The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Akali-BJP ties under strain
Chandigarh, June 13
The SAD-BJP alliance is under strain. The underlying tension between the two parties has reached a point that could have serious ramifications for both. Adopting a tough position on the issue of power-sharing, the BJP has decided not to take “humiliation” at the hands of the SAD lying down.

New approval conditions baffle ayurvedic colleges
New Delhi, June 13
Ayurveda practitioners are normally not heard of delivering babies or performing surgeries. But for a while now, ayurvedic colleges seeking Health Ministry’s approval to admit students to their five-year BAMS courses are being asked to submit evidence of operations done and newborns delivered.

Experts list steps to revive economy
Chandigarh, June 13
Worried at Punjab’s “dismal economic performance” in the past two decades, a group of 22 economists has come out with a policy document listing the steps required to be taken to rejuvenate the state economy. Dr Lakhwinder Singh Gill, Coordinator, Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies, said here today that the Centre should announce a special “investment deficiency package” of Rs 55,000 crore to give a boost to the state’s economy.

RESERVATION FOR JAT SIKHS
Jakhar to ask MLAs, MPs to back move
Chandigarh, June 13
The Punjab Congress today decided to take up the demand for inclusion of Jat Sikhs in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category to the next level with Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar saying the party would ask MLAs and MPs from the state to petition the Home minister and the PM on the issue.

COMMUNITY

Coal Shortage
Firms delay supply pact with thermal plants
Patiala, June 13
With the prevailing coal crisis in the country, signing of fuel supply agreement (FSA) between subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) and developers of the upcoming thermal power plants in Punjab is getting delayed.

Farmers clash with power corp employees
Farmers on a protest dharna in Muktsar. Muktsar, June 13
A dharna by farmers of two villages-Harike Kalan and Kothe Bahadur Singh-in the home district of the CM turned violent after a standoff with Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL). The farmers, demanding uninterrupted power supply to their fields, were staging a dharna in front of the PSPCL office in Sarainaga village.

Farmers on a protest dharna in Muktsar.

Govt to build mini power plants at cow shelters
Jalandhar, June 13
All the 85, 115 stray cows on the streets of Punjab will be shifted to 370 gaushalas (cow shelters) by the state government, The decision has been taken following the alleged slaughter of cows by a unit at Joga village in Mansa recently.

Badal to launch plantation drive on July 1
Chandigarh, June 13
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will launch the “Green Punjab” mission from Hoshiarpur and Fazilka on July 1 to generate awareness among the masses on the need for a clean and pollution-free environment by initiating a massive plantation drive across the state.

Harike land freed of encroachers
Ferozepur, June 13
The Forest Department today freed 40 acres of land inside the world famous Harike bird sanctuary from the illegal occupation of alleged land mafia.

Dasuya bypoll
Code of conduct from Saturday
Chandigarh, June 13
The model code of conduct in wake of the July 11 Dasuya bypoll will come into effect from June 16, the day when the Election Commission would issue a formal notification.

COURTS

Held with live ammo, Punjab cop gets bail
New Delhi, June 13
Punjab police inspector Atul Soni, who was arrested yesterday for carrying 52 live cartridges of different calibers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, was granted bail by a city court, which has directed him to not leave the country and has also seized his passport.

Reinstate conductor, HC tells PEPSU
Chandigarh, June 13
Gurvinder Kumar paid more than a year's peace of mind for every rupee he allegedly pocketed. For more than 20 years, the bus conductor with PEPSU Road Transportation faced court cases on the allegations of "defrauding the corporation to the tune of Rs 30.65 by not issuing tickets to passengers".

CRIME

Four booked for minor’s marriage
Khamano June 13
On the complaint of a minor girl, the Khamano police has registered a case against four persons, including her father. Satpal Singh, investigating officer, said 14-year-old Sukhvir (name changed) of Samrali had complained that her father Malkeet Singh had forcibly married her to Joga Singh of Bilaspur village, who had raped her for some days.

Akali Dal councillor’s son booked
Ludhiana, June 13
Son of the newly elected SAD councillor, Sarabjit Singh Garcha, has been booked in an attempt to murder case for opening fire in the Focal Point area on Sunday evening.

TOP STORIES

Rs 150 crore up in smoke in Amritsar paper mill fire
GS Paul/Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 13
It's been more than 30 hours since fire broke out at the waste paper stockyard of Khanna Paper Mill located on the Fatehgarh Churian bypass road. Another 24 to 48 hours is the estimated time when the flames are expected to be doused fully. The loss is estimated at Rs 150 crore.

