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Operation Bluestar Memorial
Capt: Probe tampering of EVMs
Ministers visit Mansa village
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Major fire at Amritsar paper mill
Cash and crop for Bihar migrants
Northern Grid overloaded
Monsoon may be delayed by a week
Tenure of revenue officials fixed
Win gold in Olympics, get
Rs 2 cr: Sukhbir
Railway police solves two murder cases
Punjab chalks out plan for debt-ridden farmers
Red beacons sought for civil surgeons
Patiala colleges get additional funds
EcoSikh to launch ‘Green Amritsar’ drive
HC says HoD’s post not a promotion post
Govt told to suspend Zira SHO
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Operation Bluestar Memorial
New Delhi, June 11 Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Sunil Jakhar, in a strongly worded letter, said: “The recent turn of events are a pointer to destabilisation of the hard-earned peace and harmony in Punjab... On June 6, the killer of assassinated Chief Minister Beant Singh was declared a living martyr.These events can damage the psyche of the state forever.” Jakhar’s accused the SAD president and Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal of justifying the events. “This has not only given a severe blow to the psyche of peace-loving Hindu and Sikhs, but has also instilled a sense of fear among them” Jakhar said as he came out of the Home Minister’s office. “The tacit support of the government to such events is being seen as the return of days of militancy and support to disruptive elements in Punjab”, Jakhar told the Home Minister. Notably, Chidambaram was Minister of State of Internal Security in the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet in the 1988 when Operation Blackthunder was conducted successfully. Further, Jakhar said that on June 7 and June 10, Punjab saw a breakdown of law and order during the civic elections as the State Election Commission remained a mute spectator to the “blatant and brute force” unleashed by Akali workers along with the state police to “hijack” the elections. The PPCC chief’s convoy was attacked, MLAs and MPs assaulted and voters scared away, Jakhar said. “These events have shaken the faith of the public in the Punjab Government and its administrative apparatus”, he added.
Chandigarh: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Capt Amarinder Singh today sought a probe into reports of alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Amritsar.
Referring to reports of EVM tampering in Amritsar allegedly by hackers hired by the Akalis, the PPCC chief said the Congress in Punjab had consistently maintained that EVMs were not foolproof and that these could be manipulated. He said the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner had reportedly raised the matter with the State Election Commission for ordering re-polling in some wards where youth were allegedly spotted using wireless technology like wifi and bluetooth to tamper with the EVMs to alter results.
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Ministers visit Mansa village
Joga (Mansa), June 12 In 2009, Inderjeet Singh sold the land to local residents Narinder Singh, Mewa Singh and Ajaib Singh. After the transfer of ownership, the owners sought the approval of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to operate the unit. Village sarpanch Binder Kaur’s husband Ravinder Singh said: “Bone grinding is not a lucrative business in Punjab.. Soon after the new owners took over, villagers noticed a lot of activity after dusk. We always suspected something was wrong.” Sukhwinder Dass was the first to raise an alarm. “I would often hear the cries of animals. On June 10, I heard the cries again. I pedalled all the way to the village and woke up the sarpanch and others even though I was chased by goons who tried to hit me.” Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon and Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka visited the village today. They said the demand for cattle pounds would be taken up at the Cabinet meeting on June 18. “The government will hold a probe into the working of other bone crushing units in the state. The factory in Joga village will not be allowed to re-open,” Maluka said.
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Major fire at Amritsar paper mill Amritsar, June 12
Even as fire officials stated that the fire is under control, but the intensity of the fire was so much that it could not be doused fully till the filing of this report. In a damage control exercise, the occupants of 30 to 40 houses located adjoining the site were vacated to avoid any loss of life. Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Bhupinder Singh Sandhu said though the flames were under control, yet it would take some more hours to douse them fully. “The exact cause of fire cannot be ascertained till yet. It will take us some more time to douse it fully because the material was highly flammable. We are facing difficulty because the fire gets intensified due to wind and the bad light again cause hindrance for us,” he said. The whole battery of administrative officials, including Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal, were witness to the fact that the local fire extinguishing machinery proved to be incompetent in controlling the fire of this intensity. Sensing the gravity of the situation, heavy-duty fire hydrant tenders from the Airport Authority of India and fire-control machinery from Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana and Kapurthala were summoned. The mill, itself, has been equipped with a very efficient fire hydrant system, which, too, ran out of water and the mill workers had to refill the storage tanks repeatedly to meet the requirement of water, but the blaze swept through the storage yard very quickly. Even as the exact cause of fire and quantum of loss could not be ascertained, yet mill staff members said the flames were spotted at about 1.45 pm by them when they were on lunch break. “But before we could raise an alarm or take any action, it had engulfed the mounds of raw material lying adjacent to each other,” they said. The mill’s fire control system was made operational instantly and their two fire tenders were also pressed into service.
