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Employment on Compassionate Grounds
‘Public service commissions at liberty to decide exam fee’
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Nod to 1,320-MW thermal plant
Patiala, October 23 In what may be termed as a desperate attempt to silence the critics on the contentious issue of new thermal power projects being awarded to private companies, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has given in-principle approval for the setting up of a 1,320-MW thermal plant in the state sector at Mukerian, Hoshiarpur.
‘Cong to go it alone in Assembly poll’
Punjab announces sops for IT sector
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Employment on Compassionate Grounds
Chandigarh, October 23 The strictures by the Bench of Justice Permod Kohli and Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa came on a petition filed by Bhupinder Batra against the Union of India and other respondents. In his petition filed through counsel Kapil Kakkar, the petitioner had contended that the family was left without source of income after his father, working with the BSNL, died on July 31, 2002. Kakkar added the petitioner submitted his claim for compassionate appointment on June 13, 2003. But, it was rejected vide order September 8, 2008. After hearing arguments, the Bench asserted: “We find that the BSNL has indeed acted arbitrarily and has resorted to discrimination as regards the grant of compassionate appointments are concerned. “The petitioner has placed specific reliance on a communication dated May 15, 2010, issued by the BSNL in respect to a query under the Right to Information Act, wherein a list of 23 candidates, who were granted compassionate appointment in pursuance to the selection committee meeting dated August 27, 2004, has been disclosed…. “On being confronted by such information and list, the counsel for the BSNL did not deny the same. A perusal of the list further reveals that of the total 23 candidates having been approved for appointment on compassionate ground in 2004, 19 are such wherein the date of death of the breadwinner was subsequent to the date of death of the petitioner’s father - July 31, 2002. Speaking for the Bench, Justice Dhindsa asserted: “For certain unknown and inexplicable reasons, the case of the petitioner was kept pending for a period of almost four years prior to the same having been rejected. “The arbitrariness is writ large. The respondent authority has clearly acted in a discriminatory manner and has resorted to a policy of pick and choose in so far as grant of compassionate appointment is concerned”. Directing reconsideration of the petitioner’s case, Justice Dhindsa added: “The object of the scheme providing compassionate appointment to a dependent family of a government servant dying in harness is to relieve the family from the immediate financial crisis. The State Government or its instrumentalities are expected to deal with such claims for compassionate appointment with a certain element of urgency and sensitivity”.
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‘Public service commissions at liberty to decide exam fee’
Chandigarh, October 23 The Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina also virtually passed strictures on the law graduates, who had moved the HC. The Bench ruled: “The aspirants to judicial office must remember not to start life on a litigious note unless there is real injury. It bodes ill”. Taking up the petition filed by Nidhi Garg and other petitioners against the State of Punjab and another respondent, the Bench observed: “The petitioners before this Court are law graduates, who aspire to appear in the Punjab Civil Services (Judicial Services) Examination, 2011, and compete for a berth in the subordinate judiciary against a number of vacancies advertised on September 15 by the Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala. “The complaint is that the Commission has fixed Rs 2,000 as examination fee for the General Category and Rs 500 for SC, Backward Class category candidates. The claim is that a direction be issued to the Commission not to charge “exorbitant” fee. Dismissing the petition, the Bench added: “We are afraid it is not for this Court in writ jurisdiction to examine the decision of the Commission relating to fixation of fee”.
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Nod to 1,320-MW thermal plant
Patiala, October 23 The development assumes significance since from past more than a year, engineers working with the Power Corporation and power sector experts had been criticising the government for awarding thermal power projects to private players through the MoU route in violation of the National Tariff Policy. The decision to set up the power plant in the public sector was taken by Badal after a meeting with a delegation of the PSEB Engineers Association, led by its president HS Bedi yesterday evening. During the meeting, Badal asked KD Chaudhri, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) CMD, to make sure that the power corporation completed the necessary formalities, including the selection of site and plan for the plant, so that the construction work could be started at the earliest. Talking to The Tribune, Bedi said, “The decision to set up the power plant in the state sector is appreciable and our association thanks the Chief Minister for approving it”. Notably, after the Board of Directors of the PSPCL gave their nod for setting up a thermal plant in the state sector in April this year, the PSPCL management drafted the proposal to set up a 1,320-MW thermal plant at Mukerian, Hoshiarpur. The proposal was sent to the government for approval. However, the government referred the proposal back to the PSPCL in June, asking the corporation to clarify certain points pertaining to the financial aspects of the project, particularly about the source of funding. Interestingly, the observations were made by the government despite the fact that the proposal clearly mentioned that 90 per cent of the project cost would to be borne by the Power Finance Corporation and the rest by the PSPCL.
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Another Sarabjit languishes in Pakistan prison
Faridkot, October 23 For Angrej Kaur, the memories of the one year she spent with her husband after their marriage are still fresh. Six months ago, she got a telephone call from a former federal minister for human rights in Pakistan, Ansar Burney, telling her that her husband would be released soon. “I was told that Sarabjit would soon return as he has already completed his jail term,” says Angrej Kaur, quoting Burney. But the hope has now started waning as months have elapsed and there is still no news about the BSF sepoy. After Sarabjit went missing in the 1971 war, Angrej Kaur went to Hussainwala and Wagha to meet Pakistan officials to sought their help in tracing her husband. But every time, she got the same reply: “There is no prisoner of this name in Pakistan jails”. “One year ago, my son got an opportunity to met Burney in Delhi. He appealed to him to trace his father as Burney has helped trace many Indian PoWs and facilitated their repatriation,” she said. “Burney’s response was highly positive,” said Amrik Singh, Sarabjit’s son. Amrik was barely two-month-old when his father was captured as PoW. “My entire childhood and youthful days of my mother spent waiting for my father. We kept hoping that one day he will return and embrace us. But when that day will come, it is uncertain,” said Amrik. “A year after my husband went missing, he was listed as killed and the BSF authorities even issued a death certificate, but I never admitted this notion,” said Angrej Kaur. Speaking to TNS over phone, Burney said Sarabjit was earlier awarded the death sentence, but his sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. “I am hopeful of his release in the days to come,” he said.