Though no casualty has been reported in the incident, 40 houses located behind the mill's boundary wall have been vacated and gas cylinders in their kitchens too have been removed. It all started at 1 pm yesterday when flames were spotted on the rear of the 10-acre open yard, which stocked 70,000 metric tonnes of waste paper and other cardboard material.

Though the mill itself was equipped with an "efficient" fire hydrant system and two heavy duty fire tenders, the equipment proved to be of little help as the blaze engulfed the entire yard within a few hours.

A battery of officials, including Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal and Police Commissioner RP Mittal, were witness to insufficiency on the part of the administration to control the fire of such intensity. Leaving nothing to chance, the administration engaged resources from neighbouring districts.

Such was the intensity of the fire that it could not be controlled even after a 30-hour fire extinguishing operation in which 150 firemen, 600 police officials and 50 fire tenders (39 engaged from Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana and Kapurthala), were pressed into service. The Army was also called in late last evening.

Aggarwal said sporadic windy conditions posed a hindrance in controlling the flames and it would take between 24 and 48 hours to completely douse the fire.

"Though we have put off 60 per cent of the fire, the situation is still tense as the extinguishing operation could only be carried out on the circumference of the site. The high temperature coupled with high speed winds last evening fanned the flames. Moreover, the entire material in itself is highly combustible," he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said their priority was to evacuate the people residing near the mill to avoid any loss to life as it could have caused an asphyxiation-like situation. The second task was to prevent the flames from reaching a 14,000 litre diesel tank located on the factory premises, he said. The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained yet. Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Bhupinder Singh Sandhu said, "At present, we are focusing on putting out the fire fully as the material is highly inflammable. We will subsequently look for the reason."

Nearby residents told to vacate houses

The residents of Baba Deep Singh Colony located near the mill were advised to move to safer places for the next 48 hours. The administration has also made temporary arrangements for their stay in nearby palaces and resorts. The streets next to the mill wore a deserted look.

Swaran Singh, a police official whose house is located adjacent to the boundary wall of the mill, moved to his in-laws house along with his kids. There were some persons who stay put in their houses. There were some who hosted the firemen who have been on job to douse the fire since yesterday.

But, Dhanwant Rai and Shajan Bahadur Singh had reasons to stay back. "We are employees of the mill. Our other family members were not home as they have gone to our ancestral home in Uttar Pradesh. So, we had little risk. Rather, it was our duty to make efforts to save the mill that provided us livelihood," said Rai. The house of Yogeshwar Sharma, a carpenter by profession, was at some distance from the site, so he also chose not to leave. "The officials told me about the arrangements they had made nearby, but I didn't feel like moving. As the entire incident happened during day hours, the fire was put off from the area which was connected to our houses," he said.

Union Home Ministry team visits site

The district administration was in constant touch with the disaster management cell in New Delhi and telephonically discussed measures that needed to be taken.

For gauging the intensity of the situation, a four-member team from the Union Home Ministry's fire-fighting wing arrived at the spot from Delhi today. The team comprised Station Officers Rajinder Kumar and AK Sharma, Divisional Officer Rajesh Pawar and Deputy Chief Fire Officer Santokh Singh. The team joined the firemen in the operation.

Mill owner rules out sabotage

Mill owner Brij Mohan Khanna said 200 tonnes of waste paper material that was to be exported to Pakistan was stocked a few days ago in the yard, which had been completely destroyed. He also ruled out the possibility of any sabotage. Refuting speculations that the mill management intended to shift its base to Surat, Kochhar said, "There is no truth in rumours that we planning to close down our operations here. Even if we open our plant in Gujarat, we will never shut down our operations in Amritsar. We are earning profit and see no reason in stopping operations here."

Paper Loss estimate: 70,000 mt

The losses in the massive fire at the Khanna Paper Mill, the leading paper manufacturer of the country, are being estimated to be around Rs 150 crore, said mill director Suneet Kochhar. He said 70,000 metric tonnes (MT) of waste paper meant for recycling was lying in the yard. "The exact loss can be assessed only after the fire is doused completely as apart from the material, the affected portion of the mill supporting an infrastructure costing between Rs 500 and Rs 600 crore," he said. The mill had for the first time started exported newsprint through the Attari-Wagah land route to Pakistan a month ago.

