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Malwa surges in urbanisation
Woman found murdered at a dhaba near distt courts
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Hooch tragedy: Prime accused facing 23 cases
Villagers blame cops, excise officials for hooch deaths
US shootout: CM announces relief for victim’s kin
SAD has left farmers in a lurch: Cong
Amid opposition, Excise dept’s online facility to go live today
Industry on fast to protest e-filing of trade details
Not paid by PRTC, bus owners in trouble
Farmers protest over lack of power supply
Without local funds, govt schools face financial crisis
Traders protest VAT on sugar, fresh taxes
Louisiana Guv Jindal losing fans back home
Foundation constituted for proposed Jang-e-Azadi memorial
Government to seek Rs 5,000 cr drought relief
PDA seals 105 buildings
79 new vends in Sangrur
HC orders fresh probe into issuance of red cards
High Court orders
Rs 3.5 lakh relief for widow in custodial death case
Court wants brakes on buses
ferrying commuters illegally
Nurse lures couple into selling their newborn
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Malwa surges in urbanisation
Chandigarh, August 9 The urban population in the state has grown by more than 25.72 per cent during the past decade. In 2001, 82,62,511 persons lived in urban areas in the state. The count was recorded at 1,03,87,436 (increase of 21,24,925) in the 2011 Census. The total population of the state was 2.44 crore in 2011, which has risen to 27,704,236 in 2011. Releasing the break-up of the 2011 data, Census (Punjab) Director Seema Jain said around 62 per cent of the state’s population now lived in rural areas against the 38 per cent in urban areas. The national average of urban population is 31.16 per cent. The figures were released during a workshop on “Census Data Dissemination”. Every fifth dweller in the cities or towns of Punjab lives in Ludhiana. Mohali is the second most urbanised district, followed by Amritsar and Jalandhar. Tarn Taran (12.6 per cent) is the least urbanised district. The number of towns in the state has also increased from 157 to 217 over the past decade. Bathinda, which was the ninth most urbanised district in 2001, is now ranked sixth while Gurdaspur has moved two paces ahead from 14 to 12.
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Woman found murdered at a dhaba near distt courts
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 9 Even the dhaba owner, with whom the woman worked as a labourer to clean utensils, feigned ignorance about the identity of the deceased. He said the victim had come to him in search of a job a month and a half ago and he gave him work at his dhaba. As the woman did not have any accommodation she slept at the dhaba. The gruesome murder also highlights the failure of the police in initiating action against the house owners and business establishments who had not provided information to the police about the tenants and migrant labour. The murder came to light when one of the workers noticed the naked body of the victim. He informed the owner who further passed on the information to the police which immediately reached the spot and took the body into its custody. The police has registered a case against unknown persons and has sent the body to the Civil hospital for identification of the victim. The post-mortem examination of the body would be conducted after three days. SHO Devinder Singh said prima facie evidence shows that the victim was raped before being murdered. Fearing that the victim might raise her voice, the accused hit her head with a blunt weapon as there were injuries on her head. The police suspected that the accused may have been be known to the victim and that could be the reason behind the murder. The police has launched a manhunt to arrest the accused and hoped to arrest the accused soon as the police has got some vital clues from the site of the incident, he claimed.
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Hooch tragedy: Prime accused facing 23 cases
Batala, August 9 Another accused Janak Masih has none cases against him and has been convicted in five. For bootleggers like Masih and Kamla, selling hooch is a ticket to prosperity. A police officer said normally, those selling hooch are booked under Section 304-A (death due to negligence). “However, since the magnitude of the tragedy is colossal, we have book the offenders under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) instead of 304-A,” he said. This means both Kamla and Masih will have to cool their heels in jail for some time before they are able to secure bail. Batala Senior Superintendent of Police Rajpal Singh Sandhu said the law was soft towards peddlers and he was seeking the opinion of the district attorney in the case. Kamla and Masih have been booked several times under Sections 61/1/14 of the Excise Act under which an offender can be fined between Rs 5,000 and 25,000 and can be jailed for a year. “Normally, courts slap fines on offenders and seldom do they send them to jail. This makes it easier for the offenders to return to the illegal trade,” said an excise official.
