Ramdev benefited from HP largesse: Amarinder
Chandigarh, June 5
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today questioned the moral authority of Baba Ramdev in holding a fast against corruption and black money when his own credentials were not above board.

Nangal residents clear streets of plastics

Ropar: The residents of Nangal and volunteers of NGO Jagriti collected waste plastic bags on the occasion of World Environment Day on Sunday at Jawahar market and Barari village. Those participating in the drive said they would continue the exercise the entire next week too. After collection, they said, the plastics would be dumped in a pit on the outskirts of the city. — TNS

Chandigarh, June 5
The Congress high command has decided to implement the principle of one man, one post strictly in Punjab in an attempt to end bickering among those left out of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee that was constituted last month.

Highly placed sources said the high command decision had been conveyed to all those holding more than one post and a few had already tendered their resignation from the additional posts. The sources said the issue of show-cause notices to MLAs SS Khaira and SPS Sibia stood amicably resolved.

The party high command is believed to have asked the state unit to identify other leaders holding two or more posts. The principle of one man, one post, party insiders say, will also apply to those who are members of the All-India Congress Committee and have been given various posts in the reconstituted PCC.

A senior party leader, who did not wish to be identified, said: “Several more leaders are likely to be asked to resign. Most leaders are likely to opt out of the AICC membership in view of the more important posts in the state body”.

The principle will apply only to constitutional posts. Those who will be affected the most will be leaders like Lal Singh who is vice-president of the PPCC, general secretary of the Congress Legislature Party, member of the party manifesto committee, member the AICC and in charge of the Congress Bhawan at Chandigarh.

There are many others who hold two or three posts and are also members of the AICC.

The Congress has been exploring several options to accommodate senior leaders who could not be made PCC office-bearers. The Punjab Congress president, Capt Amarinder Singh, and the party in charge for Punjab and CWC member, Gulchain Singh Charak, have been on record saying that they will ask party president Sonia Gandhi to relax the party norms in order to accommodate more leaders.

Under the amended constitution of the Congress, there is a cap on the number of vice-presidents, general secretaries and executive members for each state. This has led to a drastic cut in the number of office- bearers in the state bodies.

Chandigarh, June 5
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today questioned the moral authority of Baba Ramdev in holding a fast against corruption and black money when his own credentials were not above board.

He claimed that Ramdev was the unauthorised beneficiary of the largesse of the Himachal Pradesh government just because he supported the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

Amarinder said that the BJP government in Himachal had given 127 bighas to Baba Ramdev in Sadhupul village on Kandaghat-Chail Road on lease for 99 years at a token rent of Re 1 while the actual cost of the land is several crores. The market price of land there is about Rs 20 lakh per bigha.

Amarinder said there was a house “Anand Bhawan” on the land that originally belonged to his family. He said that in the 1950s, his father Maharaja Yadvinder Singh handed over it to the Punjab Government, as at that time Himachal Pradesh was part of Punjab, as a gift to the children of the country.

It was named Indira Gandhi Holiday Home for Children where kids could spend some time during summers.

He said that the Himachal Government has handed over the land to Ramdev thus denying thousands of children the right to use it.

“What right does he have to accept that land virtually free of cost? Is this not corruption? In return of supporting the BJP, its government gave you the prime land worth crores of rupees?” asked Capt Amarinder Singh.

The former Punjab Chief Minister criticised the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh for squandering away its precious heritage to seek favours from Ramdev. He said it was the duty of the HP Government to preserve the heritage it had inherited from Punjab.

Gurdaspur, June 5
Hundreds of villagers residing along the Gurdaspur-Hoshiarpur border are facing much inconvenience because of the inability of the state PWD authorities to complete the 700-metre-long reinforced cement concrete (RCC) bridge across the Beas near Dhanoa Pattan village.

The bridge is in the planning stage. Work on the same will commence once tenders are floated by the PWD head office in Chandigarh. In the meantime, the authorities have made a floating bridge for light vehicles.

The PWD authorities say such bridges are temporary and are dismantled when the monsoon is round the corner. The floating bridge constructed on the Beas from Jhanda Lubana to Chichra Raju Bela village will also be dismantled within the next couple of weeks, leaving residents of nearly 100 villages in the lurch.

The RCC bridge has been a non-starter. Preliminary surveys have been conducted, land acquisition is in the final stage, the design of the bridge has been approved by the authorities concerned and tenders finalised. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on June 21, 2009. Sceptics believe that the bridge may not be built this year because of the ensuing assembly elections. Once elections are announced, the code of conduct will come into force and the state government will have to halt all developmental activity.

Sources said the total cost of the bridge had been pegged at Rs 80 crore.

Ujagar Singh of Kishenpura village near Dhanoa Pattan said: “Once the floating bridge is dismantled because of heavy discharge of water into the Beas, the villagers will either have to take the help of boats provided by the PWD or will have to take a detour to reach their destinations.”

