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Another storm brewing over acquisition
Rent for harvesters up, farmers alarmed
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UPA to blame for Power Corp’s heavy debt: CM
Eminent Punjabi personalities honoured
Marginal fall in petrol, diesel prices in Punjab
Rainfall may hit quality of grain
Pojewal college told to shut shop
Badal all praise for the duo
Zero calorie sweetener from stevia leaves
Info panel issues bailable warrant against MC chief
De-addiction centre to come up in Faridkot
SSA teachers to gherao Minister’s house today
Industrialists flout labour laws: Activists
Mahila Congress gears up for civic body polls
Nishan Singh wants sentence suspended
Inter-state gang busted; bikes, cars recovered
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Another storm brewing over acquisition
Amritsar, April 30 Leading a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office today, Jamhuri Kisan Sabha Punjab chief Satnam Singh Ajnala announced they would not allow forcible acquisition of even an inch of farmers’ land at
Bhalapind. They warned any such bid would be strongly resisted.
Reminding Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of his promise that the farmers’ land would not be acquired forcibly, he said there was no rationale in shifting the existing Central Jail in Amritsar to Bhalapind. “At present, the Central Jail is spread over 89 acres of land and only half of it is constructed area. It offers adequate scope for further expansion. It is also not very far from the court complex, which facilitates easy movement of undertrials to court. Moreover, it is easily accessible for the kin of prisoners who want to meet them,” he said. Of the total land that the government intends to acquire in Bhalapind, 50 to 55 acres belongs to sugarcane seed farm of the village’s cooperative sugar mill while the rest is owned by around 15 small farmers.
The farmer leaders accused the government of wanting to sell off the prime land worth hundreds of crores where currently the Central Jail is located here for tiding over the prevailing fiscal crisis. They also wondered as to why the government is keen on shifting the jail to a smaller area as compared to the existing premises of the Central Jail. They also accused the local SAD leaders of pressuring the farmers to give away their land at the rate of Rs 30 lakh per acre as compared to the prevailing market price of Rs 1 crore per acre. Daljeet Singh, who owns three acres of land at the proposed site, said they didn’t want to part with their land as it was their only source of income. The affected farmers alleged that they never got what was promised to them at the time of land acquisition for the sugar mill. At present, the local Central Jail is grappling with the problem of overcrowding, as there are over 2,500 prisoners in it against the capacity of 1,000. The farmer leaders also alleged that the cultivable land is also being acquired at very less prices under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana in villages. For widening of road from Bandala to GT Road, the farmers are being offered a meagre Rs 8.46 lakh an acre against government price of Rs 21.6 lakh and market prices of Rs 80 lakh, they alleged.
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Rent for harvesters up, farmers alarmed
Chandigarh, April 30 With the number of combine harvesters in the state failing to meet the current demand (as farmers are in a rush to harvest their crop in view of the inclement weather), the cost of hiring these machines has gone up by over Rs 100-Rs 200 per acre. While farmers were paying anything between Rs 600-Rs 650 per acre as hiring charges till last year, they are now being forced to pay Rs 750-Rs 900 per acre for the harvesters. Talking to The Tribune, Gurpreet Singh from Ghumana village near Patiala, said: “The main reasons for the spiralling hiring cost of these harvesters are a hike in the cost of diesel and spare parts and an upward revision of labour prices.” He said last year they had paid Rs 650 per acre as rent for harvesters supplied by a businessman. “This year, with the wheat crop maturing late and the demand escalating because of unseasonal rain, the rent for these machines has gone up and this businessman is now demanding Rs 300 per acre if one wants to jump the queue,” he said. Almost 90 per cent of paddy and over 95 per cent of wheat in Punjab is harvested with combines. It means the entire harvesting operations are over within 10 days. Since the bulk of harvesting is done on a custom-hiring basis, not everyone can afford to buy these combines, which cost more than Rs 10 lakh. Thus, it is more economical for a farmer to hire a combine rather than own one. As a result, an industry of combine operators has come into being, which offers services in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and areas surrounding Jammu. A worried Ajmer Singh of Sehra village near Rajpura said. “In our village, the rent for hiring harvesters has gone up to Rs 850- 900 per acre. This is causing a dent in our earnings since the MSP for wheat has not increased as much as the input costs.”
