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Farmers protest, commuters suffer
Power corporation renews purchase pact with NHPC
Congress heavyweights stake claim to Patiala (Rural) seat
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PPSC members likely to take oath on Dec 12
SAD to constitute free legal aid committees
The Legal Wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has started the Legal Literacy Mission educate people about various public-oriented schemes of the state government .
Sarpanch held for slapping woman teacher, bailed out
Hoardings deface Patiala
Sehajdharis question DC’s presence
Frame rules for award, demand Sikh scholars
Historic Rajindra Lake
cries for attention
SC verdict on Saini case today
Bathinda police’s website hacked
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Farmers protest, commuters suffer
Amritsar/Bathinda, December 6 The road traffic on the busy Jalandhar-Amritsar highway at Beas came to a grinding halt when hundreds of activists led by Kisan Sangharsh Committee leader Satnam Singh Pannu, who were on their way to participate in the farmers’ protest in Chandigarh, were reportedly stopped by a police party led by Amritsar (rural) SP Harjeet Singh Brar from proceeding further. The farmers got into a scuffle with the police and somehow managed to breach the check post and move forward. However, soon after crossing Beas town they were stopped by another police party from Kapurthala. The farmers again tried to force their way forward, but could not succeed. Protesting against the police action, the farmers sat on a protest near a bridge and blocked traffic. Commuters were forced to cross the bridge on foot so as to take alternative mode of transportation from the other side of the blockade. The protest was on till the filing of this report. SP Harjeet Singh Brar said the protest was going on in a peaceful manner while they were diverting vehicles to internal roads. The protesting farmers have made it clear that they would not lift the blockade until their demands are met. Their demands include waiver of farmers’ power bills, subsidy on power and water, tube-well connections to farmers with less than four acres of land, waiver of debt of farmers and labourers, residential plots for labourers and Rs 500 bonus on paddy MSP. Similar protests were held in several parts of the Malwa belt. The farmers brought road and rail traffic to a standstill. Over 400 protesters were taken into custody. Lachhman Singh, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union general secretary, said all the farmer associations had given a call for a protest in Chandigarh, but the “protesters were not allowed to move out of their home districts”. The protesters blocked trains near Shajli railway station in Sangrur and Jethuke railway station near Rampura area of Bathinda. They blocked roads in Bhikhi city of Mansa, Dirba in Sangrur and the Bathinda-Badal road near Kaljharani village. Protest, arrests in Patiala too Patiala: More than 120 farmers were taken into preventive custody after they blocked traffic, raised slogans and gathered at the Passiana Chowk, blocking vehicular traffic on the Samana-Patiala and Patiala-Sangrur highways. The farmers were on their way to Chandigarh to hold a protest, but gathered in the city after the police stopped them. The police said that the agitating farmers were arrested in the evening after they blocked traffic and were planning to move to Chandigarh. "They have been lodged in different police stations of the city," said the police. Passiana police station SHO Sarabjit Cheema confirmed that over 120 farmers had been arrested. — TNS
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Power corporation renews purchase pact with NHPC
Patiala, December 6 Giving information, PSPCL CMD KD Chaudhri said that Punjab was already getting 30-MW from the Chamera-II hydroelectric project and 28-MW from the Dauliganga stage-I hydroelectric power project. “The agreement, which was due to expire, has been renewed and its validity has now been extended up to March 30, 2039 for the Chamera-II project and October 31, 2040 for the Dauliganga project,” Chaudhri said. The PPA was signed by PSPCL Director (Distribution) AK Verma on behalf of the PSPCL and Nikka Ram, Chief Engineer (Commercial) on behalf of the NHPC, he stated.