Nadala (Kapurthala), June 5
The Punjab People’s Party headed by former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal will have its organisational structure in place by July 31 after its recruitment drive ends on June 30.

Manpreet Singh, addressing a rally organised here today by Gurmit Singh Nadala, he ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the BSP for the coming assembly elections.

Laying to rest all apprehensions, he said he would not return to the Shiromani Akali Dal at any stage.

“We are assessing the party position in different pockets of the state to arrive at a decision on any poll alliance,” Manpreet Singh said. He appealed to the youth to join the 
PPP and bring about a change in the state.

Promising to make Punjab “free of corruption, nepotism and the tehsildar-inspector raj” Manpreet Singh said his party would strive to make Punjab debt-free within 10-12 years.

“The people of the country made great sacrifices to attain freedom, but now the nation is faced with grave ills like corruption, illiteracy and addiction. Our neighbours Malasiya and Singapore have managed to get rid of all these vices. After eight months, Punjab too will cease to be a jungle raj and the Chief Minister and his ministers will reach out to the people without any bodyguards,” he said.

Among the senior PPP leaders present at the rally were former MLA Jagbir Brar, Gurmit Singh Daduwal, Lakhwinder Lakhi, Mulkh Raj and Daljit Singh Sohi.

Mansa, June 5
The CPI has decided to launch a countrywide agitation against the rising prices, food insecurity, change in the definition of BPL sections by the Planning Commission, land acquisition laws and corruption.

At an impressive rally here today, the national general secretary of the CPI, AB Bardhan, said the party’s national council would meet on June 18 and June 19 at Delhi to work out the modalities of the agitation.

Addressing the rally, dedicated to the late CPI leader Seopal Pala, he said it was time that all right thinking citizens got together to fight corruption. He condemned the lathi charge on Baba Ramdev and his supporters. “On the one hand, the Centre was holding talks with the Baba and on the other resorting to a lathi charge on his supporters.”

He said his party supported every agitation launched to bring back black money stashed in foreign banks.

Bardhan claimed that the left forces in the country alone had saved the public sector units from going into the hands of corporate houses. The outcome of the West Bengal elections did not mean that the left forces had been marginalised, he claimed.

Amarjit Kaur, national secretary, CPI, claiming that her party supported the Lok Pal Bill, alleged that the two-year rule of the UPA under Dr Manmohan Singh had seen an unprecedented rise in corruption.

She said only the CPI had backed the demand for 33 per cent reservation for women in the state assemblies and Parliament. She also said the CPI had demanded the scrapping of the Land Acquisition Bill.

Joginder Dyal, member, national executive, CPI, said corruption could be eradicated only if the corrupt politicians were isolated

Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, state secretary, said both the SAD-BJP and Congress governments had caused irrevocable damage in Punjab.

Hardev Arshi, member, national council and organiser of the rally, also spoke.

Amritsar, June 5
Dalbir Kaur, sister of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who is on death row in Pakistan, today alleged that the Union Government had hardly done anything to secure the release of her brother.

While other members of Sarabjit’s family were denied visa by Pakistan, Dalbir would be crossing over to the neighbouring nation via the Attari-Wagah border to meet her brother tomorrow.

Accompanied by Sachkhand Nanak Dhaam followers, she would cross over to the other side of the border at about 11.30 am. She is expected to be received by Sarabjit's Pakistani counsel Awais Sheikh, who would also facilitate her meeting with him at Kotlakhpat Jail in Lahore. Today, Dalbir along with Sarabjit’s wife Sukhpreet Kaur and younger daughter Poonam paid obeisance at the Golden Temple to pray for her brother’s well being and early release.

“I hope to bring back some good news this time. Though Pakistan’s prominent news agencies had recently hinted at Sarabjit’s early release, I am pained at the Indian authorities’ lukewarm response in expediting the matter. They hardly bothered when the immediate family members of Sarabjit were denied visa by the Pakistan government,” she said. Sarabjit’s entire family, including his wife, two daughters, sister Dalbir Kaur and brother-in-law Baldev Singh, had earlier visited him on April 24, 2008. But this time, a month-long visa has been granted to Dalbir Kaur to visit Lahore.

“I will carry along some home-cooked food, ‘sharbat’, ‘gujia’, sweet ‘mathis’ and ‘namkeen’ for him,” she said. “Don’t forget to mention the cookies, cake, ‘karela’ (bitter gourd) dish and lemon pickle prepared by us,” Poonam chipped in while showing a special greeting card that she herself had prepared with message “We are waiting for you, Dad. Sorry, if you find any slip-up in this card. I know you are a magnificent drawing artist”, inscribed on it.

Poonam was only 23 days old when Sarabjit was caught by the Pakistani authorities 21 years ago.

