Chandigarh, March 21
After holding the state to ransom for many days, employees of eight safai karamchari unions today announced the withdrawal of their agitation. The announcement was made by Kuldeep, convener of the Joint Action Committee of various employees’ unions, after negotiations with Local Bodies, Industry and Commerce Minister Manoranjan Kalia here today evening.

The issue had been raised in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on several occasions by Abohar legislator Sunil Jakhar and others. Kalia had assured the House that talks were on with unions’ leaders and the matter would be resolved shortly. Today, after the last round of negotiations, Safai Karamchari Union leaders announced that they were withdrawing their agitation following an assurance by the minister.

Giving details of the negotiations, Kalia told TNS that the government had acceded to the genuine demands of the safai karamchari unions. After four hours of deliberations, it had been decided that the services of all the safai sewaks and sewer men would be regularised. Even the services of eligible clerks would be regularised.

Kalia said all the employees had been assured that they would be paid the minimum wage. Even contractors employing them would be asked to adhere to this. Some other grievances would be sent to an anomalies committee, which would look into them. Further, the strike period would be treated as on leave with pay.

Safai sewaks and Class-IV employees of 136 Municipal Councils of the state and two Municipal Corporations (Patiala and Bathinda) were on a strike demanding the regularisation of the services of the contractual staff. The news has come as a respite to the people of the state, who were bearing the brunt of it.

PATIALA: Following a strike by safai sewaks, heaps of garbage are lying open in all parts of the city. Class-IV employees of the Patiala Municipal Corporation had decided not to lift garbage from city-based dumps and had even thrown the same on some main roads to protest against the government.

However, after an assurance by the minister late this evening, union members of the agitating employees said they had decided to resume work from Monday late evening and clean the entire city in the next 24 hours. Patiala DC Dipinder Singh said by tomorrow, the city would be garbage free.

BATALA: Even as the ruling SAD is all geared up for a function to be organised on the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Khatkar Kalan on March 23, leaders of its alliance partner, the BJP, are trying to convince urban masses to attend the event with residents asking them to first get their streets cleared of garbage heaps.

Ambika Khanna, President of the BJP-controlled Batala Muncipal Council and daughter of Batala BJP MLA Jagdeesh Sahni, said her father was finding it difficult to convince the masses to attend the rally. “We are trying to tell the people that it is a matter between the state government and MC employees’ unions. However, residents are not ready listen to us,” she said. Similar reports are filtering in from Pathankot, where state Transport Minister, Master Mohan Lal, owing allegiance to the BJP, is the sitting MLA. Sources said all the 19 sitting BJP MLAs in Punjab were facing a similar predicament.

Amritsar, March 21
Even as Sikhs are facing issues like turban frisking at airports and the ban on the kirpan in various institutions abroad, all eyes are now on the SGPC budget, scheduled for March 24, as the community is expecting its mini-parliament to allocate ample funds for setting up Sikh missions abroad to spread awareness about the religion.

Last year the SGPC, in its Rs 508.7 crore budget presented on March 31, had allocated Rs 46 crore for the propagation of Sikhism which accounted for less than 10 per cent of the budget. However, in view of the problems that Sikhs are grappling with abroad, the SGPC may well have to increase this amount substantially. The SGPC has already announced its decision to establish a Sikh mission in Washington, besides getting Sikh literature printed in different foreign languages.

The Dal Khalsa, a radical Sikh outfit, has demanded that the budget allocation for the propagation of Sikhism should be doubled. “The Sikhs are facing an identity crisis abroad. The SGPC should allocate 10 per cent of its budget for creating awareness among people who matter in governments abroad. The SGPC should hire professionals who have a knowledge of international diplomacy and skills to convince people having a say in policy decisions,” said Kanwar Pal Singh, party spokesperson.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh said Sikh bodies like the SGPC and the DSGMC had their annual budgets close to Rs 1,000 crore and they should ensure that the funds were properly utilised.

He said the SGPC should certainly set up Sikh missions abroad but at the same time it should form a panel of experts to deal with issues confronting the community there.

