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dasuya byelection
Election rigged, claim Amarinder, Manpreet
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Badal counters Chidambaram, says militancy revival unlikely
Tribune Impact
All set for Sarna-Badal face-off in Takht Patna Sahib board poll
A single teacher for 200 students in Muktsar
Will meet targets, but need a free hand: Officials
IIT-Roorkee team arrives to test underground water
Don’t overdraw from Northern Grid, panel warns Power Corp
33% suicides not linked to debt in rural areas
Without safety tools, spinal injury cases rising among linemen
PCMS doctors hail placement policy
Four test positive for cholera in Patiala
Youth Congress leader arrested with 5-kg opium
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dasuya byelection
Chandigarh, July 14 Ever since the bypoll date was announced, BJP state president Ashwani Sharma and his core team, including constituency incharge MP Avinash Rai Khanna and general secretaries Ajay Jamwal and Manjit Singh Rai, had been camping in Dasuya. All this while, they stayed with their party workers at their houses and sensitised them about the need for personal contact with each voter. Coordination with the alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) went on alongside. While the Congress was still deciding its candidate, the BJP had already completed three rounds of campaigning in all 262 villages of the assembly segment. Emotionally charged up, the BJP cadres pitched in as byelection date was declared a day ahead of the 'bhog' ceremony of Amarjit Sahi, former Dasuya MLA whose death last month necessitated the bypoll. As the BSP did not field a candidate, BJP's SC leaders Bhagat Chunni Lal and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Som Prakash accompanied the party nominee, Sukhjit Kaur for filing nomination papers. This helped the BJP garner the support of a large number of SC (Scheduled Caste) and BC (Backward Classes) votes in the constituency. The party resorted to a three-pronged strategy. It first divided the constituency into 11 zones, each headed by ministers Bhagat Chunni Lal, Madan Mohan Mittal, Anil Joshi and Surjit Jayani and senior leaders Manoranjan Kalia, Tikshan Sud, Arunesh Shakar, Som Prakash, KD Bhandari, Rajinder Bhandari and Bhoa MLA Seema Devi. They were assisted by other leaders of the party. Secondly, office-bearers of various BJP morchas and cells, MLA candidates who lost in the recent assembly elections and heads of various corporations and boards in Punjab were told to campaign at the booth level. Besides, several leaders focused on the vote bank of different communities. A minister in Himachal Pradesh, Ramesh Dhwala, ensured Chang votes for the party. CPS Som Prakash, Bhoa MLA Seema Devi, Khadi Board chairman Vijay Sampla, SC Morcha state president Avtar Singh Sekri and Gau Sewa Board chairman Kimti Lal Bhagat were asked to garner SC votes. Former BJP MP Suresh Chandel, Industries Board chairman Raghu Nath Rana, Jalandhar Mayor Rakesh Rathore and former MLA Vikram Thakur mobilised Rajput votes. The BJP also organised a meeting of the Valmiki Samaj, which was addressed by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Avinash Rai Khanna and MLA Manoranjan Kalia. Ashwani Sharma along with Industry Minister Anil Joshi, political adviser to CM Kamal Sharma, former minister Arunesh Shakar, BJP district president Umesh Shakar, Mahila Morcha state vice-president Neelam Mahant and former Talwara sarpanch Pinky Sharma focused on Brahmin votes. BJP state vice-president Varinder Kaur Thandi, former CPS Sukh Pal Nannu, Punjab Infotech chairman Harjit Greawl, PSIEC chairman Rajinder Mohan Chinna, PSIEC vice-chairman Sukminder Grewal and BJP Kisan Morcha chief Major Singh Detwal worked to ensure votes of the Jat and Lubana communities. The BJP also got the patronage of two prominent deras at Kamahi Devi and Datarpur, which ensured the presence of their representatives on dais at public meetings addressed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Former Abohar MLA Dr Ram Kumar and Dasuya Mandal president Jaswant Papu mobilised around 3,500 Prajapati votes. They organised three rallies and also held a lunch of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal with the Prajapti Samaj. BJP Bazigar Cell chief Dr Mulakh Raj Lalka coordinated with