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Alliance ready for Dasuya poll: Badal
Jalandhar, June 12 Talking to mediapersons at Dasuya in Hoshiarpur after attending the bhog of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Amarjeet Singh Sahi, Badal refused to comment on “arm-twisting” by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee for getting a debt relief package for her state. On the nomination for the Dasuya assembly seat following Sahi’s death, the CM said the matter would be decided by the state BJP. Others who paid tributes to Sahi were ministers Bikram Singh Majithia, Chunni Lal Bhagat, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Anil Joshi and Madan Mohan Mittal, BJP general secretary of JP Nadda, state BJP president Ashwani Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries KD Bhandari, Pawan Tinu, Som Parkash, Chaudhary Nand Lal, Mohinder Kaur Josh and Desh Raj Dhugga, MLAs Gurbachan Singh Babbehali, Gurtej Singh Balluana and Gurpratap Singh Wadala, and Rajya Sabha MP Ashwani Khanna.
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Amidst labour shortage during the paddy sowing season in Punjab, it’s the migrant labourers from Bihar who have been making a fast buck. A month of labour saves a migrant around Rs 10,000, as the cost of food and lodging is borne by farmers. For earning the same amount back home, a person has to toil for at least four months. Such is the lure for quick money that at times even Class XI or Class XII students, who have summer holidays in their schools when the sowing season begins, comprise the labourers visiting Punjab, finds Tribune Correspondent Megha Mann
Bhola Ram has travelled 1,600 kms from Purnia district in Bihar to the backwaters of Punjab in Bathinda to earn an amount he annually invests to take of the future expenses he would be incurring on getting his niece married. Expecting to transplant paddy saplings on five to six acres of land this sowing season (that usually lasts 25 to 30 days), Bhola would earn a little above Rs 10,000. But what’s significant is that the entire amount would be his saving as food and lodging is being taken care of by the farmer who has hired him. There are thousands of labourers like Bhola who each year make a beeline to Punjab during the paddy sowing season to earn a sum that would not have come that easy in Bihar. In Bathinda, most migrants from Purnia Most of the labourers who have come to Bathinda district for the sowing season are from Purnia — categorised as one of the most backward districts of the state by the Bihar Ministry of Panchayati Raj. “We have been coming to Bathinda for transplanting paddy saplings from nurseries on to fields for the last seven years. We carry our identity proofs with us as farmers nowadays prefer hiring those who possess ID cards,” says Bhola, who heads one of the batches of farmers who have come to Bathinda from Purnia. Labourers travel in batches, at times comprising 90 members, and head towards respective villages after alighting at various railway stations. In Punjab, 85 per cent of the paddy sowing is done by migrants who come to the state in the second week of June — June 10 was the date set by the state government this year for starting paddy transplantation. The remaining 15 per cent is sown by the local labour. Around 60 per cent of the migrants are from Bihar while the rest come from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Money now deposited in bank accounts The Punjab State Farmers’ Commission (PFSC) says the state requires at least 7.5 to 8 lakh labourers for the paddy season. While 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh migrants stay in Punjab all through the year, the remaining demand is met by labourers visiting the state only for the paddy season. “Bihar now has ‘Ram Raj’ (good governance). Earlier, we were not even sure whether the money we have earned in Punjab will reach home as there used to be incidents of looting. But, things have changed now. Farmers in Punjab now directly deposit money in our bank accounts,” says Dilip Kumar from Rupauli in Purnia. More people from Dilip’s village would be visiting Punjab in the coming days. Labourers being given free ration, lodging “Four to five persons are required to sow paddy on an acre of land. A farmer spends at least Rs 50 a day on each labourer, which excludes free ration that we give them,” says Jagtar Singh Brar, a farmer. With lesser availability of labourers nowadays, farmers are leaving no stone unturned to woo migrants. They can be seen cajoling labourers at different railway stations by promising them the best of facilities. “The transplantation of paddy saplings from nursery to fields is yet to pick up in our area. We are banking on the labourers who come to us every year,” says Amardeep Singh from Karar Singh Wala village in Rampura tehsil. Fixing labour charges proving a tricky issue In Goniana where sowing is in full swing, farmers have hired a batch of labourers but the labour rates are yet to be decided. “We fear that if the labourers feel the rates are less, they may leave sowing midway and move to other places. We will pay them around Rs 1,800 to Rs 1,900 per acre apart from free food and lodging facilities,” says Jagtar Singh Brar. Last year, the labour rate was Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,600 per acre. Last year, the Goniana area witnessed students of Class XI and Class XII from Bihar also coming for paddy plantation. “In a bid to make a quick buck, youngsters from Bihar villages come to Punjab during the paddy season, which coincides with summer holidays in their schools. But this year, we are yet to see any such student coming,” says Jas Singh from Goniana Mandi. No labour pangs likely this sowing season Economist PS Rangi, who is a farm policy adviser to the Punjab State Farmers Commission, says the state would not face any labour shortage during this season. Around 27 to 28 lakh hectares of land is under paddy cultivation in Punjab, 36 per cent of which includes basmati rice. “While coarse varieties are sown in June, basmati is sown in the first week of July. This provides our farmers enough time to arrange for labourers simultaneously. In most of the cases, the same set of labourers is used to transplant both coarse and basmati rice,” he says.
