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Budget session
Cong forces House to be adjourned
Congress MLAs hold protest outside the Punjab Assembly. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan |
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3 countries come together to check immigration
fraud
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Nursing students at an anti-drug awareness rally in Patiala: and (below) policemen at the rally. Tribune photos: Rajesh Sachar
Inspiring addicts to quit drugs
Data bank to nail peddlers soon, says Moga police
Mukerian MLA announces support for Congress
Cong wants memorial outside Darbar Sahib
GND varsity makes Punjabi mandatory
ALL SMILES: Dalbir Kaur (middle, at the top) with Sarabjit Singh’s daughter Swapandeep Kaur, son-in-law Sanjay (top left) and Rajat celebrate in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Despite debt, things not that bad: Dhindsa
Central team to visit waterlogged areas on July 1
Scores of dead fish at Kanjli wetland raise stink
Dead fish at the Kanjli wetland in Kapurthala. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
College teachers seek first instalment of arrears
J&K Chief Justice honoured
HC holds SBI at fault
1,990 kg of poppy husk seized
Coach booked for raping schoolgirl
Cow slaughter
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Budget session
Raising the issue during a debate on the Budget, he said the state government had violated the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act by not keeping the fiscal and revenue deficit within the limit fixed for 2011-12. Under the Act, the fiscal deficit should have been 3.5 per cent whereas it was actually 3.88 per cent and the revenue deficit, which should have been 1.8 per cent, was 2.25 per cent. He repeatedly quoted from the Budget documents presented in the House by Dhindsa. At this the Chief Secretary and other officials sitting in the gallery rushed outside to prepare the government defence. The Chief Minister said the Budget had been duly approved by the Cabinet. Defending the figures, Dhindsa said these were only revised figures and the final figures would be available later. But an adamant Jakhar maintained that the state government had breached the law. He said that law should have been suitably amended in case the fiscal and revenue deficit had overshot the prescribed limit. Dhindsa pointed out that even the fiscal deficit in the Union Budget was not within the legal limit. Jakhar insisted that Dhindsa had only presented a statement of accounts. “How can it be called a Budget when the government plans to levy taxes later without mentioning these in the Budget papers. Among other Congress leaders who spoke were Jagmohan Singh Kang, Charanjit Singh Channi, Parminder Singh Pinki, Karan Brar, Ashwani Sekhri, Hardial Singh Kamboj, Charanjit Kaur Bajwa and Balbir Singh Sidhu.
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Cong forces House to be adjourned
Chandigarh, June 26 Kuljit Nagra of the Congress alleged that students were being denied their right to elect representatives to student bodies. Jakhar intervened to say that the House needed to debate the “murder of democracy, especially since Badal takes pride in going to jail during Emergency for protecting democracy.” Some SAD legislators tried to shout him down. At this, Jakhar pointed out that BJP leaders had themselves stated that if DCs and SSPs had worked for the BJP in the way they had done for the SAD, the election results would have been different. At this, Badal got up and said: “Ask me what you want to hear and I will make a statement”. Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal said Congress legislators could raise an issue, but could not force a reply from the treasury benches. But the Congress insisted that the CM must respond to allegations that defeated SAD candidates had been designated “halka incharge” and were implicating Congress workers in false cases. A remark by Bikram Majithia infuriated, the Congress MLAs who started to raise slogans. Laal Singh of the Congress wondered how the SAD that had lost to the assembly elections in places like Patiala had swept the municipal poll in just three months. He pointed out at the role of the police in helping the SAD. Sensing trouble, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon. The Congress MLAs walked out of the House amid sloganeering. They later walked into the gallery of the House and sat there in protest.