	Akali-BJP ties under strain Naveen S Garewal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 The SAD-BJP alliance is under strain. The underlying tension between the two parties has reached a point that could have serious ramifications for both. Adopting a tough position on the issue of power-sharing, the BJP has decided not to take “humiliation” at the hands of the SAD lying down. Party insiders indicate the BJP is not willing to give up the post of Amritsar Mayor at any cost. There are indications that the SAD is keen to have its Mayors in three of the four Municipal Corporations. “The BJP is ready to go to any extent, even snap ties with the SAD if we are continued to be bullied”, a senior party leader said. The BJP says the SAD is not sharing power with the BJP on an equal footing. At the same time, it has started a campaign to suggest that the BJP has lost ground in the cities of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala. Refuting the allegations, the BJP says that it has improved its tally in Amritsar, had retained its hold in Jalandhar and is down by only seat in Ludhiana (lost by four votes) and two in Patiala. The BJP says that despite the fact that the SAD used official machinery for its candidates alone, the BJP emerged stronger than the SAD. “If we had the SSPs and DC at our beck and call like the SAD, we would have won all seats”, a senior BJP leader said, alleging the police was hostile to BJP workers. A senior BJP leader has openly protested against the SAD for not helping the party during the civic poll. The party says an army of 200 men had helped Independents capture booths in Amritsar and Patiala. “Why is the Congress accusing the SAD of misuse of official machinery and not pointing a finger at the BJP? This is because the SAD contested the elections as if there was no coalition”. The BJP leader pointed out that in Amritsar, after a fight between BJP candidate Tarun Chug (who won) and an Independent, senior leaders like Dr Baldev Chawla and others were made to wait for hours at the police station and yet no FIR was registered because some SAD leaders were backing the Independent against the BJP nominee. He said BJP workers were beaten up by the police in Malwa during the panchayat elections and Industries Minister Anil Joshi’s car was burnt by miscreants. Such incidents when the BJP was sharing power with the SAD were unacceptable. Besides, the BJP is cut up over the denial of Rs 1100 crore for urban development. During the last tenure of the SAD-BJP government, party incharge of state affairs had taken the resignation letters of all BJP ministers, offering to opt out of the government in case the BJP did not get a fair share in power. Insiders say a similar situation could arise if the SAD did not stop bullying the BJP. The BJP, accusing the SAD of misuse of official machinery, says its odd that the SAD lost the assembly seats in areas where it has won the corporation elections.
	New approval conditions baffle ayurvedic colleges Asked to submit evidence of surgeries done, newborns delivered Aditi Tandon/TNS New Delhi, June 13 Ayurveda practitioners are normally not heard of delivering babies or performing surgeries. But for a while now, ayurvedic colleges seeking Health Ministry’s approval to admit students to their five-year BAMS courses are being asked to submit evidence of operations done and newborns delivered. The norm, which many ayurvedic practitioners see as unreasonable, is set to be challenged in court by Dayanand Ayurveda College, Jalandhar, one of the oldest ayurveda institutes in India. Under notice for disapproval from the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), the regulatory authority for institutes offering alternative medicine courses, Dayanand Ayurvedic College has petitioned the PM and the Health Minister for a CBI probe into the alleged scam in the council. College Principal Dr Raj Kumar alleges that the CCIM corruption was of the same scale as uncovered in the MCI under former president Ketan Desai. He has now convened a “Forum against Malpractice and Corruption in the Council and Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Health Ministry”. The forum members have also planned protests in the national capital against the norms, which, they claim, are unachievable. “Our system does not train us in modern surgery. Even our best ayurvedic professors are not trained to conduct complicated surgeries,” Dr Kumar said. Importantly, most state governments have, by law, barred ayurvedic experts from teaching or practising allopathic procedures. The CCIM is asking them to do what laws prohibit. “No surgery can be performed without the use of antibiotics, anesthesia and surgical procedures, which are all allopathic. The council has set norms which colleges can’t fulfill. This is a design to create mechanisms to make money,” Dr Kumar alleged. The forum is seeking revision of approval norms so that colleges can fulfill them honestly. Another approval norm is — need for surgical equipment for surgeries like eye and ear. Another norm they are questioning is — 100 indoor patients department for every 50 students inducted. “In these times of minimum bed occupancy, how will ayurvedic colleges meet this norm,” asks the forum. AYUSH former secretary Dr S. Jalaja said old colleges like DAV Ayurvedic, Jalandhar, need to upgrade their facilities to bring them on a par with the best. “They can use allopathic gynecologists for surgeries,” she said. But then the issue is: what if states have banned them from practising allopathy?