Bootleggers using methanol Batala: Shampura village, locate 3 km from Batala, is notorious for the illegal liquor trade. Bootleggers of this village allegedly enjoy the patronage of mainline political parties. So powerful are they that the police and excise officials are reluctant to raid their premises. Sources say 60 per cent of the village residents are in the trade and they produce 10,000 litres of hooch on a daily basis. To keep the production cost low, the bootleggers have now started using methyl alcohol instead of jaggery, say sources. “A slight overdose of methanol can lead to irrevocable liver damage within minutes,” said a doctor. Excise officials claim that the department is short of staff. “Despite this, the department has registered 18 FIRs against bootleggers in the past three months,” said Kirpal Singh
Sidhu, ETO, Gurdaspur.
Villagers blame cops, excise officials for hooch deaths
Jalandhar, August 9 At least 20 villagers had died in the Dasuya subdivision of Hoshiarpur in October 2010 after consuming illicit liquor. Five of the victims belonged to Kahlwan village in Dasuya. Thirteen persons were reported dead after consuming ‘home-made liquor’ in Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts in May 2000. In an effort to destroy evidence, villagers had hastened to cremate the bodies of nine bodies without informing the police. Of the deceased, 11 were from Kulara village near Nakodar. The deaths have not only raised doubts on the competency of the Punjab Police, but also that of the functioning of the Excise Department that seems to have turned a blind eye to the menace. Excise and Taxation Commissioner A Venu Prasad, however, denies any police patronage to the liquor mafia. Talking to The Tribune yesterday, he claimed that the department had been regularly conducting raids at the hideouts of those involved in the illegal trade. “We had recently seized drums of hooch during raids in Bet and Mand areas,” he4 said.
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US shootout: CM announces relief for victim’s kin
Chandigarh, August 9 He was accompanied by Indian Ambassador in US Nirupama Rao .Badal promised logistic support to the victims’ relatives. He announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each of six victims. He also said Government would provide free education in medical, engineering or any other stream to the children of the deceased. Case filed against Badal in US court Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has been issued summons by a local court on charges of “overseeing the torture of Sikhs in Punjab”. A human right group, Sikhs for Justice, in a lawsuit filed in the district court for the Eastern district of Wisconsin, has claimed that the Chief Minister is responsible for shielding police officials responsible for custodial torture. The lawsuit has appealed for a jury trial. The chief minister has 21 days to answer the charges. The NGO has taken up the case to generate awareness globally on the “extra -judicial killings of Sikhs” in Punjab at the hands of security forces, its attorney Gurpatwant Pannu claimed. “The lawsuit aimed to send a message to political leaders that they would be answerable to international law and courts in case they indulged in human rights violations.” he said. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s office claimed that marginalised elements looking for publicity and owing allegiance to SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann were behind the “civil suit”.
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SAD has left farmers in a lurch: Cong
Chandigarh, August 9 The leaders alleged that instead of rescuing farmers, the Akali leadership were attending social engagements along with their cabinet colleagues in the US. Similarly many are attending London Olympics, they said. —
TNS
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Amid opposition, Excise dept’s online facility to go live today
Patiala, August 9 All traders will get a password and user name from their local excise department offices, so that they can avail the same facility on the website www.pextax.com. Many industrialists and other trader associations have criticized the decision of the Punjab Excise and Taxation department pertaining to Intra State Transactions (IST). wherein the traders will have to file all information pertaining to their sale online, before they are shifted through transportation from one district to other within Punjab. While the department has fixed a cap of Rs two lakh for trade of iron and steel, it is three lakh and above for other trade within the state. Sources said that many industrial associations have met the excise and taxation department officials in the recent past to express their resentment against excise department’s move of putting information online. Many other associations and unions oppose the move and will go on strike in several districts of Punjab. “While some associations want that the cap should start from Rs 1000 others want to get a re-look at the capping limit for traders”, a trader said. Insiders say that the coalition government’s partner BJP is siding with the traders and is opposing the taxation department’s move. “Majority of the people suffering form BJP’s urban vote bank and therefore we will stand by the traders,” said a BJP leader, not willing to be named. All India Steel Rerollers Association, President, Vinod Vashisht said, “There is discrimination against the iron and steel industry in fixing the threshold of sale. The law should be applicable for all manufacturers and traders on a sale of even Rs 1000 so that there is no chance of any VAT theft.” “Further instead of only intra state transactions, we feel that a lot of VAT is evaded in inter-state transactions therefore the new system should cover all transactions starting from Rs 1000 leaving no chance for any theft by anyone”, he added. Commissioner, Excise and Taxation Department Punjab, A Venu Prasad said he was open to discussions with the traders and other associations. “We will hold meetings in the coming days and try to reach a consensus, as the main aim of this step is to stop VAT theft”, he said, adding that traders will be given some more days to get accustomed to the new system.
