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This seat may see rebels in fray
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A keen contest likely in Mohali...
A predominantly pro-Congress belt, the newly carved out Mohali constituency (which earlier formed part of the Kharar constituency) is certain to throw up interesting results with the SAD fielding Balwant Singh Ramoowalia against sitting Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu.
Gurdas dares CM, his kin
It’s battle of ideology: CM
SAD activists baffled at seat swap
‘Several SAD leaders keen to join Cong’
Notice to Cong on ‘Kaka’ ads
Jalandhar Central
Ahead of polls, PPCB puts brakes on raids
In spite of ban, officers daily leave place of posting
Non-distribution of full compensation
12 Dubai murder accused to be freed soon
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Poll manifesto almost ready: Manpreet
Chandigarh, January 1 Manpreet is for free basic and technical education. Manpreet says his party is for a shift in the traditional cropping pattern. From a foodgrains- producing state, Punjab needs to be developed as a land of milk producers like Denmark, he says. “Let states such as Bihar produce foodgrain. If our Sanjha Morcha comes to power, we will ensure a turnaround in the state economy. Instead of producing foodgrain, the farm sector’s thrust will be growing vegetables, fresh fruit, cash crops and dairy farming. To promote dairy farming, he has planned an extensive roadmap, which he is to announce at the time of releasing the party manifesto. He is for promoting organic farming. Manpreet has already announced a health insurance cover to all (Rs 3 lakh per person) against life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart and kidney ailments. He is for a drastic cut in the number of bureaucrats. “A small state like Punjab should not be crushed under the weight of bureaucracy. The state does not need dozens of DIGs, IGs and ADGPs ”, he says. He wants officers as well as politicians to submit their annual income returns to the state assembly. “There will be no posting for an official who fails to file the return,” he says, adding that the Sanjha Morcha will set up a strong Lokpal with a non-Punjabi as its chairman to ensure impartiality and the Vigilance Bureau will be placed under the Lokpal. He also says his party will reduce the number of liquor vends by 10 per cent every year. There will be special laws to deal with drug traffickers who would face trial in fast-track courts. promising a ‘change’
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This seat may see rebels in fray
Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who enjoys the support of a battery of councillors, is also vying for the ticket. PPCC president Amarinder Singh’s confidant, sitting Raikot MLA Harmohinder Singh Pardhan, is expected to be a parachute candidate. Left leader DP Maur is almost certain to enter electoral politics as the Sanjha Morcha candidate from the constituency. Represented by Shiromani Akali Dal legislator Harish Rai Dhanda, the constituency has 1,49,952 voters and 139 polling stations. Projects: Though the ruling coalition kept its promise and the constituency saw development, its MLA Dhanda remained embroiled in controversy.Ghumar Mandi remained a problem area with traffic regulations imposed in the area at Dhanda’s instance fizzling out. While Dhanda and Congress leader Gurpreet Goggi fought an ugly war, each claiming credit for development in the area, councillor Bharat Bhushan Ashu quietly strengthened his vote bank. VOX POPULI: Residents complain of encroachments and misrule. “The constituency saw residential localities being turned into markets with building bylaws flouted with impunity. Further, the spurt in snatching incidents created panic among residents,” says Prof KBS Sodhi. LOOKING BACK: The constituency has seen a see-saw battle between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress. In 1992, Congress candidate Harnam Dass Johar won the seat. The Congress lost the seat in 1997. In 2002, trusted warhorse Johar won the seat again for the Congress, defeating Avtar Singh Makkar, now SGPC chief. Dhanda, who fought the election independently in 2002 was rewarded in 2007 with the Shiromani Akali Dal ticket. Dhanda’s win saw the exit of Hasnam Dass Johar.
— TNS
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A keen contest likely in Mohali...
