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Integrated Check Post delayed again
Ban horse races too: Villagers
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State to give another shot at citrus cultivation
Sterilisation drive fails to check canine population
Pollution control board resumes surprise raids
State to be short of 17.7 lakh skilled workers in next 3 yrs
Party workers too ‘guarding’ EVMs
Trust holds blood donation camp
Govt to promote college associate professors
Begin flight to Nanded: Badal
Two labourers choked to death
DSP murder case
Ministry wants bamboo tree guards
Dera chief’s case deferred to Feb 18
3 held with PDS wheat
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Integrated Check Post delayed again
Amritsar, February 11 On an official visit, Pruthi also took stock of the ongoing work at the ICP. He said the ICP would give a big boost to bilateral trade between the two countries, but it would take some more time to start functioning. On the other hand, Pakistan is gearing up for ceremonial opening of a dedicated gate for bilateral trade between the two countries on February 13. According to sources, the preparations are on for the ceremony on the other side of the border. “While the area alongside the gate is being sanitised, pandals put up for the ceremony are also visible from our territory,” they said. Though the ICP will not be inaugurated on February 13, there is a buzz that the gates connecting the ICP on either sides of the border may be thrown open to trade to facilitate easy movement of trucks loaded with goods. At present, there is only one gate for entry and exit on the Attari-Wagah border which witnesses a heavy rush of tourists for the retreat parade every evening. Hence, the gate is closed for a few hours everyday, which affects the flow of people and goods between the two countries. Meanwhile, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma will lead an 80-member business delegation to Pakistan via Attari-Wagah land route on Monday morning. The delegation will visit Islamabad and Karachi to interact with local businessmen. Besides, an ‘India Show’ is being organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Lahore. Nearly 150 Indian companies will exhibit their products at the show. Sharma is also expected to inaugurate the dedicated gate for bilateral trade along with his Pakistani counterpart on Monday. Spread over 130 acres and being built at a cost of Rs 150 crore, the foundation stone of the ICP was laid by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on February 20, 2010, and it was expected to come up in 14 months. However, fund crunch hit the ambitious project midway and it got delayed.
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Ban horse races too: Villagers
Ludhiana, February 11 The controversy regarding a ban on bullock cart race has triggered a debate on the rights of the rich and the poor. A group of bullock cart owners from villages like Kila Raipur, Garkhana and Bhagrian gathered at the stadium to decide on the next course of action. Rattled at the government's order of banning the performance of bulls, they termed the decision as anti-poor and demanded a similar ban on horse races. Some villagers even termed the move a political conspiracy to stop the bullock cart race with an aim to encouraging horse racing in the region. "Owners of race courses have sensed the financial potential of the state and they want a ban on bullock cart race so that they could start their business," said Jarnail Singh of Himayupur village. "The jockey uses a whip to make the horse run faster during the race but the animal right activists do not find any fault in it. On the other hand, we nurture ox like our son. Leave alone whipping the ox, we do not let our servants offer food to these," said Sukhdev Singh of Gharkhana village. "The bullock cart race is part of our family legacy. My great grandfather used to run bullock cart in Kila Raipur, then my grandfather and father. I am the fourth generation of bullock cart jockey. There are sentiments involved with the game. How can the organising of bullock cart race be stopped because of opposition by a section of people. Even the government has passed the ruling without considering our point of view," said Davinder Singh of Sahnewal. Tersem Singh, a bullock cart owner, said, "This is not acceptable. We make the ox run only for 20 to 30 seconds in the entire day. How can this be termed as cruelty. If this is a crime then the government should shut down the slaughter houses where goats and sheep are displayed after being killed. Can't the animal right activists see the cruelty in it?" Meanwhile, Jagbir Grewal, an organiser, said, "We were abiding by the rules and had banned the offering of drugs and alcohol to ox before the race. Whips were strictly prohibited too". Can't lift ban: DC Kila Raipur: Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari today rejected the plea of organisers of rural sports to allow the performance of bullocks. He said, "Since the Animal Welfare Board of India and the Director, Animal Husbandry have declared the race illegal, the representation to allow bullock cart race cannot be accepted". Meanwhile, activists and officer-bearers of the newly constituted Bullock Owners Association have declared that they would move the court on their own against the decision.
