Patiala, April 30
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today blamed everyone, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for inordinate delays by the Centre in numerous projects allotted to Punjab.

The CM added that no officer in Punjab would be given extension as per policy.

Talking on the sidelines of the second All-India Punjabi Conference at Punjabi University, Badal said that the central government had always been ignoring the interests of Punjab for other bigger states and numerous incomplete projects were prime examples of that attitude.

“The list (of delayed grants and projects) is so long that I can write a book on it,” he said.

Answering a query if he took up his demands with the Prime Minister, Badal said that he had approached everyone he could in his capacity with folded hands for a better share for Punjab, including the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers.

“Be it the SGPC elections, the Ghaggar project, lifting of wheat and release of more grants for Punjab - everything is either delayed or pending in official files,” he stated.

Answering a query pertaining to rumours of another extension to some selected officers in the vigilance and police departments, the CM assured that be it the vigilance or any other department, “no extension will be given.”

“The Cabinet has already decided not to give any extension to any officer,” he added.

Addressing the concerns of the farming community, Badal said that the plight of farmers in the mandis was due to the slow lifting by the central agencies and the lack of storage space. Neither does the central government create more storage space nor does it issue funds to us to do the same, he said.

Earlier, speaking at the conference, Badal claimed that it was his government that made Punjabi the official language in government offices.

“We further spent Rs 250 crore to raise the Khalsa Heritage Complex in Anandpur Sahib to preserve the heritage of the state,” said the CM adding that a rest house in Raikot, where late Maharaja Dalip Singh had once stayed, would also be preserved.

Meanwhile, Punjabi University Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh honoured former Chairman of Minority Commission Tarlochan Singh with the Punjabi Gaurav award.

Other eminent personalities honoured at the function included music director Uttam Singh, family members of late Punjabi singer Lal Chand Yamla Jatt, poet Prabhjot Kaur and novelist Jaswant Singh Kanwal among others.

Jalandhar, April 30
Targetting the SAD-BJP government for the prevailing “utter deterioration in law and order situation” in the state, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has asserted that if voted to power, the Congress will revoke all “anti-people” decisions, controversial projects and shady land allotments made by the ruling combine.

Amarinder Singh visited the Garden colony residence of hotelier Gurkirat Singh Sekhon, who had been allegedly shot recently by councillor Prince Makkar, today with a battery of his trusted lieutenants and senior Congress leaders, a day ahead of Gurkirat’s ‘bhog’ ceremony.

The PPCC chief assured the family of hotelier Gurkirat Singh Sekhon that the Congress would keep an eye on the ongoing investigation. He said that nobody would be allowed to “dilute” the charges against the four accused in the case or to tamper with the evidence.

Congress leaders, who accompanied Amarinder, were Mohinder Singh Kay Pee, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Arvind Khanna, Avtaar Henry, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Amarjit Samra, Rana Gurjit Singh, Jalandhar-based hotelier Gautam Kapoor, BIS Chahal and Tejinder Bittu.

Raising their voice in unison against the alleged protection being provided by the SAD led by Badals to unscrupulous elements in the state, Congress leaders lashed out against SAD MLA Sarabjit Makkar and his family for their alleged high-handed approach.

Sarabjit’s nephew Prince Makkar is the main accused in the Gurkirat murder case.

Armed with statistics, Amarinder Singh alleged that there was a manifold increase in crime in Punjab in the past four years.

“Jungle raj is prevailing in Punjab. The number of murders has increased from 817 in 2006 to 907 in 2010, dacoity cases from 35 to 65, burglaries from 2,260 to 2,661, attempt to murder from 897 to 994, kidnappings from 600 to 789, rapes from 442 to 546, thefts from 3,946 to 5,446 and robberies from 142 to 241. The only decrease is in Excise Act cases from 9,636 to 7,094,” said Amarinder flaunting a copy of the state government crime figures.

Amarinder said if the Congress gets voted to power, it would not only investigate all major projects and land allotments, including Jalandhar-based PIMS and Apeejay educational institute land allotments, but would also scrap all the shady deals.

However, he clarified that though the SAD-BJP had scrapped 399 Congress-initiated mega projects, the Congress would not pursue a vendetta policy.

Amritsar, April 30
Even as the Golden Temple is thronged by thousands of devotees everyday, the holiest Sikh shrine managed by the SGPC, having an annual budget of Rs 580 crore, doesn't have a proper medical care facility to fall back on in case of any untoward incident.

Though the Golden Temple Complex has two dispensaries — one being run by the SGPC and the other by the Fortis Group, they are only equipped to deal with minor cases of injury or ailment among the devotees from time to time. While the Fortis dispensary has a doctor available between 10 am and 4 pm, the SGPC dispensary is being run by a pharmacist.

Moreover, the dispensaries are located in the middle of the "sarais" (inns) on the other side of the complex and not around the main entrance of the shrine. The SGPC hasn't even put up a board to pinpoint its dispensary for the devotees.

