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Lok Bhalai Party merges with SAD
Approval to Birmi Flying Academy suspended: Minister tells LS
NRI shot dead in Rampura
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RTS Commissioners sworn in
As Manpreet tours state, his wife Veenu keeps guard of home turf Gidderbaha
Poverty up under Badal govt: Amarinder
‘Akalis prisoners of sectarian mindset’
SAD eyes poll dividends
Punjabi university to set up centre for arts
PPCB begins training of firemen at brick-kilns
PSPCL opens customer care centre in Patiala
Adversity only ally of Gurdaspur border villages
Steel industry to use gas as fuel in place of coal
Need to rev up processing of fruits, veggies, says expert
Arhtiyas rue delay in clearance of bills
Polluting industrial units raided
Assets of jail officials to be probed, says DGP
Speaker asked to submit affidavit
HC: Probe mining after expiry of contract
No incinerators to destroy contraband, cops tell HC
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Lok Bhalai Party merges with SAD
Ludhiana, November 23 “I have taken this decision after a lot of thought and discussions with my party workers. I am not a greenhorn in politics and neither are the Badals,” Ramoowalia said. Sukhbir said that all LBP workers would be “duly adjusted” in the party setup. The Chief Minister said the merger would not only help in defeating the “anti-Punjab and anti-development” Congress, but also ensure that Punjab had a sustained growth. He said Ramoowalia would play a big role in the party. Later at a press conference, when asked whether Ramoowalia or any of his supporters would be candidates for the coming elections, Badal said it was premature to make any statement. “We will decide on such matters in days to come but Ramoowalia will certainly hold a key position in the party,” he added.
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Approval to Birmi Flying Academy suspended: Minister tells LS
Patiala, November 23 Giving this information in writing to the Lok Sabha today, a copy of which is available with The Tribune, Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi stated that the DGCA had found several deficiencies in 33 flying clubs during a nationwide audit and suspended the approval of two such institutions, Bombay Flying Club, Juhu Aerodrome, and Birmi Flying Academy, Patiala”. Notably, Malkiat Singh Birmi, who owns the academy, is a former Punjab Chief Parliamentary Secretary and had represented Ludhiana (rural) assembly constituency from 2002 to 2007. Vayalar Ravi stated in the Lok Sabha that an audit was carried out with an aim to ensuring that the flying academies function in accordance of the guidelines laid down by the Civil Aviation Department. Ravi has also stated that during the audit, about 16 deficiencies were found, which include improper or non upkeep of documents, insufficient number of ground instructors, fuel mismanagement and false entries in the authorisation book, non-availability of contingency and no emergency plan for accidents. Interestingly, while Vayalar informed the Lok Sabha about the suspension of approval to the academy, documents procured by the TNS show that the approval to the institution has been restored today itself and even a letter to this effect has been sent to the managing director of the academy. Meanwhile, Birmi claimed that on account of some “minor” technical deficiencies, the approval of the academy was suspended. “I cannot comment on what the minister has stated, but can only clarify that my academy has never violated the guidelines,” he claimed, while confirming that he has received a letter pertaining to the restoration of the approval. Meanwhile, though the authorities of the DGCA are tight-lipped on the matter and no one is ready to come on record, sources in the Civil Aviation Department said it was indeed a faux pas that while the minister stated that the approval of the Birmi Flying Academy had been suspended, despite the fact that a letter for its restoration was issued by the Civil Aviation Department today itself. Civil Aviation Dept revokes
suspension Interestingly, while Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi informed the Lok Sabha about the suspension of approval to the academy, documents procured by the TNS show that the approval to the institution has been restored today itself and even a letter to this effect has been sent to its managing director
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NRI shot dead in Rampura
Bathinda, November 23 Buta Singh, along with his wife Jaswinder Kaur, had gone to pay obeisance at a gurdwara in Rampura city when some assailants fired four shots on the NRI from a very close range. Police said he died on the spot after two bullets hit his head and another two pierced into his stomach. According to his relatives, he was a contractor in Dubai and was also an active property dealer of Rampura. He was living in the Farid Nagar locality of the city. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. His sons live in Dubai and were supposed to arrive today at Rampura. All the family members of the deceased had been to Dubai and his wife had come here around six months ago. The Rampura city SHO Karamjit Singh said that Buta Singh actually belonged to Thingar village of Rampura but had recently built a plush house in Rampura city.
