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Villagers attack forest officials
72% deficient rain in May, June
11,614 applicants for 30,000 B.Tech seats
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Bypoll to be referendum on govt’s wrong policies: Capt
Political focus shifts to Dasuya
Targeted for suspending corrupt official, claims PSEB ex-chief
138 cancer patients get aid from govt
Special Sikh train from Sirhind to Nanded Sahib
Canal killings: 2 bodies recovered
Prabh Simran Kaur
EcoSikh launches green drive in Amritsar
Mansoorpur clash
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Villagers attack forest officials
Amritsar, June 30 The injured have been identified as Rajbir Singh, Angrez Singh, Amrik Masih, Pargat Singh, block officer Jagtar Singh and forest guards Charnjit Singh and Harminder Singh. After first-aid at the Primary Health Centre, Lopoke, they were admitted to GND Hospital, Amritsar, where their condition is stated to be stable. Rajesh Gulati, Divisional Manager, Punjab Forest Development Corporation, Amritsar-II, said those who had illegally occupied forestland in Satta and Bahlol villages had attacked the team. Earlier, a team of forest officials had managed to repossess department's 41 acres in these villages on July 28 with the help of Ajnala Duty Magistrate Jaspal Kaur and DSP Raja Sansi and their squad. This time, a 15-member forest team went alone to claim the encroached land which proved a bloody affair. "We went there yesterday also after the Revenue Department clarified us on the land's location. Today, when our team along with around 30 labourers went there to put a fence around the land, over 100 villagers appeared on the scene and before anyone could understand their intensions, they attacked us with sharp-edged weapons, leaving seven of our men injured," Gulati said. Balwant Singh, Forest Range Officer, who took the injured to the hospital, said Angrez Singh had suffered serious head injures while Rajbir's right hand and left foot had been severely wounded. "We will file a police complaint in this regard as officials were prevented from performing their duty and the villagers attempted a murderous attack on them," he said.
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72% deficient rain in May, June
Chandigarh, June 30 Agriculture Adviser Balwinder Singh Sidhu said: "The situation is a bit uneasy as far as rain is concerned". Earlier, pre-monsoon showers used to provide enough moisture in the fields to make the task of transplanting paddy easy. But this year, rain eluded most parts of the state that has added to the woes of the farmers. Sidhu said farmers should be careful while transplanting paddy. The other worrying factor is low level of water in various dams which feed the canal systems in the state. Compared to last year, the level of water in Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar Dam is dismally low. The BBMB authorities have already discussed this issue with the partner states such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. There is less generation of power from hydro-electric projects installed on these dams. Experts say deficient rain will lead to high cost of paddy production. Farmers will have to spend money on diesel to run tubewells to irrigate their fields. Beside, there will be huge depletion of subsoil water. In fact, owing to 27 per cent deficient rain in 2002, 44 per cent in 2004, 32.2 per cent in 2007 and 34.9 per cent in 2009, the subsoil water level has been constantly hit. However, farmers did not face any problem from 1990 to 2000. The experts say more farmers should sow pulses which relatively consume less water. The Union Government has given assurance that this year it would ensure the procurement of pulses in all parts of the country. It has also given an assurance to fully compensate the government agencies which would suffer loss owing to the procurement. Earlier, the Union Government used to compensate 50 per cent of the total loss suffered by the procurement agencies.
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11,614 applicants for 30,000 B.Tech seats
Jalandhar, June 30 The total number of seats of B.Tech is even higher at 42,000 as there are additional 12,000 seats which fall in the management quota and are not filled through online counseling. Punjab Technical University conducts online counseling for its 104 affiliated colleges, five of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; three of Punjabi University, Patiala; and one of Punjab Agricultural University. Today was the last day for choice filling for the first of the two rounds of counselling. The result of seat allocation on the basis of AIEEE rank is likely to be announced on July 4. Counselling for students seeking fee waiver is also being run parallel. While earlier 12,749 applicants had paid the fee, 11,873 got themselves registered and 11,614 students filled choices till 5 pm today, the lock-in time. In comparison, there were 14,500 applicants last year for 34,500 B.Tech seats till the first round. In 2010, when PTU had been conducting its own common entrance test, as many as 29,422 candidates had appeared for B.Tech. There is a dismal response to other professional courses as well. There are nearly 2,100 seats in 34 pharmacy colleges for which counselling is currently being done. So far, only 64 applicants have filled choices, but there still are eight days to go. Also only 81 students have applied so far for 240 seats in seven colleges of architecture. Dr Buta Singh, Dean (Academics), PTU, said: "The response is not that bad comparing it with the trend in other states. This perhaps is due to the fact that a lot many colleges have opened across the country. I have learnt that the cut-off ranks for B.Tech in other engineering institutes in the country have also dipped this time".