Tota Singh for Rs 500 bonus on wheat
Tota Singh said the farmers of Punjab had been reeling under a huge debt of Rs 35,000 crore and the Centre should provide a relief package to the state on the pattern of Kerala and West Bengal. The Minister demanded construction of silos or godowns through the public-private partnership mode for storage of wheat and paddy. He said this would help save tonnes of grain from rotting every year due to lack of storage space. On the issue of linking of rivers, he said groundwater table in the state had gone down significantly. So linking of rivers would not be in state’s interest.
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UPA to blame for Power Corp’s heavy debt: CM
Patiala, April 30 He blamed the UPA government for poor fiscal health of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). He, however, did not specify how the Centre was responsible for the bad fiscal health of the power utility. “There are many other states in the country whose power utilities are under massive debt. Their liabilities are even twice or thrice as compared to Punjab”, he argued, while assuring that the state government was doing its best to bail out the power corporation. Taking a dig at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Badal said the Union Government always buckled under pressure exerted by Mamata. “Since, our MPs are disciplined and do not resort to pressure tactics, we are made to suffer. This kind of conduct is not only detrimental to the overall development of the country but also sets a wrong precedent,” he said. On scrapping of quota for Punjab students by Thapar University, the Chief Minister said talks were on with the university management. Badal said: “The university had got land from the state. It cannot take a decision which is against the interests of students of the state. We strongly condemn this”.
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Eminent Punjabi personalities honoured
Patiala, April 30 Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the fifth All India Punjabi Conference dedicated to the Golden Jubilee Year of Punjabi University here today along with Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, the Chief Minister said as the development of Punjabi language, literature and culture was directly related to the fate of the Punjab so, if the state would progress, it would directly affect all of them. He appealed to the teachers and experts imparting education in the universities to come out of these institutions and make efforts for giving new direction and education to students at the village-level. The Chief Minister said, “Quality education is the key element for ensuring all-round development of the state due to which the government has been laying thrust on providing quality education to the students of Punjab.” He said in their previous tenure they had opened seven new universities along with 17 colleges. Badal said as a result of these concerted efforts made by the state government, Punjab, which earlier ranked 14th in the field of education, now ranks third in the country. He honoured eminent singer Harbhajan Mann, Padam Shri Sant Seva Singh, Giani Balwant Singh, noted dramatist Ajmer Aulakh, Kewal Dhaliwal, Khalid Hussain from Jammu and Kashmir, Surjit Kaur Chahal, Pune, CR Moudgil, Haryana, Dr Joginder Singh J&K, Punjabi Sahit Sabha, Delhi, and Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana. He also inaugurated the Golden Jubilee Complex comprising extension of the engineering college, hospitality department, business management and girls hostel. Meanwhile, a student delegation handed over a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding restoration of 50 per cent quota for Punjab students in Thapar University.
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Marginal fall in petrol, diesel prices in Punjab Chandigarh, April 30 Though the relief could still take a few days to come by, the Cabinet has today assured that an ordinance to this effect will be issued shortly. The delay in implementation of this decision is mainly because the state government needs to amend three acts - the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911, Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 and Punjab Municipal Fund Act, 2006 - which will finally pave the way for the abolition of octroi on the two fuels. The decision to abolish the octroi was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. It was also decided that in order to compensate the local bodies for the abolition of octroi, an additional one per cent of Value Added Tax (VAT) collections, will be given to these local bodies. The local bodies department earns an average of Rs 10 crore per month as octroi from these two fuels (Rs 120 crore per annum). Sources in the Finance department informed The Tribune that an amount of Rs 110 crore per annum will be given to the Local Bodies department from the VAT collections of the state. “We are already giving 10 per cent of the VAT collections to the local Bodies department, which amounts to Rs 1100 crore per annum,” said the official. The state government had already abolished octroi on all items except electricity, petrol and diesel with effect from September 1, 2006. Since the levy of octroi of petrol and diesel had made the rates of diesel and petrol more than in neighbouring states, it has, therefore, been decided to abolish octroi of 1 per cent and 2 per cent on petrol and diesel, respectively. The state taxes imposed on fuel are amongst the highest in Punjab. The main tax that the state collects on petrol and diesel is in the form of VAT, followed by octroi and cess (only for petrol). VAT collection from petrol (VAT is charged at 27.5 per cent and a surcharge of 10 per cent on VAT is imposed) and diesel (VAT is charged at 8.8 per cent and a surcharge of 10 per cent on VAT) contributed almost Rs 2100 crore to the state’s kitty in the last financial year. Being a major source of revenue for the state government, it had remained unwilling to slash the VAT or the surcharge on fuel. In another significant decision, the Cabinet has also decided to amend Section 5 of the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961 enabling panchayats to give land to government departments, boards and corporations for implementation of projects of public importance. Earlier, panchayats were required to to retain 50 per cent of the cultivable land available with it. An Ordinance is expected to be issued soon.