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RTS Commissioners sworn in
Chandigarh, November 23 Those sworn in are former IPS Officer (retd) SM Sharma, IAS Officer (retd) Iqbal Singh Sidhu, SAD MLA from Verka Dalbir Singh and Advocate Harinder Singh Dhillon. An official spokesperson said that the service conditions of the newly appointed Commissioners would be issued later. The state government had set up the Right to Service Commission under Section 13 of the Punjab Right to Service Act, 2011. The Act ensures time-bound delivery of 47 services to the citizens. Prominent amongst others who were present on the occasion were Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohinder Kaur Josh, Principal Secretary Industries & Commerce SS Channy, Principal Secretary, Local Government, Satish Chandra, Principal Secretary, Housing & PWD (B&R), SK Sandhu,VC of Panjab University RC Sobti, Secretary, Food & Supplies, DS Grewal, and ADGP (Intelligence)Suresh
Arora
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As Manpreet tours state, his wife Veenu keeps guard of home turf Gidderbaha
Gidderbaha, November 23 While Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur have been taking turns to tour Gidderbaha, Veenu Badal is holding the camp alone. She has started visiting the houses of old supporters in the area to rev them up ahead of the assembly elections. "We don't need road shows or a compelled gathering to prove our support base in Gidderbaha. The voters of this constituency know my husband, his work and his ethical politics. There is nobody who can match Manpreet Badal's stature here. Therefore, he is concentrating on Punjab without worrying about his home constituency," said Veenu Badal during her visit to Doda village. Meanwhile, Harsimrat Kaur today accused Manpreet Badal, SAD (Longowal) leader Surjit Singh Barnala, the CPI and the CPM of regrouping under the Congress fold to destabilise the ruling SAD-BJP government. The Bathinda MP said while the CPI, the CPM and Barnala's old-time association with the Congress was known to all, this time Manpreet had joined hands with them. Presiding over four Sangat Darshan programmes in Gidderbaha, Harsimrat, on the second day of her tour, was critical of Manpreet for "back-stabbing his uncle (Parkash Singh Badal) who ignored his own son (Sukhbir Badal) to promote his nephew (Manpreet) politically". "Despite Manpreet being a novice in politics, Badal 'sahib' handed over to him a politically nurtured constituency like Gidderbaha and at such a young age gave him finance ministry on a silver platter. Manpreet not only back-stabbed his promoter, but also bullied Akali workers who dared to approach us directly," said Harsimrat. Harsimrat also blamed the Congress for "sliding the country into yet another round of cynicism, conflicts and negativity". She said the Congress "was the mother of all ills facing the country".
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Poverty up under Badal govt: Amarinder
Ferozepur, November 23 Addressing a rally here, Amarinder maintained that the number of BPL families had swelled from 13 lakh to over 20 lakh under the state government. “The Akali leadership is intellectually bankrupt due to which they have brought the state on the verge of ruins as the debts have increased to over Rs 1.72 lakh crore,” he said. In an apparent bid to woo the border residents ahead of the elections, the PPCC chief said special incentives would be offered to the people living along the India-Pakistan border. “I met the Prime Minister to apprise him about the issues confronting border farmers who have limited access to their fields beyond the barbed wire fencing. The PM had even agreed to offer a special package, but the Akalis could not follow it up,” he said while promising to take up the issue again if voted back to power. Amarinder said two more super-specialty hospitals -- one in Ferozepur - would be set up to deal with diseases like cancer.