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Bypoll to be referendum on govt’s wrong policies: Capt
Dasuya, June 30 Amarinder was here to galvanise the party rank and file ahead of the July 11 bypoll. The Congress has fielded Arun Dogra. The Congress leadership used the occasion to parade three dissidents who rejoined the party today. The trio, Naresh Puri (Sujanpur constituency), Hans Raj Joshan (Jalalabad) and Lally Majithia (Majithia), had contested as Independent candidates after being denied the party ticket in the Assembly elections. The PPCC chief spoke about the "non-development" of Kandi belt, "unemployment, drug abuse amongst youngsters and lack of electricity to both the farm and commercial sectors". He said the Dasuya election would be remembered as a referendum against the "myopic policies of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal". Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had the audience in laughter when he targeted the Chief Minister in his speech. Hoshiarpur MP Santosh Chowdhury, CLP leader Sunil Jhakar and several other party MLAs and leaders were present on the occasion.
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Political focus shifts to Dasuya
Chandigarh, June 30 Having failed to wrest power from the ruling coalition in the Assembly elections, the Congress would now want to make its presence felt in the state by winning the seat. The party’s performance in the Dasuya byelection would play a vital role in determining its future political course and strategies. Led by Sunil Jakhar, the Congress performed rather well as opposition during the budget session. Without being foul-mouthed, its MLAs cornered the ruling coalition on the issues of Operation Bluestar memorial, honouring death convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, sand mining, liquor and drug mafia and charging of ‘abiana’ in Abohar. What worked to the advantage of the ruling SAD-BJP coalition in the House was that it was led by a seasoned politician like Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who came to its rescue whenever the combine was caught in a piquant situation. Because of Badal’s political stature and age, Congress MLAs did not go beyond a point to confront him. Though traditionally Dasuya was a Congress stronghold, Sahi managed to win the seat in the last two Assembly elections. Sahi’s wife Sukhjit Kaur is the BJP-SAD candidate while the Congress has fielded Arun Dogra, son of Ramesh Chander Dogra who represented the constituency four times. The People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) has put up Bhupinder Singh Ghuman, an advocate. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh would be leading his party’s charge. Winning the seat is most important for Amarinder as he is facing opposition from senior leaders within the party. The bypoll is also important for Sunil Jakhar. A victory would consolidate his position as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Assembly. On the whole, a win would boost the morale of the Congress rank and file, who are downcast after the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections. For the SAD-BJP coalition, a victory would mean that the state government still held sway over the people’s mind and there was no dent in its popularity. Badal has already been to Dasuya constituency to campaign for the BJP-SAD candidate. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is away to the US, is likely to return to soon to join the campaign. Sukhbir has already earned the reputation of being a skilled campaign strategist.
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CM ‘ragged’ me, says first-time MLA Sadique
Ludhiana, June 30 At Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's bidding, the artiste in him was pleased to go melodic in the Assembly session. Little did he know that a few lines hummed in good humour would turn into a political storm that he would have to weather. Regretting his decision to have sung four lines from Prof Mohan Singh's song, Sadique, on his Ludhiana visit today, castigated the SAD for its “singular lack of appreciation for Punjabi art”. Referring to last November's star-studded grand finale of the World Cup Kabaddi, he said, "For the SAD, appreciation of art translates only into splurging money on glamorous celebrities.” Claiming that the Akali Dal had used him as a shield to avoid answering questions raised by Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar, he alleged that the controversy was generated to wean away the public attention from imperative issues. Equating Badal’s request (to him) for a song to the “ragging” of juniors by seniors, he said: “I had no idea that a five-time Chief Minister with such a vast experience could stoop to such a level.” Reacting to Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia's statement that an “issueless Congress had reduced the Vidhan Sabha to a singing stage”, the Bhadaur MLA said, “My pertinent question to him is who asked me to sing in the Assembly session.”