“The SGPC should hire professionals or rope in those who are engaged in meaningful work on these issues in foreign countries,” he added. However, there are a few who feel that instead of setting up Sikh missions the SGPC should utilise gurdwaras that have come up in foreign countries to spread awareness.

“There is adequate number of gurdwaras from where the awareness campaign can be run. The need of the hour is that the SGPC should coordinate with Sikh leaders abroad,” said Shiromani Panthic Council chairman Manjeet Singh Calcutta. But he was all for the proposal to publish Sikh literature in foreign languages.

“We should also run a campaign in the foreign media about the separate Sikh identity and our religious symbols,” he added. SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar said there would be no dearth of funds. The maximum funds would be utilised to deal with these issues depending upon the requirements. 

Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), March 21
Even as there are still two days left for the political rallies being organised by various parties at the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, a few hundreds of workers have already descended on the site, making arrangements for the mega event.

Tents have already been erected and langars have been started by jathas representing the Akalis. While the ruling party has been making seating arrangements on the mattresses spread across 20 acres of ground, the Congress workers have put up chairs in their pandal.

High-security arrangements at the site are already visible and passes are being issued for the visitors. The residents of the village are quite amazed at the elaborate arrangements being made for the martyrdom day of the Shaheed-e-Azam for they say that it was perhaps for the first time that the event was being organised at such a large scale. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has visited the site twice in the past fortnight to himself oversee the arrangements.

The organisers for the SAD indicated that as many as 35,000 workers were expected to reach the site by tomorrow evening and would be staying overnight in the tents and gurdwaras.

Massive hoardings put up by the political parties dot the entire stretch on the Chandigarh Road. Posters indicate that popular Punjabi singer Gurdas Mann is scheduled to sing for the rival Congress party. Satinder Sartaj, however, has been booked for the SAD-BJP gathering.

Since the memorial site falls on the main Phagwara-Chandigarh highway, diversions for the purpose have already been declared for the day. The traffic coming from Chandigarh side to Jalandhar will be diverted from Khanpur in Kharar towards Morinda bypass, Samrala and Ludhiana. Those going towards Chandigarh will be going via Phagwara, Goraya, Phillaur, Ludhiana, Neelon and Ropar.

Motorists coming from Ropar to Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Jammu will be going via Noorpur Bedi, Pojewal, Garhshankar and Mahilpur to reach Hoshiarpur. Traffic from Banga to Ropar would be going via Garhshankar Road, Pojewal and Anandpur Sahib. DC Shruti Singh said that well-marked parking arrangements had already been made. 

Anandpur Sahib, March 21
The six-day long Hola Mohalla celebrations concluded on Sunday with Nihang Sikhs taking out a procession, showcasing martial arts and gatka skills.

The procession started from Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. But when the teams reached Charan Ganga Stadium, neither was there proper barricading nor a separate gallery for mediapersons.

Even the stage set up for Nihang Sikhs was very low. Photographers from different parts of the world, keen to click pictures of a Nihang in action, sustained injuries. Representatives of electronic media said that they nearly got their equipment damaged in the milieu. Even the

team members of a satellite television channel, covering the event live, got injured. Around three of the horse riding Nihang Sikhs fell off their horses.

Rajpura, March 21
The tenure of those leaders who got positions in the Congress using money and influence is over now. It is now the time for ardent Congress workers who had been working for the party diligently, said former MP and newly elected member of the All-India Congress Working Committee, Jagmeet Brar.

Party workers welcomed Brar at the Punjab border, Shambhu Barrier and also at the steel town, Mandi Gobindgarh. “According to the instructions of the All- India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi, now every hardworking Congress worker will get respect and a position in the party,” he said.

He said the Akalis would be routed in the coming Vidhan Sabha elections to put in power the government of common man. Brar alleged that the Akali-BJP government had encroached everywhere in the state and had even seized essential means of support. Farmers, poor people, labourers are all on an edge with the self-centered policies of the government.

When asked about the missing local Congress leaders on his arrival in Rajpura, he said groupism in the party would be dissolved soon and workers would be merged together to contest the coming elections. The Congress leader pointed out that affected people especially the poor in Punjab hold the key to the party’s success.

