We got no funds for projects, says Powercom chief
Anandpur Sahib, June 26
The SAD-BJP government did not give any funds for construction of power projects in the state and private companies are constructing new projects and will run these. Powercom chairman KD Chaudhary said this while talking to mediapersons. He was on a project review visit to the city.

COMMUNITY

Independence Day Gift for farmers
Shifting of fence to help reclaim 5,000 acres of land
Abohar, June 26
This year’s Independence Day will a deeper meaning for hundreds of farmers living in the close vicinity of the Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur district. On that day, the landholdings, which are situated across the cobra barbed wire fencing, of a sizeable section of farmers in border areas might come inside the fence.

Patiala/Ludhiana, June 26
Rejecting P Chidambaram’s advice to the Sikh community to forget the bitter memories of the 1984 riots and move on, families of several victims, who shifted to Ludhiana after the carnage, said they could never overcome the tragedy.

‘‘Our wounds continue to bleed as justice eludes us. Our dear ones were tortured and killed and our world was shattered. We cannot forget the 1984 riots and forgive those responsible,’’ was the common refrain of the women widowed in the anti-Sikh riots.

Charanjit Kaur, a woman who lost seven members of her family, including her husband, two sons and brothers-in-law, recalled the nightmare: ‘‘We were ruined. They were burnt alive. My one-day-old son was snatched from my lap and stabbed.’’

Gurdial Kaur, a 70-year-old woman, who lost her two sons in the riots, said, ‘‘We often wake up in the middle of the night in panic as we continue to relive the horror of that day. We are unable to forget the bloodshed and the loss of our near and dear ones.

“We want the guilty to be punished. I cannot forget the ruthless killing of my sons aged 18 and 23. I will not forgive their killers.

“Chidambaram has made a mockery of our suffering with his remarks.’’

Removing the names from the blacklist and the Prime Minister seeking forgiveness does not justify what was done, complains Harbans Kaur whose husband never returned after being abducted and her son’s fingers were amputated.

SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra said it was “extremely unfortunate” that instead of punishing the guilty, the Union Home Minister was asking the Sikh community to forget the anti-Sikh riots.

Chidambaram had yesterday said that the country had moved on since the tragic incident and that it was time to forgive and build a new India.

Various Sikh organisations, including the SAD, alleged that Chidambaram was justifying the denial of justice to the victims of the November 1984 Sikh ‘genocide’. 

Anandpur Sahib, June 26
The SAD-BJP government did not give any funds for construction of power projects in the state and private companies are constructing new projects and will run these. Powercom chairman KD Chaudhary said this while talking to mediapersons. He was on a project review visit to the city.

“In the past 15 years, not even a single project was planned to meet with requirements of the power-deficit state. With large industrial and urban expansion, power needs had increased, but not generation. Now, the government has come up with new thermal power projects in the state. We are hopeful of commissioning the Talwandi Sabo plant by next year,” he added. All the power plants are private projects wherein tenders were floated and works awarded to companies with lowest bids and rates. The state government has not invested anything in any project.

He added that Powercom was buying 2,800 million units of power to meet the demands of the agriculture sector during the paddy season. In order to provide uninterrupted power supply for the paddy season, Powercom has bought power at the rate of Rs 4 per unit. “Earlier, we had bought power at Rs 7.40 per unit,” he added.

Denying that there have been power cuts in the region, he added that recently, high-velocity winds had damaged power infrastructure including cables and poles.

“Power is switched off only during repair and maintenance. There has not been even a single minute’s unscheduled power cut this year.” For the past 10 years, a project of setting up a substation at Nakkian power house lies pending. On the project, he said that he had assured the CM that work would be completed by May 30, but due to some technical reasons, it would take some more time.

Ludhiana, June 26
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked the governments of the seven states led by the National Democratice Alliance (NDA) to reduce the VAT on petrol to provide relief to the common man reeling under inflation.

Shanta Kumar, incharge of BJP affairs in Punjab, said here today that they had asked the governments run by its coalition partners, including Punjab, to “consider rolling back

state taxes.The government is contemplating doing so and a decision will be taken shortly,’’ Shanta Kumar said while addressing a rally organised in protest against corruption and inflation.The turnout at the rally was rather thin.

Only yesterday the BJP leader had said at a rally in Jalandhar that he was not aware if the VAT on petrol in Punjab was higher than it was in the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Evading a query on whether the BJP would stake its claim on more assembly seats in the coming elections, he emphasised that the NDA would contest the elections “together with its alliance partner” and emerge victorious.

Despite being held in the BJP stronghold represented by Health Minister Satpal Gosain and the ward of BJP leader and Senior Deputy Mayor Parvin Bansal, the rally failed to draw crowds. Most chairs remained vacant.

Shanta Kumar praised Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev for their movement against corruption. Bitterly criticising the Congress at the Centre, he raised the issues of suicide by farmers, the deep economic divide, inflation and black money.

Jalandhar, June 26
The All-India Motor Transport Congress that represents lakhs of truckers across the country will meet in Delhi tomorrow to discuss the rise in freight charges.