The SAD, to counter the anti-incumbency factor, seems to have adopted a new strategy by bringing in Ramoowalia, a former MP. Ramoowalia has also been a Union Minister. The SAD had initially decided to field senior Akali leader NK Sharma. Ramoowalia enjoys the goodwill of a large section of voters, especially women deserted by their NRI grooms. Ramoowalia claims to have taken up the cause of youths duped by unscrupulous travel agents and Indians languishing in foreign jails on charges of illegal immigration. The sitting Congress MLA has the advantage of being in touch with his voters, especially those in the rural belt.The change in the geographical boundaries of the constituency, with the inclusion of a few Kharar villages, is likely to work to the advantage of sitting MLA Sidhu. Party sources in the SAD say that “outsider” Ramoowalia had been fielded to counter dissidence in local ranks. Over 100 villages in the Morinda constituency, including the Kandi area to the north of Chandigarh, Kurali and Kharar towns, now form part of the Kharar Vidhan Sabha seat. Projects: The SAD seems to be riding on the development agenda as works over Rs 1,400 crore have been started in Mohali in the past 18 months. Roads are being widened and work on various sports complexes and a multi-storeyed bus stand had been started. The SAD leadership failed to hold elections to the Mohali Municipal Corporation. Sulking former councillors went to court and got a stay on the formation of the corporation. Rural areas around Mohali also saw development. Days before the elections were announced, the CM and the Deputy CM laid the foundation stone of a number of projects. VOX POPULI: Congress leaders say that most of the development projects in the area have been carried out with Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) funds and not state exchequer funds. Most residents in urban areas say there has been some development in Mohali and areas in its vicinity in the past two years. They say the SAD had ignored the constituency, that had elected a Congress MLA, during the first four years of its government. LOOKING BACK: In the last four assembly elections, the erstwhile Kharar seat (now Mohali constituency) mostly saw the Congress candidate voted to power with the except for the 1997 poll when SAD’s Daljeet Kaur was voted to power. The Congress candidates who won from the belt are Balbir Singh Sidhu (2007), Bir Devinder (2002) and Harnek Singh (1992). — TNS
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But Ramoowalia needs to fight SAD rebels first
Mohali, January 1 Addressing his supporters at Phase XI here, the Akai Dal leader said an 11-member committee had been constituted to meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and urge him to review Ramoowalia's candidature. An effort by senior SAD leader Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema to convince the defiant leader to fall in line did not bear any fruit. Even as Ramoowlia has kick-started his campaign, Harsukhminder's supporters have been objecting to the "parachute" candidate. There was resentment among other ticket aspirants too but they were yet to come in the open against the official SAD candidate. "I am a disciplined soldier of the party. But I am helpless as my supporters are my decision makers. The party leadership should take the final decision after reviewing all aspects," he added.
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A Tribune series on government performance: Youth
India pins much hope on its young demographic profile, expecting to take on the world with cutting-edge human resource, but Punjab — once at the forefront of development in the country — has failed to capitalise this asset.
In fact, the condition of the youth has become a blot of sorts on the state, which has earned the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of unemployment and drug addiction in the country, besides witnessing mass migration of youth to greener pastures abroad. Though the unemployment or underemployment has more to do with the near collapse of the once-robust economy of Punjab, successive governments in the state have also failed to provide any fresh avenues for jobs by attracting large industrial investment. The only jobs on offer for the young in recent years have been in the government sector, where the numbers are too few to count. With the education system in the state — school, college, technical as well as university education — failing to keep pace with the needs of the industry, most big industrial houses in Ludhiana and Jalandhar have been unable to find the required skill sets among Punjabi youth. The majority of them thus hire their workforce from outside the state. It is not uncommon to find Punjabi youth with degrees in engineering or business management accepting clerical jobs in private companies. Though not sufficient, the government did make efforts towards developing the education sector, facilitating the opening of three new universities. It set up 13 new colleges in backward and rural areas, besides other institutes. Several welfare schemes, such as the Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme, were also introduced to promote education among girls, who were also given bicycles in Classes XI and XII to contain their dropout rate. However, not much was done to improve the course curriculum either in schools or colleges. While there are no verified figures available, it is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of the youth in the state are unemployed or underemployed. The number of unemployed youth is put at 25 lakh. There is also a large population of people who are past the age of being called "youth", but are still unemployed. This huge chunk of young and restless unemployed population is also considered to be a factor behind social ills such as drug addiction and the practice of seeking dowry. SAD MANIFESTO CHECK PROMISES KEPT
IGNORED