the Bazigar community. BJP national general secretary and MP JP Nadda, MP Avinash Rai Khanna and Punjab's Cabinet Minister Bikram Majithia along with his team focused on the party's traditional vote bank comprising the middle class literate people and intellectuals. As the BJP focused on media campaign to ensure a pro-alliance perception, Punjab BJP's media incharge Vineet Joshi camped at Dasuya to ensure that campaign information reached the media at Dasuya, Jalandhar and Chandigarh. Dogra doesn't make a hasty exit Unlike the last election when a losing candidate would leave the premises once the lead of his or her opponent increased, Congress candidate Arun Dogra stayed put on the college campus despite the fact that his opponent's lead kept on increasing with every round. Later, Dogra accepted defeat gracefully by saying that "I respect the people's verdict." Dogra did not enter the counting hall. He decided to spend time in the principal's room. On the other hand, BJP candidate Sukhjit Kaur Sahi made her presence felt throughout the counting process Victory Mantra
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Election rigged, claim Amarinder, Manpreet
Chandigarh, July 14 Both the leaders, however, could not come out with any proof to support their arguments. Amarinder Singh, in a statement, said, "The victory margin by which BJP candidate Sukhjit Kaur Sahi has defeated Arun Dogra of the Congress is unrealistic. It is enough to prove that the election has been rigged by the ruling SAD-BJP alliance." While campaigning in Dasuya in the run-up to the elections, Amarinder had claimed that the bypoll would serve as a referendum on the allegedly wrong policies of the SAD-BJP government. However, he today maintained that the SAD-BJP victory was not an endorsement of the government but "showed it could rig elections for a victory". The PCC chief alleged that the ruling alliance leaders, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, had got Dasuya garrisoned to defeat the democratic process. On the other hand, Manpreet Badal has sought a scientific and technical examination of EVMs, which, he claimed, had been tampered with. Manpreet demanded that the EVMs were still lying in counting centres and an immediate 'on the spot' analysis of "manipulative programming" and "tampering" of these machines be conducted. He said this should be done by outside experts. He said, "The EVMs have been converted into electronic vote manipulators by being programmed to automatically transfer votes from one candidate to the account of another. As the machines are still in Dasuya, they can be re-checked for consistency and accuracy." Manpreet alleged this was the second time in a row after the recent assembly elections that the Punjabis had been cheated in a democratic process. He said he would initiate a nationwide debate into the issue of EVM tampering.
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Badal counters Chidambaram, says militancy revival unlikely
Raniwala (Muktsar), July 14 Claiming that there was no chance of revival of militancy in the state, Badal said: “We are already taking preventive steps to maintain law and order in the state and recruited a huge number of policemen for the purpose.” “Still, if Chidambaram sees the threat then why doesn’t the UPA government come forward to help us out?” Badal said while replying to a query in this regard after holding a sangat darshan programme in his Lambi assembly constituency. When asked about the Operation Bluestar Memorial, Badal said: “The opposition to the memorial by the Congress is part of its ‘divide and rule’ strategy, which they have been sticking to for the last several decades to attain power in the state”. “The memorial will be built keeping in view religious sentiments of all communities. It is being constructed at a religious place and its purpose is also purely religious”. Badal also termed the meeting of state Congress leaders with Chidambaram on the issue of vendetta a political gimmick. He said: “I have already replied them about such cases. The Congress leaders had brought 39 cases to my notice, which had nothing to do with vendetta”. Asked about Haryana Chief Minister’s reaction on inter-state issues, he said: “Everyone knows that Punjab had been discriminated against. We are trying our best to get our share of everything from Haryana”.