However, the Fortis authorities have placed a small board atop its dispensary door. Some SGPC officials feel that a few rooms at any of the five "sarais" (inns) in the Golden Temple Complex may be spared for providing better medical facilities. They also opined that one or two rooms should be allocated in the 'parikarma' of the Golden Temple for meeting any medical urgency. In summers, there are cases of devotees fainting almost daily and to provide them immediate relief there should be first-aid facility in the 'parikarma', besides a couple of stretchers and wheelchairs to shift them to proper medical care, they said.

he nearest proper medical care facility is the SGPC-run Guru Ram Das Hospital which may be around 2 km from the shrine but the route is marred by narrow lanes, congested markets and traffic chaos.

On the other hand, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they will soon facilitate four-five beds for the purpose and also assign permanent duty to a doctor from Guru Ram Das Hospital at the Golden Temple. He said they will also make sure that stretchers are available in the 'parikarma'. He said they have already made arrangements like putting up "shamiana" and water-sprinkling fans for the devotees in view of harsh summer.

Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu said they have deployed a mobile medical van at the shrine and they have 20 such vans in the holy city under the newly launched 108 ambulance service scheme. He admitted that it would have been better to have a proper medical facility near the Golden Temple, but said it was not possible now due to space constraints. He said they have made a provision for first aid and trauma facility in the under-construction Golden Temple Entrance Plaza. 

Jalandhar, April 30
The Punjab Government today set up a two-member committee to conduct a probe into the circumstances leading to alleged suicide by Excise and Taxation Officer Ranjit Singh last week. He had ended his life at his Mohali residence following his arrest by the Vigilance Bureau in an alleged bribery case.

Sources said Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal had appointed Harpreet Singh Sidhu, an IPS officer, and Manasvi Kumar, an IAS officer, who is posted as Additional Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, as members of the probe committee.

Whether the committee would also collect information with regard to the alleged interference of the Vigilance Bureau in the affairs of the Excise and Taxation department was not clear yet.

However, the Excise and Taxation Officers Association has repeatedly alleged that some of the officials of the VB had been supporting a few traders and transport companies engaged in tax evasion and smuggling of goods through various unfamiliar routes. Such nexus needed to be broken by taking appropriate measures, they said.

Sources said that Ranjit Singh had seized goods of a trader and had imposed a penalty of Rs 2.27 lakh. Instead of paying the penalty, the trader allegedly manipulated vigilance raid against Ranjit Singh, who was "slapped too". The sources said a policeman, who is working with a senior police official, had played a vital role in the manipulation of the raid. The policeman, as per sources, had some links with a goods transport company.

Jalandhar, April 30
There is resentment among senior leaders against the appointment of 25 district coordinators by Amarinder Singh, President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC). The list of coordinators, who are to coordinate the first phase of party rallies in various Assembly segments, was released on April 28.

Party insiders said that some senior leaders had taken up the issue with the party high command informing it that their staunch supporters were ignored while selecting the coordinators.

Barring two, all the leaders who figure in the list of coordinators belong to the Amarinder Singh camp. There is no supporter of Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Jagmeet Singh Brar, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal or Partap Singh Bajwa. However, two supporters of Ambika Soni, Union Minister, figure in it.

Sources said that Mohinder Singh Kaypee took up the issue when he met Amarinder Singh today in a local hotel.

A close associate of Kaypee said that he conveyed to Amarinder Singh that there was resentment against the appointment of coordinators.

He said that many senior leaders, including presidents of some party districts had met Kaypee to tell him that he should oppose the appointment of coordinators and convey their feelings to the president of the PPCC.

Kaypee said, “We discussed party affairs briefly. I asked the president to take every leader along.”

Sources said that some frontline leaders had also written to the party high command against the appointment of coordinators. But no one confirmed it.

The party high command has been sitting over the list of new party office-bearers for the past several months. After becoming the PPCC president several months ago, Amarinder Singh had sent a list to the high command for approval.

Now, Amarinder Singh appeared to have adopted the coordinators route to establish his grip over the party.

Bathinda, April 30
Punjab Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan today said that the state will have a concrete education policy in place by July-end.

Sekhwan said the policy would be formulated by a committee headed by a former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, SP Singh. Once the committee submits the report, he said, the policy would be implemented as early as possible.

Besides the education policy committee, a syllabus committee, headed by the chairman of Punjab School Education Board Dalbir Singh Dhillon, had been formed, the Minister said.

A committee to bring reforms in the examination system and another committee to implement the Right to Education Act had also been formed.

All these committees had been given six months after their formation to submit the reports, he added.

Sekhwan was here to participate in a “Samman samaroh”, organised in his honour by the district unit of the ‘Bharti Ghat Gintian Ate Dalit Front’ at a marriage palace.

The Education Minister also said the state government was going to introduce ‘moral education’ as a subject in the schools.

He said he had also told PSEB chairman Dalbir Singh Dhillon to prepare syllabuses of various classes on the pattern of the CBSE, so that parents could not feel that the syllabuses of the PSEB did not match the CBSE syllabuses.

With regard to making the private schools associated members of the PSEB, he said a five-member committee, headed 
by an officer to the rank of deputy director, would be formed to visit the schools in the districts for the purpose.

Chandigarh, April 30
The Punjab Government has decided to give veterinarians, working in the Animal Husbandry Department, a non-practising allowance (NPA) at par with their counterparts in the Punjab Health Department.