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Cong poll panel’s final draft likely today
New Delhi, January 1 It will be not before January 2 that the party high command will meet to decide on candidates and the first list is expected only after that. Even while factors like winning potential of a candidate are being projected as important, the inside story is that the Congress is seeking opinions of all senior leaders like Capt Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Jagmeet Brar, Shamsher Singh Dullo and Mohinder Kaypee among others to arrive at a choice. For the aspirants, being a loyalist of one of these camps is the first effort. At least, a bigwig of the state unit or a central leader has to back a candidate. CP Joshi, a Union minister from Rajasthan who is very close to Rahul Gandhi, is heading the screening committee and is open to ideas. “At present, we are meeting people to seek their responses. The screening committee will formally meet after that,” Joshi told The Tribune last night. Sources said the screening committee was expected to submit a final draft to the central election committee of the party tomorrow. Another major effort that the aspirants are making is to meet some members of the central leadership. In huge demand are ministers like Ambika Soni, Preneet Kaur and Ashwani Kumar. Young MPs like Manish Tewari, Ravneet Bittu and Vijay Inder Singla are among others who are being approached by aspirants to put in a word, possibly to the elusive Rahul Gandhi. Among the series of efforts is getting a room to stay at the Punjab Bhawan on the Copernicus Marg — located just 2 km away from the Congress headquarters — or a room in the Himachal Bhawan and Haryana Bhawan nearby. The well-heeled among the aspirants have booked hotel rooms while some even
have their own flats in Gurgaon or Noida. Waiting for the Congress high command and central leaders of the party is a tiresome job and patience is the key. At the Punjab Bhawan, the underlying tension in the rat-race is masked by the busy carnival-type atmosphere. Throughout the day, the lawns are packed with ticket seekers and supporters. Some of them are staying here while others use it as a rendezvous point. Intense lobbying is on. Some of the seats have as many two dozen applicants.
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Gurdas dares CM, his kin
Gurdas Singh, who is taking on the CM from the Lambi constituency as the Sanjha Morcha candidate, said the Akalis were in a dilemma as it could not find a suitable candidate against Manpreet. “I have served the Akali Dal for decades and am aware of their strategies.They fear that contesting elections against Manpreet will be a disaster for them. That’s why they did not announce a candidate from Gidderbaha in their third list released today,” maintained Gurdas Singh.. “Manpreet knows every voter by name. When he visits his constituency, people come onto the roads to welcome him. This is the reason why I anticipate a big victory for him,” he added.
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It’s battle of ideology: CM
Amritsar, January 1 Refraining from speaking anything against his brother Gurdas, the Chief Minister said everybody had the right to contest elections in a democratic setup. Badal was here to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. PPP chief Manpreet Badal had yesterday announced the list of 41 Sanjha Morcha candidates. On Youth Akali Dal leader Gurpartap Singh Tikka's announcement to contest against SAD candidate Inderbir Bolaria from Amritsar West and other party rebels, the Chief Minister said, "The relation between the party and its workers is like that between a mother and her son. Showing insubordinate attitude at the party's decision is like showing disrespect towards a mother. It's a common phenomenon to have a number of ticket aspirants for any particular seat but the final say is always that of the party."
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SAD activists baffled at seat swap
Jalandhar, January 1 “If the party was not satisfied with the reports of the legislators, they should have replaced them with new faces instead of inter-changing their seats”, they said. They said that the top leadership had softened its stand after facing revolt in Adampur, Amritsar South and Ludhiana South. The party is yet to declare its candidate for the Jalandhar Cantonment seat. Reliable sources in the party said the leadership was waiting for the Congress to announce its candidate first. Adampur (urban) SAD president Darshan Singh Karwal and Adampur (rural) SAD president Gurdial Singh continue to oppose the candidature of Pawan Tinu from Adampur.
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‘Several SAD leaders keen to join Cong’
Amarinder said as the days of the SAD-BJP government in the state were “numbered, the Akali Dal had started disintegrating”, with grassroots-level workers and leaders quitting the party. Referring to the fissures within the SAD in several districts, Amarinder said the decline of the Akali Dal seemed imminent.
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Notice to Cong on ‘Kaka’ ads
Chandigarh, January 1 “If you see the advertisements, it is evident that by ‘Kaka’ they mean Sukhbir. The cartoon strip has two characters and one of them takes a dig at the government and the Badal family,” said SAD spokesman DS Cheema, alleging character assassination by the Congress. Referring to paid advertisements being aired on PTC under ‘Tuhada Halka’ and ‘Nanhi Chhaan’ programmes, the committee has asked the channel whether it had sought prior approval for airing these. The committee has ordered the channel to submit a reply in 12 hours. The Deputy Commissioner of Patiala has been asked to look into a complaint that utensils with the CM’s picture were being distributed by SAD workers at different places. The CEO has asked the DC to take these utensils into his possession.
