|
|
|
|
|
Higher taxes may trigger social unrest: Capt
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Capt, Manpreet wooing each other for survival: SAD
Key Congress leaders skip Ludhiana dharna
Shocking conditions
A view of Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar
Full religion status: Akali MP Ajnala writes to Law Minister
Sarabjit will be freed soon, says his Pak lawyer
Gravestone of maharaja Duleep’s son restored
Surprise
visit: Members of the Punjab Assembly committee during the inspection at a government school in Ajnala on Friday. A Tribune photograph
PUTA elections: 76 withdraw from contest
Register murder case, insist protesters
Suicide By Shivali
Mumbai firm offers to install solar cooking system at Golden Temple
Panel to probe jail reforms
After 21 years, HC regularises doctor’s admission
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Higher taxes may trigger social unrest: Capt
Ludhiana, September 7 “When financial situation gets bad and taxes go high, petty crime increases and the law and order machinery breaks down. The growth trajectory of the state is affected too,” Amarinder said. Referring to reports that Punjab was on the terror radar, he said: “We don’t want our neighbour (Pakistan) to think that it can indulge in any adventurism.” The state Congress today held district-level dharnas in protest against the “punitive” taxes imposed on the people. Earlier, speaking at a dharna held near the city mini-secretariat, he said: “Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should not rest complacent that the government will run its full term. Whenever economy grows weak, the government fails to survive.” Striking a strident note, he said: “The Congress will take its protest (against imposition of taxes) to its logical conclusion.” Criticising the state government, he said 47 lakh people were unemployed. “At least 400 steel units are fleeing the state. Some cycle units have shifted to Bihar and Rajasthan,” he claimed. Buttressing his arguments with statistics, the PCC chief said the state growth rate was 6.5 per cent. To this, the contribution of the agriculture sector was less than 1 per cent and that of the industrial and service sectors 5.5 per cent. Flaying the “blanket” imposition of property tax, he said the government’s target was to impose taxes to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. He concluded his address thus: “This is your (the people’s) dharna. Till the taxes are rescinded, we will not rest, even though we may have to court arrest.” Talking to mediapersons, he said the taxes had been imposed illegally since these had not been approved by the Vidhan Sabha. “Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar has rightly said the House should be reconvened.” Calling for rationalisation of taxes, the PCC chief said the government could not impose taxes with retrospective effect. “Instead of larger taxes on a smaller base, there’s a need to bring smaller taxes on a larger base,” he added. Clarifying that the Congress had no plans to forge a political alliance with the Sanjha Morcha, he said: “If for the sake of Punjab we have to carry anyone with us, we will do so.” On the PCC leadership issue, he said till a decision by the Congress president, he would continue shouldering the responsibility. Among those who attended the dharna were Jakhar, Congress MP Manish Tewari and Punjab Youth Congress president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary. Gurdaspur: At least 1,000 Congress activists staged a dharna here. Prominent among those who participated were Gurdaspur Member of Parliament Partap Bajwa, District Congress Committee president and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and sitting legislators Tripit Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, Ashwani Sekri and Aruna Chowdhury. Raman Bahl and Balwinder Laddi, who lost the last assembly elections from Gurdaspur and Sri Hargobindpur, respectively, were also present. However, Partap Bajwa’s brother Fatehjung Singh decided to keep away. Amritsar: That the Congress, the main Opposition party in the state, continues to be a divided house became evident when District Congress Committee (DCC) chief Jugal Kishore Sharma and Amritsar Central legislator OP Soni exchanged heated words in full media glare at the Congress dharna here. Other Congress leaders were seen pacifying the two. It took them a while to calm down the warring leaders. Also, various Congress leaders were seen holding the protest along with their supporters to showcase their strength. Most of them ended up targeting their own party workers who, they alleged, had caused their defeat in the assembly elections. Capt Amarinder Singh is to hold a political conference at Majitha, the stronghold of Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, on September 11. Sangrur: The party protest was led by district president Subhash Grover here. Those present included Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla, Dhuri MLA Arvind Khanna, former minister Jasbir Singh and former MLAs Surinderpal Singh Sibia (Sangrur), Surjit Singh Dhiman (Dirba), Gurcharan Singh Dirba (Dirba) and Ramesh Singla (Nabha). Moga: Local MLA Joginder Pal Jain dubbed the imposition of fresh taxes an undemocratic move by the state government. SGPC member Sukhjit Singh Kaka Lohgarh, who lost the Assembly elections to Akali stalwart Tota Singh on the Congress ticket, attended the protest with his supporters. Former MLAs Darshan Singh Brar, Ajit Singh Shant, Vijay Sathi, district party president Gurdarshan Kaur and other local leaders were also present. Similar protests were held in Bathinda, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Muktsar.