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Rainfall may hit quality of grain
Amritsar, April 30 The main cause of worry for the farmers is that delayed harvesting will add to their financial woes. Also, combine harvesters cannot be operated upon flattened crop and manual harvesting would further delay the harvesting process.The farmers will also need more time to dry up the grain to meet the permissible limit (12 per cent) of moisture content before taking their produce to the mandis. The moisture in grains has reportedly gone up to 20 per cent. Besides, in the absence of a mechanism to preserve the moist seed for the next season, the farmers will have to buy a new lot. Chief Agriculture Officer Balwinder Singh Sohal said in Amritsar and surrounding areas, 50 per cent of harvesting had been done so far. He said the damage reported was between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent. “Harvesting is already behind schedule by over 17 days and weather continues to be far from normal. The most affected part is the Majitha belt where combines cannot function for the next three days. Jandiala and Rayya areas, too, have reported some damage,” he said. Last year, wheat was sown over 1.85 lakh hectares of land and the average yield in Amritsar and surrounding areas was 42.8 quintal per hectare. “Despite adverse weather conditions, I hope that the average yield will be more than 43 quintal per hectare,” the officer said. Teams led by Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal today visited the Harsha Chhina and Rajasansi grain markets . He assured the farmers that due compensation would be paid to those who had suffered losses due to inclement weather. “About 40 per cent wheat has arrived in the mandis so far. Our major worry is high moisture content in grains. We have tried to provide sufficient fans and tarpauline to protect the grains from further damage,” an official said.
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Pojewal college told to shut shop
Jalandhar, April 30 Punjab Technical University (PTU) Vice-Chancellor Rajneesh Arora confirmed having received an order on the college’s closure. He said he would report the matter to the Punjab Government and take directions before proceeding with the order. Arora said he received a communiqué regarding the college from the AICTE a week ago with no reason cited on it for the action. “It, however, had been mentioned that during a surprise inspection last year, the council team found certain irregularities owing to which the orders were being passed,” he said. After due clearance from the Punjab Government, the Vice-Chancellor said, the PTU would seek preferences from students regarding the college they wanted to take further admission in and then shift them in accordance with the government policy. The V-C had discussed the issue during an open session with Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, who was in Jalandhar on Saturday. The college has students enrolled in six streams, including biotechnology, chemical engineering, computer science engineering, electronics and instrumentation engineering, electronics and communication engineering and information technology. Located on the Garhshankar-Anandpur Sahib road, the college was opened in 1997 and is being run by the IITT Society. It runs another college in Himachal Pradesh. College principal Dr KK Goel, however, claimed that he was expecting an inspection for review of the report from the AICTE in a few days. “I am sure the issue will be resolved. The matter is pending with the AICTE. Neither me nor my head office has received any final orders of the sort as yet,” he said. Asked as to what irregularities had been pointed out by the AICTE team, he replied, “There were some technical glitches. I cannot divulge more details. It is not just there for us, but for 37 other colleges as well.” PTU Dean (Academics) Dr Buta Singh said, “So far, we have received closure orders only for the Pojewal college. But, alarm bells have started ringing for other colleges as well due to which we have already started an academic audit. The colleges need to appoint requisite number of qualified faculty members and have infrastructure as per set norms.” The college in question has not even put on its official website any detail regarding faculty members and infrastructure through a column, “mandatory disclosure”, as directed by the AICTE and PTU.
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BSF women constables awarded for valour
Gurdaspur, April 30 A Pakistani cell phone and a SIM card were recovered from the encounter site. Almost 24 hours after the incident, BSF officials here are cock-a-hoop over the feat of their women colleagues. The DIG, PS Bains, who was quick to reach the encounter site and hand over cash awards to the women constables yesterday, has written to the Director-General, BSF, New Delhi, urging him to felicitate the brave duo. A senior BSF officer, pleading anonymity, said considering that it was the first incident of its kind, a gallantry award may be conferred upon the women constables by the President. An elated Bains said: “These women showed exemplary courage. I salute my brave daughters as they did not panic at the sight of the intruders. On the contrary, they displayed nerves of steel. Aarti and Reena displayed both wisdom and strength. “I am sure their feat will motivate other women working with the BSF at difficult terrains where no quarters are given and
Badal all praise for the duo
Lauding the courage and bravery of “ these two daughters of the soil”, the Chief Minister said they had not only done the country proud, but their “valour and professional commitment will be a source of inspiration for other women personnel in the defence and paramilitary forces.”