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Congress heavyweights stake claim to Patiala (Rural) seat
Patiala, December 6 Post delimitation, the Patiala-Rural seat includes Nabha, Samana, Ghanaur, Patiala city and Amloh areas. Speaking to The Tribune, Malwinder said: "I have been actively associated with the Congress for the past more than three decades and have worked for the victory of party candidates, particularly in Samana and Shatrana. Another Congress stalwart Brahm Mohindra, sitting MLA from Samana, said since a majority of the villages that had been included in Patiala-Rural were earlier in Samana, he was the best candidate for the constituency. Another applicant for the Patiala Rural is Nabha MLA Randeep Singh. With Nabha now a reserved seat, Randeep has submitted his application for Patiala-Rural. "Every aspirant knows that a final decision will be taken by the party high command, but I think I can emerge a victor from this seat, considering my political legacy and approach", said Randeep, who has represented Nabha for a decade. Former Patiala Mayor Vishnu Sharma said: "I have applied for Patiala-Rural because being a former Mayor of Patiala, I am well aware of local issues." Meanwhile, none of the Akali leaders are ready to say whether any decision has been taken on fielding Kuldeep Kaur Tohra, foster daughter of the late GS Tohra, for the Patiala-Rural seat. Till a few days back, the name of Kuldeep’s husband Harmail Tohra was doing the rounds for this seat. Capt Sandhu clarifies Punjab Pradesh Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh’s aide Capt Sandeep Sandhu today clarified that he had only informed the media that Vikram Bajwa, son-in-law of Congresss Legislature Party Leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, had applied for the party ticket for the Sahnewal seat. He said he had not referred to any survey conducted by the Congress for a feedback on possible candidates, nor was he aware of the same. PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh’s (in pic) brother Malvinder Singh, Samana and Nabha MLAs, former Patiala Mayor and former Patiala Improvement Trust chief among those in the race
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Opposition can’t mislead voters with yatras: CM
Lambi, December 6 Speaking at a Sangat Darshan programme here today, the Chief Minister alleged that the irony was that those behind the destruction of Punjab carried out ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra’ while those responsible for humiliating their parent party (SAD) by defection were organising ‘Izzat Bachao Yatra’. In fact, he said, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh and PPP president Manpreet Badal were allegedly facing dearth of issues to target the SAD-BJP alliance and, therefore, were resorting to such ‘yatras’,. “The wise voters of the state will not get persuaded by such cheap tactics and will teach a befitting lesson to these hypocrite leaders,” said Badal. About the Punjab Bachao Yatra, he said, “The Congress leaders are in a habit of shedding crocodile tears during polls. It is impossible for the Punjabis to forget that the Congress ruined the state by taking away its capital, Punjabi speaking areas and due share of water from them.” Regarding the Izzat Bachao Yatra, Badal said the Sanjha Morcha leaders were allegedly a bunch of defectors who should feel ashamed for having embarrassed their mother party by playing in the hands of the Congress. “By deserting the SAD, Manpreet has brought a bad name to the Badal family and, thus, he has no moral right to take out any such yatra,” he said. Badal disbursed grants amounting to Rs 2 crore for developmental works in eight villages of Lambi constituency. He also handed over bicycles to school girls at Bodi Wala Kharak Singh village.
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PPSC members likely to take oath on Dec 12
Chandigarh, December 6 Amita Pandove, Rahul Singh Sidhu, Narinder Singh Sangha and Dr Kulbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as new members of the PPSC. Pandove is an educationist, Sidhu comes from a political family, Sangha is a civil servant and Dr Sandhu is working with Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,
Ludhiana.—TNS
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SAD to constitute free legal aid committees
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 6 A paralegal worker would be appointed in each village, who would distribute booklets carrying information about the schemes as well as attend to all legal problems of the villagers, said Harpreet Singh Brar, president, Legal Wing of the SAD. He said that the Legal Wing would set up free legal aid committees, on the pattern of the government, in all 62 District Bar Associations so that the needy, poor, downtrodden and party workers could be given free legal aid. He said that they would expand its base in the neighboring states like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi by setting up legal wings there. — OC
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Sarpanch held for slapping woman teacher, bailed out
Daula (Gidderbaha), December 6 “On the orders of the Chief Minister, the sarpanch was arrested from Bharu village following a case against him under Sections 323 and 341 of the IPC,” said Inder Mohan Singh, SSP Muktsar. ‘Toti’ was bailed out by a local court, after he furnished a bond of Rs 50,000, said SHO Avtar Singh. Victim Varinder Kaur said she was under pressure to reach a compromise with the sarpanch. “The sarpanch has complained to the SSP that the teachers who had gone to meet the MP had made remarks on the caste of a village panch. There is no truth in this complaint as 36 of the 40 teachers who had gone there were Dalits,” said Barinder Kaur. Earlier in the day, Malti Thapar, state Mahila Congress chief, met Barinder at her house in Sukhna Ablu village. The EGS Teachers’ Union today blocked the Gidderbaha-Bathinda highway (NH-15) for two hours. They were stopped while on their way to gherao the sarpanch’s house. The protesters refused to clear the highway despite Naib tehsildar Gurmel Singh Dhadda’s intervention. Dhadda said: “We stopped the protesters from entering the village as they may have turned violent. So they blocked the highway. The blockade was peaceful though it brought traffic to a halt.” Later, the protesters announced their decision to commit suicide em masse on the birthday of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (December 8) at Chandigarh. “We went to meet the Deputy CM at his residence in Chandigarh today, but he ignored us. He did not even spare a minute to hear our demands,” said Pritpal Singh, president, EGS Teachers’ Association while talking over the phone.