Rejecting earlier reports of offering “blood money” for the survivors of those killed in the serial bomb blasts in Pakistan in the 90s, the incident for which Sarabjit was arrested, Dalbir Kaur said, "It is a case of sheer mistaken identity as the real culprit is Manjit Singh, not Sarabjit Singh. I have sufficient proof to establish that. As my brother was not involved in the crime, so no question pertaining to blood money arose,” she said. Meanwhile, Dalbir Kaur is also scheduled to meet two other Indian prisoners Surjit Singh (from Ferozepore) and Kuldeep Kumar (from Gujarat), who too have been lodged in the same jail for the past two decades on spying charges. 

Malerkotla (Sangrur), June 5
The traditional “juti” made here now has a Pakistan Punjab tag with intricately embroidered tops being imported from Pakistan to give a fresh look to the footwear. The number of shoe-makers making the “embroidered” footwear for both men and women has dwindled sharply. The new generation just refuses to take up the trade.

The older ones, struggling hard to keep the business going, have begun importing embroidered tops from Pakistan. Mohammad Anwar says this is not being done on a large scale. “When anyone from the town goes to meet his kin in Pakistan, he makes it a point to bring with him about 100 tops after paying the custom duty at the Wagah. These tops are in great demand with most of the shoe-makers here.”

Anwar is among the 100 artisans in the town who have inherited the art of making the traditional footwear from their ancestors. He is in the family trade for the past 35 years.

Anwar, helped by his wife Ruqaiya Begum and two daughters Ruheena and Sultana (who do embroidery work on the jutis), makes attractive footwear for his customers in Chandigarh, Bathinda and Amritsar.

However, his two sons Irfan and Usman, have no interest in this craft whatsoever. “I inherited this art from my father who was among the best juti makers in this area. We make various footwear such as dussa and Salim shahi, costing anything between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 for customers from across Punjab,” Anwar says.

Muhammad Altaf, who has been making “jutis” for the past 13 years, says it takes at the most three days to make a pair. A worker earns Rs 100 to Rs 150 per day.

“The younger generation does not want to take up the profession as it is no longer lucrative,” he says with an air of despondency.

Lambi (Muktsar), June 5
Sixteen activists of unemployed teachers’ unions sustained injuries when the police resorted to a lathi charge while they were trying to march towards Badal village from Lambi.

The activists are demanding that the teacher eligibility test (TET) for recruiting teachers in government-run schools be scrapped.

They jammed traffic on the Malout-Dabwali stretch of the national highway.

Inder Mohan Singh, SSP, Muktsar, denying the lathi charge, said water cannons were used on the protesters to disperse them, that too after efforts by SDM Dalwinderjit Singh to make them see reason failed and they refused to lift the blockade.

The protesters alleged that they were lathi-charged even though their demonstration was peaceful. They alleged the police used tear gas shells to disperse them.

The protesters said they had planned a peaceful march to Badal village to protest against the decision of the government to hold the eligibility test.

The Berozgar ETT Adhiyapak Union, Berozgar BEd Adhiyapak Union, Berozgar PTI Adhiyapak Union, Berozgar DPEd/M.PEd Adhiyapak Union and Berozgar Art and Craft Adhiyapak Unionhave formed a common front.

Chandigarh, June 5
The Punjab Government today announced setting up of Chief Minister Cancer Relief Fund (Rs 1.5 lakh) to provide help to cancer patients.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare Satpal Gosain said today that requests for the fund would be scrutinised by a high-powered committee that would sanction the grant on the recommendations of the Civil Surgeon concerned. The applicant would have to mention the expenditure expected on treatment.

After sanction from the committee, money would be transferred directly to the hospital by cheque or draft. In case of any emergency, this fund would be disbursed directly on obtaining the Chief Minister’s nod.

The minister said the Punjab Government was committed to providing the latest facilities for the treatment of cancer and two cancer hospitals were being constructed at SAS Nagar, Mohali, and Bathinda at a cost of Rs 200 crore.

Patiala, June 5
Punjab Government’s decision to re-employ retired PCMS (Punjab Civil Medical Service) doctors in state hospitals in order to meet the shortfall of specialists has led to resentment among various associations of doctors across the state.

Criticising the decision, The Doctors Federation of India (The Docsfed) president Dr DC Sharma said the re-employment of retired doctors against PCMS-cadre posts would snatch the opportunity of employment from unemployed medical professionals.

“There is no dearth of good doctors, including specialists, in the state for recruitment to regular PCMS-I posts. A number of specialists in the existing PCMS-I cadre are already available for posting as specialists. The shortage of doctors has been created by wrong posting and transfer policies followed by the Punjab Government,” Dr Sharma said.