|
||
|
Capt, Manpreet wooing each other for survival: SAD
Chandigarh, September 7 Majithia said Amarinder was seeking support from someone (Manpreet) he had referred to as a “summer storm” in the runup the assembly elections. He said the leaders who had then spewed venom at each other were now ready to embrace each other. Hitting out at the PCC chief, Majithia said the former should stage a “dharna” in front of 10 Janpath and 7 Race Course Road because it was the Congres-led UPA Government which had denied grants to Punjab for not levying any taxes. “Let him lead the dharna and we will support him.” said Majithia. He claimed the Congress dharnas had nothing to do with the masses and were an attempt by Amarinder to save his chair. Criticising the PPP chief, he said: “Manpreet has no principles and his shifting stance on issues reveals his true character.” He said Manpreet as Finance Minister had advocated imposition of taxes.
|
||
|
Key Congress leaders skip Ludhiana dharna
Sources said senior leaders were trying to belittle PCC chief Amarinder Singh’s foray into the people’s arena, claiming it was a case of too little
too late. They were apprehensive that Amarinder could catch the people’s attention as well as that of the high command if the rallies addressed by him attracted large
crowds. Bhattal said her son-in-law Vikram Bajwa had attended the dharna at Ludhiana and her son Rahul Sidhu at
Gurdaspur. Partap Bajwa said he had been invited by legislators from Gurdaspur to attend the district-level
dharna. He said all district legislators had participated in the protest to demonstrate party
unity. Amloh legislator Randeep Singh Nabha, who is among Amarinder’s detractors, said he and 120 other leaders who had formed a group against Amarinder had attended the dharna because they did not want the party to suffer on account of “collision of interests with the PCC
chief”. Amarinder’s detractors claim that there is nothing much to read in the ongoing dharnas which they see as a knee-jerk reaction by the PCC president to cling to power. They say the PCC chief is on the way out and that the dharnas will not lift his stock with the high command. It is clear that Amarinder has, like in the past, bowled a googly taking his detractors aback. Besides upsetting the
SAD-BJP alliance, he has also upset senior Congress leaders who do not get along with him. Amarinder has attracted a large number of legislators and District Congress presidents to his fold, indicating that the party high command would have to take him in the loop while taking a
decision on PCC affairs in Punjab.
|
||
|
Mayoral poll: Slugfest in two key civic bodies
Amritsar, September 7
In view of its good performance, the local SAD leadership was keen to have its man as a Mayor. However, it is unlikely that the high command would defy the MC pre-poll pact. Two of the four municipal corporations in the state, including Amritsar and Jalandhar, were to have BJP Mayors whereas the other two (Ludhiana and Patiala) were to have SAD councillors on the top post. Amritsar SAD president Upkar Singh Sandhu said: “We have already taken up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal. Now, it is for them to decide.” On the other hand, BJP state president Ashwani Sharma had earlier made it clear that there was no question of deviating from the pact. But even if the SAD adheres to the pact and gives the Mayor’s post to the BJP, the saffron party may find it hard to select a candidate. For, Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and Punjab Industry Minister Anil Joshi have been lobbying for their respective candidates. While Sidhu has thrown his weight behind youth leader Rajesh Honey, Joshi is supporting the candidature of former Amritsar Improvement Trust chairman Bakshi Ram Arora and BJP leader Sukhminder Singh Pintu. Honey has a sound political backing and has headed the BJP Yuva Morcha (Urban). He was also a contender for the BJP ticket from Amitsar (East) assembly constituency, but made way for Sidhu’s wife. His supporters now claim that it was time for Sidhu to “suitably reward” Honey. However, he is unlikely to be accepted as Mayor by the Joshi camp. On the other hand, Pintu shares good rapport among the masses and had won by the highest margin in the recent corporation elections. Both Honey and Pintu have won the corporation elections twice, but the duo has negligible political experience when compared with Arora, the former BJP district president (urban) and a three-time MC member. At present, Arora is a member of the BJP’s state working committee and in charge of the party affairs in Gurdaspur and Batala districts. However, the party workers have been lobbying with the high command against his candidature on the pretext that Arora, a strict administrator, “would not extend favours to them”, said party sources. In such a scenario, Arora may take the lead as he scores over the two other contenders in terms of experience. The MC polls were held on June 10, almost three months prior to the expiry of the existing House’s tenure on September 6.