— OC
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State to give another shot at citrus cultivation
Chandigarh, February 11 The government has also okayed two more centres of excellence following the inking of an agreement with the Israeli government two days ago. These centres will come up at Kartarpur (Jalandhar) for vegetable propagation and at Bathinda Seed Farm for dealing with the treatment of brackish water to make it fit for irrigation. All the three centres have been cleared after Israeli experts visited Punjab and agreed to the sites offered by the state government. The centres will come up at a cost of Rs 33 crore under the National Horticulture Mission with work for setting up of these starting in April this year. Sources said the centre for citrus cultivation would give another push for cultivation of sweet oranges in the state. Earlier, the Citrus Council formed during the tenure of Capt Amarinder Singh-led government had imported root stock of various citrus varieties from the US with the help of Tropicana. The varieties were also planted in Punjab, but except for a few, most gave indifferent results. Horticulture Department Joint Director Gurkamal Singh said Israel had some easy peeler varieties of citrus whose root stock could be imported and taken up for propagation after making due adjustments. The existing varieties of kinnow could also be taken up for further improvement, he added. As far as the other two centres are concerned, the one in Kartarpur would deal with research and propagation of improved varieties of major vegetable crops. The centre for treating brackish water is aimed at improving vegetable and fruit cultivation in southwest Punjab. Horticulture Department Director LS Brar said Israeli methodology would help Punjab farmers to bridge the technology gap in propagation and marketing of vegetables and fruit, besides ensuring the optimum use of water.
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Sterilisation drive fails to check canine population
Ludhiana, February 11 With the population of stray dogs crossing 20,000, though the 2008 census puts the figure at 8,000, Ludhiana is grappling with the menace of stray dogs. "The sterilisation drive is on here, though it's not delivering the results at the expected speed," says Ludhiana Senior Deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal. The Doggie Lane sterilisation project, which started in 2010, had the target of sterilising 750 stray dogs every month. Though officially the project is on, it has run into rough weather over charges of under-performance levelled against those handling the project and counter allegations against the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation over non-payment of dues. In 2009, a dog sterilisation project that the civic body was to initiate with a Hyderabad-based company failed to take off when some animal rights organisations objected to the techniques adopted by the company. As the Municipal Corporation grapples with its sterilisation projects, the stray dogs continue to pose a threat to the people and the livestock. Last September, stray dogs had killed 85 Khaki Campbell ducks on GADVASU campus. In June, stray dogs mauled 15 sheep to death in a locality in the city. For those living within the municipal limits of Ludhiana, the MCL provides the facility of reimbursing the amount spent on the anti-rabies vaccines. "There's a tie-up with the DMCH and the CMCH in this regard. The victims of dog bites get reimbursement of the amount on the recommendation of the area councillor," says Dr Yash Pal Singh, Senior Veterinary Officer, MCL. The cost of the anti-rabies vaccine adds to the woes of the human victims of dog bites. "There's a limited stock of these vaccines available at the Civil Hospital. We cannot provide free the full course of vaccines to patients, though the first shot that costs around Rs 375 is provided at a subsidised price of Rs 100," says Ludhiana Senior Medical Officer Dr Karamvir Goel. Dr Sandeep Jain, chief coordinator, CAPE-India, believes that if the canine sterilisation drive can be successful in cities like Bangalore and Chennai, it can be successful in Ludhiana too. "We need to divide Ludhiana into four zones so that the sterilisation work is carried on smoothly."