CEO’s phone numbers
The CEO will be available on 7589493357, Special CEO 9478691394, Additional CEO 7589493358 and Joint CEO9888030503. Complaints can be faxed on 0172-2707970 and 0172-2728749.
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Jalandhar Central
Jalandhar, January 1 Apart from Singla, the Congress is considering the names of former Congress MLA Raj Kumar Gupta, hotelier Gautam Kapoor and councillor Rajinder Beri. There are reports of the Bania community (8 per cent of the total 1,33,832 votes) turning against the Congress if Gupta is denied the ticket. But several local leaders are against Gupta who joined the BJP just before the 2007 assembly elections when the party allocated ticket to the then Jalandhar Improvement Trust Chairman Tejinder Singh Bittu. Having won this seat by defeating BJP candidate Manoranjan Kalia in 2002, Gupta rejoined Congress a few months ago. As Singla also belongs to the Bania community, the Congress is considering his name for the seat. Hailing from Patiala, Singla had won from Bathinda in 2002, defeating the SAD candidate with a margin of over 13,000 votes. However, he was defeated by BJP MP Navjot Sindhu from Amritsar in the 2007 byelection. The BJP is considering the names of former Minister Manoranjan Kalia and Jalandhar Mayor Rakesh Rathor for the seat.
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Fatehgarh Sahib MLA quits SAD
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 1 As soon as the SAD declared the names of the party candidates from three assembly constituencies, including Fatehgarh Sahib, Amloh and Bassi Pathana (R), falling in the district, Bhatti called a meeting of his supporters at Sirhind to discuss the future course of action. After the meeting, the supporters urged Bhatti to contest the election. Talking to the
mediapersons, Bhatti said that he had been loyal to the Badal family and the party for the past 25 years and without any reason, the party had sacrificed his rightful claim over the seat by fielding an outsider. Lashing out at the party president, he said that the style of functioning of Sukhbir Badal would cost the party heavily in time to come. He said that he had asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to tell what wrong he had done to the party and the area, to which the Chief Minister replied that he should better ask party president
Sukhbir, who was allotting the tickets. He didn't disclose about his future course of action, but admitted that he was in touch with Manpreet
Badal, who would meet him on Tuesday. Similar resentment prevailed in Amloh constituency after Jagdeep Singh
Cheema, SAD district president, was allotted the party ticket. Party workers,
councillors, social and religious organisations and prominent citizens held a protest meeting at Gurmukh Singh Colony and criticised the party president for allotting the ticket to an outsider. They decided to oppose the official candidate and decided to field Rajinder Kumar
Titu, member, executive committee, SAD, and vice-president, Municipal Council, as their candidate.
Devi Dyal Parashar, president, Brahmin Sabha, Punjab, Sukhbinder Singh
Bhambhri, former president, Municipal Council, OP Gupta, president, Beopar
Mandal, Swarn Singh Bilu, secretary, SAD, councillors and others also addressed the meeting. Meanwhile, in Bassi
Pathana, Bibi Satwinder Kaur Dhaliwal, chairperson, District Planning Board, also lodged a protest with the party high command over fielding Nirmal Singh by ignoring her claim. She has also called a meeting of her supporters to decide future course of action.
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SAD rebel Khatra announces candidature from Patiala (Rural) Patiala: Akali Dal rebel Satbir Singh Khatra, son of Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Ranbir Singh Khatra, on Sunday formally announced his candidature from Patiala (Rural) constituency as an Independent. Accompanied by hundreds of supporters, Satbir, former general secretary of the Youth Akali Dal, said, "I was forced to take this decision as my supporters were completely against the fielding of parachute candidate in the form of Kuldeep Kaur Tohra, foster daughter of former SGPC president late GS Tohra, from the Patiala (Rural) assembly segment." — TNS
PPP’s Malerkotla candidate Naseem Anwar may opt out
Malerkotla: Even as the People's Party of Punjab announced his candidature from Malerkotla assembly seat on Saturday, Naseem Anwar Khan a day later appeared hesitant to contest on the party’s ticket. Naseem claimed that he belonged to a veteran SAD family and his brother was a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal general council. He said PPP chief Manpreet Badal had approached him and offered ticket for the Malerkotla assembly constituency. He said he had accepted the offer initially, but may reconsider his decision. He even claimed that he was under pressure from his family to not contest on the PPP ticket.