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‘Akalis prisoners of sectarian mindset’
Rajasansi (Amritsar), November 23 Addressing a rally held as part of the Congress' "Punjab Bachao Yatra" here, Amarinder asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as to what he had done during his four tenures (as CM) other than "having accumulated wealth worth thousands of crores". "The only thing the Akalis did was they fragmented Punjab into small pieces." Amarinder said the Akalis were still the "prisoners of same sectarian mindset and could not look beyond that to make Punjab progress". "And surprisingly, what they gave up by way of Punjabi suba in 1966, they wanted back within a few years through Anandpur Sahib Resolution," he pointed out. The former CM called for bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots in Punjab. He said Punjab was growing in two ways with one section of people having all the privileges while the other section virtually having none and this gap was dangerously growing. He said he wanted whole of Punjab to progress and prosper where no section was left out. He said the state needed to focus on education, health, and employment, besides arresting the economic drift at priority. Spelling out his agenda, he said, "I want a prosperous and progressive Punjab where there will be no unemployment, where the agriculture will be remunerative, where the industry will prosper, where people have access to all the basic needs of life and where prosperity is not the privilege of a select few." He pointed out traditional agriculture was no longer remunerative and, moreover, the land holdings were shrinking. Amarinder also announced that all the false cases registered against the Congress workers would be cancelled and those found guilty of framing them in these cases would be punished at the same time. Lashing out at the Akalis, particularly the Majithias, he condemned their plans to convert the Khalsa College, one of the premier symbols of the Khalsa Heritage, into a private university "just to make money". He promised that the Congress government would not allow that to happen as the Khalsa College was not the personal property of the Majithias and it belonged to whole of Punjab and it was set up for providing affordable education to the poor. Prominent among those present were Congress' Punjab affairs incharge Gulchain Singh Charak, Congress Legislature Party leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, PCC vice-president Laal Singh, Sukh Sarkaria, who was the coordinator for today's rally, OP Soni, Harpartap Ajnala, Lali Majithia and Gurchet Bhullar.
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SAD eyes poll dividends
Three more Sikh heritage sites will also be opened this month. The SAD hopes to be seen as a party which has redeemed the Sikh pride by creating world-class memorials. Former Congress Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also followed a Panthic agenda by erecting five gates at Fatehgarh Sahib besides the Minar-e- Mukti at Muktsar to commemorate events in Sikh history. The move had its effect with the Jats opting for the Congress in the Malwa region. The SAD is pulling out all stops to make the inauguration of the Heritage Complex a grand success. It will hold a public rally here in which it expects an attendance of more than one lakh. DS Guru, Principal Secretary to the CM, when questioned whether the SAD was playing the Sikh card, said the CM considered the setting up of the Heritage Complex and the other memorials as a “sacred” duty. The SAD has hired 2,500 buses to ferry people here for the inauguration ceremony. Sources said it is only in the past six months that work on the first phase of the project was streamlined towards completion. They said only the shell of the building could have been inaugurated by Capt Amarinder Singh during his stint as CM five years back. Renowned film producer Bobby Bedi, who is behind the audio-visual presentation in the museum, says till two years back the building did not even have power. The sources said the SAD would use the occasion to strike out at the Pradesh Congress for “preventing Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh from inaugurating the museum. The anti-Congress theme would be repeated at the opening of the Chotta Ghallughara (genocide) memorial on November 28 at Kahnuwan Chhamb in Gurdaspur, the Vadda Ghallughara memorial at Malerkotla on November 29 and the memorial at Chappar Chiri on November 30.
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Punjabi university to set up centre for arts
Patiala, November 23 With this centre, the university aims at saving various art forms for the future generations, besides promoting them among the youngsters. Dr Jaspal Singh, Vice-Chancellor, said the university was committed to reviving the folk art forms and in this process, it had already recorded video and audio CDs of various dance forms. Describing the declining popularity of the Patiala Gharana as unfortunate, he called upon the experts to help the university by drawing up a proposal to facilitate the revival and promotion of folk art forms and attract artists belonging to the Patiala Gharana. The invitation is part of drawing the “Vision Paper: 2020” for the overall promotion of academic and scholastic activities of the university in general and comprehensive promotion of Punjabi language, art and culture in particular, he said. “We are planning to host a workshop to draw the paper from December 21 to 23 in which suggestions received from various corners will be discussed before drawing a final design,” the VC said. Meanwhile, the first phase of the five-day golden jubilee celebrations of the university concluded here today.