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3 countries come together to check immigration
fraud
Chandigarh, June 26 “All three governments are united in combating immigration fraud,” Sidney Frank, Minister, Immigration, Canadian High Commission, announced here today. He was accompanied by Thomas
Greig, Regional Director, K Border Agency, and Jose Alvarez, Minister-Counsellor, Immigration, Australian High Commission, New Delhi. Also present was Canadian Consul-General of Canada in Chandigarh Scot
Slessor. Maintaining that they had been involved in a number of efforts to crack down on unscrupulous immigration agents, the visiting officials said the purpose was not to reveal names or number of attempted frauds, but to create awareness among prospective immigrants. “They need not go to agents as websites of our countries provide the necessary information they need to file their applications for visas. “Ultimately, it is the unsuspecting applicants who suffer besides facing criminal action and ban on immigration up to 10 years.” They said that unscrupulous agents travelled to villages promising fast-track approval for visas abroad. “What they promise is too good to be true and as such prospective applicants should avoid being duped.” They said that prospective applicants should not believe that “forged” documents were acceptable and that the decision of the visa officer could be influenced with money or other pressures. “Many people are being cheated with job offers overseas that do not exist. Stop and think before your hand over your money, passport and personal details. If the job offers sounds too good to be true, it could be a scam. “Crooked immigration agents often advise applicants to provide fake documentation or enter into marriages of convenience,” said Sidney Frank. “Don’t be fooled.Your investment will be lost, you will be caught and will be denied entry to Canada.” “We welcome genuine visitors, students and workers. We will not tolerate abuse of our immigration systems and have a zero tolerance to fraud,” said Thomas
Greig. “I strongly advise anyone who wants a visa for the UK not to listen to agents who offer to sell forged documents and say that they can guarantee a visa. We have very effective processes for detecting fraud and work with our international partners and Indian authorities to do so. “On uncovering a fraud, including false education and language certificates, the visa is refused and the applicant faces a 10-year ban on travelling to the UK as well as possible action by the Indian authorities,” Greig said. “Fraud is a criminal offence in Australia and can lead to severe penalties for those involved. But ultimately the responsibility for a visa application lies with the applicant,” said Jose Alvarez.
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International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
The SSP was speaking during the flag-off ceremony of the rally. Police officials, students, teachers and social activists took part in the event held to promote awareness against drug abuse. Gill said there was a need to form a joint platform to fight the rampant drug menace. Braving scorching heart, hundreds of participants walked through the city streets holding placards and raising slogans. Traffic in-charge Achru Ram said drugs menace was assuming alarming proportions and its implications were disastrous for society. "We need to work hard and ensure that our youth stay away from this social evil which can ruin their lives," Ram added.
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Inspiring addicts to quit drugs
Faridkot, June 26 Observing the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking today, the Red Cross Society and the de-addiction centre awarded five successfully rehabilitated drug addicts to boost the morale of other addicts undergoing treatment. Joga Singh, a farmer of Sangrur district, had underwent treatment at a hospital in
Sangrur. He was given a cash reward of Rs 11,000 as he not only successfully quit drugs but has also encouraged several addicts to return to the mainstream. "We have so far honoured 32 such youths," said Ranbir Singh
Battan, a counsellor at the de-addiction centre. "Studies have shown that 54 per cent of all alcohol and other drug abuse patients can relapse and 61 per cent of that number can have multiple periods of relapsing. It is usual for addicts to relapse within one month after the treatment," said Dr Harish
Arora, a psychiatrist. A key factor in preventing relapse is improved social adjustment and recognising the addict's achievement in quitting drugs, said Dr
Harish. "Before bestowing the honour, it is ensured that the rehabilitated person has got 21-day indoor treatment at a government-approved de-addiction centre and is following a weekly follow-up schedule. The village panchayat and in-charge of the de-addiction centre concerned are also required to give an undertaking that the person no longer takes drugs," said Dr PS
Sandhu, a former principal of the medical college.
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Data bank to nail peddlers soon, says Moga police
Moga, June 26 In Moga district, the process of digitisation of the FIRs has already been completed and the work on setting up the website of the Moga district police is in progress, said a senior officer of the state. The SSP has been given a hi-tech 3G-enabled mobile phone and he could have direct access to all the information available at the police suvidha centres. The detection of crime with accurate investigation on the basis of concrete information provided by modern technology has made the work of investigating officers easier. A senior officer of the district police said the police had started preparing and updating the bio-data and history of all the local criminals who are in jails or have absconded after committing crime. The compiled information would include details of all the crimes committed by criminals, his/her photographs, fingerprints, accurate addresses and their possible hideouts. The SSP of Moga, Surjit Singh Grewal, said as per the guidelines of the state government, the local police has geared up to wage a war against narcotics smugglers, who have increased their activities in the last few years. “During the past couple of months, with the help of the data base of the criminals and their activities we have arrested more than 50 smugglers who were involved in the smuggling of poppy, poppy husk, ‘bhang’, intoxicating drugs as also illicit liquor,” the SSP said. Another senior official of the police said: “The state government is aware of the drug-related problem plaguing society and we are ready with an action plan to control it within the next few months”.
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Mukerian MLA announces support for Congress
Chandigarh, June 26 “Since the selection process is complicated, at times deserving candidates are left out,” he said. The Punjab Pradesh Congress president pointed out that Bubby’s father Dr Kewal Krishen was not only a party leader, but also a great freedom fighter. “Bubby has maintained the family tradition”, Amarinder said. Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni said Dr Kewal Krishen’s contribution to the party was unparalleled. She said she was here at the instance of Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was keen that Bubby was brought back in the party fold. Bubby said he was immensely happy at the “homecoming.” for him. He said had it not been for the Congress workers’ support, he could not have won from Mukerian as an Independent. Among others present were Hoshiarpur MP Santosh Choudhary, PCC vice-presidents Rana Sodhi, Rana KP and Kewal Dhillon, general secretary Arvind Khanna, and MLAs Shyam Sunder Malhotra, Sangat Singh Giljian and Sukhjinder
Randhawa.