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Northern Grid overloaded
Patiala, June 12 Last year, Punjab had got 45 lakh units from Nathpa-Jhakri, which has now dipped to 20 lakh units. Likewise, from the Dehar power station, Punjab is getting 40 lakh units of power daily compared to 60 lakh units received by the state last year.
Because of the fall in hydro-power generation, the load on the Northern Grid has gone up with the grid frequency fluctuating between 49.2 and 49.8. Sources say this has resulted in power cuts in some districts.
Also, the power corporation is unable to provide the promised 8-hour supply to farmers in some areas. The corporation authorities say that with snow in the higher reaches yet to melt, there is less water in the dams as compared to last year. This has subsequently hit hydro-power generation. However, PSPCL Director, Distribution, Arun Verma, says there is nothing to panic and that the corporation has made arrangements to ensure uninterrupted power to all categories of consumers. The frequency of the Northern Grid, which includes Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, J&K, UP, Rajasthan and Delhi, is at present less than 50. Officials say it is important that all states ensure that the load is reduced. Some of the districts that are facing power cuts are Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Bathinda. In several districts, farmers are getting a mere six-hour power supply instead of eight hours as assured by the authorities before the start of the paddy season. But Verma says there are no cuts and there may be power failure because of overloading. Nod to gas plant Chandigarh: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday gave his approval to a gas-based 1000 MW power plant in collaboration with the Gas Authority of India (GAIL) at Ropar. Initially, a unit of 330 MW would be set up and subsequently two more units would be added, depending on the success of the first one. The project is seen as financially viable with 150 acres of land already available for it in the vicinity of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant at Ropar and an assured gas supply from the Dadri-Nangal pipeline. The CMD, GAIL, told the Chief Minister that the 3500 MW shortage in the state could be catered to by the project by 2014-15.
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Monsoon may be delayed by a week
Ludhiana, June 12 Punjab Agricultural University assistant agrometrologist Dr KK Gill said, "The reason for the delay due to the delayed onset of the monsoon in Kerala. Usually, the monsoon reaches Punjab a month after it reaches Kerala. So it is expected to hit the state in the second week of July." The state will witness late arrival of the monsoon after a span of seven years. Dr Gill said it was in 2004 when the monsoon hit the state near July 15. The 2002 and 2004 were the drought-hit years in the state. In 2002, monsoon was on time but rainfall was below average. However, in 2004 monsoon was late as well as below average. “In the past 11 years (2000 to 2011), the state witnessed above normal rainfall for six years. This year, it is expected to be below average, likely to 35 per cent,” Dr Gill said. In the coming days, temperature is expected to rise to 44 degrees Celcius. Last week, the mercury dropped a few degrees due to dust storms and little rainfall in the state. Today, it was 41.6 degrees Celcious in Ludhiana. Dr Gill said, “The temperature will gradually increase in the coming days as usually June remains the hottest month.”