Brar refused to acknowledge his differences with any leader of Punjab, including former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, and said that they would achieve success unitedly.

Chandigarh, March 21
State former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has announced that his party, to be launched on March 27 at Khatkar Kalan, will be a secular and nationalistic party.

Refusing to disclose the name of the party or its constitution in advance, he, however, categorically said his party would not contest the SGPC poll, but might support some clean candidates.

Manpreet, while sharing his experiences during the “Jago Punjab Yatra”, claimed that people were now coming forward to join him, but he would only accept clean and honest people from different walks of life.

Meanwhile, he introduced Punjabi comedian and satirist Bhagwant Mann and Youth Akali Dal general secretary Jasbir Sekhon to the media announcing their joining him.

Refuting all the suggestions that joining the Congress could be an option for him, Manpreet said the party had “failed” to do anything for the people in 64 years of independence. At the same time, the SAD had perfected the art of winning elections by compromising on long-term gains for Punjab by going in for short-term gains.

He said his party had a detailed constitution which dealt will all the issues facing Punjab. “I will use this party as a platform to carry further issues and agendas I have raised on the floor of the House and before the people during the Jago Punjab Yatra,” he said.

Having a dig at the SAD, he said the party they formed would have internal democracy and complete transparency that would be able to deliver democratic governance.

For two months till May-end, Manpreet and his group aim to recruit 15-20 lakh people (nearly 10 per cent of the state’s population). Manpreet said he could not spell out details, but the constitution of his party was ready and issues like need to support agriculture had been dealt with seriously.

Bhagwant Mann said he was a satirist who used his comedy to highlight issues. But now as a politician, he would be able to redress them. He, however, assured his supporters and fans that he would continue to bring out music and joke audio and video albums.

Parmod Bharti adds from Nawanshahr: Talking to mediapersons at Khatkar Kalan today, Manpreet Badal said his new party would aim to preserve and promote the pride and prestige of Punjab, Punjabiyat and Punjabis rather than prompting personality cult.

He said the focus of his new party would be to bring in a positive change in every sphere of life concerning the common man. The blueprint for the party was to bring in qualitative improvement in agriculture, education, industry, social welfare, infrastructure development and governance. The membership fee for his new party would be Rs 1 only, he added.

Amritsar, March 21
While teachers of Khalsa College are already up in arms against the proposed conversion of the college into a private university, the old students’ association has also come out against the move.

The Khalsa College Old Students Association, Amritsar, has sought the immediate intervention of the President and the Minorities Commission on the issue besides threatening to resort to a fast against the proposal.

The association said the conversion of the college into a private university at the cost of the college was not acceptable to Sikhs who were hurt by the move.

“The college is the property of the Sikh community as a number of philanthropists donated their land for the construction of the college,” claimed Dhanwant Singh Sandhu, president of the association, while countering the claim of the college management that the land was bought by the Governing Council to construct the college building.

“If the land was purchased, the management should clarify from where the funds came for this,” added Dhanwant Singh.

The association also raised questions over changing the Khalsa College Governing Council into the Khalsa College Charitable Society. Jaspal Singh, member of the general house of the council, who was present at the press conference, alleged that the matter never came before the general house meeting. The association alleged that the present office-bearers who were promoting this move were close aides of senior ministers of the ruling party, their family members and relatives.

It also expressed surprise over the grant of an NoC by Guru Nanak Dev University which they alleged was due to “some bargaining” between the management and the university authorities.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (1920) senior vice-presidents Raghubir Singh Rajasansi and Darshan Singh Isapur announced that the party would approach the court against the move.

The Pendu Mazdoor Union urged the authorities not to go ahead with the plan. Dharminder Ajnala of the union said they would support the college employees’ struggle.

Jalandhar, March 21
The prices of milk are likely to witness a significant increase this week across the state as Milkfed, Punjab, has increased the prices of packed pasteurised milk supplied under the brand name Verka by Re 1 per kg from today.

The prices of Verka milk are largely considered as a “gold standard determinant” for the milk prices in the entire state.