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Pollution control board resumes surprise raids
Patiala, February 11 According to preliminary reports received by the PPCB at its headquarters here, out of 18 dyeing units, as many as 16 units were found violating various norms of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974, Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act-1981 and Hazardous Waste management (HWM) Rules. Though officially Punjab Pollution Control Board officers had been maintaining that the board had not "suspended" the drive to conduct surprise raids, but in the past almost two months, the board had
not raided industrial units, allegedly because of the "political compulsions." One of the senior board officers, while preferring anonymity said, "After The Tribune highlighted that the board was not conducting surprise raids, the PPCB authorities went into tizzy. After lot of deliberations, it was decided to resume surprise raids." Giving details about the raids, board chairman Ravinder Singh said that six teams headed by Environmental Engineers from different regional offices of the PPCB were directed to move to various clusters of dyeing industries in Ludhiana. "The teams were directed to inspect industries randomly to check compliances of the provisions
of the Water Act, Air Act and HWM Rules", he added. Ravinder further said that during the raids, two
dyeing units were found closed and 11 units were found violating various norms of the Water and Air Act. "Five dyeing units were found violating the HWM Rules. 15 samples of water and 12 samples of air emission were collected from the various industries
and sent to head office laboratory for analysis", the PPCB Chairman said. During the inspection, it was found that a few dyeing units were using pet coke as fuel, without the permission of the board, whereas in two other
dyeing units, the stacks of the boiler were found broken. According to board officers, action against the defaulting units would be initiated on the basis of the results of the samples taken by the raiding teams.
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State to be short of 17.7 lakh skilled workers in next 3 yrs
Chandigarh, February 11 The event was organised as part of the Punjab Government's initiatives to put its new technical education and industrial training policy in public domain for evaluation and suggestions. The new policy's salient features were discussed with the region's industry leaders. Kumar claimed Punjab was second best in the country in human development index. He said the population in the working age category would rise to 2.07 crore by 2026 from 1.8 crore in 2011. However, an issue of concern was that nearly 54 per cent of the labour force in the state was either educated till the primary level or was illiterate, he pointed out. The gross enrolment ratio at the secondary level was 46.95 per cent, which was less than the national average of 58.15 per cent. About 20 lakh people were required in the high growth industries by 2015 (total 30 lakh in all type of industry), he said. The speakers raised concern over inadequate industry participation in areas like research and faculty exchange. They said there was lack of institutional support towards entrepreneurship, research and innovation. There was a mismatch in the demand of the industry and quality of output from the industrial training system, they added.
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’84 anti-Sikh riots
Amritsar, February 11 Amitabh had handed over his letter, addressed to the Akal Takht Jathedar, to Gurinder Singh Bawa, an SGPC member from Mumbai, at the latter's residence on November 28 last year. In his letter, the actor had written that he too was associated with Sikhism as his mother Teji Bachchan belonged to a Sikh family. He had dubbed the allegations of provoking anti-Sikh riots in 1984 against him as "baseless". Another issue towards which various outfits have sought the Sikh clergy's attention was that of various political leaders visiting Dera Sacha Sauda to garner support during the recently held Punjab Assembly elections. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has already stated that action would be taken against such leaders in accordance with Panthic traditions, if any proof corroborating their visit to the dera was provided. The other major issue that was likely to be discussed in the meeting was that of the recent violent clash between the SGPC staff and the members of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee, a private outfit, over the issue of "maryada". Another issue on the agenda may be that of a preacher, Prof Sarabjit Singh Dhunda, who stirred a controversy by making an "objectionable remark" against the Golden Temple. Meanwhile, a US court would be hearing a case against the Congress in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on March 15 on a petition filed by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based human rights advocacy group.
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Hit by teacher, boy ends up in PGI
Patiala, February 11 The teacher allegedly beat him up, as he could not answer a question. The boy underwent a surgery at Rajindra Hospital, but due to non-availability of cardiothoraic surgeon at the hospital, he had to be referred to PGI in Chandigarh for further treatment. The only son of his parents, the boy said that the teacher asked him a question about English subject, which he was unable to answer. "He got furious and slapped me so hard that I fell and broke my arm. I was in so much pain that I went home and told my parents about the incident." His father Sewak Singh, who works at a brick kiln, said that the incident occurred a day before Lohri and the boy has been under treatment ever since then. "While he was being treated for his broken bone, he caught infection and the pus spreads in his body. I along with our sarpanch and others went to the teacher, but he gave only Rs 5,000 and refused to give anymore financial assistance. The boy was earlier treated at Tapa Mandi and later at Rampura Phul, but when his condition started deteriorating, he was referred to Rajindra Hospital. I have already borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh for his treatment. I am just left with my house which I can sell for his treatment now," he added. Village sarpanch Gurcharan Singh said that he had tried to convince the teacher to bear the expenses for the treatment but he refused. "Even the police has not yet registered a case against him despite repeated requests. Though the entire village has contributed for his treatment but for how long," he questioned. Bathinda DEO (Primary) Malkiat Kaur said she had already marked an inquiry into the incident. "The parents of the child didn't approach me, but I got to know about this incident by some school teachers. The teacher himself came to me and said he was being falsely implicated, therefore we have ordered an inquiry," she added. Meanwhile, Dr Inderjit Chawla, head of fourth unit of Surgery Department, said when the child came to hospital, he was very critical and was suffering from multiple problems. "His gastric stomach was badly torn. We stitched the stomach and also treated his broken arm. His lungs were also damaged and therefore we inserted tubes in both his lungs but they are still not functioning properly. There is leakage in lungs. Therefore, we have now referred him to PGI as we don't have a cardiothoraic surgeon here," added Dr
Chawla.
