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Not only paddy, wheat also rotting in the open
CM: Centre’s relief for crop loss a joke
HC orders retrial in fake currency case
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Weak factory foundation to blame: Admn
Almirah saved him from death
He was late for work, escaped
Anxious relatives hamper rescue op
Row over number of victims
Punjab to revamp health department
High tax: Traders to buy wheat from other states
13 prisoners released from Patiala jail
British MP for more flights to Amritsar
Gurdaspur Firing
Punjabi varsity honours
Newlywed couple attacked, man killed
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Not only paddy, wheat also rotting in the open
Chandigarh, April 16 The official reason for shifting the stocks procured in 2008-09 is to vacate the storage premises for construction of the Khamano Subdivisional Administrative Complex, foundation stone of which was laid on December25, 2006, by the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Intriguingly, nothing has progressed on the proposed complex beyond the foundation stone and a boundary wall. Instead, the sprawling area has been put to use for storing paddy and wheat to overcome the problem of storage scarcity. While the new crop of wheat has already started arriving in grain markets, the state is struggling to find “safe space” to store the new stocks. The storage problem is severe, admits a senior official of the Food Department. To cut any further losses, shifting operations are being undertaken by the corporation with its own men and machinery, including trucks. But why shift stocks if these are to be sold through tenders or in open auction? “I am being made a scapegoat for the damaged paddy stocks. I was neither associated with procurement nor its storage. My predecessor has retired and I am being forced to take charge of these damaged stocks of both paddy and wheat,” rues Jagtar Singh who is to retire early next year. While more than one lakh quintals of paddy belonging to Punsup, the Warehousing Corporation and Markfed has already been sold to rice millers through tenders, a decision on the disposal of damaged wheat stocks is yet to be taken. Officials point out that there is a joint consultative committee of the Food Corporation of India and state agencies that take a decision on disposing of the damaged foodgrains. Punsup has 85,485 quintals of wheat while Punjab Agro has 90,000 quintals of damaged wheat crop at this site. A securityman is posted here to guard the damaged stocks that are covered with tarpaulins and nets “to avoid any pilferage.” Nearly two lakh quintals of damaged wheat would now either be sold to poultry or cattle feed manufacturers or supplied to wheat flour mills for processing (for non- human use). While Punjab Agro has already got its stocks here sieved to clear it of impurities, insects and fungus, Punsup is doing it now before shifting the stocks to its own godown. Official Take For the past five years, not a single grain of BRL or damaged wheat has been auctioned because of stringent FCI rules. We have requested the FCI to relax conditions so that damaged wheat can be disposed of. We have about 38,000-39,000 quintals of wheat at Khamano which has been declared BRL. The first tender issued for disposal of this wheat came with stiff conditions and, hence, could not be sold. The government has written to the FCI for re-tenders Some stocks of foodgrain procured in 2009 in Fatehgarh Sahib and Nawanshahr have been categorised as BRL. Some of this wheat can still be upgraded for human consumption. For disposing of damaged wheat, the Food Supplies will issue a joint tender n
More than 85,000 quintals of wheat belonging to Punsup stored at Khamano Administrative complex has been declared below relaxed limit
(BRL) n Wheat procured in 2009 was stacked in the open because of lack of storage facilities n
Normal life of wheat stored in the open is six months while grains stored in godowns can best last two years n
Scientific storage of grains would have saved government agencies huge losses n
38,000-39,000 quintals of wheat procured by Punjab Agro and stacked at Khamano declared BRL n
Instead of keeping space in its godown for new stocks, Punsup is moving damaged stocks to the existing storage after getting the stocks sieved and refilled n
Punjab has nearly 65 lakh tonnes of wheat stored in its godowns n
Of the total wheat stock, 21 lakh tonnes are in covered godowns and the rest in the open n More than 3 lakh quintals of foodgrain both paddy and wheat, stored in the open since the 2009 procurement season have gone bad
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CM: Centre’s relief for crop loss a joke
Amritsar, April 16 Talking to mediapersons at the Golden Temple complex here, Badal said: “The Centre provides a meagre compensation of Rs 1,500 per acre to the farmers in case they lose their crop to a natural disaster. It is a cruel joke on them. The state adds another Rs 3,500 per acre from its own funds so that the farmers get at least a decent Rs 5,000 per acre”. He said the government had issued orders that compensation be paid to farmers affected by the recent spell of rainfall after a “special girdawari”. Badal alleged that the UPA government “is bent on weakening the state governments.” He charged the UPA for the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. On the forthcoming local body elections in the state, Badal said these would be announced soon. Regarding the factory collapse in Jalandhar, the CM said rescue operations were on. He said the district administration had been directed to help the victims in every way possible. The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s opposition to the proposed National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC). He said the Centre was trying to deprive the states of their rights.