Verka has increased the prices of all its three major varieties, including full cream milk, standard and double-toned milk.

The increase in Verka milk prices will have a cascading effect not only on the prices of raw milk but even milk products ranging from ice-cream, cheese, curd and tea.

Sources said that the periodic scarcity of raw milk in summers had prevailed upon the authorities to take the step.

Patiala, March 21
In a significant development, Kamaljit Singh, the main witness in the murder case of Harpreet Kaur, daughter of former SGPC president, Bibi Jagir Kaur, has moved an application in the Court of Special Judge (CBI Cases), Patiala, Balbir Singh, pleading for re-examination of his statements given during the court trial. While confirming this, Kamaljit’s counsel advocate Arun Singla said that under Section 311, CrPc (Power to summon material witness, or examine the person present), he has moved the application in court this morning, which mentioned that earlier Kamaljit had given statements under pressure and mental duress from various quarters.

“The accused wield immense political influence and are powerful people with connections with the ruling party in Punjab. Kamaljit could not depose truthfully before the trial court due to pressure of Bibi Jagir Kaur and other co-accused and authorities concerned, who are in power in the state. Hence, Kamaljit wants to get himself re-examined and depose truthfully as his previous statements were under pressure and duress from the accused,” reads the application moved by Kamaljit’s counsel in the court.

Speaking to The Tribune, Singla said for the benefit of the trial of the case, even during the fag end of the trial, the court has got the powers to order the re-examination of Kamaljit’s statements. “At the same time, the court can recall and re-examine any person already examined, if their evidence appears to it be essential for the just decision of the case,” he said, while adding that since the entire trial of the Harpreet murder case was based on the statements of Kamaljit, re-examination of his statements was very important. The court has issued notice of the application to the CBI and the accused persons for the next hearing date scheduled for March 25.

Notably, Harpreet Kaur had died under mysterious circumstances in the wee hours of April 21, 2000. A few days after Harpreet’s death, Kamaljit Singh, resident of Begowal (Kapurthala district), which is the ancestral village of Bibi Jagir Kaur, had claimed that he was Harpreet’s husband and the father of Harpreet’s still-born child.

However, 10 years after the alleged murder, in a sudden twist on February 25, 2010, Kamaljit had turned hostile before the court. Now, again Kamaljit has backtracked from his statements, while stating that he was under pressure from the accused. 

Ludhiana, March 21
Private aided college managements have ignored the UGC recommendations about the salary to be given to permanent lecturers. More than 3,000 college lecturers in the state are being paid a monthly salary to the tune of Rs 8,000-Rs 12,000 against the regular scale of Rs 21,600 (basic salary).

Though the Syndicate of Panjab University, Chandigarh, in June last had said that the new fee structure in private colleges would be implemented only when the lecturers were given full-pay grades by managements, throwing the rules to the winds, private college managements are continuously "exploiting" the college lecturers.

The managements of private-aided colleges in Punjab, however, are getting 95 per cent grant in aid from the state government. At the same time, they are flouting the UGC regulations by denying "recommended salaries" to lecturers working on unaided posts.

These 3,000 lecturers in private-aided colleges are working on approved posts of PU. All lecturers have got the appointment letters in which the recommended grade of Rs 21,600 (basic salary) is mentioned.

Sadly, the lecturers who try to raise their voice against the college managements against disparity in pay grades are often "threatened" with dire consequences.

Prof Tarun Ghai, who worked as Head, Department of Political Science at Swami Ganga Giri Janta Girls College, Raikot, alleged that he had been suspended by the college management as he had raised his voice against disparity in pay scales.

R Kaura, general secretary of the college managing committee, said the management had agreed to provide Professor Ghai Rs 20,000 per month, still due to his "over ambitious" nature, he was not satisfied. "He tried to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere of the college by instigating others. He did not cooperate on any issue, so we were left with no other choice but to suspend him," said Kaura.

State vice-president of the PCCTU VK Bhardwaj said that many colleges did not provide due scales to the college lecturers working on unaided posts. "Private colleges do not provide grades; in case new grades are given, other allowances are not given. There is massive exploitation of these unaided teachers," said Prof Bhardwaj.