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Party workers too ‘guarding’ EVMs
Samana, February 11 Apart from the security forces, which are manning the electronic voting machines (EVMs), more than two-dozen workers of the Congress and the SAD have also been deputed by their respective parties outside the venue where EVM machines have been kept. With allegations flying thick and high against each other and both rivals suspecting each other's intentions, the parties do not trust even the central forces. In the recently held assembly elections, Samana is seen as one of the Punjab's most eager contest with SAD stalwart Surjit Singh Rakhra pitted against Congress's royal scion Raninder Singh. "We are here to see that there is no problem and anyone unauthorised is not allowed inside where the machines are kept", said Congress worker Amarjot Singh, stationed outside the venue from the past one-week. In the opposite tent-house, SAD workers allege the same. "Our rivals can stoop to any level. So to check that we are here", said Jaivir Singh while playing cards with his mates. "First, the Congress set up its tent outside the venue and stationed five to eight workers there. Fearing some trouble we had to depute some workers", said SAD Samana candidate Surjit Singh Rakhra. "They (Congress) do not even trust the security agencies of the Centre, so we cannot do anything about it", he added. The two candidates had further locked horns when the Congress demanded, just after the elections on December 30, that a fire brigade and firemen from Patiala Municipal Corporation be stationed outside the Samana venue as the local unit could be biased. "We had received a request and stationed one from Patiala", said District Electoral Officer-cum-DC Vikas Garg. In addition to security personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF), the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) and the Punjab Police, one representative of each candidate is allowed. In order to ensure viable security, a three-tiered security mechanism has been deputed with the BSF taking care of inner cordon, the PAP and the state police personnel handling outer ring. Senior police officers already have been directed to visit once daily. Garg said that no one was allowed inside and the parties were free to station their workers outside the prescribed radius. "However, under no circumstances they are allowed in", he stated.
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Trust holds blood donation camp
Patiala, February 11 Dhruve Pandove's father MP Pandove, a top officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was also present on the occasion. Preneet Kaur said that the death of Dhruve Pandove in a tragic road accident on January 30, 1992 was not only a loss for Patiala but it was a national loss for cricket. The Dhruve Pandove Cricket Trust, which has been set up in the memory of late cricketer to promote young cricketers of Patiala, organises blood donation camp every year. More than hundred sportspersons and people from all walks of life donated blood in the camp. "We would continue contributing for the social cause every year and sportspersons also contributed", Pandove said.
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Govt to promote college associate professors
Brar said, "A list has been prepared while keeping in view the seniority of associate professors. After the approval of the Finance Department, the list will be released." The list could be released by next month, he said. Regarding salary hike of guest faculty, Brar said, "The guest faculty teachers are getting Rs 7,000 per month. For increasing their salary, we have sent a proposal to the Finance Department and recommended to increase it to Rs 10,000 per month. This hike will be given to them from December 2011."
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Begin flight to Nanded: Badal
Chandigarh, February 11 A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said Badal put forth this demand before the minister in a meeting held today at Kapurthala House in New Delhi. The Chief Minister also impressed upon Ajit Singh to start international flights from the upcoming international airport at Mohali. He said these flights would ensure better connectivity for Punjabis settled abroad, making their journey to the state far more comfortable. The Chief Minister also asked Ajit Singh that as the domestic terminal at Bhisiana (Bathinda) is ready, the department should commence the flights from it because Bathinda was coming up as petrochemical hub. Meanwhile, Badal also urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Railways to commence another train between Amritsar and Nanded to cope up the heavy rush of pilgrims.
