The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Baisakhi rallies SAD, Cong strike emotional chord with masses SP Sharma Tribune News Service Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), April 14 The leadership of both the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the opposition Congress played up emotional issues in their respective rallies during the Baisakhi celebrations here today. Leaders of the SAD and Congress and also those of the smaller outfits virtually blew the election bugle at the rally that is considered the last of the current season. Apparently taking queue from the recent crusade of Anna Hazare against corruption that drew massive response throughout the country, the SAD leadership demanded stringent provisions in the central law to curb the menace of corruption. On the other hand, the Congress leadership highlighted the miseries that the farmers would face if the SAD-led government went ahead with its move to acquire fertile agricultural land in the Bathinda district for industrialization and thermal power plants. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal maintained his capability of beating other parties as far as mobilization of crowds in the rally was concerned. He said that people from only the Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar districts were mobilized by the SAD for the rally. The Congress also covered up its failure of poor show of strength at the Maghi Mela rally at Muktsar in January by bringing in crowds in today's rally. The announcement of the otherwise dissident leader Jagmeet Singh Brar that the assembly election next year would restore the Chief Minister's chair to the PPCC chief Captain Amarinder Singh came as music to the ears of the latter's supporters. Apparently in extending an olive branch to Captain Amarinder Singh, Jagmeet Brar, a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, changed his stand from what he had been saying earlier. In a speech full of rhetoric, Brar appeared to be quite conciliatory towards Amarinder. Only a couple of days ago, he had publicly been demanding as to why a Dalit could not become the Chief Minister of Punjab. Since Brar spoke ahead of Amarinder, it set the right tone for the party's rally in an election year. Prior to him, another former Chief Minister and leader of the opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal had also spoken in a similar tone targeting the Akalis for all the ills facing the state. Picking up the right threads, an upbeat Amarinder, who remained the prime attraction among the people in the rally, mainly broached on his favourite Badal bashing theme. Promising to usher in an era of progress and development, he lashed out at the Badals for letting down Punjab. However, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal mostly dwelt upon the accelerated pace of development throughout the state under the present regime. They called upon the people to give another opportunity to the SAD-BJP combine so that the unfinished agenda of development aimed at the welfare of all sections of society could be accomplished. They said that the unprecedented development in the state during the last four years had put the Congress party in a tight spot as it was bereft of any solid political agenda for the next elections in the state. Meanwhile, the SAD (A) leader Simranjeet Singh Mann took the administration by surprise and reached the Takht Damdama Sahib along with his supporters who raised "Khalistan" and pro-Bhindranwale slogans.
	IAF officer, wife & son killed in mishap Tribune Reporters Bathinda/Barnala, April 14 Tragedy took place today at Lehra Dhurkot village, near Rampura Phul in the district when three persons, a Flight Lieutenant of the Indian Air Force (IAF), his wife and their two-month-old son, were killed in a road accident. DSP Bhucho Baljit Singh said the Air Force officer, Flight Lieutenant Sham Sunder (29), posted at Barnala, his wife Ria and their 62-day-old son were killed. He said the Air Force officer had been going towards Bathinda in a car from Rampura Phul side when the mishap occurred. The DSP further said a tractor had been making its way from a link road to the main Bathinda highway near Lehra Dhurkot village when the car collided with the tractor, and then hit a passing CCTV van. After that, the car again hit the tractor, leading to the tragedy on the highway, he added. The police registered a case under Section 304-A of the IPC against the driver of the tractor, Jarnail Singh, who fled from the scene. However, the police had taken the tractor in its custody. The bodies of the deceased had been sent to the Adesh Hospital (near Bhucho) by the police for post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, in another road mishap, a scooter-borne mother son duo died on the spot after a Canter crushed them to death along the Barnala-Bathinda highway. According to reports, Rajinder Kaur, wife of Rajinder Singh of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Barnala, along with her 19-year-old son Pradeep Singh were going on the scooter bearing number PIS-2342 towards Tappa when near Khaddi Khurd village along the Barnala-Bathinda highway at around 12.30 pm, an over speeding Canter crushed them to death. In the accident, Manpreet Kaur, daughter of the deceased Rajinder Kaur, who was also on the same scooter, had a miraculous escape. A police party led by SHO Handyaya Manjeet Singh rushed to the spot and shifted the dead bodies to Civil Hospital, Barnala. Police has arrested the canter driver Ravinder Singh of Bathinda and also seized the vehicle.