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Targeted for suspending corrupt official, claims PSEB ex-chief
Chandigarh, June 30 According to Dhillon, the suspended official indulged in corrupt practices and complaints against her were received in the form of affidavits. About the purchase of paper, he said an inquiry conducted by a Sessions Judge verified the quality and rates of paper purchased by the PunjabSchool Education Board. He said the inquiry committee revealed that the quality of paper supplied to the PunjabSchool Education Board was virgin paper, while paper supplied to other boards was re-cycled one and thus, the difference in rates of the paper. 3 board officials suspended
The board authorities on Saturday suspended two depot managers and
an assistant in two
separate cases. While in the first case pertaining to Jalandhar depot, depot manager Sucheta Kalia Sharma and assistant Randhir Singh have been suspended for issuing examination fee receipts in back dates. In the second case, depot manager at Ludhiana, Anil Kumar, has been suspended for failing to produce receipts of Rs 10 lakh taken as an advance from the board.
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138 cancer patients get aid from govt
Patiala, June 30 Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said they had received 154 applications in all, out of which the treatment of 138 persons have already begun at various government and private hospitals. The government pays Rs 1.50 lakh per patient to the selected hospitals where they are under treatment. He said application forms for seeking monetary help were available at the Civil Surgeon’s office and could also be downloaded from www.pb.health.gov.in_cancer.html. The forms are to be filled in by the doctors treating these patients and should be submitted at the Civil Surgeon’s office along with the other related documents. Dr MS Bal, Professor and head, Department of Pathology, Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, while talking to The Tribune, said the best part of the scheme was that money was directly paid to the hospital rather than through patients. Dr Bal says if the documentation is complete, the entire procedure of getting the aid sanctioned and beginning of treatment hardly takes two weeks. “Once disease is microscopically diagnosed, all the tests, including ultrasound and CT scans, are done free of cost,” he added.
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Special Sikh train from Sirhind to Nanded Sahib
Chandigarh, June 30 The 15-bogie train would have three air-conditioned coaches, besides 12 three-tier sleeper coaches, which would carry 1,100
passengers. IRCTC's Chief Regional Manager RK Sondh said the train would start from Sirhind on July 25 at 8 am and reach Nanded the next day at 4 pm after crossing Mohali, Chandigarh, Ambala, Karnal, Panipal, Delhi and Manmad in Maharashtra. Sondh said the five-day tour had been specially designed to woo Sikh devotees living in
Sirhind, Khanna, Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Patiala, Rajpura, Ropar and Mohali who wished to visit Takht Sachkhand Sahib at
Nanded. “Passengers will be given free meals, accommodation and transportation facilities during the trip,”
he said. He said those on the waiting list of the Sachkhand train from Amritsar to Nanded could also avail the services of the new train. Those interested could book their seats at IRCTC’s office at Sector 34, Chandigarh, or contact IRCTC assistant manager (Tourism) Kailash Hatwalkar on his cell no. 9779240600. Meanwhile, 220 of the 400 seats have already been booked on a special train to seven ‘jyotirlingas’ in the South. The train would leave on July 16 under the IRCTC’s Bharat Darshan
programme. Devotees will be able to pay obeisance at the seven ‘jyotirlingas’, including at
Mahakaleshwar, Grishneshwar and Bhimashankar. The train will pass through
Ambala, Moradabad, Ujjain and Dwarika.