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Two labourers choked to death
Moga, February 11 Identified as Jugraj Singh (41) of Ramuwala Nawan village and Resham Singh (36) of Charik village, the duo were found dead in a pit that was being used to prepare ‘sheera’ (decomposed mixture), a material used to make animal feed. The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination. District Magistrate B Purushartha said, “I am waiting for the police and executive magistrate’s initial reports and further action will be taken accordingly.” Preliminary investigations suggest the labourers had entered the pit to repair the machine that was being used to lift ‘sheera’. DSP Gurmeet Singh said the labourers were rushed to the district hospital where they were declared brought dead.
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DSP murder case
Ludhiana, February 11 While probing from the robbery point of view, the police even launched a combing operation in villages including Hambran, Balloke and Noorpur Bet to nab the suspects. However, the three-day long combing operation turned out to be a futile exercise. DCP Ashish Choudhary said, "From the beginning we have been probing the case from all angles. We will continue to do so till we get a proper lead."
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Ministry wants bamboo tree guards
Ludhiana, February 11 The instructions have been issued by the Ministry of Rural Development. The ministry says in areas where bamboos are readily available, brick tree guards are being used. These are nearly three times costlier than bamboo tree guards. Also, as the plants do not get sufficient sunlight, this results in poor plant growth. On the other hand, bamboo tree guards can be prepared by MGNREGA workers, cost much less and do not obstruct sunlight. The Director, MGNREGA, SP Vashisht, in his letter has directed that in areas where bamboos are available locally, bamboo tree guards are a must for roadside plantation.
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Dera chief’s case deferred to Feb 18
Bathinda, February 11 Earlier, the police had filed an application in the court seeking cancellation of the case. An affidavit from the complainant, Rajinder Singh Sidhu, mentioning “he had not seen the dera head dressed as Guru Gobind Singh” was also attached. However, Sidhu later took a U-turn saying he did not wish the FIR to be cancelled. During the arguments today, advocate Nand Lal Garg said even if a challan was to be presented in the court, the sanction of Punjab Government was necessary for taking cognisance after the completion of the investigation. Pleading the case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, advocate Navkiran contended that the case be pursued even if the complaint was withdrawn as the offence was “towards the Sikh community and not an individual”. Navkiran alleged that a compromise had been reached between Gurmeet Ram Rahim and the Shiromani Akali Dal three days ahead of the elections to woo voters during the assembly elections.
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3 held with PDS wheat
SHO Jasvir Singh said the police, following a tip-off, intercepted a canter near here and recovered the wheat. “Preliminary investigations suggest the wheat was loaded from a PUNSUP godown. Inspector Makhan Singh has been booked,” said
Jasvir. Those arrested include Raj Kumar, Sonu and Rakesh Kumar, all residents of Muktsar, while Makhan Singh was absconding. A case has been registered under sections 420, 309, 381, 411 and 120-B of the
IPC.
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PS Pruthi, Chief Commissioner, Customs, today put an end to the speculation regarding the inauguration of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, stating that it is not ready for operations at present and will take some more time for completion.
Ludhiana, February 11
16 dyeing units found violating norms in Ludhiana
Away from the comfort of their homes a few kilometers away, some residents of the area opted to brave the spine chilling cold conditions and stay inside the make shift tents instead. With a couple of quilts and unlimited supply of tea and drinks, these gentlemen are pitching outside Public College,
Samana. Apart from the security forces, which are manning the electronic voting
machines (EVMs), more than two-dozen workers of the Congress and the SAD have
also been deputed by their respective parties outside the venue where EVM
machines have been kept.
The Doggie Lane project has its own share of problems. "After March 2011, our dues have not been cleared," alleges Dr Surinder Singh Grewal, chairman, Doggie Lane project. He adds that the public has a non-cooperative attitude. "Last year, the staff at our hospital at Alamgir was beaten up by miscreants." 
Ludhiana, February 11
Muktsar, February 11