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PPCB begins training of firemen at brick-kilns
Patiala, November 23 During discussions with the owners of the brick kilns in the state, it came to light that illiteracy of the firemen was the main cause for air pollution. "They (firemen) fire the fuel as per their will not as per the requirement", he said. The Board has also decided to train the firemen of each kiln in the state at the Board's expenses. "The camps are being organised at the regional office level where the owner and firemen are being given training. During these camps, each fireman is registered and an undertaking is taken from him that he will not use any unauthorised fuel and only crushed coal will be used. Moreover, the crushed coal will be fired regularly and slowly after an interval of 10 minutes with the help of a spoon to ensure that no black smoke is emitted from the chimney of the kiln", said Pannu. PPCB Environmental Engineer Pawan Kumar Garg said the participants were being informed that with the implementation of fuel firing practice, each brick-kiln can save up to 10-15 per cent of the coal consumption. This will save the environment from air pollution. All the firemen/employees will be issued a training certificate”, he said. The PPCB authorities said during the past week, 500 such firemen were imparted training and the Board would complete the process of registration and training of each fireman working in the state by the end of coming week. "The response of the firemen and owners is very good and with such a little change of habit of a fireman, the air pollution problem of each kiln can be solved as every kiln has scientifically designed gravity chamber to control emission particles," said Dr Charanjit Singh, Deputy Director (PR),
PPCB.
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PSPCL opens customer care centre in Patiala
Patiala, November 23 Stating this after inaugurating one such centre at Model Town, here, KD Chaudhri, CMD, PSPCL, said work for setting up such centres at other places was in full swing. The centres would take care of the issuance of new connections, extension in the sanctioned load, change of name, change of meter and other works. Chaudhri said, “Today, we have started the sixth customer care centre. At present, such centres are already operational in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Mohali and Bathinda. The total cost of this project is Rs 300 crore. It will immensely benefit the power consumers”. He further said the centre at Patiala would cater to more than one lakh consumers of the city. Chaudhri said the centres, equipped with modern gadgets, had been connected to the data centre for providing efficient and effective services to consumers. “Once all centres become operational, they would be inter-connected and would allow the consumers to remit their electricity bills from anywhere in the state. Consumers would also be able to access their account details online,” he added. Chaudhri also said the centres would mainly be working on the concept of single window system so that the customers did not have to visit different offices for their power related works. “The consumers would also be able to send their complaints online or through the interactive voice recording system. Another project costing Rs 1,400 crore is in the offing wherein all overloaded transformers and feeders would be relieved and new grid stations will be constructed to ensure uninterrupted power supply,” he said.
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Adversity only ally of Gurdaspur border villages
Makkoran Patan (Gurdaspur), November 23 The area is devoid of basic amenities. There is only one dispensary at Bharial village and that too has just one pharmacist to cater to the medical needs of the locals. Recently, two pregnant women from Toor village, who could not be given proper treatment, were taken to Dinanagar, 20 km from the village, where they gave birth to still-born children. A village elder disclosed that due to the lack of medical facilities, infant mortality rate was very high in the area. Harjit Alam, a journalist who regularly tours the area, says, “The living conditions are really appalling. There are three government schools, one middle and two primary. Students are willing to study but there are no teachers. People cannot use cell phones as there are no mobile towers in the area owing to security concerns”. Gurnam Singh, sarpanch of Toor village, says 90 per cent of the girls who pass out from the middle school have to abruptly end their studies as their parents are reluctant to send them to adjoining towns. Though local MLA Sita Ram Kashyap says he is doing his bit, villagers are quick to refute his claim. There is one veterinary hospital which, too, is run by a pharmacist following which mortality rate among livestock is also very high. Irked by government’s apathy, the residents had raised a banner of revolt during the 1980 assembly elections and decided to refrain from voting. The then state government tried to pacify the villagers by sending the then Governor Jai Sukh Lal Hathi to the area. The last time these villagers heard from the government was when Agriculture Minister SS Langah held a Sangat Darshan about a year ago. However, the government failed to pay heed to any of their demands pertaining to setting up of more dispensaries and schools. The platoon bridge connecting the island from Makkoran Patan village with the mainland was dismantled by the PWD authorities in June and rebuilt it in September. For these four months, the residents had to live under the fear of floods, but no one bothered.