	Experts list steps to revive economy Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 Worried at Punjab’s “dismal economic performance” in the past two decades, a group of 22 economists has come out with a policy document listing the steps required to be taken to rejuvenate the state economy. Dr Lakhwinder Singh Gill, Coordinator, Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies, said here today that the Centre should announce a special “investment deficiency package” of Rs 55,000 crore to give a boost to the state’s economy. For five years, an additional Rs 11,000 crore should be invested annually in structural transformation of the agrarian economy to industrialised economy and subsequently to a knowledge economy. Gill said extreme populism by respective ruling parties and inefficient governance had destroyed the state. A debt relief package alone would not solve the problem. Punjab needed a capability building investment revival package. The state economy in the past three decades had been facing a chronic shortage of investment. The investment-state domestic product (SDP) ratio had remained below 20 per cent, which was the lowest among the 14 major states of the country. It was 15 percentage points lower than the all-India average. To match the national average, Punjab needed an additional investment of Rs 10,000 crore per annum at least. “Even the investment in agrarian economy is going down steadily”, said Gill. He said Punjab should raise the tax-SDP ratio to 12 per cent from the existing about 7 per cent and rationalise subsidies, especially in the power sector. The Planning Board should be revamped and the system of transferring resources from the state to institutions, such as Panchayati Raj institutions, should be decentralised. The Department of Excise and Taxation should be merged with the Finance Department and the Economic Advisory Council for the Chief Minister be put in place. The state should have a chief economic adviser to the Finance Ministry. He said farmers should be freed from the commission(arhtiya) system and a relief of Rs 5 and Rs 3 lakh be given, respectively, to the next of kin of farmers and labourers who had committed suicide. A moratorium should be placed on payment of debt by all categories of farmers and labourers to private money-lenders. Subsidies and concessions should be given to entrepreneurs willing to set up agro-processing and manufacturing units in rural areas and crop diversification be given a push. Health and education, the pillars of human capital, should be restructured and funding for the education sector be increased to 6 per cent. A state education regulatory commission should be set up and public health expenditure raised. Gill said the Centre should give a fillip to Punjab’s economy. Must do to improve state's fiscal health Centre should announce a special "investment deficiency package" of Rs 55,000 crore Punjab should raise the tax-SDP ratio to 12 per cent from the existing 7 per cent It should rationalise subsidies, especially in power sector The Planning Board should be revamped and the system of transferring resources from the state to institutions, such as Panchayati Raj institutions, decentralised Farmers should be freed from commission (arhtiya) system A moratorium should be placed on payment of debt by all categories of farmers and labourers to private money-lenders Subsidies should be given to entrepreneurs willing to set up agro-processing/manufacturing units in rural Crop diversification should ne be given a push Funding for the education sector should be increased to 6%
	RESERVATION FOR JAT SIKHS Jakhar to ask MLAs, MPs to back move Jangveer Singh/TNS Chandigarh, June 13 The Punjab Congress today decided to take up the demand for inclusion of Jat Sikhs in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category to the next level with Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar saying the party would ask MLAs and MPs from the state to petition the Home minister and the PM on the issue. While the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is yet to form an opinion on the issue, the state Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the CPI are not too enthusiastic about the proposal in its present form. Jakhar said he had decided to take up the issue of reservation for Jat Sikhs as he felt that the Sikhs should not be excluded from this benefit only because nobody was taking up their case. The Congress leader said Chidambaram had assured a delegation of Congress leaders that the Jat Sikhs would be brought under the ambit of the OBC reservation list in case the National Commission for Backward Castes (NCBC) recommended so. The Congress initiative on the issue will force the SAD to take a stand. The latter has been lukewarm to the demand despite an agitation on the issue in Rajasthan and Haryana. Party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, when asked, said casteism was hardly practiced in Punjab, indicating the party may not be in favour of reservation for the Jat Sikhs in the State. He, however, said the party would discuss the issue before taking a decision. Dr Joginder Dayal of the CPI said the demand needed to be thoroughly discussed as it was against the concept of a secular body polity. He said reservation benefits had not percolated down to the needy in the past. State BSP president Avtar Singh Karimpuri said party chief Mayawati had earlier written to the PM in favour of reservation for the Jats in her state. He said the party would not form part of any deputation led by the Congress on the issue. Karimpuri said the OBC quota should be increased to accommodate the ‘jat bhaichara’. He said the OBC, who formed 52 per cent of the country’s population, had only 27 per cent reservation in educational institutions and recruitment. In such a situation, even if the Jat Sikhs in Punjab were placed on the OBC list, they might not get any benefit in the real terms. New Delhi: Former president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Varinder Kataria said: “I do not think the Jats in Punjab or Haryana need the crutches of reservation. They are prosperous and have done well without such a policy ”. A BJP leader from Punjab said: “ I do not think the Jat Sikhs will accept the OBC status”. He recalled how another prosperous community was included in Punjab’s OBC list and there was an adverse reaction to the move by its community leaders. — TNS