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Cong wants memorial outside Darbar Sahib
Chandigarh, June 26 He said a memorial on Operation Bluestar within the precincts of Darbar Sahib would defile it sanctity. “You can’t raise a memorial parallel to the Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib”, he asserted. Addressing a press conference here today, Amarinder criticised Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for facilitating the honouring of Balwant Singh Rajoana, Beant Singh’s assassin. The PCC president said the Chief Minister had behaved in a cowardly manner and succumbed to pressure by radicals. He pointed out that though Darbar Sahib had been attacked several times, never was a memorial raised inside the shrine. Manoranjan Kalia, BJP leader, had in the House yesterday urged the CM to build a memorial on the lines of Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to commemorate the sacrifices made by Punjabis to attain peace and harmony in the state. He had expressed the need to come up with a monument in Delhi, Manoranjan to pay tribute to those massacred in the 1984 riots.
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GND varsity makes Punjabi mandatory
Amritsar/Jalandhar, June 26 The Syndicate endorsed the proposal yesterday. In the backdrop of this decision, it was viewed that during admissions, the students, who had background of ICSC or CBSE schools and had negligible knowledge of Punjabi, used to opt for Punjab history and culture along with their regular curriculum. Since this syllabus was in English medium only, it was defeating the basic purpose of promoting the Punjabi language. Therefore, the academic council of the university had proposed to introduce elementary functional Punjabi as a mandatory subject while scrapping the old pattern. Meanwhile, the decision of the university to introduce elementary Punjabi in place of Punjab history and culture (PHC) in graduation classes has stirred a hornet’s nest, as students and faculty have different views on this issue. While many PHC lecturers would end up losing their jobs, scores of non-Punjabi students, especially the children of the personnel in the armed forces personnel, paramilitary forces and in the Central government from other states would be forced to study elementary functional Punjabi. “The entire purpose of making students study elementary functional Punjabi is futile as the minimum eligibility criteria required to find a government job in the state was matriculation examination in Punjabi. The decision of teaching Punjabi should be made compulsory in schools and not in colleges,” said a history lecturer from a local college. The PHC syllabus was introduced in 1988 as a subject option in lieu of Punjabi, a compulsory subject at the graduation level for the past 23 years. “The PHC subject has been a big boon for students from the other states, as they, too, had been getting a chance to learn about Punjab through this subject. The students had been studying PHC in Hindi as well as in English medium,” said another lecturer. “What would be the benefit of teaching Punjabi to a citizen of Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal or for that matter any other state of the country when they are not supposed to work here. On the other hand, at least teaching PHC would ensure that the students learn about the rich history and culture of Punjab, the history of Sikh Gurus, their achievements and teachings,” they added.
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Water supply stopped, Muktsar farmers left high and dry
The department stated that the supply had been scheduled on a rotational basis due to water shortage. However, the paddy growers said if the authorities were to supply less water, they should have informed them in advance. Mahinder Singh, district president, Bharti Kissan Union (Lakhowal), said: "The minor is dry since Monday and the paddy growers of nearly 25 to 30 villages who were waiting for their turn to irrigate fields before transplanting paddy have been left in the lurch. The department has stopped the supply without informing them" "The farmers are already worried since the temperature is above normal and the power supply is erratic. Now, a cut in water supply has compounded their worries. Those farmers who had planned to transplant paddy this week might have to incur losses. It is not possible to sow paddy without irrigating the fields," he added. Simarjeet Singh of Lakhewali village said: "The department must think about us as this is the ideal time to transplant paddy and any further delay can lead to losses". RK Gupta, Executive Engineer, said: "We have stopped the supply as per directions of the Irrigation Minister. The supply has been stopped due to a shortage. We have scheduled it on a rotational basis. Our priority is to supply water to the farmers of villages situated at the tail-end of the canals. Since the Arniwala canal is dry now, we have started de-silting it which will benefit the farmers. They have no need to worry as the supply will be resumed in a week". When informed, Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh took the matter seriously and also spoke to the Executive Engineer in this regard. He said: "Since it is crucial time for the farmers, the department must have informed them about the supply schedule well in advance".