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Tribune Impact
Chandigarh, July 14 The scheme was starved of funds to the extent that it was suspended in a number of schools in Patiala and Jalandhar districts. In other parts of the state, teachers were running the show by pooling money from their own pockets and also arranging cooking material on credit. The Tribune had recently highlighted that the scheme was a mess in almost all parts of the state. Confirming that the money has been released, Director-General of School Education Kahan Singh Pannu said 21.25 lakh students studying in 15,338 primary and 6,665 upper primary schools had been covered under the scheme. He said the officials concerned had been told to clear the dues of cooking staff and others at the earliest. There are about 37,000 women workers employed in schools for the preparation of food. Each of them is given Rs 1,000 per month. However, due to a shortage of funds, they were not paid salary for the past five months.
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All set for Sarna-Badal face-off in Takht Patna Sahib board poll
Amritsar, July 14 The SAD (Delhi) is supporting RS Gandhi from Patna for the post while the SAD (Badal) is expected to throw its weight behind a local leader. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar denied reports that he himself would be contesting for the top post. He said they will be supporting a local Sikh leader. He, however, didn't name anyone. The electoral politics has already hot up on poll eve with the SAD (Delhi), led by PS Sarna, accusing the Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) of violating the norms by trying to change its nominated member in the management board ahead of the crucial elections. The Chief Khalsa Diwan had written to the authorities concerned to replace its nominated member Jaspal Singh with Bhupinder Singh Anand. Sarna said it was not possible to change a nominated member in such a manner. He warned that if the SAD (Badal) tried to do so by exploiting the influence of the Bihar government, they will move the court against it. Chief Khalsa Diwan president Charanjit Singh Chadha claimed that Jaspal was being replaced as he had expressed his inability to continue as a board member. However, there are reports that he was being changed as he had allegedly supported the SAD (Delhi) during the election of the 15th member of the board. Jaspal Singh alleged that he was being "pressured" and also said he had not resigned from the board membership. He said he will be there in Patna to participate in the elections tomorrow.
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A single teacher for 200 students in Muktsar
Muktsar, July 14 The ratio is in sharp contrast to the Right to Education Act, which advocates a student-teacher ratio of 1:30. Not only staff crunch, the school also lacks basic infrastructure. A visit to the school found the students sitting under a big tree, attending their classes collectively. All the five classrooms were in an unclean state while toilets were found to be stinking. In the absence of an RO system, the students, most of whom hail from weaker sections, are forced to drink contaminated water from a hand pump. A social activist, Ashok Mahindra, who lives opposite to the school, says, “Most of the times, I see students cleaning their classrooms.” There are 45 students in Class I, 52 in Class II, 43 in Class III, 32 in Class IV and 28 in Class V. Darshna Devi says three teachers --- of the sanctioned five posts --- retired last year while the fourth one is on ‘leave without pay’ for the last three years. She says she has hired two girls at a salary of Rs 500 a month to keep an eye over students. She pays the girls from her own pocket. “These girls are not qualified to teach and are only Class X and Class XII passouts. But, they help me keep tabs on students,” she says. Darshna also says that her husband, who too has retired as a teacher, helps her in managing the school affairs. “The school will have to be shut down after I retire early next year… the government has stopped recruiting new teachers in aided schools for quite sometime now,” she says. District Education Officer Gurinder Kaur said, “I was not aware of the fact. If rules allow, I will provide more teachers to the school.” She said the district had five government-aided schools. About aided schools A government-aided school is the one that is managed by a private committee but its functioning is controlled by the state government. The recruitment of teachers is also done by the government, which provides 95 per cent aid. The rest 5 per cent is funded by the school management.