Notably, when the government mooted the idea of re-employing retired PCMS doctors last year various doctor associations had alleged that authorities of the Department of Health and Family Welfare wanted to oblige certain retired doctors by giving them re-employment against PCMS-I-cadre posts. Subsequently, the proposal was shelved.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the In-Service Doctors’ Wing of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Punjab, Dr DS Bhullar, said that instead of re-employing retired PCMS doctors the department should fill the vacant posts of specialists by recruiting unemployed professionals.

Fatehgarh Sahib, June 5
Certain “anomalies” have been pointed out in the appointment of 24 honorary wildlife wardens by the Punjab Government. So much so that, one person on the list, it has been learnt, himself owns a licence for hunting even though his present job would be to save animals.

And most of the others were from political background with hardly any knowledge of wildlife, revealed a Fatehgarh Sahib NGO while demanding a probe into the appointments.

In a letter to the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister, Hindu Organisation (NGO) general secretary Manoj Kumar Banda alleged that most of these wardens hardly had any knowledge of wildlife and had used their political links to make it to the list.

One of these wardens, he alleged, possessed a hunting licence, too, while the others held various political posts at the district or state level. Not ruling out “manipulation” of the list of names recommended by the Wildlife Advisory Board and other bodies, Banda has demanded verification of the credentials of all the 24 honorary wildlife wardens and their past experience, participation and contribution for nature. He said only “genuine” people should have been appointed.

Honorary Wildlife Wardens are appointed under sub-section (c) of Section 4 of the Wildlife Protection Act generally for a period of one year. Thereafter, on recommendation of Wildlife Advisory Board, the term may be renewed for a period of two-three years.

Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa, a former Honorary Wildlife Warden who stayed on the post for three years in Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur, said, “It is ethically wrong to appoint a person with a licence for hunting or anybody holding a political post.” “Well-connected people” managed to get this post this time but those genuinely concerned for wildlife failed, claimed Bajwa, who detected 20 cases of poaching during his tenure as Honorary Wildlife Warden.

Wardens may do wonders if their services are utilised properly as already the Wildlife Department is reeling under serious staff shortage, he said.

As per norms, it is important that one must have genuine concern for wildlife conservation, no record of involvement in any activity detrimental to wildlife conservation and any person involved in commercial exploitation of wildlife should be barred from appointment.

Knowledge about forest area and sensitive places where poaching takes place and ways to curb the menace is a must for the post.

Though these officials are not provided with any pay or perks, the state government could reimburse expenses incurred on travelling to carry out assigned duties.

Sandeep Jain, member of State Wildlife Advisory Board, said the list of honorary wildlife wardens could be expanded with induction of more members. Since appointment of these wardens does not put burden on state exchequer, people genuinely concerned with nature and wildlife should be inducted.

There are still some districts where no officials have been appointed, he added. When contacted, Punjab Forest and Wildlife Minister Arunesh Shakir said he would scrutinise the background of all the 24 members. He said he would also work on expanding the list of these honorary officials. 

Ropar, June 5
Ropar has become the first district in the state to empower the educational institutes to issue driving licences to students. Starting from Monday, the principals of government polytechnic colleges, government engineering, medical colleges and government colleges would be able to issue learners’ licences to their students.

Ropar Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said basic idea was to save students from harassment of motor vehicle inspectors and office agents. “The step will also save a lot of time of the students. We have convened a meeting of all the heads of the Industrial Training Centers (ITIs) and principal of Government College, Ropar. All the principals were briefed and instructed to implement the orders and make the students aware about the facility available in the college,” he added.

In order to enable the educational institutes’ heads for issuing learners’ licences, the state government had amended the Punjab Motor Vehicle Rules- 1989. On May 2, the government issued a notification empowering principals of the government ITIs, government polytechnic colleges, government engineering, medical colleges and government colleges in the state to issue licences to their students.

Under the rule 15 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, the government has further authorised instructors of the government ITIs, government polytechnics and government engineering colleges for conducting competence test to drive vehicles and obtain permanent driving licences.

The step is a part of administrative reforms. From now onwards, eligible students can straightway apply to principal for the learners’ licence and further get driving licence test in polytechnic or government engineering colleges.

GK Singh said ITIs and polytechnics have been advised to conduct driving test meticulously. “While institutes can issue learners licence to their own students, an applicant, too, can go to these institutions for competency driving tests,” he added.

Meanwhile, traffic experts said hat making licence issuance so easy would add to already haphazard traffic resulting in more fatal accidents. Harman Sidhu from NGO Arrive Safe, who has been on wheel chair since he met with an accident 13 years ago, said the government should follow graduating licensing system.

“We ape the western countries in fashion and lifestyle. Why not ape their traffic rules also? Australia and England follow the graduating licensing system, which does not enable a driver to easily have his or her licence. Drivers should be put through rigorous testing system before being given the licence. Issuing licences easily, to the youngsters, will only result in higher fatalities,” he reasoned.