Bathinda, April 21
As the state government was not moved by the hunger strike of the jailed activists of the Unemployed Linemen Union that entered its eighth day, their children today came out in support and joined the protest.

Carrying placards bearing emotional slogans — “Nanhi chhan di suno pukar, papa ji nu deyo rozgar” and “karn ki nanhiyan chhavan, jad marn varat te baithiyan maavan”— the children sat on a dharna outside the Mini-secretariat where the women kin of the protesting linemen were already observing a chain hunger strike since April 19.

It may be mentioned that as many as 373 unemployed linemen were lodged in five different jails of the state (Bathinda, Barnala, Malerkotla, Sangrur and Ferozepur) for creating disturbance in the Baisakhi conference of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal at Talwandi Sabo on April 14. All those arrested, later, started an indefinite hunger strike seeking their uncondional release and announcement of the merit list for their recruitment against the 5,000 vacancies advertised by the Powercom and for which applications had been received.

Since the demands were not accepted by the state government, some of their women family members started a chain hunger strike outside the Mini-secretariat here on April 19 while an elderly Ranjit Kaur, mother of the state president of the union Pirmal Singh, sat on a fast-unto-death. However, none of the officials visited them to find any amicable solution to the issue.

Irked over the cold-hearted’ attitude of the government, more than 10 kids today came out in support of their agitating kin and raised anti-establishment slogans for the whole day.

Speaking to the media, they not only accused the government of harassing their parents but also claimed that they were ready to face any consequences.

“It is very painful to listen to jibes from friends that my father is unemployed. We (the family) will do our best and make the government give papa a job, for which he has been struggling for long,” said a girl sitting on dharna.

State president of the union Pirmal Singh claimed that it had been nearly 15 years that the government recruited a fresh lineman.

“We waited for long but now it has become tough to run the household without a job. The protest will be intensified if the government does not accept our genuine demand,” he added.

On the other hand, sources in the administration said the matter was being discussed at the state level so that it could be sorted out at the earliest as the health of the agitators was deteriorating.

Muktsar, April 21
The National Debt Tribunal has issued arrest warrant against Ripjeet Brar, Congress MLA from the Kotkapura assembly segment and brother of Jagmeet Brar, member, Congress Working Committee (CWC), for his alleged failure to fulfill his financial liabilities in connection with the bank loans, taken for a factory, which he ran in Chandigarh 15 years ago.

Though Brar was elected from the Kotkapura segment in the last assembly elections, he belonged to the Muktsar district.

Official sources said Brar had failed to make payment of the loan taken by him for running his factory from the Punjab and Sind Bank. The total liability, which Brar was supposed to fulfill, was around Rs 1.46 crores.

A case was going on in the National Debt Tribunal between the Punjab and Sind Bank and the factory, which was being run by Brar for the past many years.

Inder Mohan Singh, SSP, Muktsar, while confirming the fact that the arrest warrants had been received by the Muktsar police, said the National Debt Tribunal had asked the district police authorities to arrest him and present him before the Tribunal on April 26.

He said when the policemen tried to find out Brar in this area, his whereabouts could not be located. He added that efforts were on to trace Brar so that the needful could be done.

Brar said he was one of the directors of a factory in the year 1993-94, set up in Chandigarh. He said as per his information, some of the documents were not made available in connection with the operations of the factory to the bank concerned and hence the dispute started.

He said he would present himself before the National Debt Tribunal in Delhi on April 26 and would try to sort out the matter.

He said neither had he received any notice from the Tribunal nor summons in connection with the case in which his arrest warrants had been issued. 

Muktsar, April 21
A blame game has started between the district police and Charanjit Singh and Jagtar Singh, both former officers on special duty (OSDs) of former finance minister Manpreet Badal, who have been facing a criminal case at Gidderbaha in connection with the alleged siphoning of paddy stock belonging to Pungrain.

While Charanjit and Jagtar alleged that first, the police registered a false case against the father and brother of Charanjit and others in connection with paddy scam in a rice mill at Gidderbaha, which never took place. A few days after the registration of the case, their names were also included in the FIR.

They alleged that when they joined the investigation of the case being conducted at Muktsar by the police, they were asked irrelevant questions.