— Vikrant Jindal
Makkar under EC scanner
Jalandhar: A show-cause notice has been issued to SAD candidate from Kapurthala Sarabjit Singh Makkar for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by using government machinery for political rallies on December 31. The notice was issued by Kapurthala tehsildar-cum-additional assistant returning officer Arwinder Singh today as Kapurthala SDM-cum- returning officer Anupam Kler had been shifted to Garhshankar by the Election Commission and the new SDM, Neeraj Gupta, would likely be joining on Monday. Makkar, it has been learnt, used the security provided to him as Adampur MLA during the rally. Though he obtained permission from the returning officer for the rally and the use of a loudspeaker, he did not get one regarding the presence of his security personnel at the venue. He has been told to submit a reply within 48 hours, failing which action would be initiated against him.
— Dharmendra Joshi
BJP names election managers
Chandigarh: The Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has announced the names of its party leaders who would be managing election affairs in the state. BJP state chief Ashwani Sharma has announced state general secretary Manjit Rai as election management incharge. Vineet Joshi would be the the media incharge while Swaran Salaria, BJP national executive member, would look after the election campaign of assembly segments under Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency. BJP Kisan Morcha national vice-president and ex-MP Suresh Chandel has been assigned the work of the election campaign of assembly segments under Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat.
— TNS
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Ahead of polls, PPCB puts brakes on raids
Patiala, January 1 The development assumes significance in view of the fact that the PPCB has stopped conducting raids at a time when the assembly elections are weeks away, and the industry plays an instrumental role in raising election funds. Notably, from mid-June till December 20 last year, on the directions of the then PPCB Chairman KS Pannu, the board was on a spree to conduct raids at industrial units, distilleries, brick kilns, dyeing units, plastic manufacturers, battery manufacturers and many other categories of the industry. In the past six months, the PPCB had conducted raids at hundreds of industries of various categories in different parts of the state, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda, Dera Basi, Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Tarn Taran. However, in the third week of December, Pannu was replaced with Raminder Singh as chairman of the board. Raminder joined office on December 21, but a couple of days back he was relieved and Ravinder Singh (PCS) was given the charge of the PPCB chairman. Now, as per the information available, since December 21, Board has put the brakes on surprise checking and all the environmental engineers and other field officers of the Board are cooling their heels in their respective offices. Though the board authorities have no explanation, as to why the raids are not being conducted, preferring anonymity, one of the senior Board official said, "Conducting raids, ahead of assembly elections can prove detrimental for the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, as Punjab industry is one of the major source for election funds." Meanwhile, renowned environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal has demanded that issue of the environment must be included as one of the main election issues in the manifesto of all the political parties. "Rising above political, religious, caste, colour, race and region distinctions, everyone should take the crucial issue of the environment seriously", said Seechewal, while speaking to The Tribune.
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SAD slogan on RCs
Mohali, January 1 The use of slogan is in clear violation of the directives of the Election Commission that has directed all the district authorities to remove similar messages from overhead water tanks, government vehicles and documents and public places. The SAD slogan, which has been incorporated on the back of the smart cards, has gone unchecked so far. Presently, the Mohali DTO is issuing such smart cards to the vehicle owners. The slogan "Raj Nahi Sewa" has been used on very advertisement being inserted in newspapers by the SAD. Officials did not rule out the possibility of similar vehicle registration documents being used in other districts of the state. Mohali District Election Officer Varun Roojam said instructions would be issued to remove the slogan.
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In spite of ban, officers daily leave place of posting
Patiala, January 1 “With limited scope of action — given the lengthy process — this could anytime lead to a law and order situation in the poll season,” said a senior government official. Enquiries by The Tribune revealed that many senior police officers, excise department officials, district administration officers and a few doctors leave the district headquarters in the evening to join their families in a nearby district. “In case of an emergency, it will take a couple of hours for most of these officers to reach the headquarters which could prove dear. Not only the police but also other officials should refrain from this practice,” said a senior
IPS officer. Punjab chief secretary SC Aggrawal said, “We will again issue directions in this regard and anyone found out of his/her posted district without permission will be taken to task.” Joint chief electoral officer Gur Kirpal Singh said the trend was wrong and any lapse in this regard would be taken seriously. “Anyone on election duty should not leave the station and we will recommend a strong action if such case comes to the fore,” he added.