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HC orders retrial in fake currency case
Chandigarh, April 16 Holding that the trial against the two clearly depicted “monstrous perversities and gross abuse of the process of law”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered their re-trial, holding that the previous trial was “wholly vitiated” and “non est in law”. Passing strictures on the trial judge, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover directed the completion of the re-trial within four months, after setting aside their acquittal orders. The Bench also directed the fast-track court at Ambala to file a complaint under Section 340, CrPC, before “a court of competent jurisdiction, highlighting the illegalities that occurred during the trial ”. Section 340 deals with those filing false documents or giving false evidence before a court. The Bench said the role played by any state functionary in pressurising the prosecution witnesses to give false evidence “shall also be inquired into”. The trial court was directed to conduct the inquiry and the trial expeditiously within six months. The duo had landed in the police net in the fake cash racket case after counterfeit currency amounting to more than Rs 5 lakh was found in their house on September 23, 2002. Initially, all the witnesses examined by the prosecution implicated the duo. But during the trial, except for one prosecution witness, , “cops included”, resiled from their statements. They stated that “no recovery of currency notes, much less any counterfeit currency notes, was made in their presence”. Subsequently, they were declared hostile by the prosecution and the trial court acquitted the duo. Justice Ranjit Singh took suo motu cognizance of a news report on their acquittal and the matter was placed before a Division Bench. During High Court proceedings, six hostile witnesses filed affidavits, claiming their statement before the Investigating Officer was the true. The Bench concluded: “The police witnesses, who had reportedly recovered the counterfeit currency from the residence of the accused and the bank manager who had opined that the seized currency was counterfeit did not support the prosecution case in court. “However, the said witnesses subsequently filed separate affidavits before this court stating that they had resiled from their earlier statements under threat from high-ranking police officials?. “The trial judge had remained a mute spectator in a scenario where, one by one, all the prosecution witnesses were turning hostile. The Judge conducted himself as if, under the law, he was obliged to remain silent and consider only the versions narrated by the prosecution witnesses in court and on that basis he was left with no option but to acquit the accused?. “The courts will have to rise to the occasion or else they may fail as the trial court did. In a situation where the trial held against the two accused clearly depicts monstrous perversities and gross abuse of the process of law and yet no appeal against the acquittal of the two accused had been preferred, the court can remain a passive onlooker only at the cost of being faulted “The exercise of the writ jurisdiction to interfere with the verdict of a criminal trial must, therefore, be made. New paths will have to be chartered and innovations made to deal with the myriad situations that may arise from time to time”.