The UGC and Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in a notification have also asked the managements to remain within the ambit of UGC/MHRD and implement the scales in "toto". Still rules are being violated blatantly.

Patiala, March 21
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has decided to encash the bank guarantee of Rs 2 lakh of the Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Plant Pvt Ltd, Pangoli village, Gurdaspur.

The bank guarantee was submitted by the firm as an assurance that it would upgrade its pollution control devices but the company failed to do so.

As per the information, on November 30, a board team headed by chief environmental engineer Birinderjit Singh, senior environmental engineer AK Kalsi, scientific officer Charanjit Singh, environmental engineers Sandeep Behl and Joginder Singh, had visited the plant and found that unshredded intravenous waste, gloves, plastic bottles, were lying packed in bags and the same was being resold in the market, in contravention of the BMWM Rules.

“Similarly, incinerable waste was found stored in the bags. PPCB Deputy Director (PR) Charanjit Singh said PPCB chairman Rajat Aggarwal had taken serious note of the non-compliance of the instructions issued by the board.

Ropar, March 21
The Excise Department here received applications by a hundred women to participate in the liquor vend auction that took place today. Women from parts of Ropar and even neighbouring Himachal Pradesh showed interest in getting a liquor vend. Out of the 100 women applicants, only one, Navjit Kaur from Behrampur Bet in Ropar, got a vend. While last year the department got 3,124 applications, the number went up to 4,719 this year.

Out of 208 vends auctioned today, the department earned Rs 59.58 crore as licence fees.

These 208 vends comprise 138 of country made liquor and 70 of English liquor. Thirtyone groups were allotted vends.

Deputy Commissioner Arunjit Singh Miglani took out lucky draws of vends at Ambedkar Bhawan today. He said this year the department had earned 32.69 per cent more revenue as compared to last year’s Rs 44.90 crore.

Excise and Taxation Commissioner Harjeet Kaur said that from 4,719 applications, the department earned a revenue of Rs 8.7 crore. She added that the vend allottees had deposited Rs 68 lakh with the department.

The total 208 vends include 56 English and 26 country made liquor vends at Nangal, while the Ropar circle includes 40 English and 21 country made vends, while Morinda circle has 42 English and 23 country made liquor vends.

“Keeping in view the state government’s policy, the holy city of Anandpur Sahib has not been allotted any vend,” she added.

Jalandhar, March 21
Three persons have been sentenced to life imprisonment, whereas the fourth one has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in a former KMV College Principal Rita Bawa’s murder case, here on Monday. Pronouncing the judgement, Additional Sessions Judge BS Sandhu sentenced Mohammad Kaddus, Mohammad Rehman alias Abdul (both of Purnia, Bihar) and Ramandeep of Jalandhar to life imprisonment. The city court had convicted these three criminals under Section 302, IPC, on Thursday for killing Rita Bawa, her cook Kishore Mandal and two security gaurds, Tarsem Lal and Shamsheedin, around midnight on January 5 in 2008.

Sandhu sentenced each of the three convicts to life term and fined them Rs 5,000 each in each of the quadruple murders. Earlier during arguments on the quantum of sentence, the prosecution prayed for death sentence whereas the defence prayed for life term to the three convicts held guilty under Section 302, IPC.

Similarly the court sentenced the fourth convict, Bhutai Yadav, of Madhepura, Bihar, to six years’ imprisonment and Rs 5,000 fine in another section of the IPC.

Four other accused, Bhutai Yadav’s son Sachin Yadav, Ram Kumar, alias Ramu, Manoj Yadav and jeweller Ganesh (all from Bihar) have already been declared Proclaimed Offenders as the police failed to arrest any of them till date.

According to the prosecution story, loot was the prime motive behind the high-profile murder. In its charge sheet filed exactly after 78 hours of arrest of four of the eight accused on October 4 in 2008, the prosecution agency, the Ludhiana police, gave the sequence of the crime after completion of its investigation in the case.

However, several questions, including recovery of huge cash from the scene of the crime still remained unanswered.