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Will meet targets, but need a free hand: Officials
Chandigarh, July 14 Sources said senior officials had told Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal that there would be no problem in generating Rs 1,000 crore revenue in addition to the target fixed in the Budget from VAT during the current fiscal year provided there was no interference in the functioning of the taxation department. They asked Sukhbir that politicians should be told not to interfere when taxation officials inspected records of trading firms and industries belonging to influential persons. Sukhbir was informed that many firms having turnover in crores contributed a meagre amount to VAT. Meanwhile, what is worrying the state government is a decline in revenue from stamp duty in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. It dropped to Rs 840 crore as compared to Rs 955 crore during the corresponding period last year. This is perhaps because of a slump in real estate business. Interestingly, during the previous fiscal year, revenue from stamp duty was Rs 3,079 crore against a target of Rs 2,900 crore. However, there is a considerable increase in revenue from VAT in the first three months. It has already crossed Rs 3,700 crore whereas it was Rs 3,250 crore during the same period last year. The target is to collect Rs 14,213 crore during the fiscal year. Meanwhile, the sources said VAT might be levied on branded clothes and other textile items and sugar. Some VAT slabs may be rationalised by increasing tax rate by 0.5 per cent. The registration fee limit on registered deeds is likely to be enhanced to Rs 1 lakh against the existing limit of Rs 30,000. Obviously, before going for these and other measures to generate additional revenue, the SAD will have to take the BJP leadership in confidence.
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IIT-Roorkee team arrives to test underground water
Muktsar, July 14 He said a team of experts from IIT-Roorkee arrived here today, which would jointly carry out a research with the officials of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) over the next two months. Dr Absar A. Kazmi, Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee, who is heading the team, said, “So far, we have visited four villages and have found that village ponds are in a bad condition and are full of sewage, which require to be immediately cleaned. The sewage system in villages needs to be improved.”
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Don’t overdraw from Northern Grid, panel warns Power Corp
Patiala, July 14 During the past few months, Punjab has been indulging in overdrawal of electricity from the Northern Grid beyond its Total Transfer Capacity (TTC) of 5,400-MW. Even the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) had directed the Power Corporation not to jump the limit fixed for the drawal of power. Notably, by and large, when the frequency of the Northern Grid is less than 49.5, it is considered to be critical and drawal of power can put the security of the grid under threat. The CERC stated that overdrawal of power by neighbouring state of Haryana was the maximum in the northern region. It is learnt that in the past few months, the NRLDC had issued more than 110 messages to Haryana and 55 messages to Punjab to maintain grid discipline. In July last year, some units of Lehra Mohabbat and Bathinda Thermal Plant had tripped due to the overdrawal of power by the PSPCL from the Northern Grid beyond its TTC limit. At that time, the NRLDC authorities had sent a letter to the Power Corporation that if overdrawal was not curtailed, there could be a threat to the security of the Northern Grid. "We may have indulged in overdrawal of power beyond the TTC limit. But, drawal of power is always done keeping in mind the frequency and security of the grid," said a PSPCL spokesperson.
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33% suicides not linked to debt in rural areas
Chandigarh, July 14 The state government had allotted a project to critically examine the phenomenon of suicides in farm sector to three universities, including the PAU, Punjabi University, Patiala, and Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, and to enlist the reasons for it. Each university was given particular number of districts under the project. “Whereas two other universities have submitted the report, we are awaiting the same from the GNDU. After getting report from the GNDU, we will proceed further to decide that in what form the farmer and farm labour families affected by suicides should be helped,” said a senior state government functionary. There could also be fix deposits in the name of affected families, he added. Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa had earmarked funds for the purpose in the Budget for current fiscal year. A team of the PAU headed by Prof Sukhpal Singh conducted the suicide survey in 1,644 villages of Mansa, Barnala, Moga and Ludhiana districts. Of the 3,238 suicide cases enlisted by it, 369 were related to women. It is about 10 per cent of the total number of suicides recorded by the PAU starting from year 2000 to 2011. The number, 217, of women suicides is higher in agricultural labour families than the farmer households. However, the PAU study has inferred that all the 3,238 suicides enlisted by it were not due to debt factor. “Of these, 2,181(67.36 per cent) were committed due to heavy debt burden and remaining 982 (32.64 per cent) were committed due to other reasons such as domestic conflict, marital discord and property dispute etc,” states the report. Further sorting out the suicide data, the report says that of the total number of suicide cases, 1,750 were farmers and 1,488 were farm labours. Further, of the 1,750 farmers, 1,307 ended their lives due to indebtedness. Average burden of debt in such households varied from Rs 3.32 lakh to Rs 4.76 lakh in Ludhiana district and Rs 5.12 lakh in Barnala district to Rs 5.41 lakh in Moga district. The highest number, 1,013, of debt related farmer and farm labour suicides was in Mansa and lowest, 292, in Moga district. Interestingly, such suicide cases were reported in 51.2 per cent villages whereas there was no report of such suicide in remaining 48.8 villages surveyed the PAU team. And most of these farmers were having small land holdings up to five acres. Likewise, of the 1,488 farm labour suicides, 874 (58.74 per cent) were committed due to indebtedness and remaining for other reasons.