According to Fisheries and Dairy Development Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, the state government will notify this in the coming week.

Ranike made this announcement while speaking at a seminar on rabies held as part of World Veterinary Year celebrations.

Rabies accounts for about 35,000 human deaths each year. The seminar was organised by the Punjab State Veterinary Council in collaboration with state Animal Husbandry Department. About 500 vets from different parts of the state attended the seminar.

The Minister said the government had sanctioned Rs 32 crore to give the department a facelift. “The veterinary hospitals would be upgraded and equipped to deal with emerging diseases.” Besides, efforts would be made to improve milk production and the economy, he said.

He said the government would start cattle fair/mandis in different districts where all facilities would be provided to the cattle owners. He said the prosperity of the state was directly proportional to the prosperity of the farmers. Ranike released Vets Bulletin, the official publication of Punjab State Veterinary Officers Association. He also released another book ‘Mera Bejubana Nal Safar’, written by Dr RN Batish.

President Veterinary Council of India Narayan Mohanty said the vets should focus on production and treatment. Lt General Mohanty said meat, milk and eggs produced by the farmers should be free from antibiotic residues and other chemicals so that their quality was comparable to world standards.

Malout, April 30
The administration of Malout, in Muktsar district, was caught off guard as the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal monitored the various developmental works in the city and made a surprise visit to the new anaj mandi to check the procurement of wheat.

Sukhbir interacted with the people to know their feedback about the work being executed by various construction agencies. Responding to the grievances of the people, he asked the SDM to reach the spot and directed him to complete the work on the roads.

Addressing the problem of choked sewers, it was pointed out that the agency was taking its own time to link the sewerage network of streets to the main sewerage network. Sukhbir issued directions that all 200 development works in Malout should be completed within three months.

Patiala, April 30
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has decided to launch a project to tackle the problem of fugitive emissions at industrial units in Mandi Gobindgarh.

Confirming the move, top brass of the PPCB said in order to tackle the problem of air pollution due to fugitive emissions, a joint initiative was taken by the PPCB, Mandi Gobindgarh Induction Furnace Association and Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.

Notably, fugitive emissions are the gases or vapours that are released from pressurised equipment due to leaks and various other unintended or irregular releases of gases, mostly from industrial activities.

PPCB Member Secretary Babu Ram said, “In Mandi Gobindgarh, all induction furnace units have the air pollution control devices (APCD) to control emissions. But, it has been observed that the problem of fugitive (secondary) emission persists, as these emissions remain uncontrolled at the time of charging/pouring, when the suction hood is not above the furnace. Due to this, these emissions spread into the entire shed and finally find their destination to the ambient air.”

Dr Ram said the job of designing and installing the pilot plant with modified design of the APCD was assigned to the IIT, Roorkee.

“The IIT, Roorkee, submitted the proposal for setting up a pilot project with modified design of the APCD for control of air pollution from the induction furnace units. The institute completed the designing of modified the APCD in time,” he said.

Officials of the PPCB said the proposal for setting up the pilot plant was sent to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for approval and necessary funding. Dr Ram said the proposal had been accepted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and necessary funds had also been made available to the PPCB for the implementation of the said proposal.

“The estimated cost of the pilot project is Rs 41.55 lakh, out of which 50 per cent will be provided by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the remaining 50 per cent will be contributed by the concerned industry of Mandi Gobindgarh. This project is likely to be commissioned within a period of six months. Once the project is successfully commissioned and desirable results are achieved, it will act as a role model and milestone for the other similar units not only in Punjab but in other parts of the country as well,” PPCB Deputy Director Dr Charanjit Singh said. 

This was announced during a meeting in Chandigarh. — TNS

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 30
The meeting of Punjab Wildlife Board, pending for past two years, will now be held on May 3 in Chandigarh. The meeting was supposed to be held after every six months and the last meeting of the board was held on June 30, 2009.

Besides animal lovers, senior officials of the Wildlife Department and the Forest Minister, the 25-member board includes MLAs, former wildlife wardens, NGOs, an IG-level officer and an Army brigadier-level officer. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is the chairman of the board, which was formed in December, 2008.

In this regard, the board members received letters from the office of Chief Wildlife Warden today.

The board members, pleading anonymity, said delay in compulsory meetings showed lackadaisical attitude of the government, as authorities remain unaware of many important issues concerning wildlife.

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 30
Officials of the Health Department said there has been 33 per cent increase in the number of children delivered at various government hospitals and health centres in Fatehgarh Sahib.

This is a positive sign of more women preferring to deliver in health institutes rather than at home.

During various seminars, people are advised to take pregnant women to the hospital for delivery. They are informed that deliveries in civil hospitals are free of cost and doctors are able to handle any complication.

As compared to 1,911 deliveries reported in 2009-2010 in government hospitals of the district, 2,539 deliveries were done in 2010-2011. As many as 575 deliveries have been reported in the Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital wherein the civil hospital at Bassi Pathana witnessed only 124 this year. In Amloh, 163 deliveries were reported, 420 in Mandi Gobindgarh and 178 at the Khamano Hospital.