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Election Time Akali councillors elect MC chief
Congress workers burn effigy of CM
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Pharmacists take to the streets in
Fazilka, Ferozepur
Fazilka loses its daughter, Punjabi music a legend
Alleging traders’ nexus, cotton growers boycott sale
Murder accused escapes from judicial custody
Youths held for extortion
Loot case ‘cracked’
Vet inspectors meet CM
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Election Time
Faridkot, December 9 Earlier, the directive for depositing the fire-arms came after the elections were announced. But this time, being over cautious, the Election Commission wants to start the process in advance. The arms are to be deposited at the nearest police station and a receipt is to be obtained. As the cops have to ensure round-the-clock vigil of the deposited weapons, the police are heavily burdened as they have to take care of over 3.30 lakh licensed weapons with 3,23,927 arms licensees in the state. In Faridkot, the number of licensed fire-arms is 11,113. The maximum number of licensed weapons in Punjab is 35,794 in Gurdaspur, followed by 35,152 in Bathinda, 26,726 in Ludhiana, 25,801 in Moga, 22,500 in Amritsar, 21,503 in Hoshiarpur, 17,332 in Ferozepur and 17,120 in Muktsar. While the police are seeking the help of private gun dealers to deposit these weapons and allowing them to charge monthly deposit fee from the weapon owners, many licensees who live on the outskirts of the city or in their agricultural fields, said that without their weapons, they are exposed to the threats to their life and property. Earlier, many a time, the directions for depositing the fire-arms became a bone of contention when some citizens refused to surrender their weapons for various reasons and approached the courts, praying that the authorities be restrained from compelling the petitioners to deposit their weapons. Various directions had been issued by the courts asking the authorities not to force the licence holders from depositing their weapons, said Mangat Arora, an advocate in Faridkot. If it is found by the competent authority that there is a chance of the misuse of the weapon, only then would the fire-arms be deposited, he said However, Sat Pal Singh Sidhu, SSP, Faridkot, said the police and the civil administration were working as per the directions of the Election Commission. "We got the instructions to ask the licensees to deposit their weapons last month," he said. "People keep licensed weapons from the safety point of view. What's the point of having a licensed weapon if it's to be deposited? The police or the administration gives no surety of any untoward incident taking place. When proper verification is done prior to issue of an arms licence, then why this harassment," said Amrik Singh, a resident of Kameana village in Faridkot. |
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Akali councillors elect MC chief
Faridkot, December 9 Due to the groupism and inter-party fighting among the Akalis, there was no unanimity among the councillors over the election of the MC president. For the last two weeks, there were intensive efforts to elect an MC president after the political parties geared up for the assembly elections and Deep Malhotra was unofficially declared as the SAD (B) candidate from the Faridkot assembly seat. Last year, the senior SAD (B) leader and former MLA Kushaldeep Dhillon had joined hands with the PPP. So, there was groupism among the Akali councillors with no strong Akali leader to iron out the differences among the councillors. Amar Kumar Veenu was elected as the president of the Municipal Committee and Sharanjit Kaur as the vice-president. But the election of both the Akali councillors for the posts led to strong opposition from the three BJP councillors and party leaders in Faridkot. The BJP councillors said that electing the Akali councillors for the post of president and vice-president was against an understanding between the alliance partners. As per the agreement, the post of the vice-president was the right of BJP in Faridkot, the BJP councilors claimed.
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Congress workers burn effigy of CM
Bathinda, December 9 The protesters also held a ‘siapa’ at the Fire Brigade Chowk while burning effigy of the Chief Minister. Ashok Kumar said the Congress opposed the slapping of Varinder Kaur by a Sarpanch in the presence of Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. He also said that not only on the law and order front, Badal government had failed on all fronts. He said the Assembly elections were ahead and the people would teach a lesson to this tyrant regime in the elections. Among others who participated in the protest march included Suresh Kumar, Avtar Singh Neetu, Jagraj Singh, Dunni Chand, Naranjan Singh Bhola, Mohinder Kaur Rani, Sita Sein, Rupinder Singh Bindra and Rattan Rahi, all Congress leaders.