Facing trouble
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Pak ‘confusion’ over Sarabjit cuts short celebrations Amritsar/Jalandhar, June 26 Scores of residents had thronged Sarabjit’s residence to congratulate his wife Sukhpreet Kaur and daughter Poonam, while laddoos were distributed to celebrate the news they have been eagerly waiting for over years. Talking to mediapersons, an ecstatic Sukhpreet Kaur said their happiness knew no bounds today as they had received the biggest news of their lives. A report from Jalandhar quoting Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh, said the villagers were planning Holi-like celebrations at joint check post, Attari, and Diwali at his native village Bhikhiwind. Dalbir was in the city to see Sarabjit’s elder daughter Swapandeep Kaur when she received the news relating to her brother’s release from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. “We have also proposed to “resolemnise” Sarabjit and Sukhpreet’s marriage in the village,” she said. “These are the most joyous moments of my life. I was never so happy earlier. I will give Papa a “big hug”. We will celebrate to the maximum and we have so many plans for the future,” said Sarabjit’s elder daughter
Swapandeep.
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Despite debt, things not that bad: Dhindsa
Chandigarh, June 26 Dhindsa said he did not hidden facts about the state economy and there was a clear mention of all issues in the Budget speech. The revenue and fiscal deficit had increased because of certain factors, including payment of arrears to employees and revision of pay scales. He said the committed expenditure, which was about 89 per cent of the total revenue receipts, would be brought down to 80 per cent by the end of the current fiscal year. Explaining the differences in figures in the Budget and during the preparation of the Annual Plan, he said the actual figures on the expenditure on the salary of employees was not available at the time of preparing the Annual Plan. Dhindsa said that the Budget was development-oriented and it would give a new direction to the state economy. “We hope to make a breakthrough in the field of diversification in the farm sector”, he said. He said that figures presented by former Finance Minster Lal Singh regarding the debt burden on PSUs were not correct. Supporting the Budget proposals Justice Nirmal Singh, Akali MLA from Bassi Pathana, said it was a Budget with foresight. Adequate provisions had been made for welfare schemes. There was a provision for incentives to improve attendance of girl students in schools. Provisions had been made to give a boost to agro industries that would generate employment in rural areas. Justice Nirmal Singh said the SAD-BJP government had kept crores of rupees in the Budget to promote sports. Several stadiums were under construction. It was highly appreciable that there was a special focus on youth.
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Central team to visit waterlogged areas on July 1
Muktsar, June 26 The team will visit Sikhwala, Rattakhera and Behmanwala villages and study the problem of waterlogging in Bathinda, Muktsar, Faridkot, Fazika and Ferozepur districts. On its return to Delhi, the team will recommend to the Planning Commission about the financial package required to rid the state of the menace. Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, chief engineers of the Drainage and Irrigation Department will accompany the team. The team, headed by Dr Mihir Shah, member, Water Resources and Rural Development, Planning Commission, will include Dr Tushaar Shah, Senior Fellow, International Water Management Institute, Gujarat; Dr Himanshu Kulkarni, ACWADAM, Pune; Dr Karam Singh of PAU, Ludhiana; a member of the Central Water Commission; Chairman, Central Ground Water Board, Haryana; Commissioner, Ministry of Water Resources; representatives of Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Land Resources; Director, Water Resources and Environment, Irrigation, Punjab; a representative of PAU, Ludhiana; Chairman, Punjab State Farmers' Commission; and Avinash Mishra, Joint Adviser, Water Resources Division, Planning Commission. Deputy Commissioner, Muktsar, Paramjit Singh said all arrangements had been made to receive the central team. During Jairam Ramesh's visit to the state in mid-May, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had highlighted the issue of waterlogging. Ramesh took up the issue with the Planning Commission's Deputy Chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia.
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Scores of dead fish at Kanjli wetland raise stink
Kapurthala, June 26 It is not the first time that dead fish have been spotted at the wetland. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Kapurthala Kuldeep Singh Chandi has directed officials of the Fisheries as well as the Drainage Department to undertake a survey of the site and submit a report
as to what had caused the death of a large number of fish. Talking to the Tribune, Chandi said the Assistant Director, Fisheries, and the Sub-Divisional Officer, Drainage, attributed the aquatic deaths to the abysmally low level of oxygen in the water body. He said it was found that water in Kali Bein had receded with farmers upstream the Kanjli headworks using water for irrigating their fields for paddy transplation. The SDM said the district administration had written to the department concerned to increase the release of water from the Mukerian headworks to 400 cusecs from 300 cusecs. He said the officials had ruled out the possibility of chemically treated water being discharged into Kali Bein. The Fisheries Department had been asked to fish out the dead fish from the water body, Chandi added.