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Weak factory foundation to blame: Admn
Jalandhar, April 16 There was neither any blast nor a fire incident before the building collapsed. Since the pillars and the iron framework of the entire building caved in at one go, the local authorities said weak foundation or wrong construction plan could have led to its collapse. People gathered at the spot said earlier, there were just two floors of the building, but the owner kept on raising it vertically without realising that the foundation was not strong enough to bear the load. Factory owner Shital Vij had even started constructing another unit next to the old building. This is being considered as another major factor as the building tilted slightly sideways and backwards while collapsing. The pillars of the new unit had been constructed alongside those of the old building. In fact, the area around the pillars was dug up and watered owing to which the earth had sunk. Another factory unit owned by Vij meant for spinning and weaving bed linen too got cracks in its wall. It was from this factory that the rescue operation was being done. Meanwhile, a large number of blankets scattered on the backside of the building. Labourers at the spot created a ruckus claiming that instead of rescuing workers, the factory owners were busy safely taking away their goods. Later, the rescue team threw cartons packed with blankets into a drain near the site. Building layout The ground and the first floors of the building housed machinery for spinning threads and weaving blankets. The second floor had served as a godown and the third floor had been used to stock chemicals, threads and other raw materials. What admn says Kashmir Singh, Fire Officer, said the factory did not have NOC from the Fire Department. ADC (development) Praneet Bhardwaj, too, said weak foundation seemed to be the only cause. Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti said an inquiry would be conducted by constituting a committee of officers from various departments, including administration, police, MC and industry. Asked if the building plan of the factory was approved, MC Commissioner BS Dhaliwal said the construction of factories at Focal Point was not under his jurisdiction. “It is the Department of Industry which looks after such issues,” he said. Asked if he has been provided layout maps of the building to streamline rescue work and know the concentration of labourers, Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav said he did not get the copy of any such plans.
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Almirah saved him from death
Jalandhar, April 16 Since one of Ajay’s foot remained trapped under the rubble, the team took over three hours to pull him out safely. During the rescue operation, he was provided water through a pipe. Pumps meant for siphoning off dust had to be installed so that he did not suffocate because of the drilling work. Commandant of the 7th Battalion of the NDRF RK Verma and his jawans kept on talking to him and cheering him up at each moment till they finally reached him. After the rescue team came into contact with him, the paramedical staff of the 108 ambulance service was called in to provide him an oxygen mask, glucose drip and local anaesthesia before he was taken to Devi Talab Mandir Hospital, managed by factory owner Shital Vij. Similar was the case with another labourer Amarjit who kept calling for help till the rescue team spotted him. It took over two hours to rescue him as his foot was trapped under debris. Civil Surgeon Avtar Singh Jarewal and his team gave him local anaesthesia before taking him to the Civil Hospital. It was a providential escape for nearly 40 Bihari labourers who were working in the front or the rear part of the building as they are the ones who managed to come out on their own or rescued first. On the contrary, all those trapped inside the 20,000 sq ft building could not be rescued till this evening as tonnes of concrete has fallen on all sides which needs to be taken out in a planned manner. Rescue operation may take 3 days As removing the rubble from the mishap site of Shital Fibres factory, spread on 20,000 sq feet, proved to be a Herculean task for rescue teams, officials claimed the operation may continue for another two to three days. Teams from the NDRF, Army, CRPF, ITBP and Punjab Police have made openings from all four walls of the building to make way inwards to reach out to those trapped inside. JCB machines have been pressed into service on the back side to remove the debris.
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He was late for work, escaped
Jalandhar, April 16 Designated with the task to mend blankets that had weaving defects, he says he got late as he had some urgent household chores to finish. "Had I not been late, I too would have been buried under the rubble," he says. An eyewitness to the entire episode, Deepak says he saw the entire four-storey building come down in a matter of seconds. "Such was the impact that for a few minutes, I could not realise as to what had happened. Soon after, I was busy bailing out the fellow workers who could be seen hanging from the frontal side of the building", he recalls. Hemvilas, a Bihar native who too was engaged in mending defective blankets, was lucky as it was his day off on Sunday. "Had I been at work, I may not have been alive," he says, feeling pained for his fellow workers. Bihari couple Ramesh and Neelam Devi was a dejected lot as their 18-year-old son Pankaj, who joined the factory six months ago, and son-in-law Parmod, who joined last month, lay trapped inside. ‘My brother made 15 calls for help’ Ashok, a labourer, has never felt so helpless as now. He says he could not help his brother Ajay despite the latter repeatedly calling him over the phone from beneath the rubble since last night. "He made at least 15 calls for help. He kept on calling till the morning…Now, his phone has stopped ringing. He told me his one hand and his feet were stuck. He was on the ground floor of the building when it collapsed. I was hoping that the man the NDRF team rescued would be my brother, but it wasn't so," said Ashok, tears rolling down his cheeks.