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Steel industry to use gas as fuel in place of coal
Popular as the steel capital of the North, Mandi Gobindgarh has 340 rolling mills and 21 forging units, which have been using coal as fuel. As a result, air pollution in the town has always been a cause of concern. The decision by the industrialists came following persuasion by the Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman, KS Pannu. He claimed the step would help bring under control the extremely high level of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the air in the town. “We held several rounds of meetings with the industrialists to persuade them to start using gas as fuel in their units,” said Pannu. He said the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) had agreed to supply gas to the industrial units. “The gas pipeline between Kandla and Naya Nangal is already under construction and once it’s complete, there will be no problem in the supply of gas to the units,” he said. Notably, the respiratory suspended particulate matter in the town remains between 200 and 250 against the permissible limit of 100 micro grams per cubic meter whereas the SPM level remained even higher than that. Rolling Mills Association president Vinod Vashisht said, “We have been trying to get a firm commitment from the GAIL with regard to the supply of gas and the price. However, we have made up our minds to replace coal with gas.”
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Need to rev up processing of fruits, veggies, says expert
Dr Ayyappan, who is the Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, was here to deliver the 37th convocation address at the Punjab Agricultural University. At present, said he, value addition of a mere 7 per cent of the fruits and vegetables was done in India whereas the figure for processing stood much lower at 2 per cent. "These figures are much higher not only in developed countries like the US but also in developing Asian nations like Malaysia and Philippines where processing accounts for more than 70 per cent of the production," he said. Dr Ayyappan said value addition in a state like Punjab was even the more important. The agriculture sector of the state had reached such a stage where its growth could be sustained only by encouraging value addition and processing of the produce, he said. "Value addition and agro-processing will integrate the market from producer to consumer end and will ensure better and stable prices of products, which will result in higher profits. Otherwise, losses are estimated to be as high as 30-40 per cent in fruits and vegetables," he added.
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Arhtiyas rue delay in clearance of bills
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 23 The commission agents alleged that officials of the procurement agencies were not paying any heed to their requests. They said for the past two months they had been making rounds of the offices of the procurement agencies, but to no avail. The agents have now stopped making payments to labourers. Rajesh Singla, press secretary, Arhtiya Association Punjab, said before the paddy procurement season, Food & Civil Supply Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon had promised to clear their bills in time. He said a similar assurance was given by the Chief Minister, but unfortunately none of the procurement agencies was clearing their bills. He said their repeated requests had fallen on deaf ears. An official of Markfed said the commission agents had yet to return the remaining bardana of the agencies lying with them. Besides, they had still to receive the bills from purchase centres, he added.
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Polluting industrial units raided
Dera Bassi, November 23 KS Pannu, Chairman, PPCB, said on a tip-off, the team raided an industrial unit, Monarch Thermocraft at Sarsini village, located behind Royal Cinema, Lalru. The unit, engaged in the manufacturing of thermo coal, was found using unauthorised fuel like leather waste in the boiler instead of wood. The team also visited the premises of Punjab Meats Ltd at Behra village. It found that the effluent treatment plant installed by the industry was not in operation and the effluents were being discharged in the open. The samples of the effluents were collected and sent for analysis. The unit was also found violating provisions of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. An air pollution control device attached to the rendering plant was also not operational. The housekeeping of the unit was also pathetic. Taking a serious note of the lapses, Pannu ordered to issue notices for the closure of these units with an opportunity of personal hearing.