|
||
|
Jalandhar: Election on September 20; triangular contest likely
Jalandhar, September 7
The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) councillors will elect their Mayor on September 20. Ladhar today issued a notice to this effect. The coalition partners, the SAD and the BJP, had earlier decided that the Jalandhar Mayor would be from the BJP whereas the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor would go the SAD way. Unlike Ludhiana and Patiala MCs where SAD’s sitting Mayors are also in the fray, the BJP has no such choice in Jalandhar as incumbent Mayor Rakesh Rathour did not contest this time. His tenure ends on September 9. The BJP, therefore, will have to elect a new face. Among the frontrunners for the Mayor’s post are councillors Sunil Jyoti, Ravi Mahendru and Bhagwant Prabhakar. Representing ward number-5, Jyoti is a confidant of Jalandhar (North) MLA KD Bhandari. He also enjoys the backing of outgoing Mayor Rakesh Rathour. However, Jyoti is facing a tough contest from Ravi Mahendru, councillor from ward number-38. He enjoys the support of Jalandhar (Central) MLA Manoranjan Kalia. Both Jyoti and Mahendru are two-time councillors and have been members of the civic body’s Finance and Contracts Committee. While Jyoti claims that he gained “enough” experience while remaining associated with Rathour over the last five years, Mahendru contends that being a state secretary, he was senior in the party hierarchy. Amidst reports that the BJP was finding it hard to select either of these two candidates, sources said there were chances that the party may go in for a third name: Bhagwant Prabhakar, ward number-4 councillor. The BJP has already consulted its 20 councillors in the 60-member House, MLAs (they too have voting rights) and sitting Mayor on who their choice was for the top post. The SAD leadership too had detailed discussions today to finalise their nominees for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Several Akali leaders, including former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, former Jalandhar Improvement Trust chairman Baljit Singh Neelamahal, Adampur MLA Pawan Tinu, Kartarpur MLA Sarwan Singh Phillaur, SGPC member Kulwant Singh Manan and women wing leader Simerjit Kaur Sidhu, today briefed Deputy Chief Minister and party president Sukhbir Badal about their choices. Sitting Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia has won unopposed from his ward this time while incumbent Deputy Mayor Parvesh Tangri managed to retain his seat from ward number 50. Both are lobbying for a second consecutive term. However, the Akali Dal may even go in for women candidates — Arvinder Kaur Oberoi (two-time councillor), Dalwinder Kaur Gandhi (who has won unopposed) and Parminder Kaur Pannu (sister-in-law of MLA Pargat Singh) — for either or both these posts.
|
||
|
Shocking conditions
Sources said the hospital Medical Superintendent Dr VK Sharda had issued verbal instructions to the hospital staff to not speak to mediapersons. Dr Sharda was not available for comment. Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Madan Mohan Mittal, who visited the hospital today to inaugurate the renovated Eye Bank of the hospital, also evaded media queries at the press conference. “If anyone from the hospital staff was found guilty, he/she would be punished”, Mittal said, adding that he only got to know about the infestation today. Recently, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Preneet Kaur, had shot off a letter to the Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, over the matter. In the letter, she said she was shocked to see patients being treated at the hospital in such unhygienic conditions. Former Deputy Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Bir Devinder Singh said frightening reports about presence of the snakes and rats in Rajindra Hospital was a matter of great concern. “What with the scarcity of Anti-Snake Venom here, there is a high probability that a snake bite victim could die,” he said. “If the infestation is not checked effectively, it may cause the outbreak of plague in the town just as it had happened in Surat (Gujarat) 15 years ago,” he added. A three-member team from the Medical Council of India visited Government Rajindra Hospital today to inspect whether the hospital had the necessary infrastructure to handle the increasing number of MBBS students. The members refused to comment on the rat infestation at the hospital.