They said the police kept asking them questions related to the family of Manpreet Badal and their families.

They also alleged that the Punjab government was using such tactics to demoralise the activists of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP).

Inder Mohan Singh, SSP, while dubbing the allegations levelled by Charanjit and Jagtar, as baseless, said both the accused had been coming along with a mob to the place, where they were being called for investigation, to influence the investigating officer.

The SSP alleged that instead of helping the cops in the investigation, both the accused had been making regular attempts to mislead the police so that the investigation could not be completed on time. 

Bathinda, April 21
Protesting against implementation of the Punjab Civil Services (Rationalisation of conditions of service) Act – 2011 and non-fulfillment of the assurance given by Chief Minister about releasing a grant of Rs 100 crore for clerks and steno-typists in lieu of their demand for higher pay-scales, the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) today held a demonstration and ‘siapa’ in front of the main gate of the bus stand here.

The protesters, including women, were led by state secretary general of the PSMSU Raj Kumar Arora. Carrying black flags, they took out a march from the Mini-secretariat to the bus stand. They also burnt the copies of the notification of the new Act terming it as “black law” and “anti-people law” in the history of Punjab. They also raised slogans in favour of their demands and against the state government.

Raj Kumar Arora said the union had convened a meeting of its state body on April 23 at Ludhiana to chalk out the further course of agitation.

He said the Badal government had passed such an Act to ruin the prospects of lakhs of unemployed youths by forcing them to work on meagre wages and in an “anti-employee” atmosphere. He said under the Act, the new government employees would be given only the basic salary for three years and the period would not be included in their service.

Arora asked the ministerial staff to participate in the agitation in a big way because if they fail in getting their demands fulfilled in the next three to four months, then they would get nothing from the government as it would decline to accept their demands on the pretext of the ensuing Assembly elections.

Later, patron of the PSMSU Darshan Singh Bajaj also joined the protesters. Among those present included state general secretary Raman Kumar Sharma, woman employees’ leader Pavittar Kaur, district president Sukhpal Singh Sidhu, district general secretary Kewal Bansal, district finance secretary Ashok Chopra, Meharjit Singh (DC office), Jaswinder Singh (health office) and Ram Singh (Education office).

Bathinda, April 21
To implement the decision of the state government that prohibits the manufacture, disposal and use of polythene bags from May 1 onwards, Mayor Baljeet Singh Birbehman held a meeting with various social activists, municipal councillors and businessmen of the city, at the Municipal Corporation meeting hall today.

The Mayor asked all to shun the use of plastic bags. He mentioned that besides the complaints related to choking of sewerage due to non-biodegradable polythenes, some cases have come to light where stray cattle died after consuming polythene waste from the dumping pits.

Assuring cooperation to the Mayor, representatives of different associations said that after constituting a joint committee, they would purchase dustbins and place them outside the shops so that littering could also be checked. — TNS

Bathinda, April 21
After reportedly finding some intoxicating capsules in the possession of Sukhpal Singh, a resident of Beer Talab village, at the De-addiction centre of the Civil Hospital here last night, the staff of the centre sent him back home. He had been brought to the centre after he had escaped along with one Rashpal Singh, another inmate of the centre, from Mehma Bhagwana village.

Project coordinator of the centre Roop Singh Mann said both the inmates had been admitted to the centre three days ago by their family against their wishes. — TNS

Bathinda, April 21
Wheat straw on about four and half acres caught fire today following a spark in the electricity wires at Jodhpur Romana village of the district.

The owner of the land Col Gurpal Singh (retd) said such a mishap had also occurred last year but the authorities concerned had not paid heed to his repeated requests to remove the two poles from the field. He alleged that today’s mishap occurred due to the negligence of the authorities.

Gurpal Singh lamented that the fire brigade reached the site when the fire had already been extinguished by the villagers. He said he had rung up the fire brigade staff but he was told that they did not have any driver to send a fire tender immediately.

Meanwhile, wheat crop on about three acres and straw on another three acres caught fire in Siviyan village. A similar report was received from Naruana village also. — TNS

Fazilka, April 21
In a bizarre incident, two inmates of the local sub-jail escaped late last night.