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4 killed in Patiala bus accident
Kauli (Patiala), June 30 The deceased have been identified as Mohit (23) from Samana, Parveen Walia (35), Jarnail Singh (65) (both from Patiala) and Vijay Kumar from Rajpura. The injured persons, who have been referred to the PGI, are Sampooran Kaur, Tanveer Kaur, Santosh Kaur, Mukesh and Harpreet Kaur, said senior police officials. According to the police, the mishap occurred around 4 pm when the PRTC bus coming from the Chandigarh side had to get off the road to save another bus coming from the opposite side. “As the bus driver tried to get the bus back on the road at a high speed, he lost control of the bus which turned turtle after travelling for some distance,” they said. Eyewitnesses said the screeching sound was very loud and it took the bus some minutes to stop. “The police and nearby residents helped in shifting the injured to the hospital. While three persons died on the spot, another person was declared brought dead at the hospital,” said the police officials. According to Patiala SP(D) Pritpal Singh, one of the deceased is yet to be identified, while five seriously injured persons were rushed to Chandigarh for treatment. Two policemen on duty, who were returning from Chandigarh, were also injured in the mishap and are out of danger. An injured person said the accident was so sudden that they could not even hold on to anything. Within a span of few seconds all that could be seen was blood in the bus, he said. “I could see a vehicle coming from the opposite side at a high speed towards our bus. While trying to avoid the collision, the driver of our bus lost control of the bus,” said another injured person. Badal announces compensation Condoling the deaths of the persons travelling in a government-undertaking Pepsu Roadways bus in Patiala, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced Rs 1 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 25,000 each for the seriously injured persons. Badal said the district Red Cross would bear expenses of the patients admitted with minor injuries. Those killed Mohit (23) from Samana Parveen Walia (35)
from Patiala Jarnail Singh (65) from Patiala Vijay Kumar from Rajpura
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Canal killings: 2 bodies recovered
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 30 The deceased is daughter of Jasmine
Kaur, the sole survival of the tragedy. The body of Gurinder Singh, brother of Jasmine, was recovered yesterday and handed over to the relatives after postmortem at Fatehgarh Sahib Civil hospital.
SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu, who has been supervising the operation to recover the bodies, said the divers had recovered two out of the six bodies. The search is on for the remaining four bodies,
he added. The district police had arrested accused Khushwinder Singh and recovered the cash and car used in crime.
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EcoSikh launches green drive in Amritsar
Amritsar, June 30 However, the event turned out to be a low-key affair with Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar and Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal not turning up and instead sending their representatives. Though their names didn't figure in the invite for the programme, the state government and the SGPC are the two major stakeholders in the campaign. Addressing a gathering on the occasion, EcoSikh president Dr Rajwant Singh said: "EcoSikh has proposed a six-point agenda for conserving water, recycling and better waste management, alternate energy usage, introducing public transport, increasing green cover and open spaces, and also sharing information on greening strategies". He said the district administration had pledged to enforce rainwater harvesting in all government buildings and institutions and in establishments of 500 sq yds and above. The SGPC had decided to announce yearly celebration of the city's foundation day which falls in June and to commit to organic farming on the land associated with the SGPC-run gurdwaras in Amritsar district, he said. PEDA chairman Manjit Singh said they had already installed a solar power plant at the Golden Temple and would soon be putting up solar steam cooking system which would cut down LPG consumption of the shrine to half. He said they had planned to generate 10 per cent of the city's power requirement from solar energy. Gunbir Singh of Khalsa College Governing Council said they had signed an MoU with EcoSikh for promoting organic farming, resorting to solar energy use and planting trees.
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Mansoorpur clash
Mukerian, June 30 Mukerian DSP Dilbagh Singh said Baldev Singh was arrested following a complaint lodged by Haqikat Singh, who was also injured in the clash. A case under sections 302, 307, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC and the Arms Act was registered against Baldev, Bhupinder, Jaspal, Daljit Singh and Manjinder Singh. The DSP said the other four accused in the case, who were undergoing treatment at a Ludhiana hospital, would also be arrested once doctors declared them medically fit. A caretaker at accused Bhupinder Singh's dairy farm, Surinder Singh, has alleged that he was receiving threatening calls from an unidentified caller. A resident of Ferozepure, Surinder has sought police protection. The DSP, however, denied receiving any such complaint. Gurpreet Singh, son of an NRI, was killed in a clash between two groups over a land dispute.
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Department were injured after a mob allegedly attacked them with sharp-edged weapons and sticks. The forest team had gone to a village in Ajnala to take possession of department's land which is under illegal occupation of villagers.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is all set to launch a five-day special Sikh pilgrimage train from July 25.
The 15-bogie train would have three air-conditioned coaches, besides 12 three-tier sleeper coaches, which would carry 1,100
passengers.
IRCTC's Chief Regional Manager RK Sondh said the train would start from Sirhind on July 25 at 8 am and reach Nanded the next day at 4 pm after crossing
Mohali, Chandigarh, Ambala, Karnal, Panipal, Delhi and Manmad in Maharashtra.
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 30
Both the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress have made winning the Dasuya bypoll, necessitated after the death of BJP legislator Amarjit Singh Sahi, a prestige issue.