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Industry on fast to protest e-filing of trade details
Ludhiana, August 9 The notification had been issued earlier as well, but was rolled back due to opposition from the industry. Former Health Minister Satpal Gosain and MLA Surinder Dawar announced their "full support" to the protesters. Dawar said, "The industry is the backbone of Punjab and the state cannot flourish if industrialists are suffering due to wrong policies of the state government." Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association president Badish Jindal said, "The state government is adamant on destroying trade and industry in the state. All policies of the government are anti-industry. First the power tariff was levied from back date and now it is forcing us to file details of the intra-state trade online. With no other option left, the industry will shift its base to other states." Ludhiana Induction Furnace Association president K.K. Garg said the notification would prove a "death knell" for the industry. Amritsar: A large number of traders under the banner of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) held an hour-long protest at Katra Jai Mal Singh today against the Union and state governments for their alleged anti-trade policies. PPBM president Amrit Lal Jain said the Union government merely copied the Food Security Act and Standards Act from developed countries and implemented in India, which was not feasible in Indian conditions. He flayed the SAD-BJP coalition in the state for imposing 5 per cent VAT on sugar. He also urged the government to review its decision of installing the magnetic pod project in the walled city as it could ruin trade at Hall bazaar, Ram Bagh and Maha Singh Gate areas.
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Not paid by PRTC, bus owners in trouble
Patiala, August 9 The management is supposed to pay Rs 6.59 per km to bus owners every
fortnight. State president of PRTC Kilometre Scheme Bus operators Association, Punjab, Malwinder Singh Sandhu said that PRTC management had not complied with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Court had directed the management to release the due amount to the operators. They were ordered to pay the amount due till March 31, 2012 before June 30,2012 but till date we have only received payment till the month of February, Sandhu said. However the management is still making excuses to delay the payment, he added. Vice president of the association, Sewa Singh Saroa said, “Almost a 100 km-scheme buses have been taken off the road. If this continues we’ll have no more bus operators left.” Most of these owners have been unable to pay their installments and have been included in the list of defaulters by banks. Meanwhile, managing director of PRTC DPS Kharbanda said he was aware of the problems faced by the bus operators. He said he was extending full support to the operators and had issued a cheque of Rs 1 crore in their name 10 days ago.
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Farmers protest over lack of power supply
Patiala, August 9 State president of BKU (Dakaunda) Buta Singh Burajgill said the Punjab government had promised uninterrupted supply for eight hours to the agricultural sector but the farmers were hardly getting a “The Corporation has added to the farmers woes who were already struggling this year due to lack of rainfall,” said Manjeet Singh, senior vice president of BKU (Dakaunda). BKU threatened to intensify the agitation if their demands were not met.
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Without local funds, govt schools face financial crisis
Patiala, August 9 Now girls till class XII and boys till class VIII do not have to pay this amount. Schools spent this money to meet their daily expenses and pay for water and electricity supply. With the discontinuation of these funds, school principals are finding it difficult to run the schools. The situation has become so miserable that school teachers have started seeking the support of philanthropists and NGOs to meet the school’s running expenses. When asked, a government school principal said, “We used local funds to meet the school’s running expenses. These funds were utilised to pay bills, organise cultural activities and send excursion trips. Now we are facing a financial crisis.” Another teacher from a bigger school complained, “How are we supposed to pay for electricity bills that run into thousands. We are shelling out money from our pockets to pay for stationery, chalk and fuel for generators but how long can we sustain this. The condition of middle schools is even worse.”