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Assets of jail officials to be probed, says DGP
Fazilka, November 23 He said action would be taken against those found to have amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income. On the availability of intoxicants to convicts and undertrials, the DGP admitted that this was not possible without the connivance of the jail staff. He admitted that during his visit to different jails, he had received complaints regarding poor food quality. Kant said since his taking over charge on November 1, he had visited the Jails in Ludhiana, Patiala and Nabha. He had worked out a schedule to visit all the jails in the state. The DGP said he had recommended construction of small houses in the jail complex to enable jail inmates with good conduct to live with their families for short durations. He said there was a need for more prisons as the present ones were overcrowded. While the prisoners were being motivated and equipped for self-employment, there was no such provision for the undertrials, he said.
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Speaker asked to submit affidavit
Chandigarh, November 23 The Speaker has already tendered an "unconditional apology for any “inadvertent or unintentional lapse". The Speaker has also requested the High Court to "expunge" adverse observations made against him. Taking exception, the High Court had minced no words to say a deliberate attempt to defy the orders with impunity was evident. The Bench had warned of contempt proceedings in the matter. The observations came on a petition by Ramesh Chand against the Vidhan Sabha and three other respondents
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HC: Probe mining after expiry of contract
Chandigarh, November 23 The Bench of Justice M.M Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina took judicial notice of a contention that illegal mining could not be carried out without the active participation and support of the mining department, before issuing the directions. The Bench asserted: “We direct the Chief Secretary, State of Punjab, to initiate an inquiry as to how mining was permitted to be carried out till November, 2009, even after the expiry of mining contract in the year 2008. “The persons responsible, who have committed such lapses or have connived with contractors or others, should be brought to book and appropriate disciplinary action as well as criminal proceedings be initiated against them. “The inquiry be initiated within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order and the same shall be completed within three months thereafter. The inquiry and action taken report be placed on record of this case on April 2, 2012.” Taking up Virsa Singh’s petition, the Bench asserted: In so far as the issue of illegal mining is concerned, in an affidavit, it has been pointed out that no illegal mining is going on.
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No incinerators to destroy contraband, cops tell HC Chandigarh, November 23 A decision to this effect was, in fact, taken in a meeting of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force held under the chairmanship of the Additional DGP (Intelligence) Suresh Arora. Officers from the intelligence bureau, customs and excise, narcotics control bureau, the BSF and the Railways had participated in the meeting. But as a petition filed in public interest came up for hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Additional-DGP Sanjiv Gupta said the police was unable to destroy contraband seized in cases of narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances (NDPS), as they don’t have incinerators. The assertion is significant as it is now apparent that even after the lapse of two years, since the decision was taken, the police has failed to purchase incinerators.The assertion came during the hearing of a petition filed in public interest by advocate H.C. Arora. In his petition filed on October 3, Arora sought the issuance of directions to the state of Punjab to take steps for the disposal or destruction of narcotic drugs, like opium and smack, lying in huge quantities in the police malkhanas since long.
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The Lok Bhalai Party of Balwant Singh Ramoowalia merged with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) at a rally near Detwal village in the district today.
A Dubai-based NRI, 50-year-old Buta Singh, was shot dead by unidentified assailants today morning at Rampura city. He had come to India on November 10 and was supposed to take a flight for Dubai today. He was an active property dealer of the city and had business interests in Dubai as well.
Chandigarh, November 23
Gidderbaha, November 23
PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh today claimed the common man had gone poorer under the
SAD-BJP regime, a fact vindicated by the addition of seven lakh more families in the Below Poverty Line
(BPL) category.
Patiala, November 23
With a view to facilitating power consumers in the state, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is in the process of setting up as many as 47 customer care centres at an estimated cost of Rs 300
crore. Stating this after inaugurating one such centre at Model Town, here, KD
Chaudhri, CMD, PSPCL, said work for setting up such centres at other places was in full swing.
Anandpur Sahib, November 23
Chandigarh, November 23
Ludhiana, November 23