As per the details, the two inmates first created enough space to come out of their barrack by tilting one of the iron rods of its gate. After coming out of the barrack, they created a big hole in the wall of the corridor, located in front of the barrack and passed through it. On reaching near the boundary wall of the sub-jail, the accused scaled it and subsequently came out of it.

The two inmates, Nirbair Singh of Kapurthala district and Amarjit Singh of a village falling under Guru Harsahai police station of the Ferozepur district, were the active members of an inter-state gang of vehicle lifters.

After the incident, two jail warders identified as Karamjit Singh and Raja Ram were arrested by the local police.

Jagjit Singh, IG, Jails, along with other senior functionaries visited the sub-jail. He said he would conduct the probe in the case on his own.

If any other official found involved in the incicident, action would be taken against him as well, the IG claimed.

Preliminary investigation revealed that negligence was shown by Karamjit Singh and Raja Ram in their duty.

Iqbal Singh Brar, Deputy Superintendent, Jail (DSJ), Fazilka, said the matter came to his notice when during the counting of inmates, he found two inmates absent.

Brar further said there were 94 inmates in the sub-jail against its capacity to house only 48 inmates. The newly born baby of Amarjit Singh died two days ago and Amarjit was in depression, which could have been the main reason behind the incident, the DSJ informed.

He added that the local police authorities as well as the state and district-level jail authorities were informed about the incident.

A case against the inmates and two warders was registered under Sections 223, 224 and 34 of the IPC at the city police station, today. Efforts are on to trace the two inmates.

Meanwhile, the security in and around the sub-jail here has been tightened.

Bathinda, April 21
A mother of three, allegedly tortured by her in-laws, jumped into the lake number 3 of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant and ended her life.

In his statement to the police, Gurdev Singh of Smagh village alleged that his daughter Veer Pal Kaur was married at Prajapat Colony in Bathinda. He accused her daughter's in-laws of torturing her.

Frustrated, she left the house on April 19 and her body was recovered today from the thermal lake, he alleged. He also accused her mother-in-law of having an extra-marital relationship. Acting upon the statement of Gurdev Singh, the police booked Veer Pal's father-in-law Bhola Singh, mother-in-law Chhinder Pal Kaur, her husband's maternal uncle Gogi and a ‘friend’ of her mother-in-law Ashok Kumar. — TNS

Abohar, April 21
With the inauguration of the newly built computerised sub-post office by the Ferozepur Division Superintendent Kamlesh Chauhan in the Sahitya Sadan Complex here today, the Ferozepur division of Department of Posts has achieved 100 per cent computerisation targets.

She was welcomed by Dr Sandeep Watts, in-charge, Swami Keshwanand Ayurvedic Hospital, inspector Vinod Kumar, sub-post office, in-charge Usha Grover and customers from the Sahitya Sadan market.

Speaking to The Tribune on the occasion, she said the government was committed to make the postal services more people-friendly.

The e-Post Office, an ambitious project of India Post, would offer seven services in the first phase.

The services include Electronic Money Order (eMO), Instant Money Order (iMO), Sale of Philatelic Stamps, Postal information, Tracking of Express and International Shipments, PIN Code Search and Registering of feedback and complaints.

One of the focus areas of the first phase of e-Post Office is on the Money Order service. Launched 130 years ago, in 1880, the original paper-based system of money orders is still in vogue. 

Abohar, April 21
The ruling SAD has dropped the idea of organising a rally during the visit of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal tomorrow. As per the revised programme, he would conduct Sangat Darshan at village Dangarkhera, located near the Abohar-Fazilka road at 9 am and later at a marriage resort on the Abohar-Malout road.

Though the party workers sought to explain that convenience of farmers, busy in harvesting, has been taken into consideration, while dropping the idea, there seem to be other reasons also, well placed sources said.

Actually, the Irrigation Department has courted major controversy by raising a speed breaker (thokar) close to the controversial cross-regulator in the Malukpura distributary near village Qabarwala overnight to obstruct the flow of water. Such moves had been strongly opposed by the farmers of Abohar and Balluana segments. Tail-end Kisan Sangharsh Samiti joint convener Tejwinder Singh Aulakh said the irrigation officers had assured the Samiti during a recent spot inspection that the bags dumped near the cross-regulator would be removed.