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Traders protest VAT on sugar, fresh taxes
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 9 Mandal president Virender Rattan also demanded that the state government should shelve its plans to introduce professional tax and property tax. He said changes, if any, in general sales tax system should only be made after holding discussion with the trading community. "And despite the fact that a large part of our revenue goes towards the payment of these taxes, the state government doesn't offer us any kind of facilities,” Rattan said. The traders also claimed that they were facing difficulty in getting C-Form for paying excise tax. In Amritsar, a large number of traders, under the banner of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, held an hour-long protest at Katra Jai Mal Singh. They were protesting against the “anti-trade” policies of the Union and state governments. Protests were also reported from Jalandhar. Hundreds of farmers, labourers, youth and students participated in a march organised against the hike in prices of essential commodities and imposition of taxes on sugar and other goods. They gathered at Jalandhar's Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall from where they marched towards the Deputy Commissioner's Office. Similar protests were also reported from Patiala. (With inputs from Jalandhar, Amritsar and Patiala)
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Louisiana Guv Jindal losing fans back home
Khanpur (Sangrur), August 9 His relatives, who had led the celebrations when Jindal was elected Governor, are even more bitter than Khanpur residents. “People, linking us with the Jindals, often ask us as to when will the Jindals visit their homeland and if they have done anything for the village,” says Sudama Ram, who claims to have solemnised the marriage of Bobby’s parents. Usha, Jindal’s paternal aunt, who retired as peon from a private school in Malerkotla, is living in penury. Sitting outside her one-room house, she refused to talk about her prosperous relatives in the US. “ My husband and son committed suicide because of financial difficulties and ill-health several years ago. I don’t expect anything from the Jindals.” Harminder Kumar, Bobby Jindal’s cousin, runs a chemist shop. The shop is still owned by Amar Chand Jindal, Bobby Jindal’s father. “Amar Chand is my father’s younger brother. He used to run a karyana shop from here. To his credit, he has never claimed the property. But at the same time, his family has never visited us,” he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “Bobby Jindal’s father grew up in the dusty lanes of Khanpur. He was intelligent and hard-working. He used to pedal 5 km kms to school everyday. I wish the family well. But I wish that they visit their native village at least once,” said Vijay Laxmi, another relative. “Villagers had put up banners congratulating Bobby Jindal when he became the Governor of Loiusiana. It was a matter of pride that someone from our village had risen to such a powerful position in the US. We don’t want any help from the family. But it would have been nice if the Jindals had remained in touch with their roots,” said SGPC member Beant Kaur. She said some other villagers who had migrated abroad had donated money for the village gurdwara as well as the village roads, but “the Jindals have done nothing for the village.” Sudama Ram said: “I am sure Bobby will win more fans in India by doing something for his village. He can institute scholarships for needy students. His visit to Khanpur could draw the state government’s attention to the need for better facilities in the village.”
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Foundation constituted for proposed Jang-e-Azadi memorial Chandigarh: To evolve a consensus on the concept and design of the Jang-e-Azaadi Memorial at Kartarpur, a foundation has been set up under Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. An official spokesperson said the memorial would come up over an area of 25 acres. Cultural Affairs Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur would be deputy chairman of the foundation. The other members were: Cabinet Minister Madan Mohan Mittal, SS Dhindsa, Naresh Gujral and BS Bhunder, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Parkash, RS Brahmpura, SS Sekhwan, Balramji Dass Tandon and the adviser to the CM. — TNS
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Drought compensation Chandigarh, August 9 Official sources said the government was ready with a presentation, to be made before Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar here tomorrow, on the efforts made by farmers and the government to save the kharif crop. Pawar is to meet state ministers and officials in the afternoon. Sources said Pawar would be told that PSPCL would have to spend Rs 2,500 crore on supplying power to the farm sector. Besides this, farmers would be spending Rs 800 crore on diesel to operate tubewells. Earlier, the government had sought a package of Rs 2,380 crore. Meanwhile, sources said the Centre would not pay Rs 300 crore demanded by the state for replacement of mono pump sets as there was no such provision under any central scheme, the sources said . The issue was raised by the All-India Congress Committee spokesperson and Member of Parliament, Ludhiana, Manish Tewari, in Parliament yesterday. He said the state government had claimed an amount of Rs 800 crore from the Central Government in 2009 as drought relief. But only Rs 150 crore was actually paid to the beneficiaries. “We only want to ensure that the relief reaches the beneficiaries. I have suggested that the compensation be given to the farmers through various procurement agencies and not through patwaris. “If the state government claims to have provided extra power to farmers, it should not be difficult for it to submit some proof,” Tewari said.