|
|
Full religion status: Akali MP Ajnala writes to Law Minister
New Delhi, Sept 7 Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker had allowed Ajnala’s plea to move a private Bill seeking the an amendment to Article 25 of the Constitution which describes Sikh, Jain and Buddhist places of worship as part of Hindu places. “Everyone is aware that the Sikh Dharma was established as a separate religion with its own code of conduct by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. During the British rule in India, Sikhs were given separate seats. The Sikhs have been recognised as a separate minority under the National Minority Commission Act. A simple amendment to the Constitution’s Article 25 will serve the Sikh purpose,” Ajnala said in his letter to Khurshid. Article 25 of the Constitution deals with the right to practice religion and says for the purpose of practicing religion, Hindus places of worship be construed to also mean Sikh, Buddhist and Jain. Ajnala’s private member’s Bill was listed to be moved today but the Speaker adjourned the House sine die in the morning. A private member’s Bill has little hope of being passed unless the government adopts it and brings it as an official Bill. The government had earlier converted a private member’s Bill on amendment to the Anand Karaj Act into its own Bill and passed it in the last Parliament session to enable Sikh couples to register their marriages separately under the Anand Karaj Amendment Act instead of the Hindu Marriage Act.
|
|
|
Sarabjit will be freed soon, says his Pak lawyer
Lahore, September 7 Sheikh hoped that Sarabjit would be released before the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Pakistan. "The Government of Pakistan has, as per my information, decided to release Sarabjit Singh because of many reasons. I filed a fresh mercy petition immediately after the release of Khalid Chisti, and I have given reasons to the honourable President for pardoning him, commuting his death sentence to life. “So, I hope before the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sarabjit Singh will be released. I am positive," said Sheikh. He said the establishments of both India and Pakistan should take note that the people of both countries wanted to live in peace. "People of both countries increasingly desire to live in peace and harmony.They want to live like good neighbours. They are fed up with these confrontational policies," said Sheikh. Sheikh, who visited India last month, had claimed that Sarabjit had mentioned in a letter that he was being mentally tortured and was apprehensive regarding his health, especially because of the food served to him in prison. Sarabjit, 49, who has spent 21 years on death row, is being held at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail. Condemned to death for his involvement in a string of bombings in Pakistan Punjab in 1990, Sarabjit had last month filed a fresh clemency appeal to President Zardari. — ANI
|
|
|
Gravestone of maharaja Duleep’s son restored
London, September 7 Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh empire, was exiled to Britain in 1854, aged 13, after the British annexation of Punjab. Known for his lavish lifestyle, he moved to Scotland and came to be known as the Black Prince of
Perthshire. Duleep Singh's child was born in Perthshire on August 4, 1865, but died within hours. The child was buried in
Perthshire. The gravestone where the child was buried was restored and consecrated at the ceremony organised by the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail
(ASHT) in Kenmore Kirk yesterday. The restoration work was commissioned by the Kenmore parish church and local project Kenmore in Bloom with financial contribution by the ASHT on behalf of the Sikh
community. Harbinder Singh, director of the ASHT, said: "Despite this remote location, the tragic obscurity surrounding this infant child remains a fact that he was born an heir to the Sikh kingdom.
— PTI
|
|
|
MLAs’ inspection team finds school infrastructure lacking
Amritsar, September 7 Talking to The Tribune, committee chairman Gurtej Singh Ghurhiana said teachers at government elementary school at Sarangdev village were on leave and the 'daal' being served to students under Midday Meal Scheme was "non-edible". Similarly, there were only two rooms, that too in a dilapidated condition, at government schools at Ball Labba Dariya village, out of which one was filled with cow dung cakes. However, the school at Haradkalan village was in good shape, he said. The committee members pulled up the district education officials and directed them to initiate corrective measures. He claimed the government was sanctioning a lot of funds for improving the standard of education in the state and there was an urgent need to ensure that the funds were properly utilised. Ghurhiana said the people had exhibited their faith in the SAD-BJP government again and they will take all measures to provide quality education to the children in Punjab.
|
|
|
PUTA elections: 76 withdraw from contest
Patiala, September 7 The elections are to be held on September 14. The number of candidates vying for the post of vice-president and joint secretary are three each. University Registrar-cum-Returning Officer Dr AS Chawla said 76 candidates withdrew their
papers. Ten candidates vying to be elected as executive members are Harbans Singh, Gurjant Singh, Jaswinder Singh Brar, Neeraj Sharma, Rakesh Kumar, Pushpinder Singh Gill, Paramjeet Singh, Bal Krishnan, Bhupinder Singh Virk and Ramna Singla. Dr Ran Singh Dhaliwal, convener, Free Thinkers' Forum, said the forum would not be competing for any of the posts.