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Tenure of revenue officials fixed
Chandigarh June 12
The Minister also said during the entire service, a patwari and a kanoogo could be posted in city areas only for six years that too for two years at a stretch having an essential gap of three years. He said to reduce the disputes regarding limits of Patwar and Kanoogo circle, it has been decided that while fixing the municipal limits if minute portion of any village land falls in the jurisdiction of municipal limits then the whole Patwar and Kanoogo circle would be counted under the city areas. Adding further he said strict departmental action would be initiated against the employees with tainted service record and he would not be given any important posting in the city areas. Majithia also said employees who had qualified the departmental examinations would be posted as registry clerks for a year. Clarifying further, he said if any employee could not be found eligible for the post of registry clerk then the posted employee would have to qualify the required departmental exam within six months of his posting. The employee posted as registry clerk would not be posted again on the same post before a minimum gap of three years, said Majithia. The readers appointed with revenue officers and arms' license clerks would also be included in the newly issued guidelines, he added. To ensure proper implementation of these guidelines in both letter and spirit, all the Divisional Commissioners, Director, Land Record, and all Deputy Commissioners have been asked to send a detailed report to Financial Commissioner, Revenue, in this regard.
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Win gold in Olympics, get
Rs 2 cr: Sukhbir
Chandigarh, June 12 Punjabi players namely Gurvinder Singh Chandi (Jalandhar), Dharmvir Singh (Ropar), Gurbaz Singh (Zira) and Manjeet Singh (Jalandhar) have been included in the Indian squad while Sarwanjit Singh (Batala) has been kept standby. Sukhbir, who is Sports Minister and president of the Hockey Punjab, today said, “Punjabis have a great passion for hockey and always played a significant role in the Indian hockey team’s achievements at the international level.” He said India had won eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals in Olympics and one could never forget the deciding role played by Punjabi players. Punjab has the maximum five players in the Indian squad for London Olympics than any other state, he said, adding that in the last Olympics, India got the first individual gold medal and too was won by ace Punjabi shooter Abhinav Bindra. The Deputy Chief Minister said the state government was committed to promote sports in the state at bigger canvas. He said the SAD-BJP government had set up 14 world-class stadiums with six hockey astroturfs, including two blue and pink astroturfs being used in the London Olympics.
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Railway police solves two murder cases
Patiala, June 13 About the contraband recovered in the past one-month, ADGP (GRP) RP Meena said the GRP had recovered 6.5-kg opium, 20-kg charas, 2.5-kg ganja, 206.1-kg poppy husk, 10-gm smack, 25-gm narcotic powder, 400 capsules and 280 bottles of illicit liquor. “We have also solved two blind murder cases registered in Patiala and Ludhiana,” Meena added. During search on a platform in Ludhiana, two suspicious looking persons were arrested and on interrogation, it was revealed that they had committed a robbery and murder of a woman in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. “After committing the heinous crime, they left for Ludhiana by train,” Meena added.
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Punjab chalks out plan for debt-ridden farmers
Chandigarh, June 12 These training centres would subsequently be set up in remaining districts of the state. Similarly, in order to bring back the White Revolution, the Punjab Government has decided to sensitise the milk producers about new techniques in milk production through milk production camps. Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development, disclosed this here today. He said the Punjab Government had decided to subsidise marginal and small farmers to set up units for the production of milk products, purchase of milch cattle and for rearing calves. Ranike said 25 per cent subsidy would be given to general category and 33.33 per cent subsidy to the farmers belonging to SC categories. He said in the previous year, Rs.9 crore was disbursed under this scheme, whereas the subsidy in the current year has been increased to Rs 20 crore. Punjab was among the 14 states chosen for National Dairy Plan Programme by the Government of India. He said under the programme, efforts would be initiated for improving the cattle breed, striking feed balancing and increasing milk-processing capacity.