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College teachers seek first instalment of arrears
Patiala, June 26 The teachers working in the government colleges of Punjab fall in the only category of the state government employees who have been denied the first instalment of 40 per cent arrears, which was paid to the other employees in May, 2011. These teachers, under the banner of the Government College Teachers Association (GCTA), have been holding protests in Punjab as well as in Delhi for the past one year to press the state government for their demand. They have even filed a case against the state government in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard. Talking to The Tribune, President of the GCTA Hardeep Singh Teja said he failed to understand the step-motherly treatment meted out to them by the government. “If the government cannot pay the complete arrears, it should at least release the first instalment of 40 per cent of Rs 90 crore, which is just Rs 36 crore, to the teachers at the earliest so as to end this discrimination. Despite repeated reminders, the government has not taken any action in this regard," he added. The secretary-general of the association, Prof Jai Pal Singh, said we were not against releasing the second instalment of arrears to the employees but the government should not ignore the interests of a particular category.
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J&K Chief Justice honoured
Malerkotla, June 26 Justice Kumar studied up to matric at SA Jain School here and did his graduation from the local government college in 1973. Justice Kumar said with the appointment of new judges, the number of pending cases would decrease very soon.
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HC holds SBI at fault
Chandigarh, June 26 The directions by Justice K Kannan came on an appeal filed by the State Bank of India through its Assistant General Manager, Region 1, Zonal Office, Punjab. In its appeal, the bank had challenged an order passed by the presiding officer of the Central Government Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Court. In its order, the presiding officer had held as unjustified the termination of services of the employee. Working as a clerk-cum-cashier, the employee was charged for alleged negligence and inability to account for Rs 30,000 entrusted to him. On May 12, 1980, he could account for only Rs 2,68,213.44 against the total cash of Rs 2,98,113.44. The imputation against the employee was that the cash shortage of Rs 30,000 was on account of alleged gross negligence in the performance of his duties. The employee had contended that he had asked an employee (messenger) to take care of the counter in his absence. On return, he found the money missing. Pleading innocence, he contended that the other employee, left at the counter, had allowed the money to go missing. A case was also registered after a criminal complaint was filed for the shortage of cash and his services were placed under suspension. But in January, 1982, the trial court held that the criminal charge attributed to him had not been established. An appeal against the acquittal orders, too, was dismissed in August 1992. After his acquittal, a charge sheet was issued for gross negligence in the performance of duties. Justice Kannan ruled the punishment of removal could have imposed only in case of fraud or misappropriation. As it was a case of negligence, the bank ‘could have only at best directed him for return of the money and imposed a commensurate punishment for the lapse in causing loss of that money’. “The writ petition is hopelessly a vexatious exercise by the bank to spite an employee and deny him the continuance in employment. He shall be treated as having been reinstated pursuant to the Labour Court orders and is entitled to all consequential benefits,” Justice Kannan added.
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1,990 kg of poppy husk seized
Moga, June 26 The police had arrested four smugglers and recovered 1325 kg of poppy husk in two separate seizures yesterday, he added.
Opium recovered from undertrial
Hoshiarpur: Officials of the Hoshiarpur District Jail seized 207 gm of opium from an undertrial prisoner, Harminder Singh of Rawalpindi. Police sources said Harminder's wife Meena came to the jail to meet her husband. After she left, the officials searched Harminder's belongings and found opium wrapped from a packet of biscuit. On the complaint of jail superintendent Ajmer Singh, the City Police has booked Harminder and his wife under the NDPS Act.
— OC
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Coach booked for raping schoolgirl
Amritsar, June 26 In her complaint to the police, the Class X student has alleged that she was repeatedly molested by the coach between June 7- June 28. Investigating officer Varinder Kumar said police teams had been sent to possible hideouts to nab the coach. “We received the complaint only last evening. We are getting the medical examination of the complainant done and our teams are searching for the accused,” he said.
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Cow slaughter
Patiala, June 26 Addressing media persons, the SSP, Sangrur, HS Bhullar, said they had arrested Hans Raj from Karnal in Haryana. "The accused was hiding there for the past fortnight," he stated Another main accused, Dilshad Haji, was arrested by the Sangrur police last week. Bhullar said preliminary questioning of the accused revealed that he used to slaughter cows in a factory in Mansa and sell their meat in parts of Uttar Pradesh for Rs 40 per kg. They had obtained a licence for grinding animal bones in the factory.
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The Congress today charged the government with misusing the Punjab Police to keep a watch on Congress leaders and in the just-concluded municipal elections.
Chandigarh, June 26
Kapurthala, June 26
Chandigarh, June 26
Patiala, June 26
Muktsar, June 26