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Zero calorie sweetener from stevia leaves
Nawanshahr, April 30 Rajpal Singh Gandhi, a pioneer in stevia farming, succeeded in getting the nod of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology for the project after four years of relentless effort. He said the project would be a boon for farmers willing to adopt stevia cultivation in Nawanshahr, Ropar, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts. Gandhi, founder of Green Valley Stevia Biotech Private Limited, has not only been cultivating stevia at Pojewal village but has also set up a nursery, a tissue culture lab and a reseach and development lab in his attempt to encourage farmers to adopt stevia cultivation. "Stevia is a cash crop and will make agriculture a lucrative occupation. Its a natural sweetener and has medicinal values. It is also used as a tonic and digestive supplement and is beneficial for reducing hypertension," Gandhi explained. Its cultivation would help farmers to come out of the traditional wheat-rice crop cycle and provide raw material to pharmaceutical units. "Stevia cultivation does not need much technical knowhow or fertilisers and pesticides. It is an eco-friendly and economical cash crop"said Gandhi. He said they intended to grow stevia in about 1,000 acres. To mobilise farmers, saplings would be given to farmers at concessional rates. Besides providing the technical knowhow, a written agreement on buy-back guarantee would be signed with the farmers. With the commissioning of the project, 100 youths, including 40 skilled ones educated in chemistry, biotechnology and food technology would be given employment Gandhi said his next extraction unit would be in
Malwa.
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Info panel issues bailable warrant against MC chief
Ludhiana, April 30 Jaggi has been directed to appear before the bench consisting Chief Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioners on July 2 and produce the aforesaid record. HL Bhandari, a resident of Tagore Nagar-A here, had sought information from the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation in January last year. On two consecutive dates, the SIC had issued notices to the MC Commissioner to file a report or produce documents whether Safai Karamcharis working in the area of Tagore Nagar-A Welfare Society were employees of the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana or they were employees of the Tagore Nagar-A Welfare Society. Information further sought from the MC: “Who maintains the attendance record in respect of these Safai Karamcharis and in case they are employees of the society, whether the salary of these Karamcharis is reimbursed to the society and if so what procedure is being followed in this regard.” Copies of the relevant instructions were also sought. The information on the above issues relates from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. The SIC’s order of April 26 reads, “However, none has appeared on behalf of the Corporation and no record has been produced before the Commission in spite of two consecutive opportunities. This Commission is, therefore, constrained to issue bailable warrant against MS Jaggi, the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana in exercise of powers conferred on me under Section 18(3) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 read with the relevant provisions of the Civil Procedure Code with the direction that the Commissioner shall produce the relevant records and copies of the instructions issued on this subject before the Commission on the next date of hearing, which is fixed for July 2.” The order further reads, “So far as the respondent-Tagore Nagar-A Welfare Society is concerned, the only information which yet remains to be furnished pertains to certified copies of the utilisation certificates furnished by the respondent society to the Punjab Government and Local Bodies Department in respect of funds received by it from the government during the period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. The counsel for the respondent-society undertakes to file a reply on this issue. In case these certificates have not been furnished so far, the respondent will ensure that certified copies of the same are handed over to the information-seeker before the next date of hearing.” The SIC has also written to the Police Commissioner, Ludhiana and has ordered him to serve the bailable warrant on M S Jaggi to appear before the Bench consisting of the Chief Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioners, Punjab on July 2 at 1 pm and produce the relevant records/instructions.
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De-addiction centre to come up in Faridkot
Faridkot, April 30 Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor SS Gill said the centre would include advanced diagnostic support services and recruit specialised staff. Gill said the state government would provide Rs 1.6 crore annual aid to the centre, being established next to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital. The centre would also impart training to medical and paramedical staff in dispensaries and health centres in rural area to treat addicts, he said. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had last week convened a meeting of medical experts, ministers and senior officials of the health and medical education department at his residence. During the meeting, Badal okayed five tertiary de-addiction centres to be established at Faridkot, Patiala, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Bathinda, Gill said.