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Red beacons sought for civil surgeons
Phagwara, June 12 Talking to mediapersons here today, PCMS Association president Hardip Singh and PCMS Welfare Association president Sardul Singh said, “The requirement is not for the status symbol, but it is the need of the hour as these officers have to rush to mishap sites immediately and vehicles without red or blue beacons are not allowed by the police at accident sites. Press secretary of the association Dr Ajay Bagga said resentment was prevailing among the employees of the Health and Family Welfare Department over non-inclusion of civil surgeons and senior medical officers in the list of dignitaries issued by the government for entitlement of red and blue beacons on their official vehicles being used them while discharging their duties.— OC
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Patiala colleges get additional funds
Patiala, June 12 Under a scheme, the UGC has been sanctioning grants to many colleges in Punjab. In Patiala, Government College of Education recently got a grant of Rs 25 lakh, whereas Government Bikram College of Commerce and MM Modi College were given the money a couple of days ago. Government College principal Dr Neelamjit said they had sent a proposal to purchase computers and other necessary material, which had been sanctioned. Similarly, Government Bikram College of Commerce has received a grant of Rs 24 lakh, which is mainly being utilised for developing infrastructure in the college. College principal Dr Satinder Kaur said they had started construction of smart rooms with Rs 22 lakh and the remaining grant would be spent on computer systems and LCDs. MM Modi College principal Dr Satish Kumar Bhardwaj said their college had received the ‘Potential of Excellence Award’ and the UGC had sanctioned grant of Rs 1 crore to the college and they had already received Rs 50 lakh. The sanctioned money had already been utilised on various departments and talks for the remaining Rs 50 lakh were on. “The college was given Rs 25 lakh for purchasing equipments and another Rs 25 lakh has been sanctioned recently for purchasing instruments. We have also received Rs 34 lakh under the 11th Plan for developing infrastructure, which would be completed soon,” added Dr Bhardwaj. In the same way, Mohindra College had received a grant of Rs 25 lakh. College principal Dr Roopa Saini said out of the total grant, Rs 4 lakh was given to the English Department and the remaining grant was being utilised for development work.
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HC says HoD’s post not a promotion post
Chandigarh, June 12 In his petition against the HAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Yadav of the Agronomy Department had challenged an order issued on December 5, 2011, transferring him to Uchani in Karnal. He had argued that the transfer order was not on grounds of administrative exigency, but due to bias against him and to accommodate R.K. Pannu. The petitioner had claimed that Pannu was a close relative of the Vice-Chancellor. The petitioner had claimed that he was promoted as Class I officer in the Department of Agronomy in February 1995 and further promoted as a professor in February 2003. Pannu, on the other hand, joined the Department of Agronomy as a junior scientist in July 1983 and was promoted as professor in the department in July 2004. He had elaborated that Pannu, though junior to him, was posted as the head of the department. After hearing the rival contentions, Justice Kannan asserted the transfer could be challenged only if the rules did not permit the same, or the transfer itself was a punishment. A transfer involves uprooting a person from a place and it may not be comfortable in all situations. But, transfer was a necessary incident of service and the petitioner could not challenge the same unless, he had right to a particular post, which was denied. Or else, it was ordered due to mala fide reasons. “The post of head of the department itself is not a promotion post. It is only a manner of officiating for administrative purposes…. The petitioner cannot, therefore, complain that any of his legal rights is infringed. The challenge to the impugned order cannot, therefore, be sustained,” Justice Kannan ruled while dismissing the writ petition.
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Govt told to suspend Zira SHO
Chandigarh, June 12 Taking suo motu cognizance, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed placing under suspension the services of the Zira police station SHO Sarabjeet Singh and ASI Kulwant Singh. The directions by the vacation bench headed by Justice LN Mittal came soon after the High Court took suo motu notice of an attack on Gurcharan Singh in Zira Court Complex on April 24. The Zira Bar Association had forwarded a representation to the Administrative Judge of Ferozepur Sessions Division, Justice Surya Kant, who ordered an inquiry into the incident by Ferozepur Chief Judicial Magistrate
(CJM). Taking note of the CJM's report, the vacation bench also directed the State of Punjab to initiate disciplinary action against all the police officials indicted in the CJM's report. The CJM's report stated: "It is clear that SHO Sarabjeet Singh, police station
Zira, Balwinder Singh Bhikhi, DSP, Zira, HC Resham Singh, HC Sukhdev Singh, ASI Kulwant Singh and ASI Davinder Kumar are found involved and/or have damaged/ destroyed the evidence or attempt to hush up the matter with some vested interest." The report also indicated that "the police is all out to help the accused on account of some vested interests or otherwise." The CJM's report added the Zira police further victimised Gurcharan Singh by portraying him as insane person and also by registering FIR against him.
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Chandigarh, June 12 
The Punjab Government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to bail out debt-ridden farmers by promoting subsidiary occupations. Under such initiative, Rs 3 crore would be spent on setting up of state-of-the-art Dairy Training Centre at Rauni village in Patiala district.
Amarinder has also written to the Chief Election Commissioner seeking a detailed investigation into the working of EVMs and how these could be made foolproof as a few countries had already reverted to ballot papers.
Majithia said patwaris and kanoogos would be posted for two years within the limits of municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Besides this all those employees who have completed their two years of posting at the existing place would be immediately transferred as per the transfer norms fixed.