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Anxious relatives hamper rescue op
Jalandhar April 16 Rescue teams had a tough time controlling the restless people who were hindering their work. People were seen standing close to the debris, calling names of their family members. Sources said the workers trapped inside the rubble had also telephoned their family members and colleagues to inform about the incident. Pasho Devi said her 18-year-old son Pankaj and son-in-law Parmod, who worked in night shifts in the factory, were trapped under the debris. She was repeatedly going near the collapsed building and calling the names of her family members. “I have not received any news about them. If anything unfortunate happens, my family will be ruined,” said an inconsolable Pasho. She said her husband Ram Dev, who also works in the same factory, was fortunate as he did not go to work yesterday. Similarly, a number of other worried people gave a tough time to the rescue team. Many workers were seen cursing the factory owner for not paying heed to the poor condition of the building. It was at 11.30 pm last night that the building of Shital Fibres collapsed.
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Row over number of victims
Jalandhar, April 16 Office accountant Deepak admitted that eight labourers were brought here this afternoon. He said a total of 32 labourers were admitted since last night. Barring eight, the rest had been discharged, he added. Labourers said at least 35 to 40 labourers were admitted to the hospital last night, but they were hurriedly discharged by the hospital authorities this morning. The authorities said labourers were discharged because they had minor injuries. Satwinder Singh (38), a victim, said, “There were about 300 people working in the factory when the building collapsed. We were having a good time, joking at each other when a labourer started screaming that a pillar had broken. Some of us laughed, thinking that it was a joke. In no time, all pillars gave way and the roof fell on us”. Jetinder, a labourer, said, “I was saved because I work in the morning shift, but many of my friends are injured and many others are still trapped under the debris”. Other labourers present at the hospital said: “We wanted to go to the site last night and search for some friends, but once we were taken out, no one let us in again”. While most of the rescued labourers suffered fractures, others had head injuries and there were others with wounds on faces and eyes. Rs 2 lakh ex gratia announced Chandigarh: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has expressed grief at the death of eight factory workers in Jalandhar. He has announced an ex gratia grant of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured. Badal has asked the Divisional Commissioner, Jalandhar, to conduct an inquiry into the incident. He has directed his Principal Secretary SK Sandhu to visit the site and to coordinate rescue operations. Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh has also expressed grief at the mishap and asked the government to give adequate compensation to the victims' families. — TNS
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Punjab to revamp health department
Chandigarh, April 16 Dr JP Singh, director, Health Services, has been made the member secretary of the committee. In the first meeting held with the PCSM Association, the government has assured the PCMS doctors that the committee will look into various issues including demand for higher pay scales for specialist doctors, for senior administrative posts and special extra allowance to the PCMS doctors serving in difficult and most difficult areas of Punjab. The initial step is aimed at taking care of the manpower issue and it will be followed by a look at the existing infrastructure. Dr JP Singh has already conveyed the government’s decision to the representatives of the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association led by its state president Dr Hardeep Singh. The government has also decided to recruit more doctors and paramedic staff for the state-run hospitals and a decision has been taken to fill all vacancies immediately with creation of more posts of emergency medical officers and specialists. It is learnt that the representatives of the association have been stressing upon immediate implementation of all the pending recommendations of the pay commission, academic and ESI allowance, dynamic ACP at 18 years of service at par with PCS officers of Punjab, conveyance allowance to all PCMS doctors, health risk allowance, removal of ceiling from pay and pension of PCMS doctors, rank of deputy civil surgeon to SMO, creation of post of director general health service, creation of more posts of SMO, MO, EMO and specialists in the health services. Dr Hardeep Singh, president, and Dr Inderjit Singla, general secretary of the PCMS Association, have demanded higher pay scales for specialist doctors in the PCMS service and special extra allowance to the doctors serving in difficult and most difficult areas and districts of state. The issue to lure and retain more specialists’ in PCMS service was discussed in details. Specialist in Punjab are offered same pay as MBBS general duty doctors, whereas doctors in the Central Government Health Services (CGHS) are getting separate pay scales with higher entry scale. The government is looking at removing this anomaly along with demand for grant of extra allowance for the PCMS doctors serving in difficult areas, as is the practice in
Haryana.