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SSA teachers to gherao Minister’s house today
Patiala, April 30 The district vice-president of the SSA/RMSA/CSS Teachers’ Union, Vikramdev Singh, said the decision had been taken in view of the unnecessary delay caused by the Punjab Government. He said the Punjab Government had sent a detailed project report to the SSA, Government of India regarding revision of their pay scales. “The government had fixed our pay at Rs 29,625 in the proposal. But the SSA raised an objection during the project approval board meeting in New Delhi and asked the Punjab Government to notify its share of 35 per cent for paying the salaries.” The Central Government would pay the remaining 65 per cent. But even after almost two months, the state government had not issued any notification in this regard, the union leader informed. “Even after submitting memorandums to senior functionaries, the government has not yet initiated any action in this regard. Therefore, we have decided to gherao the houses of various ministers in the coming days,” said Vikramdev Singh.
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Industrialists flout labour laws: Activists
Jalandhar, April 30 Some migrant labourers, including Manoj Bhagat of Suriya village in Vaishali district of Bihar, were reportedly getting Rs 3,800 (Rs 468 less than the minimum wages of Rs. 4,268 for unskilled labour) per month as wages from the ill-fated Shital Fibres, which collapsed on April 15, resulting in the death of 23 workers. Talking to The Tribune, Punjab Pravasi Bhalai Board chairman RC Yadav admitted, “Nearly 10 lakh migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal working in nearly 1.61 lakh small scale and nearly 400 large and medium scale industrial units in Punjab are paid much lower and owners of these industries get their signatures done against the amount much higher than the stipulated minimum wage.” About various tactics adopted by industrialists, former president of the Bar Association Labour Court, Jalandhar, Ravi Wadhawan said, “Most of the industrialists keep two salary registers. One for themselves, wherein the actual amount paid to labourers is mentioned, and the second for the authorities on which signatures of the labourers against the amount much higher than the minimum wage are taken.” Further, Pramod Yadav, district president of the Purvanchal Vikas Mahasabha (PVM), said, “At least half of the migrant labourers are not even allowed to mark their attendance in order to keep them away from giving the benefit of Employee’s State Insurance (ESI), Provident Fund (PF) and gratuity.” Corroborating their statements, the Punjab Pravasi Bhalai Board chairman said, “Less than half of the migrant labourers are shown as actual employees by industrialists, while others are not even allowed to mark their presence in the attendance register.” Wadhawan further said, “No minor can work in any factory but several underage children can be seen working in industries in violation of various rules.” Pramod and Wadhawan alleged, “Several officials of the Labour Department are hand in glove with a majority of the industrialists and that’s why violation of labour laws continues.” Rubbishing the charges, Additional Labour Commissioner Harish Nayyar said, “Action is taken under Rule 110 of the Factory Act against the industrialist if it is found during inspection that the number of employees shown in the attendance register is less than those actually working.” To a query, he said, “Officials of the Labour Department ask labourers during inspection (at their own or after getting a complaint) regarding how much salary in actual is paid to him. A worker can also file his claim in this regard before the Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC). If any discrepancy is found, the industry is directed to pay according to the rules.” Additional Director, Factories, Sodhi Mal said, “If a minor child is found working in any industry, action is initiated against the owner under Section 67 of the Factories Act.” However, both Nayyar and Sodhi Mal failed to provide even rough data about the action taken so far against industrialists for flouting labour laws. Narinder Saggoo, president of the Focal Point Extension Association, said, “Migrant labourers are the backbone of the industry and they are paid much more than the minimum wages as the industry is facing shortage of workers.” However, Saggoo admitted, “Nearly 25 per cent of the total migrants are “irregular” (kacha) workers. Some workers come for a few months and do not want to be a regular. Earlier, there was a law where PF was to be deducted after six months of regularsing a worker. But now, it is required to be deducted from the first day of his permanent job. The deduction of PF should be made after six months as it will benefit the migrant labourers.”
Chief Minister felicitates workers Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal today greeted the labour and working class on the occasion of May Day that symbolises the struggle of labour class globally. In a message on the eve of May Day, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister called upon the working and labour class to join hands to usher in an era of overall development, peace and prosperity in the State. The Chief Minister also paid tributes to those who had sacrificed their lives for the struggle to secure genuine service conditions at Chicago in 1886.