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Patiala, August 9 Administrator of PDA, Additional Deputy Commissioner (D) Anandita Mitra said, “We sealed a total of 105 illegal commercial properties in these areas today. — TNS
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79 new vends in Sangrur
Sangrur, August 9 In 2011-12, 32,60,197 IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) and 1,90,10,696 country-made liquor bottles were sold in the district. If the district’s male population, as recorded in the 2011 Census, is taken into account, all men consumed 25 bottles each (if presumed each man consumes alcohol). The district also did not report any case of liquor being sold to an underage (below 25 years of age) drinker. The information was recently provided to an RTI (Right to Information) activist, Kamal Anand, by the Excise and Taxation authorities. These 55 panchayats had passed the resolution under the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act against opening of vends in their respective villages during the 2012-13 fiscal. However, the Excise authorities rejected their resolutions, saying "it would not be proper to order closure of vends". But, there were a few cases where shifting or closure of vends was ordered. During 2011-12, there were 390 country made and 185 IMFL vends in the district. Their count has risen to 435 and 219, respectively, during 2012-13. However, no increase in the number of beer bars (13) has been seen.
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HC orders fresh probe into issuance of red cards
Chandigarh, August 9 Apparently dissatisfied with the State’s stand on the issue, the High Court had asked the government to file a fresh affidavit giving details of the inquiry. The development is significant as a red card enables the victims to seek compensation. As the petition filed in the matter by Sikh Danga Pirat Welfare Society came up for hearing on a previous date, the Bench had observed in the open court that the state government denied that in the issuance of red cards to 578 riot victims, any anomaly was committed and the entire process had been carried out strictly in accordance with the norms. The Bench added, but a vigilance inquiry in the matter appears to have been conducted, which found that the documents and certificates furnished by 30 beneficiaries were forged; and an FIR against the beneficiaries has also been lodged.
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High Court orders
Rs 3.5 lakh relief for widow in custodial death case
Chandigarh, August 9 Medical reports had indicated consumption of pesticides as the cause for the death. Navkiran Singh told the court that Charanjit Singh had died in February 2004, 22 days after his conviction in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Acting on Balwinder Kaur’s petition, the High Court had earlier marked a judicial probe into the convict’s death. The probe had clearly indicated that the death was not natural. After taking the report on record, the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain ordered the payment of compensation this morning. The orders come at a time when Punjab is being blamed for the high incidence of human rights violation. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) had only recently concluded that the Punjab Police was among one of the three most notorious state forces violating human rights. The NCRB, in its annual report for 2011 released recetly, had said 5,767 complaints of human rights violations were received against Punjab cops in 2011. But the state police registered merely 142 FIRs against its personnel. A majority of complaints were declared “ false and fabricated”. The complaints against policemen before the Punjab State Human Rights Commission have also been witnessing a rise. A total of 10,869, of the 19,266, complaints received by the PSHRC in 2010 were against Punjab Police personnel.
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Court wants brakes on buses
ferrying commuters illegally
Chandigarh, August 9 The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain also made it clear to the State that buses violating the directions were liable to be impounded. The Bench, on the previous date of hearing, had directed the Punjab Transport Department authorities to clarify what action could be initiated against plying of sleeper buses as the Motor Vehicle Act does not provide for the registration of such buses. The directions came after Punjab State Transport Commissioner Harjeet Singh, in his affidavit, stated no tourist sleeper coach had been registered in Punjab as the Motor Vehicle Act and Punjab Motor Vehicle Act had no provision for such buses. The affidavit also stated that brakes had not been applied on buses registered in other states and only buses plying without paying taxes were being challaned. In an earlier reply, the state Transport Department had stated that 24 sleeper buses were found to be plying illegally and action was taken against such buses. But, petitioner Ramesh Sharma had questioned the plying of such buses when there was no provision in the Motor Vehicle Act. The Bench then directed the department to clarify why such buses could not be impounded.
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Nurse lures couple into selling their newborn
Abohar, August 9 The couple is issueless. The deal was reportedly finalised on August 3 and the adoption deed was registered with the Sub-Registrar of the Revenue Department through an advocate on August
7. Vinod and his wife are believed to have paid Rs 6,000 towards the hospital bill. A case has been registered in
Sriganganagar. against Vinod, his wife, brother-in-law Ashok Aggarwal, Iqbal and nurse Madhu
Nagpal. — TNS
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Members of the District Beopar Mandal today held a protest rally near the District Administrative Complex here demanding a rollback of the VAT on sugar, as announced by the state government.
The traders also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister through the Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner.
Doaba has an urban population of 36.68 per cent, followed by Majha at 36.09 per cent. Similar is the scenario in other parts of the state. The residents are leaving their lush green fields, from where the Green Revolution originated, and venturing in search of greener pastures to towns and cities. 