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Train mishap averted
Maur Mandi (Bathinda), December 6 Railway officials ruled out any foul play, saying the tracks often developed cracks in the winters. An overcautious driver refused to run the train on the repaired track till a written undertaking by the railway authorities.
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Hoardings deface Patiala
Patiala, December 6 A visit to various areas and the main roads, including the Model Town, Lower Mall, Mall Road, Bishan Nagar, Urban Estate, Bhupindra Road, Sirhind Road, Rajpura Road, TB Hospital Road, Leela Bhawan Chowk, YPS Chowk and many other residential localities, brought to light that political hoardings of various parties, including the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal, the BJP and the Sanjha Morcha, could be spotted everywhere. According to information, majority of the political hoardings have been put up in an illegal manner by furnishing the requisite formalities and depositing the mandatory fee, depending on the size of the hoarding and the number of the days, it would remain at the sanctioned site. "It is really sad that the civic authorities are not doing anything to ensure that illegal hoardings should be removed," said Jaspreet Gulati, a housewife. Speaking to The Tribune, residents of several other areas rued that if the Patiala Municipal Corporation authorities could not discharge their duties in a diligent manner, the Deputy Commissioner should intervene and issue directions to remove all the illegal hoardings. “The hoardings not only divert the attention of the commuters that can lead to accident, but also cause fiscal loss to the civic body," said septuagenarian Charanjit Singh Atwal, a resident of Model Town. Though Patiala Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg was not available for the comments, but speaking to TNS, Patiala Municipal Commissioner GS Sidhu said, "The corporation employees keep on removing the illegal hoardings on daily basis. But despite our efforts, the unhealthy practice of putting up illegal political hoardings is continuing. Now, we are contemplating to penalise the defaulters. Civic officers have already discussed the matter with the Deputy Commissioner."
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Sikh priests to take up Big B’s plea on Dec 22
Amritsar, December 6 Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh had last week said that the issue would be discussed by the Sikh clergy on December 5. Stating that the issue would figure in their next meeting, the Jathedar said he had received calls from various Sikh outfits after the news of Bachchan pleading innocence broke out. Even today, the AISSF and representatives of the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society met the Jathedar urging him to reject Bachchan’s claim of innocence and help them in initiating legal action against him. They also requested him to direct the SAD and SGPC members to “stop supporting Bachchan in his attempt to get a clean chit on the issue”. The Bollywood actor had sent a letter to the Jathedar on November 28, stating that he had no role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and that all such allegations were baseless. He had also thrown light on his family's Sikh background by enclosing the photographs of his mother and maternal grandfather who was a Sikh. The Bollywood actor had sent a letter to the Akal Takht Jathedar on November 28 stating that he played no role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
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SGPC Meet
Chandigarh, December 6 Dr Reeta Behl, media co-ordinator of the party, said the first meeting of the SGPC House was presided over by DC Satwant Singh Johal who “trims and colours his beard” and could not be called a Sikh as per the SGPC definition. “If a Sehajdhari Sikh or a “patit” (as defined by the SGPC) was allowed to convene the SGPC meeting, what’s wrong in allowing the Sehajdhari Sikhs to vote in the SGPC elections,” Dr PS Ranu, national president of the Sehajdhari Sikh Party, asked. After the SGPC passed several resolutions to debar the Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections, a notification was issued in 2003 by the then NDA Government in this regard. The notification dated October 8, 2003, was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.where the verdict has been kept reserved by a full bench of the High Court. The Sehajdjari Sikhs approached the Supreme Court during the recent SGPC elections and the Supreme Court passed an nterim order on September 16, 2011 saying that the SGPC election process shall be subject to the out- come of the writ petition of the Sehajdhari Sikhs. It also passed directions to the High Court to decide the matter not later than a month (up to October 20, 2011) and the High Court heard the matter but kept its decision reserved.