Charan Singh Lohra, president of the North India Motor transport Association and former president of the Congress, said with the fuel cost going up by Re 1 per km in case of trucks, he expected the freight rates to go up by about 10 per cent. He said the hike in the price of petroleum products had benefited the Union Government and state governments more than the public sector oil companies.

He said his organisation had been urging the Union Government to levy taxes and duty on the quantity of petroleum products and not the price. With every fuel price hike, the central revenue had been going up in crores at the cost of the common man. Charan Singh, who was in jail for weeks during the last truckers’ strike, said the hike in the diesel price would increase inflation.

Abohar, June 26
This year’s Independence Day will a deeper meaning for hundreds of farmers living in the close vicinity of the Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur district. On that day, the landholdings, which are situated across the cobra barbed wire fencing, of a sizeable section of farmers in border areas might come inside the fence.

The Border Security Force (BSF) authorities have been putting in relentless efforts to shift the cobra barbed wire fencing, erected close to the Indo-Pak border in 1989, nearer to the Radcliffe Line and hence their landholdings, which were situated across the fencing, could become shackle free.

When the work gets completed, about 5,000 acres would be reclaimed in the Abohar and Ferozepur sector and the owners would be free to carry out all kinds of agriculture operations.

They have been facing a lot of hardships while carrying out agriculture operations due to the restrictions imposed on their movement by BSF authorities. The farmers, who are only allowed to grow crops of less height, have been getting less yield compared to their counterparts on the Indian side of the fence.

While the fence is being shifted in about 15 km in Fazilka and Jalalabad areas of the Abohar sector, the same is being done in about 5 km in the Ferozepur sector. The project of shifting the fence nearer the border was taken a few years ago by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs after the farmers of the region raised a hue and cry over the inconvenience being faced by them at the hands of BSF personnel deployed there.

Sources said that about 300 families belonging to Tahliwala, Gorkha Ghati, Jodhewala, Samaske, Bahadur Ke, Bachiittar Ke, Gulaba Bahini villages would get relief due to this exercise. About 200 families of Gajniwala, Dona Telu Mal (DT Mal), Joginder villages of the Ferozepur sector would also benefit similarly. Vimal Satyarthi, DIG, BSF, Abohar sector, said that work was likely to be completed by the end of July or beginning of August.

Amritsar, June 26
A delegation of Indian border management will visit the integrated check post (ICP) at Attari, being built to facilitate cross-border trade and travel, tomorrow to check the status of the construction work.

The delegation, which will be headed by KK Mittal, joint secretary, border management, will also visit the other side of the border to see the progress of the ICP on the Pakistani side and meet their counterparts there. The delegation will also hold meetings with various agencies at the ICP.

Earlier, the border management delegation had met in March during which the authorities of both sides had agreed to construct a second gate for trade and commercial activities while the traditional gate would be used for ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony which is witnessed daily by thousands of tourists.

The delegation will discuss various issues related to the border infrastructure to facilitate bilateral trade. The ICP, which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 120 crore, is expected to give a huge impetus to the trade between the two neighbouring countries.

Jalandhar, June 26
Taking serious note of the high level of radio-active substances in the Malwa belt of Punjab, the Union Government has launched a pilot project for measuring radon and thoron content in the construction material.

The Department of Atomic Energy has initiated the project on the recommendations of the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Mumbai, after President’s approval.

In tandem with the latest recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), a primary body for protection against ionising radiation, a nation-wide survey is being conducted to establish a baseline data. The investigations will be first carried out in the four districts of Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot and Muktsar. The measurement will be undertaken with the help of the recently developed direct radon/ thoron progeny sensors (DRPS/DTPS) techniques.

The BARC has allotted the project to Dr Rohit Mehra, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, NIT, Jalandhar. Dr Mehra, principal investigator of the three-year project, said the study would be conducted with the assistance of two junior research fellows.

The project will surmise the extent of current knowledge on the effect of inhaled radon on residents and their progeny and will make recommendations for making both dwellings and workplaces safer, he said.

“We will carry out simultaneous measurement of radon, thoron in different categories of houses on the basis of construction material, types of roof and flooring,” he said.

Passive measurements would be carried out using pinhole dosimeters and the DTPS/DRPS techniques. Continuous measurement of radon and thoron gas concentration in some selected houses will be carried out by BARC-developed radon and thoron monitors.

Other objectives of the study are to identify high background radiation areas in Punjab, to study the factors affecting indoor radon/thoron concentration levels and to study the radon exhalation rate in soil samples.

Ludhiana, June 26
Defence pensioners have a reason to cheer. The Defence Accounts Department at New Delhi has come up with "Suvigya", a software that will provide a solution to their problems and answer all their queries.

AK Chopra, Additional Controller of Defence Accounts, New Delhi, who attended a pension adalat for defence personnel at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan here said: “The software will be provided to all district Sainik Welfare Offices to help pensioners clear their doubts about any pension scheme. Any information will be only a click away." The officer said the department wanted to plug all communication gaps with the pensioners.

“Although we train bank employees at the Defence Pension Institute at Allahabad, yet many are not aware on how to to incorporate different hikes in the pension schemes.