|
|
|
Register murder case, insist protesters
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 7 They alleged that Ravi Kumar beat 27-year-old Amrik Singh to death. Kuljeet Singh Nagra, MLA, also joined the protesters and demanded an assurance from the police to take action against the accused. The blockade was lifted when DSP Fatehgarh Sahib HS Sandhu reached the site and recorded the statement of Darshan Singh, father of the deceased. Darshan Singh said his son Amrik Singh, a plumber, went to Ravi Kumar’s gym at around 3 pm. He said Ravi Kumar’s mother came to their house at 7 pm and told them that their son was laying unconscious in the gym. They rushed to the gym and took Amrik to a nearby private hospital where he was declared brought dead, Darshan said. He alleged that Ravi Kumar dealt in drugs and had also beaten up his son and daughter-in-law. Darshan complained that the police registered a case under Section 174. Kuljeet Singh Nagra MLA tried to defuse the tension and persuaded police officials to record their statements. HS Sandhu, DSP and Devinder Singh, SHO, reached the spot and pacified the protesters. They said Ravi Kumar was into custody last night and the postmortem of the deceased had been conducted by a board of three doctors. The proceedings will be initiated as per report.
|
|
|
Suicide By Shivali
Jalandhar, September 7 On the directions of Principal Secretary (Home) DS Bains, Inspector Balwinder Kaur and lensmen Brijesh Kumar and Ravi were booked under Sections 306 last evening. Yadav, in a Press note, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Navjot Singh Mahal had been entrusted with further investigating the case on a day-to-day basis. Mahal would bring on record all available evidence, including the statements of witnesses as well as documentary evidence such as the inquiry report of the Inspector- General of Police (Jalandhar Zone II) and proceedings conducted by the Government Railway Police. Earlier, demanding cancellation of the FIR, a delegation of local mediapersons met Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti and Deputy Commissioner of Police Sarbjit Singh. They submitted a memorandum to the officers.
|
|
|
Mumbai firm offers to install solar cooking system at Golden Temple
Amritsar, September 7 Responding to the plea, Makkar said they will discuss the matter in the SGPC executive meeting scheduled to take place at Sri Anandpur Sahib on September 10. Bhai Manjeet Singh also held a meeting with the officials of the Mumbai-based firm, who told him that once the SGPC switched over to solar energy for cooking 'langar', they will not at all need firewood. Besides, it will also help curtail use of LPG for the purpose. The company said it will take them only three to four months to install the system once they got the SGPC approval for the same.
|
|
|
Panel to probe jail reforms
Chandigarh, September 7
|
|
After 21 years, HC regularises doctor’s admission
Chandigarh, September 7 Dr Singhal’s case could very well be just one of the 2 lakh cases pending adjudication before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, delayed due to the shortage of judges; filing of frivolous pleas’; States’ failure to cut down on unnecessary litigation and many other factors. But, the case is also a reflection on how these factors come into play for preventing the High Court from sticking to its own directions in letter and spirit. A PCMS doctor, Singhal had approached the High Court against the State of Punjab and other respondents “long ago in the year 1991 with the prayer to direct the respondents to set aside the selection made by them for MD course”. He had termed the selection as illegal, arbitrary and against the criteria. As his petition came up for initial hearing on July 15, 1991, the High Court directed the respondents to admit the petitioner in MD (Paediatrics). At that time, a seat was lying vacant at the Government Medical College, Patiala. Taking up the matter, Justice Ranjit Singh observed: “Though this admission was provisional, the petitioner was permitted to attend classes, and the writ petition was directed to be heard in the last week of September, 1991…” In his detailed order, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “By now, the petitioner is bound to have successfully completed the MD. The petitioner must have obtained degree as well. No useful purpose would now be served in deciding the lis in the petition”. Before parting with the case, Justice Ranjit Singh ruled: “The admission of the petitioner, which was granted provisionally, shall stand regularised and necessary consequences, accordingly, shall follow. The writ petition is, accordingly, disposed of”.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Patiala, September 7
Chandigarh, September 7
Patiala, September 7
Those contesting for the post of vice-president are Amandeep Singh Sappal, AK Tiwari and Indra Bali; for secretary, the candidates are Anupama, Satnam Singh Sandhu, Surjeet Singh and Charanjeet Kaur and for joint secretary, the candidates are Umrao Singh, Jatinder Singh and Preeti Bansal.