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High tax: Traders to buy wheat from other states
Chandigarh, April 16. Sources said that like previous four years, this year, too, they expected less than one per cent of the total wheat arrivals in mandis to be bought by private players. With the state government having increased VAT on wheat purchase from 4 to 5 per cent last year, the difference in tax structure in Punjab and neighbouring states has widened further.
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13 prisoners released from Patiala jail
Patiala, April 16 Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra reached the Central Jail here and paid the fine on behalf of the eight convicts, who were financially poor, from his own funds to ensure their release. “One of my supporters told me that it was a meager fine. I decided to help these convicts and visited the jail myself,” Rakhra added. Addressing convicts and jail staff, Rakhra said that the released convicts should now lead a good life outside jail and become responsible citizens.
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British MP for more flights to Amritsar
Chandigarh, April 16 Kang, who called upon Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, said more flights should be started between cities in the UK and Delhi and Amritsar as a large number of Punjabis were always eager to visit Punjab, especially the Golden Temple. He said he would also meet Union Aviation Minister over the issue. He also visited the Punjab Vidhan Sabha hall and was impressed with its unique design. He also extended an invitation to Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker to lead a delegation of Punjab legislators to the House of Lords. Earlier, Atwal welcomed the delegation and briefly outlined about the legislative procedures and
practices of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. The Speaker also advocated for the strengthening of economic, social and cultural relations between the two countries. The other two members of the delegation were Suresh Joshi, Sandwell Amritsar Association secretary, and Bob Cruthly, an industrialist.
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Gurdaspur Firing
Gurdaspur, April 16 Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner Anurag Verma, who is looking after the probe, said the victim’s father, Gurcharanjit Singh, wanted to record his statement in the presence of a senior Supreme Court lawyer, Navkiran Singh. The inquiry report has to be submitted to the state government within a month. Senior officials, including Mohinder Singh Kainth and Varinder Pal Singh, former Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police, respectively, have already recorded their statements. Varinder Pal claimed the circumstances flared to such an extent that police was left with no option but to fire in the air to control the surging mob of Sikh activists. He, however, said the bullet that hit Jaspal Singh was not fired by any police official. The statements of suspended DSP Manpreet Singh, the then SHO of Gurdaspur (City) police station Shama Singh, ASI Ajvinder Singh and Naib Tehsildar JP Salwan, who was the acting magistrate when the firing took place, were also recorded. The deceased’s father wondered as to why the police did not use tear gas shells prior to actual firing even if in the air. “Police could have given a warning to the mob to disperse if it was feared that the situation may spin out of control. But, they started firing without any warning,” Gurcharanjit said.
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Punjabi varsity honours
Patiala, April 16 While honouring
Pattar, University Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh said, “Good poetry blended with pure music enriches not only our mind but also refreshes our soul.” He said, “Music and poetry are being commercialised and as such the art is declining in the society and there is a need to reform this trend.” On the occasion, Upkar Singh, an alumnus of the university, presented musical presentations on the poetry of Shiv Kumar
Batalavi, Amrita Pritam and Surjit Pattar. Dr Gurnam Singh said the Gurmat Sangeet Department would soon prepare musical presentations on the poetry of great poets of Punjab.
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Newlywed couple attacked, man killed
Nawanshahr, April 16 Ranjit Singh, his wife and mother Gurmit Kaur were coming from Barhu Sahib (Himachal Pardesh) in a car (PB-02-Y- 4777). They were forced to halt on the way because of a flat tyre. As a mechanic repaired the tyre, the three went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. When they returned, a Swift car with three occupants, their faces covered, opened fire at Ranjit, killing him instantly. Jasmeet Kaur was injured in the firing. The couple had reportedly got married in court on February 29 this year. The Balachaur police, on the statement of the victim’s mother, has registered a case against Gurnam Singh and Gurdev Singh, both brothers, of Faridewala village in Ferozepur and Dalbir Singh, Jasmeet’s cousin, said Dharam Singh
Uppal, SP(D).
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Patiala, April 16