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Pharmacists take to the streets in Fazilka, Ferozepur
Fazilka, December 9 The pharmacists staged a protest rally at the local Civil Hospital followed by a march which terminated at the office of the Deputy Commissioner. A deputation of the pharmacists presented their charter of demands, addressed to the Chief Minister, to ADC Charandev Singh Maan. It has been stated that all the pharmacists working in health department would go on mass casual leave from December 12 to 17. While addressing the rally, Kant alleged that the state government has backtracked from its assurance given to the pharmacists that it would accept their genuine demands. Kant said that next week, rallies would be held on December 12 at all the primary health centres followed by a gherao of ministers on December 13. Thereafter, district and sub-divisional protest rallies would be held in the hospitals on December 14. The pharmacists would burn the effigy of the state government at all district headquarters on December 15. They would stage a state-level protest rally at Ludhiana, the assembly constituency of the Health Minister Sat Pal Gosain on December 17. The main demands of the pharmacists include higher pay scales, pay grades and change of their designation to pharmacy officer. Ferozepur: The Pharmacists have threatened to proceed on mass casual leave in case their demands are not met soon. After taking out a protest march in front of the office of civil surgeon here today, the pharmacists gave a notice to the DC S Karuna Raju to take leave from December 12 to December 17, in protest against the non-fulfillment of their demands. Alleging the state government of discrimination and going back on the promises made to them earlier, the protesting pharmacists said that the government was adopting double standards in giving the grade pay to them. On the occasion, Naresh Kumar, Ravinder Luthra, Shamsher Singh, Swaranjit Singh, Raj Kumar and Shamlal Sachdeva were amongst those present.
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Fazilka loses its daughter, Punjabi music a legend
Fazilka, December 9 Pushpa Hans, who enthralled the country for over half a century, breathed her last yesterday. “The lovers of Punjabi music have lost a legend,” said former PPCC president and Rajya Sabha MP Varinder Kataria who was closely associated with her. “I had brought her to Fazilka for the first time in 1998 after she left the town in the 1930s, to inaugurate the Ram Palace constructed with the MPLAD funds,” recalled Kataria. Pushpa Hans was born on November 30, 1917, in the house of Fazilka- based noted criminal lawyer Rattan Lal Kapoor. She did her schooling from Fazilka and shifted to Lahore for pursuing her studies for a bachelor's degree in music. She started her singing career with the All India Radio, Lahore. She took training in Indian classical music for ten years at the famous “Patwardhan Gharana” of Lahore. “The people of Fazilka, contemporary to her age, recall the time when she achieved popularity by singing a song in the movie Chaman (1948) ‘Chan Kitha Gujari Aai Raat Ve,’ said retired SDM of Fazilka, BL Sikka. “Pushpa Hans used to recite the poetry of my grandfather, a legendary Urdu poet, Kanwar Mohinder Singh Bedi Sehar whenever she used to visit the latter at his residence in Delhi. With the passing away of Hans, Fazilka has lost a star,” says Capt MS Bedi. She was the first to lend her voice to the poetry of Shiv Kumar Batalvi with the musical score provided by K Pannalal, with the Philips company, and released her first album "Shiv Batalvi De Geet", informed Fazilka scholar Navdeep Asija. The people of Fazilka also did not lag behind in remembering her on different occasions and organised musical nites or mushairas to commemorate her achievements in year 2007 in the local Ram Press at the Fazilka heritage festival. She was awarded India's coveted civilian award Padamshri in 2007 in the field of art and culture. Besides, she was conferred the Punjabi Bhushan Award and Kalpana Chawla excellence award, among others. "She contributed to the enrichment of the cultural heritage of Punjab worldwide and Fazilka is proud of her," said nonagenarian former cabinet minister of Punjab Ch. Radha Krishan, while expressing his sentiments. He said the void created by her in field of Punjabi music would not be filled in times to come. "She is one of the few female play back singers for whom the Government of India has recorded a documentary besides others artistes like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsale," informed Asija. Pushpa Hans, a Padma Shri recipient and the a heart-throb of millions of cinema fans in the 40s and the 50s, acted in movies as a singing star and also did playback singing for yesteryear actors. Her acting added a new dimension to the movies of V. Shanta Ram' like "Apna Desh" (1949) and Sohrab Modi's "Sheesh Mahal (1950). These are a few out of the many movies which were appreciated by the cine-goers of the 50s. She rendered playback music for Vinod's Punjabi first super-hit film "Chaman" and later, for many other Hindi and Punjabi films. It was not only in singing that Pushpa Hans proved her mettle. She also excelled in the field of journalism and remained the Chief Editor of the women's weekly magazine “The Eves Weekly” for 17 consecutive years.