	Coal Shortage Firms delay supply pact with thermal plants Umesh Dewan/TNS Patiala, June 13 With the prevailing coal crisis in the country, signing of fuel supply agreement (FSA) between subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) and developers of the upcoming thermal power plants in Punjab is getting delayed. Officials of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) said the CIL wanted some amendments pertaining to the quantum of domestic coal supply and tenure for assured fuel linkage before signing the pact. Sources said instead of a 25-year tenure for assured fuel linkage, the CIL wanted a shorter tenure. The quantum of domestic coal supply was another major issue. "Earlier, CIL was to provide about 80 per cent of the domestic coal, but now the supplier wants the figure to be revised to 50 per cent," the sources said. There are three upcoming thermal plants in the state. These are Rajpura Thermal Plant (1,400 MW), Gobindpura Thermal Plant (1,320 MW) and Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant (1,980 MW). "If the developer is supplied imported coal, its cost will be higher which is bound to increase the cost of power generation. Subsequently, power tariff will go up. The issue of reducing the timeframe for assured fuel linkage is a matter of concern for the developers," said senior PSPCL officers. While Rajpura plant has assured fuel linkage of 5.50 million tonnes annually by South Eastern Coal Field Limited and Talwandi Sabo plant has it for 7.72 MT annually by Mahanadi Coal fields, Gobindpura plant is yet to get the same. GS Chhabra, Director (Generation), PSPCL, confirmed that the FSA were pending on account of certain issues, including the supply of imported coal. He said there were reports that discussions were on between the developers and CIL.
	Farmers clash with power corp employees Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Muktsar, June 13 A dharna by farmers of two villages-Harike Kalan and Kothe Bahadur Singh-in the home district of the CM turned violent after a standoff with Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL). The farmers, demanding uninterrupted power supply to their fields, were staging a dharna in front of the PSPCL office in Sarainaga village. After a bitter exchange of words with a PSPCL Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), some farmers attacked his car as he tried to flee. Irked by the incident, PSPCL employees in Muktsar and Sarainaga sat on a protest dharna on the Kotkapura-Muktsar road, demanding action against the farmers. This led to a traffic congestion and bowing to pressure, the Muktsar police today registered a criminal case under Sections 353, 341, 427, 148, 49, IPC, against 25 farmers. At this, the farmers blocked the Kotkapura-Muktsar road, demanding that the FIR be cancelled. In this tug-of-war, while Muktsar MLA and Congress leader Karan Brar and her son Karanbir joined hand with the farmers, Jaspal Singh, son of former Akali MLA Sukhdarshan Singh Mrar and Hira Singh Chhidvan, Chairman, Muktsar Block Samiti, announced their support for the PSPCL employees. Muktsar DC Paramjit Singh said the administration was trying to prevail upon the farmers and the PSPCL employees to end the impasse.
	Govt to build mini power plants at cow shelters Varinder Singh Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 13 All the 85, 115 stray cows on the streets of Punjab will be shifted to 370 gaushalas (cow shelters) by the state government, The decision has been taken following the alleged slaughter of cows by a unit at Joga village in Mansa recently. These mini power plants will be set up with the help of the Centre. The government has decided to supply free power and water to the gaushalas. No VAT would be charged on the goods supplied to these cow shelters. These decisions were taken at a meeting between Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and representatives of the Gau Sewa board, Punjab, and office-bearers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Punjab Gau Sewa Board chairman Kimti Bhagat said there were 85,115 stray cows in the state. All would be shifted to cow shelters in a phased manner. “More than 350 cases of cow slaughter and smuggling have been registered in the state during the past three years. Investigations in all such cases will be conducted by a senior police of the rank of Director General of Police. A drive is in the offing to remove encroachments on land meant for cow shelters”, Bhagat said.
	Badal to launch plantation drive on July 1 Chandigarh, June 13 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will launch the “Green Punjab” mission from Hoshiarpur and Fazilka on July 1 to generate awareness among the masses on the need for a clean and pollution-free environment by initiating a massive plantation drive across the state. The Chief Minister took this decision at a meeting with senior officers of the Forests and Wildlife Department here. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said the mission had become all the more important with the constant rise in the level of air pollution, caused by heavy traffic and industrial influx, besides the alarming proportion of water pollution. Soil pollution due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, coupled with waterlogging and rise of salinity in Punjab had further aggravated the problem. The CM asked the Forests and Wildlife Department to launch a plantation drive across the state to increase the green cover from the existing 7 per cent to 15 per cent over a period of 15 years on all available institutional land, panchayat land, mandis, jails, paramilitary areas, hospitals, educational institutions and cremation grounds. — TNS
	Harike land freed of encroachers Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, June 13 The Forest Department today freed 40 acres of land inside the world famous Harike bird sanctuary from the illegal occupation of alleged land mafia. District Forest Officer Sanjeen Tiwari along with his team demolished the illegal structures that had come up on forestland. Tiwari said the land was under illegal possession for the last 20 years. “Whenever forest officials tried to take action in the past, these people would get the drive shelved through their political connections,” he said. Three persons, including Baljinder Singh Sandhu and Jaspal Singh of Talwandi Nepalan village and Surinder Singh, had allegedly encroached upon the land, which was got freed today, Tiwari said. He claimed that thousands of acres inside the sanctuary was still under illegal occupation, regarding which several cases were going on in various courts. The sanctuary is spread on 84 square kilometres.
	Dasuya bypoll Code of conduct from Saturday Naveen S Garewal/TNS Chandigarh, June 13 The model code of conduct in wake of the July 11 Dasuya bypoll will come into effect from June 16, the day when the Election Commission would issue a formal notification. The byelections have been necessitated following the death of Chief Parliamentary Secretary and BJP MLA Amarjit Singh Sahi, who suffered a heart attack. Sources said the last date of filing nominations would be June 23 while scrutiny would take place on June 25. The deadline for withdrawals would be June 27. The result would be declared on July 14. The BJP is likely to give the party ticket to a member of the Sahi family. Though Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal attended the ‘bhog’ ceremony of Sahi at Dasuya yesterday, no formal announcement about the candidate was made.