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Non-distribution of full compensation
Nalash (Rajpura), January 1 According to villagers, the government has not yet disbursed the full amount of the compensation despite the fact that the thermal plant work is in full swing. Notably, after the state government had acquired 1,085 acres of farm and shamlat lands of seven villages, including Nalash Kalan, Nalash Khurd, Raimajra, Sadhror, Rangian, Sural Kalan and Sural Khurd for the thermal plant, Rs 37 lakh per acre was paid as compensation to the displaced farmers. "In protest against the insufficient compensation, the farmers approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court and last year the HC issued instructions to the state government that in addition to Rs 37 lakh compensation per acre, an amount of Rs 4.5 lakh per acre should be paid to each farmer. It has been more than a year, but none of the affected farmers has got the compensation despite HC orders", said Gian Singh, a resident of Nalash Khurd village. Interacting with The Tribune, majority of the farmers said that they had met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal several times and requested him to disburse the remaining amount at the earliest, but to no avail. "The Punjab government had acquired our land for Rs 37 lakh per acre, while the Railways had acquired land at Chak village for Rs 80 lakh per acre. This is nothing, but complete injustice with us", said Rajinder Singh, another affected villager, while adding that the compensation given to them was quite less in comparison to the market value of the land. Farmers rued that the government had not only acquired the farmlands, but also acquired the shamlat lands of the villages. "The shamlat land is the main source of income for all development work in villages. With the government acquiring the Shamlat land without paying any compensation for the same, the villages have lost revenue to the tune of Rs 15 lakh per month ", said residents of Sadhror and Rangian villages. Villagers further said that in view of the fact that the SAD-BJP government had not paid any heed towards their grievances, they would not vote for them in the assembly elections to be held on January 30. Rajpura Thermal Plant
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Shifting of dairies hangs fire in Patiala
Patiala, January 1 There are several dairies in various residential colonies in the city, but the owners are not making any effort to keep the area clean. They are polluting the air and environment by throwing cow dung in open places and streets, making it difficult for residents living in the vicinity of these dairies to even breathe properly. Further, these dairies are potential health hazards since they are breeding place for mosquitoes, flies and other insects. Notably, in reply to an RTI filed by Advocate Gurjit Singh, who is working as a guest faculty in Rajiv Gandhi University of Law, the Municipal Corporation disclosed that they had demarcated 21.72 acres of land in Ablowal village, of which 1.70 acre has been demarcated for a graveyard. "Out of the remaining 20 acres, around 6 acres is with the Forest Department and the rest will be used for shifting the dairies," he said. Mayor Ajit Singh Kohli said that they were already working out the details of the project. He said, "The earlier government had identified a piece of land for shifting dairies, between Choti Nadi and Badi Nadi in the last months of 2005, but it is very low-lying and flood-prone area. Therefore, when we took over the charge five years back, we have to re-work the entire plan ans we identified a suitable place at Ablowal village, but the project got delayed due to paucity of funds." "Potable water and sewerage are the primary concerns of the city residents and therefore, we have decided to solve these problems on priority. Now that we have been able to provide basic needs, we have started the work. We have already carved out the plots and are going to auction them to generate funds if we get the opportunity to finish this work," he added.
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12 Dubai murder accused to be freed soon
Chandigarh, January 1 The court found Charanjit Singh innocent and acquitted him of all charges. Ten boys, who were awarded death sentence, have now been given two years imprisonment, while five on bail have been awarded three months imprisonment. "Since all 15 boys, including 12 Indians, two Pakistanis and one Bangladeshi have already completed the awarded sentence, they would be released after obtaining no objection certificates from various security agencies, said Dubai-based businessman SP Singh Oberoi.
— TNS
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The Ludhiana West constituency is likely see several heavyweights contesting the elections as Independents having being denied the party ticket.
While the SAD-BJP coalition is pitching for former BJP state president Prof Rajinder Bhandari, the Congress is yet to decide on its candidate. Pawan Dewan, a trusted aide of Congress MP Manish Tiwari, is the frontrunner for the Congress ticket from this constituency.
A predominantly pro-Congress belt, the newly carved out Mohali constituency (which earlier formed part of the Kharar constituency) is certain to throw up interesting results with the SAD fielding Balwant Singh Ramoowalia against sitting Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu.
Gidderbaha, January 1
Patiala, January 1