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Panth Rattan
Amritsar, December 6 Talking to The Tribune, Bhai Ashok Singh Bagaria from the Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, said: “A set of guidelines should be framed by the Sikh high priests who should take various Sikh organisations into confidence for choosing a personality for the award.” He said political leaders who had worked for the Panth alone should be considered for the honour. On Badal getting the award, Bagaria said the CM had recently been involved in several controversies. “The whole exercise was undertaken in haste and the award was bestowed on the CM just a few days of the announcement,”he observed. He said public opinion should have been taken into consideration before announcing the award. “ The Akal Takht suo motu can’t give away such an award and if it says it has done so on the SGPC’s recommendation, then it further lowers the status of the Takht”, he held. Former SGPC secretary Manjeet Singh Calcutta said an independent committee comprising Sikh scholars and intellectuals should be entrusted with the job of framing the guidelines for the award. “The committee should comprise eminent Sikh personalities,” he said. Gursharanjeet Singh, Head, Guru Nanak Studies, GNDU, said in view of the controversy that had erupted following the honour bestowed on the Chief Minister, the SGPC and the Akal Takht should work towards framing norms in this regard. He said the award had been given to a few persons posthumously in the past, which was a good tradition. award Prithipal Singh, a PA to former Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, said no rules had been framed for the award till date. He said the SGPC should not be involved in the process as it had become politicised. He said the eligibility criteria should be clearly defined for the award and the award be given to a non-controversial person who had serviced the Panth selflessly. Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh said the award should be given posthumously. He said the issue needed to be seriously debated.
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Historic Rajindra Lake
cries for attention
Patiala, December 5 The wild growth and garbage in the lake could be spotted easily and the boats are serving the purpose of drying clothes of the slum dwellers. As per information available, in 2010, the SAD-BJP government had sanctioned a grant of Rs 22 lakh for the completion of the project, but the authorities of the Patiala Municipal Corporation did not make much effort in this regard and due to this, the project is yet to see the light of the day. As per the blueprint prepared for the project, a boundary wall was to be constructed alongside the lake. Also, there was a proposal to put up glittering lights in order to make it look awesome during evening hours. Apart from this, two fountains were to be installed in the lake. “What to talk about the glittering lights and fountains. The executing authorities have not been able to level the bed of the lake. Despite the fact that the lake is at such a prime location - on the Mall Road, just next to the Omaxe Mall and historic Kali Devi Temple - still officials of the municipal body and the district administration are least bothered to do anything, so that it could become a good hangout and a place for attraction”, said Rajni Oberoi, Satibir Singh and Rahul - all collegiate. When contacted, Patiala Municipal Commissioner GS Sidhu said that the civic body was working on the project. Passing the buck, he said, “We did got the wild growth removed twice and it was the laxity on the part of the Drainage Department, because of which the project could not be completed so far. Still, I have directed the concerned authorities to expedite the work.” However, officers of the Drainage Department were not ready to comment on the matter, but they did confirmed that soon water would be released in the lake from the water channel coming from the Bhakra canal and it would be cleansed properly. Once excursion spot for royals Once upon a time, the Rajindra Lake was the favourite excursion spot for the erstwhile Maharajas of the princely state of Patiala. “Some efforts were made to develop the lake as a tourist spot during the previous Congress government. A Boat Club was set up and the contract of maintaining the lake was awarded to a private company by the Patiala Municipal Corporation. Though the lake again became a popular tourist spot, but during the fag end of the Capt Amarinder Singh’s government, the contractor withdrew from the agreement and since then, the Lake is in a deplorable condition. Now, there has been a considerable decline in the number of migratory birds from Siberia, which used to come to the lake during winters”, said octogenarian Mohindrer Singh, while talking to the
TNS.
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SC verdict on Saini case today
New Delhi, December 6 On the HC order, the CBI had registered a case against Saini and other police officials for their alleged involvement in the elimination of Balwant Singh Multani, son of retired IAS officer Darshan Singh Multani, in a ‘false’ encounter in 1991. Multani was reportedly an associate of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, who is on death row . The CBI probe, however, stands stayed by the SC.
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Bathinda police’s website hacked
Bathinda, December 6 The website contains data such as the day-to-day crime diary, citizens’ charter, phone numbers of police officials, details about the recent recruitments and of cases registered at different police stations in the district. SSP Bathinda Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said: “Our Jaipur-based server has been hacked. We succeeded in putting things right in the afternoon, but the server seems to have been hacked again. Our website was being upgraded. The problem seems to have appeared during the process,” he explained. Cyber experts said that many a time government officials opted for servers from companies that asked for the least amount of money without checking the company’s credentials. This could prove dangerous. The hacked website displays a message from the hackers demanding the ‘liberation’ of Jammu and Kashmir. The homepage displays two pictures, one of them of a gun-totting soldier confronting youths pelting stones at an Army tank. It also displays the e-mail ID of the Muslim Liberation Army.
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The Gidderbaha police arrested sarpanch Balwinder Singh ‘Toti’ for allegedly assaulting Varinder Kaur, an EGS teacher, during a Sangat Darshan programme of Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal at Daula village on Sunday.
Chandigarh, December 6
Amritsar, December 6
New Delhi, December 6