Held with live ammo, Punjab cop gets bail
Shaurya Karanbir Gurung
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 13
Punjab police inspector Atul Soni, who was arrested yesterday for carrying 52 live cartridges of different calibers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, was granted bail by a city court, which has directed him to not leave the country and has also seized his passport.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Irshad Haider said: "We are probing his intention behind carrying the cartridges. We will also probe if he has any criminal record. He did not have any authorisation for carrying the ammunition."

Commandant Hemendra Singh, a CISF spokesperson, said inspector with his wife and son was going to board a Philippines Airlines flight to Manila. They reached terminal-3 for a security check. During screening of his hand baggage, the image of ammunition in large quantity was detected.

CISF officials upon physically checking the bag seized 46 live 9mm rounds, three live 7.65 mm rounds, three live .32 mm rounds, four empty 8mm cartridges and one magazine of a 9mm pistol.

Soni was arrested and a case under section 25 of the Arms Act was registered against him.

Soni, who is posted at Mohali, told the CISF personnel that his wife had accidentally placed the ammunition in his hand baggage. "He was merely making excuses," Irshad Haider said, adding that a police officer was authorised to only carry cartridges of a single bore and that too while he was on duty. "The 9mm cartridges are only used by the security agencies such as the police and the Army," he added.

Reinstate conductor, HC tells PEPSU
Saurabh Malik/TNS

Chandigarh, June 13
Gurvinder Kumar paid more than a year's peace of mind for every rupee he allegedly pocketed. For more than 20 years, the bus conductor with PEPSU Road Transportation faced court cases on the allegations of "defrauding the corporation to the tune of Rs 30.65 by not issuing tickets to passengers".

Finally, Justice Ranjit Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the orders of his reinstatement by dismissing a petition filed by the corporation way back in 1992. Gurvinder Kumar was dismissed from service for “not issuing” tickets to passengers to the tune of Rs 30.65.

He had claimed he could not issue tickets as about 100 passengers were travelling in the bus. His explanation was accepted by the inquiry officer and Kumar was exonerated.

Disagreeing with the finding, the "competent authority" terminated his services. But, the Patiala Labour Court, on the basis of evidence and material before it, set aside the termination order. Challenging the order, the corporation contended that the workman was given adequate opportunity to defend himself by serving a show-cause notice.