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Alleging traders’ nexus, cotton growers boycott sale
Fazilka, December 9 The farmers recently blocked the main gate of the local cotton yard. This resulted in a long queue of cotton-laden tractor trailers in front of the cotton yard. Later, some farmers returned with their produce to their respective villages. Notably, the price of cotton during the corresponding period last year was over Rs 5,000 per quintal while the maximum price offered was about Rs 7,000 per quintal. Such high prices had prompted the farmers to grow more cotton. Ram Swaroop, agriculture development officer (ADO), said this year, cotton was grown in about 24,500 hectare in Fazilka block as compare to 22,200 hectare last year. Like basmati 1121 variety of paddy, cotton too is facing a distress sale this year probably for similar reasons in Fazilka market. “The traders are not allowing the prices to go up which is why the growers have decided to boycott the sale of cotton for an indefinite period,” said Gopal Singh Sandhu, president, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Arniwala block of Fazilka subdivision. Meanwhile, the bulk purchasers of cotton, including commission agents, private traders and cotton factory owners, have denied the allegations. “The prices in Fazilka market are on a par with rates prevailing in nearby markets. The trading is quite fair and there is no nexus of any kind,” said Avinash Kalra and Kapil, both cotton traders. Vijay Chhabra, a factory owner, said there was a slump in the cotton market worldwide, hence the prices were comparatively low this year. “The prices were extraordinary high last year due to higher prices in the international market,” he added. FARMERS: Traders are controlling the prices. They are offering us Rs 3,900-Rs 4,000 per quintal while last year cotton fetched Rs 5,000-Rs 7,000 per quintal TRADERS: The trading is quite fair and there is no nexus of any kind. Moreover, there is a slump in the cotton market worldwide Bathinda farmers disappointed too Bathinda: Low prices of cotton this season have disappointed cotton growers who are forced to sell their produce for Rs 3,900 to Rs 4,200 per quintal in the local and Mansa markets as compared to last year’s Rs 7,000 per quintal. Hoping for the prices to go up next month, the farmers have starting storing their produce. Besides, farmers have also rued fall in per acre yield this season due to inclement weather and rain during August and September. “The per hectare yield has reduced to 10-15 quintals this season whereas it was 20-30 quintals last year,” said Lakhwinder Singh, a farmer from Rampura. He said, “We are expecting the prices to go up after Lohri. We are adopting various traditional methods to maintain the moisture”. Baljinder Singh, agriculture development officer (ADO), said the prices were low due to an overall rise in the production of the crop. — TNS |
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Murder accused escapes from judicial custody
Faridkot, December 9 Though four jail guards were on the security duty in the hospital to keep a tab on his movements, Gurjinder Singh escaped and also took away the mobile phone of one of the police guards. The jail guards were placed under suspension and a criminal case has been registered against Gurjinder Singh. In May 2011, he was held guilty of murder and awarded life imprisonment. But on December 5, he was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Faridkot, with the complaint that he was suffering from jaundice. — TNS
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Kotkapura, December 9 The accused, two youths of Kotkapura town, were making threatening phone calls to the trader to pay them Rs five lakh or his son would be killed. After the trader made a complaint to the police, a special investigation team was constituted, said Sat Pal Sidhu, SSP Faridkot. To trace the the accused, police started tracking five mobile numbers which were used by the accused to call the trader. As per a plan, after the accused called the traders, the latter agreed to pay them off Rs five lakh. But the police arrested the accused when they arrived to pick up the money bag, said the SSP Faridkot. The arrested accused have been identified as Vicky and Manga
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Loot case ‘cracked’
The district police today arrested a member of a notorious gang for his role in Rs 10 lakh loot last month when three youths looted Rs the sum from a former police inspector in Faridkot. The incident happened at a time when the retired cop was returning home after drawing the money from a bank.
Faridkot SSP Sat Pal Sidhu said the interrogation of the nabbed culprit, Raju, revealed the identity of the other accused, who was in Moga jail for some days after he was arrested in a snatching case. It was during interrogation by the Moga police that Raju confessed the crime. — TNS
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Vet inspectors meet CM
Gidderbaha, December 9 Kishan Chander Mahajan, Spokesperson of the Association said, “We met the chief minister, who told his subordinates to look into the matter. But, we did not get any kind of assurance from him.” He further said that their protest demonstration, which they had been lodging in Lambi, would continue for indefinite period. He also threatened, “We will gherao, show black flags to the VVIPs at Charik Animal Fair in Moga, tomorrow.” The activists of association comprising their president were arrested on the charges of attempt to murder (section 307 of IPC), when they allegedly tried to barge in to the CM residence at Badal village. The protesters have been demanding pay parity with the staff of state health department.
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Members of the District Congress Committee (Urban), led by president Ashok Kumar, today took out a protest march from the local Congress Office to the Fire Brigade Chowk here and burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister
Farmers growing BT cotton in the area have decided not to sell their produce to private traders and cotton factory owners.
They allege that traders have formed a nexus and offering them low prices ranging between Rs 3,900 and Rs 4,000 per quintal.