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Mahila Congress gears up for civic body polls Jalandhar, April 30 Anita Babbar said her organisation leadership would try to get maximum tickets for its workers in the forthcoming civic body polls even as, it could not do so in the assembly elections. “We are chalking out a strategy to strengthen the organisation at block and booth levels. Our main aim is to boost the morale of workers at grassroots level,” she said. “We will try to secure ticket for women aspirants on the concept of 33 per cent reservation. We will ensure no leader indulges in nepotism this time,” said Malti Thapar. She said the Mahila Congress had also submitted a report to the high command detailing reasons for the party’s debacle in the Punjab Assembly elections. “Inordinate delay in ticket distribution, fielding of candidates by BSP on all seats and overconfidence among the Congress leaders were a few factors responsible for the party’s defeat,” she said.
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Nishan Singh wants sentence suspended
Chandigarh, April 30 Taking up his petition, Justice RK Garg of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation for May 29. Nishan Singh and others were sentenced to five years for offences ranging from “causing miscarriage without the woman's consent” to criminal conspiracy. His petition comes about a month after a trial court held: “The prosecution has been able to prove that accused Dalwinder Kaur Dhesi, Paramjit Singh Raipur and Nishan Singh abducted Harpreet Kaur, who was a major, by deceitful means?.” Dhesi was Bibi’s “trusted friend” and related to Paramjit Singh Raipur, Bibi’s political confidant. The trial court had also held: “A conspiracy was hatched with accused Bibi Jagir Kaur for terminating Harpreet’s pregnancy. However, because the Bibi’s status, political and social, was to be safeguarded at all costs, the latter distanced herself from the process of executing the conspiracy and accused Dalwinder Kaur Dhesi, Paramjit Singh Raipur and Nishan Singh, along with approver Dr Balwinder Singh Sohal, took upon themselves to accomplish the object of conspiracy by keeping Bibi Jagir Kaur informed of developments from time to time”.
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Inter-state gang busted; bikes, cars recovered
Phillaur, April 30 Superintendent of Police (Operations) Rajinder Singh here today said on getting information about the movement of an interstate gang involved in dacoities, snatchings, highway robberies, attempt to murder, lifting of vehicles and smuggling of drugs in the area, police teams comprising CIA and Special Staff wings cornered the gang near Sangowal village in Phillaur Sub-Division. The police managed to nab three members of the gang, including its kingpin Rasal Singh alias Shaloo, a resident of Gadra village under Bilga police station, Lovepreet Singh of Sarih village under PS Nakodar, and Raj Kumar of Karnal district in Haryana, and recovered 10 motorcycles, four cars, two country-made pistols and five live cartridges from their possession. However, three other members of the gang identified as Onkar Singh, a resident of Rawalpindi village in Kapurthala, Jagdish Paul and Mangat Ram, both brothers and residents of Hussainpur under Lambra Police Station, managed to escape. The SP said the gang was involved in more than 28 criminal cases registered at various police stations in Jalandhar, Moga, Kapurthala, Jagraon and Ferozepur. During preliminary interrogation, the accused had confessed that they had looted three cars from Bathinda, Ludhiana and Phagwara each whereas the fourth Tata Safari belonged to them.
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A steep rise in the demand for combine harvesters, high diesel cost and a sharp hike in labour prices have led to an increase in the hiring cost of combine harvesters across Punjab.
Chief Minister Parksh Singh Badal today called upon the intellectuals, writers and experts working in universities of the state to come forward and play a proactive role in ensuring all-round development of the state.
Nawanshahr, April 30
The recent Jalandhar blanket factory building collapse incident has reportedly exposed that most of the industrialists are using various tactics allegedly in connivance with officials of the Labour Department to exploit workers in violation of various labour laws.
Kirti Kisan Union leader Datar Singh said the land for the seed farm was acquired from the farmers at the rate of Rs 40,000 per acre around two decades back. “However, it was never used for the purpose for which it was acquired. The mill had given this land on lease to the farmers for sowing wheat,” he said. He drew a parallel with Bhatta Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that the seed farm land too should be restored to the farmers, as it was never used for the purpose it had been acquired for. 
Chandigarh: Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh has demanded Rs 500 bonus on wheat from the Union Government. He said farmers of the state were incurring losses due to bad weather. He claimed that since 1967, prices of foodgrain had gone up by a meagre 16 per cent while those of farm inputs had increased by up to 100 to 250 per cent.
Chandigarh, April 30