“We are also trying to educate the bank employees about this software. We train 30-35 bank employees at our Allahabad institute everday,” Chopra added.

Sangrur, June 26
Faced with the problem of mushrooming unauthorised colonies in the district, the Deputy Commissioner has banned land registeration in such colonies.

Sources said DC Kumar Rahul in his orders dated June 22 had asked the SDMs and Sub-Registrars to immediately stop land registeration in such colonies and also directed the executive officers of municipal councils to identify and proceed against these colonies.

“Since the registration of land has been stopped in illegal colonies, the MC cannot pass the building maps in these colonies. The step will effectively check the mushrooming of illegal colonies in the district and lead to planned growth,” said an official.

A source in the Sangrur MC said on receiving the DC’s orders, they had submitted a list of 42 illegal colonies in Sangrur to the SDM and the tehsildar. An approved coloniser called this “a welcome step that will help check unplanned growth in towns.”

Patiala, June 26
Notwithstanding the repeated assurances of the state government that stringent steps are being taken to ensure that chemist do not indulge in sale of the habit-forming drugs containing narcotics or psychotropic substance as ingredients in their formulation, the sale of such drugs continues unabated in several parts of the Patiala district.

According to information, in absence of the strict implementation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, a large number of chemists in Patiala are selling the habit-forming drugs like Proxyvon (Dextropropoxyphene), Lomotil, Alprax (Alprazolam) and Calmpose (Diazepam) without any written prescription by the physician.

Notably, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, Satpal Gosain had announced recently to crack a whip on the drug stores selling such drugs, but so far nothing has been done. A random survey of the chemist shops in the vicinity of the Government Rajindra Hospital and the TB Hospital Road brought to light that chemists are least bothered to see the prescription before selling such drugs.

President of The Doctors Federation of India Dr DC Sharma said, “Besides, the injections of Fortwin (Pentazocine) and Morphine derivatives are easily available in the markets without any prescription. Drug addicts who administer injection of drugs containing narcotic substance become prone to AIDS. With June 26 being observed as the International Day Against Drug Abuse, our federation appeals that the SAD-BJP Government should firmly check the misuse and illegal sale of habit-forming drugs,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, chairman of the In-Service Wing of Punjab Branch of Indian Medical Association Dr DS Bhullar has said the Punjab Government should strictly implement the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules and no chemist should be allowed to sell any habit-forming medicine without proper prescription of a qualified doctor and without issuing a cash memo.

Civil Surgeon, Patiala, Dr Jatinder Kaur said the Health Department officials conduct regular surprise checks at various chemist shops and wholesale drug stores. “Whenever any specific complaint is received, immediate action is initiated against the erring drug store. We will further intensify the campaign to ensure that all the drug-store owners adhere to the requisite norms,” she told The Tribune.

Nangal, June 26
Around 20 guest faculty members of the Government Shivalik College, Naya Nangal, have demanded that their salaries be brought on a par with their counterparts in Chandigarh and Haryana.

In a meeting convened here today, they said the guest faculty members in Punjab were paid just Rs 134 per day, which is mere Rs 9 more than provided to labourers working under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

“We are employed for just seven months in a year and are not paid salary for the months of March, April, May, June, July and December. We either get Rs 175 per lecture or maximum Rs 7,000 per month, which translates into mere Rs 49,000 per year. At this rate, we are paid just Rs 134 per day,” said faculty member Jagpal Singh.

Baljeet Singh added that Rs 134 per day was less than the rates the Deputy Commissioner had fixed. The lecturers added that the guest-faculty members at Chandigarh and Haryana are paid a fixed amount of Rs 25,000 per month.

“In the footsteps of Chandigarh and the neighbouring state Haryana, the Punjab Government should also provide us higher scales,” added Ishwin Kaur.

“Instead of permanently employing the lecturers, the government has opted for the easier way of making the guest faculty work at paltry salaries. We should be duly recruited on merits as per our education and experience,” said a lecturer.

Patiala, June 26
Following rise in the theft and burglaries in the district, the city residents are critical of the working of the cops. In the past couple of weeks, theft incidents have been reported in Urban Estate, Tripri, Civil Lines and other city areas. “The thieves have stolen cars, bikes, cycles, mobiles and other household items and the police is sitting as a mute spectator,” claimed a complainant whose belongings were stolen from the Urban Estate a couple of weeks back.

Burglars opened the shutter of a shop located in Ghagga, fled with Rs 17,000 and mobiles worth Rs 31,000. Besides, two cars, including one from near the Dukhnivaran Sahib Gurdwara and other from near the Thapar University campus, were stolen in the past three days. On being asked about the cases, the cops say that investigations were on, but the recent recoveries do not infuse confidence in the city residents.

In a majority of cases, complainants had to rush from the pillar to post to register complaints related to thefts. Most of the time, the complaints was not even registered by the police and the matter was buried in the DDR. “I lost my cycle and it has been three days that the police is dillydallying with my complaint,” said a migrant outside the Tripri police station. “With no one to check the rising incidents of crime, cases of car theft and pick-pocketing are reported daily from the area,” said a complainant outside the Tripri police station yesterday. Senior official said more night vigil and nakas would be held to check this menace.