

Private and government veterinarians have now refused to administer vaccines to animals saying it has assumed an alarming proportion in the village. The presence of the highly infectious disease can be witnessed at the entrance of various houses in the village wherein people have spread ‘kali’ (slaked lime or calcium hydroxide) to keep the FMD virus at bay. Baldev Singh, who has lost his four cattle in the past 15 days, said the virus was spreading from one animal to another in the village. Lambardar Nirmal Singh said he lost his cow a few days ago despite repeated vaccinations from a local private veterinarian and another too was ill and had the same symptoms for the past one week.

Villagers rued that had the vaccination was done in advance, the outbreak of the disease could have been avoided. Veterinary officer Surmukh Singh said since the epidemic had spread, doctors could not administer vaccines to animals. “We usually face demoralising rejections whenever we ask people to opt for free vaccination. Villagers have superstitious beliefs and hardly pay attention to our requests”, he added. He said now the only way out was to keep sick animals in quarantine. But since it was cold, people could not keep their animals away. He rued that the problem had also intensified due to the presence of quacks in the village. “I have identified four quacks in this village who are minting money in the name of medication,” he said. Sources said the problem began when some businessmen in the area brought a sick animal from outside and following this, its virus got spread. Sources said there are 1, 90,608 animals in the district as per the last census. However, nearly 1, 91,000 (more than census) were administered vaccine this time. The number of cattle increased due to purchase of new cattle and births, they added. Deputy Director (Animal Husbandry) Ravi Bhushan, when apprised of the situation, assured to do the needful for animals in Dhianumajra and nearby villages.

Ropar, February 20
The Ropar forest range is all set to get a separate batch of six cops to nail the mining and khair mafia active in the region. For the first time in the state, the range would get a separate batch of cops comprising one head constable and five constables. The DGP Punjab has already dispatched a letter notifying the same. Ropar forest range would pay salaries of the cops.

The range comprises Ropar and its sub-division Kharar as well as Mohali district. Confirming this, divisional forest officer Vishal Chauhan said during a high-level meeting, the department has asked for a separate platoon. “We would be assigned a platoon also, which would take sometime. As a stop gap arrangement, we would get a batch of six cops,” he said.

Chauhan said there are a number of forest violations in the 20 km in the periphery of Chandigarh and a large portion of it lies under the Ropar range. “The cops would help us keep a check on violations as well as expedite the processes of registration of cases against the erring people,” he said.

A separate platoon has also been sought for the range, which frequently witnesses incidences of clashes between mafia and forest officials and in some cases the officials have also been assaulted. A DSP rank official would head the proposed platoon and salaries for the same would be earmarked from compensatory afforestation funds. For the proposed platoon, special recruitment would also be conducted.

Lying in the periphery of Chandigarh, which is witnessing hectic construction activity, and the range which has a large number of mines has also become a hub of illegal mining. Similarly, a large number of violations have been reported from the range wherein private colonisers are developing housing colonies.

In several cases, the mafia is a well-organised gang, often armed, while forest officials do not even have a baton to defend themselves especially while conducting raids after dark. Similarly, the khair mafia, active in parts of areas lying on Hiamchal Pradesh-Punjab border too would be checked.

Chandigarh, February 20
Condemning the “tacit silence” maintained by official witnesses to help out the accused in criminal cases, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has called upon the State of Punjab to proceed as per law against them for not supporting the prosecution case.

Justice Jitendra Chauhan has also ruled: “The truth must prevail and corrupt officials, who want to play hide and seek with the Court, with the aid of clever prosecution witnesses, must be nailed”.

A Food and Civil Supplies Inspector, Karamjit Singh along with two others has also been held at fault for helping a bribe-seeker.

The scathing observations came on a petition filed by Rajinder Singh and another against the State of Punjab following their conviction and two and a half years’ sentence in a corruption case.

The prosecution case was that accused Rajinder Singh had asked for illegal gratification to get the electricity bill corrected.

A raiding party was, subsequently, constituted and Rajiv Sood was joined in as shadow and Karamjit Singh as official witness. During the raid, the accused were caught red-handed.

Justice Chauhan ruled: “In this case, the conduct of the complainant, shadow witness and official witness is very unfortunate. After taking the onerous responsibility of weeding out the corrupt official, they sided with the corrupt officials.

“It is on account of the conduct of such people, corruption in society has reached at an alarming stage. If this trend is not restricted, it will result into making a mockery of the legal system and the corrupt officials will never be able to face the consequences of their wrong-doing.

“Official witness Karamjit Singh, shadow witness Rajiv Sood and complainant Amar Singh miserably failed to perform their duty as responsible citizens and thus have helped the bribe seeker. The official witnesses are not the laymen and fully understand the implication of their acts. They have failed to maintain the faith reposed in them by their employer - the State….”