Some hope
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‘Cong to go it alone in Assembly poll’
Mohali, October 23 Interacting with mediapersons during a congregation organised by the Saini Community at Kharar, the former CM said the Congress was strong enough to go it alone, unlike the Akalis who had started searching for alliance partners. “The very fact that they are desperately trying to align with the BSP shows their desperation and nervousness,” he said, adding that the Congress had fought the last two elections in 2002 and 2007 alone and it would do the same this time as well. To a question about splinter groups coming together as a third front, he said it had hardly any significance. “It is as insignificant as the name itself and it will always remain so,” he said, adding that it would be a mere fight for survival for the Akalis and the BJP. Later he warned the Akalis and police officials
against intimidating Congress workers. On the issue of ticket, the PCC president reiterated that allotting the ticket was the prerogative of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He said he would be recommending candidates based on their potential and ability to win and the final decision would be of the Congress president. About the sitting MLAs, he said, “They will very much be considered with same criterion about their
winability”.
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Jobless linemen, teachers storm into Sangat Darshan
Lambi (Muktsar), October 23 Time and again, Badal claimed that the Sanjha Morcha has no political or social base, but now he is dubbing both Manpreet and Barnala as traitors and political defectors, bereft of credibility. The people will teach these defectors a lesson, said Badal, while addressing a public gathering during the Sangat Darshan programme in Lambi constituency villages today. “People know that if these leaders were not faithful to their own party than how they can be faithful to them”, Badal said. It was only after a bitter verbal attack on Manpreet and Barnala that the CM turned to the Congress-led UPA government, blaming it for all problems confronting Punjab. Criticising the Congress, Badal alleged the party was hand in glove with petroleum companies to the disadvantage of the common man. He said 30 per cent increase in the petroleum prices during the current regime of UPA speaks about the ideology of the government which claims to be the votary of the common man. However, the Chief Minister avoided the reply to a question about Punjab charging maximum, 33.36 per cent VAT and sales tax, on petrol in the country. Though the CM blamed the Congress for unemployment in the country but Badal himself faced a protest by unemployed youths today during the Sangat Darshan programme in Middu Khera. Over one dozen unemployed linemen barged into the barricaded and cordoned-off area and raised slogans against the state government and the CM. While the police had just controlled the linemen, another batch of protestors, led by three unemployed women computer teachers, entered the Sangat Darshan area, demanding the CM to provide them employment. The police faced a tough time in controlling the protestors and rounded up 50 of them.
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Jindal’s kin refuse to celebrate his win
as‘promise’ to visit Malerkotla not kept
Malerkotla, October 23 After the news of the second consecutive win spread here, no special happiness could be seen among Bobby Jindal’s relatives. They said they hardly had anything to celebrate as neither had Bobby ever visited Malerkotla, nor had he made any phone call to them in the past. Bobby Jindal's father Amar Chand Jindal had migrated to America in 1972, just a few months before his son was born. Bobby’s mother Raj Rani had been sent by the Indian government for higher studies to the US. While Amar Chand decided to settle in the US, his brothers stayed back here. They rue that the Louisiana Governor had never even tried to contact them, a reason they today “decided not to hold any kind of celebration over his latest victory”. Vijay Luxmi, real aunt of Bobby Jindal, claimed he had failed to keep his promise of visiting Malerkotla that he made after his first victory as Governor. “Later, he even stopped attending our calls,” she said. While the Jindal family originally hailed from Khanpur village near here, almost all his close relatives shifted to Malerkotla over the years. When Bobby Jindal’s cousins Bhagwant and Narinder weer contacted at their house, they refused to talk to mediapersons. Notably, a wave of joy had swept the town when the news of the election of Bobby Jindal reached here in 2004. Sweets were distributed by his relatives at their houses
then.
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Punjab announces sops for IT sector
Chandigarh, October 23 These concessions include waiver of clearance from the PPCB besides Punjab Apartment and Regulation Act for units to be set up in IT parks. He said that the government has also launched a power policy for IT investors, which exempts these units from statutory power cuts along with exemption from electricity duty for five years. Besides that, IT companies would also get exemption from stamp duty and registration fees for land transfer/allotted by PICTCL and 100% stamp duty exemption (first scale transaction ) on purchase / lease of built-up office space within the constructed IT park. Sud said that no Change of Land Use (CLU) charges and EDC to be levied on any component of the integrated IT park.
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PPS celebrates Founder’s Day
Nabha, October 23 On the occasion, Preneet Kaur conferred the prestigious Roll of Honour upon PPS alumnus Lt-Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana (retd). KN Singh, IAS (retd), Chairman of the school executive committee, read out the citation. General Sujlana also addressed the gathering. Headmaster Jagpreet Singh read out the school annual report, highlighting various achievements of the institution. He specially mentioned that though shooting was introduced in the school recently, seven shooters from the school have been selected for the national shooting competition.
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Father-son duo held with spurious ghee
Patiala, October 23 The Barnala trader had approached the cops about the nexus wherein the duo was selling the ghee in
the market. According to the police, it has arrested Vijender Kumar and Hukam Chand, residents of Guru Nanak Nagar. “We have recovered 14 tins each of 15-kg ghee under the trademark of ‘Punjab King’ and arrested the accused, who were selling the same in the market,” said the cops. Further investigations are on and samples of the ghee have been sent to ascertain their quality.
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