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Without safety tools, spinal injury cases rising among linemen
Chandigarh, July 14 Institute Director Dr Raj Bahadur said other patients operated upon for their injuries at the centre include 12 from Himachal Pardesh, 12 from Haryana and two from Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab, the maximum number of patients (22) came from Mohali, followed by Patiala (16). He said most of the patients, who came from Punjab, suffered spinal injuries after falling from electricity poles. These patients informed the doctors that they were working on electricity poles without rubber gloves, helmets and harness. “Had these employees been provided with such facilities, this most unfortunate injury could have been avoided. Almost all these patients suffered simultaneously burn injuries on their hands or other parts of their body because of electric current,” said Dr Raj Bahadur. “People are now aware of the availability of super specialty treatment for the spine injuries at the centre, which has performed 100 surgeries so far. There is a patient who has come all the way from Mysore,” he added. About the treatment expenses, Dr Raj Bahadur said the institute was trying to adopt the principle of no profit no loss and the cost of treatment, including surgery, medicine, hospital charges and food, comes out to be around Rs 20,000. In a public sector hospital, it would cost nearly Rs 50,000 and in a private set up, the cost could up to Rs 1 lakh. “The centre also conducts corrective surgeries following cerebral palsy. Seven such surgeries have been performed in the past one-month. In mild cases of cerebral palsy, Bolox injections are given to prevent development of deformity,” he added.
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PCMS doctors hail placement policy
Patiala, July 14 Association president Dr Hardeep Singh said a delegation of the PCMS doctors, including Dr Inderjit Singla, general secretary, and Dr Yadwinder Singh Banga, vice president of the association, met Principal Secretary, Health, Vinni Mahajan yesterday in Chandigarh and she had assured that the government would implement the permanent placement policy at the earliest. “She has also assured us that change in the eligibility criteria will not affect any doctor serving in rural area adversely,” he said. Dr Hardeep said the policy was the long-pending demand of the association. “This policy will meet the objective of equitable distribution of doctors, better treatment of unserved, reduce absenteeism and to bring transparency in transfers.” Under the policy, the whole state would be divided into difficult rural areas, other rural areas, semi-urban and urban areas and every doctors would be posted in these areas for 4, 5, 7 and 16 years of service, he added. The PCMS doctors demanded to de-link the policy from the eligibility criteria for post-graduation admission quota of 60 per cent for the PCMS doctors.
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Four test positive for cholera in Patiala
Patiala, July 14 While the Health Department has distributed more than 5,000 chlorine tablets in the area, the MC has got the illegal water connections disconnected and repair work of water pipes is on. Meanwhile, Government Medical College, Patiala, Principal Dr KD Singh has said that four out of eight stool samples have been tested positive for cholera and their treatment has already begun. “All of them are out of danger and their condition is stable,” he added.
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Youth Congress leader arrested with 5-kg opium
Patiala, July 14 He is the Gidderbaha Youth Congress block president, the police said. Angrej Singh, who was accompanying Gurpreet, has also been arrested. During preliminary investigation, Gurpreet accepted that he had brought the opium from Rajasthan, the police claimed. “He was on his way to Chandigarh with the contraband, which suggests his clients are primarily based in Chandigarh,” Gill said.
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Raniwala (Muktsar), July 14
Muktsar, July 14