	Migration spurs growth of illegal colonies Chander Parkash/TNS Bathinda, April 14 The failure of the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) and other government agencies to develop enough residential colonies to meet the rising demand for houses coupled with massive urbanisation has led to mushroom growth of unauthorised colonies in Bathinda and surrounding districts. Though the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), which looks after Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot and Ferozepur districts, has registered 414 criminal cases against those found involved in development of unapproved residential colonies, the trend has continued. Interestingly, the conviction rate in cases being registered under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA) against unscrupulous real estate businessmen for developing unauthorised colonies and cheating buyers is very low. What has led to the development of such unauthorised colonies is the fact that a large number of people from rural areas are migrating to nearby towns due to the availability of better educational, medical and other facilities. The upcoming refinery in Bathinda district and a thermal plant in Mansa has also created an acute shortage of houses in these two districts. Even the rent of residential accommodations have gone up in Bathinda, Mansa and Talwandi Sabo towns. Ravi Bhagat, Chief Administrator, BDA, said that recently, it had come to notice that about 34 colonies had been developing in Mansa district alone in an unauthorised manner. The BDA was inquiring into it and would take action as per law. He added that the number of authorised colonies was also significant in Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Faridkot districts. He said the Punjab government is expected to issue a notification for empowering the district town planner (DTP) to demolish the unauthorised colonies so that it could prove a deterrent for those who develop a colony in an illegal manner. "BDA has decided to put up sign- boards containing information in connection with authorised colonies in a particular city at railway stations, bus stands, in office premises of DC and other officials where a large number of people visit," said Bhagat. The revenue officials different Tehsils had also been asked not to register the transfer of any piece of land in the name of any person, which is being sold to him from any unauthorised colony. A cross-section of real estate agents, to whom TNS spoke to, said unauthorised colonies could be checked only if the state government make its different agencies develop small colonies and made residential plots available to the needy at an affordable price.
	Pressure horns adding to rising decibels in city Rajay Deep/TNS Bathinda, April 14 The level of noise pollution, which is nowadays at its peak, has made the life of residents in Bathinda miserable thanks to the apathy of the authorities concerned. As the pollution control board, the traffic police and the district transport office, all have turned a deaf ear, the violators of the law do not even mind blaring musical pressure horns in areas that are regarded as silence zones. As per the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, nursing homes, educational institutions, courts and capital complex may be declared as silence zones. But the seriousness of the authorities supposed to enforce the laws pertaining to noise pollution can be gauged from the fact that hardly any of them have compiled any data for action against the violators. Doctors say the immediate and acute effect of noise pollution is impairment of hearing. Besides, the first effects are anxiety and stress reaction and in extreme cases, fright, abortion. "I feel disturbed with the pressure horns blaring old Hindi and Punjabi music tunes. The way the drivers of heavy vehicles keep pressing the horns, it seems they do it for their enjoyment," said an elderly Subhash Kumar, who runs a refreshment store on the Bathinda-Goniana road. "It's not just the youngsters and truckers, even the VIPs, without bothering about the inconvenience to others, enjoy making their way by constantly blowing sirens," lamented Parmod Goyal, a shopkeeper. Though the city has dozens of cops to check violation of traffic rules, hardly any drive was ever launched to book motorists using pressure horns with jarring sounds. "We are aware of the fact that honking unnecessarily at intersections, silence zones, hospitals and schools are all liable for prosecution but the rules are not implemented due to limited manpower and other pressing problems," said an official of the traffic police. The District Transport Officer (DTO) Amandeep Bansal, when asked, claimed to have carried out the drive to issue challans to the violators at times. But he failed to provide the details about the number of violators nabbed during the last few months. The executive engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), stationed at Bathinda, SS Dhaliwal said, "Our office is facing acute shortage of staff and until the vacancies are filled up, it is impossible to set things right." "Moreover, we can just measure noise pollution, that too, if some complaint lands with us or if the officials in the district administration ask us to do so. But in the past couple of moths, none of these happened," the Xen said.
	Rich tributes paid to 1971 war heroes Our Correspondent Fazilka, April 14 Contingent of Jawans of 4 Jat Regiment led by their religious preacher Dr Hari Shankar Choubey and members of Shaheedon Ki Samadhi Committee led by their president Sandeep Gilhotra paid rich tributes at the 1971 Indo-Pak war memorial at the border village Asafwala, seven kilometers from here, today. The memorial had been raised by indebted residents of Fazilka as a mark of respect to the Armymen, who had laid down their lives while defending the country in 1971 Indo-Pak war in Fazilka sector. A 90-feet long pyre was made for collective cremation of the bodies of 82 Jawans of the 4 Jat Regiment after cease fire on December 18, 1971, on a piece of land at village Asafwala. The memorial was raised at the site of cremation in a short span of nine months in half acre of land. It was unveiled by then Chief Minister of Punjab Giani Zail Singh on September 21, 1972. Thereafter, the Shaheedon Ki Samadhi Committee developed it into a magnificent memorial spread over squaring campus of about six acres comprising parks, museum, community centre, health centre and two schools. Besides the annual function on Vijay Diwas on the occasion of Baisakhi, the ‘shradh’ of the martyr Armymen was performed by the Armymen and members of the Shaheedon ki Samadhi Committee. Sandeep Gilhotra, president, Amar Chand Bhateja and Umesh Chander Kukar both vice-presidents, Mohan Lal Pruthi, general secretary, Shashi Kant, treasurer, Dr Hari Shankar Choubey, Jai Lal, brother of martyr Kanhaiya Lal from Hisar and others offered floral tributes at the memorial. They recalled the supreme sacrifices of the Armymen. Committee president Sandeep Gilhotra disclosed that the Chief Secretary (Punjab) SC Aggarwal would visit the war memorial to pay tributes there. He would be accompanied by Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner KK Yaday.