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Bajwa to take up matter in Lok Sabha
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Gun Culture
Golden Jubilee Celebrations
Alumni who did agricultural varsity proud feel ignored
Bill introduced in Lok Sabha for full religion status to Sikhism
Property tax in Punjab from April ’13
Dharmendra’s kin too have usurped his land
Maluka against posting women in remote areas
IIT Ropar students top on recruiters’ priority list
IT raids on 3 shops
in Sangrur
Punjab chemists: We have been framed by the police
Govt criticised:
Warring alleged that the law and order situation in Punjab had gone from bad to worse as the government machinery was busy holding kabaddi matches. The mining mafia too was having a field day, something evident from the high sand and gravel prices.
Rs 13,000 cr earmarked for rural areas
Minor untraced, people stage dharna
Mandi Gobindgarh MC to install CCTVs
MCB passes proposal for loan
2,596 acres sold illegally: Punjab
Respond to PIL on mining by Monday, DCs told
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Key accused Rana shows no remorse
Chhiden/Patti, December 7 “He would have killed me had I not shot him,” he said. His accomplices Dharam Singh and Prabhjit Singh claimed they were unaware of the incident and had helped Rana only after he told them that he had been injured. Rana claimed that some local councillors had helped him get into the ruling SAD. From being a commoner of Chhiden village to Amritsar SAD (Urban) general secretary, Rana saw a meteoric rise in the past two years.The change in his fortunes began after he shifted from Chhiden to Amritsar. He started working as a property dealer and gradually used his contacts to get into the SAD. He secured the post of general secretary in September this year. Residents of Chhiden village said Rana, who is married and has two children, was raised by his grandparents after his parents died early. They said he sold nine acres of his family land along the Amritsar-Attari road in 2009-10 and moved to Amritsar’s Chheharta area where he built a house. “He was a brat and kept company with those dealing in the drug trade,” a village resident claimed. Some residents of Chheharta made similar allegations. Rana had three weapons on a single arms licence issued by the Amritsar district authorities in 2010. About
Rana
The only son, Rana inherited 9 acres of land in Chhiden village after their death. He sold the land and and moved to Chheharta in Amritsar in 2010 and started working as a property dealer. He become SAD Amritsar gen secy in September this year.
Police remand
A Tarn Taran court has remanded Rana to five-day police custody. His accomplices, Prabhjit and Dharam Singh, will be in police custody for two days as ordered by a Patti court. The fourth accused, Gurbir Singh Bira, was produced in an Amritsar court which remanded him to police custody till December 10. Hunt for fifth accused
A team of 250 police personnel of the Tarn Taran police has launched a hunt for the fifth accused, Sandeep Singh alias Sunny in the vicinity of Panjwar village, sources said. Book SHO: Residents
Residents of Chheharta blocked the GT road leading to Attari for a few hours on Friday. They demanded that a case be registered against Chheharta’s dismissed Station House officer (SHO) Ashwini Kumar.
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Bajwa to take up matter in Lok Sabha
Amritsar, December 7 Addressing mediapersons after visiting the bereaved family, Bajwa said he would prepare a report regarding the incident and hand it over to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. He alleged that the law and order situation had been deteriorating in the state and that criminal activities were on the rise “under political patronage”. Attacking the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), he alleged that various such incidents in the past had seen the involvement of SAD leaders and activists. He said the broad daylight murder of the ASI was a blot on the image of Punjab and Punjabis. He claimed that the ASI’s daughter had told him that the accused had raised slogans in support of a Cabinet Minister and the ruling SAD. He held Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal directly responsible for the declining law and order situation as also the ASI’s murder. He said the Deputy CM, who held the Home portfolio, should resign. “Incidents like these are taking place under the patronage of those running ‘Nanhi Chhan’. Those with daughters are feeling insecure,” he said. The Congress MP alleged that the prime accused in the ASI killing, Ranjeet Singh Rana, was involved in the drug trade. Malti for judicial probe
Moga: President of the Punjab Mahila Congress Dr Malti Thapar has demanded that the Governor should order a judicial probe into the killing of the ASI. “Everybody in the state is feeling insecure. The women are particularly vulnerable...” Dr Malti said that the “unwarranted interference” in the working of the police and other departments by various ‘halqa incharge’ nominated by the Akalis had undermined the functioning of the official machinery. Former MLA and senior Congress leader Sathi Vijay Kumar demanded President’s rule in the state. “The SAD-BJP government has failed to protect the life and liberty of the people and its leaders have taken law into their hands,” he said.
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Gun Culture Chandigarh, December 7 The Station House Officer (SHO) is the final authority for giving a clearance certificate for the issuance of an arms licence. It is on the basis of the SHO’s report that the district magistrate issues a licence. The SHO’s report is routed through the Senior Superintendent of Police. More often than not, the SHOs work at the instance of the halqa incharge, who is a nominee of the ruling party, either a sitting or a former MLA. And this politician-police nexus is reportedly creating a law and order problem. Said a police officer: “The problem can be solved if politicians initiate the process to cleanse the party rank and file of undesirable elements.” In Punjab, 3.25 lakh arms licences have been issued in all: 50 % for double-barrelled guns, 30 % for pistols/ revolvers and 20 % for rifles. As many as 7,285 licences have been issued at the district level.
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Bill introduced in Lok Sabha for full religion status to Sikhism
Shiromani Akali Dal member from Khadoor Sahib Ratan Singh Ajnala introduced the Bill this evening. The legislation reflects a long-pending demand of the Sikh community, which has been seeking amendment to Article 25 of the Constitution that grants freedom to citizens to profess religion. Though the Article guarantees this right to all, a particular clause in it says that a reference to Hindus would be construed as including a reference to Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists and likewise a reference to Hindu places of worship would be construed to include places of worship of Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. The Bill is seeking omission of this clause, which literally implies that the three aforementioned religions are either part of the Hindu religion or associated with it. "The clause creates avoidable confusion on the independent identity of these three religions," states the Bill titled 'The Constitution Amendment Bill 2012'. It draws strength from the recommendation of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, which was set up during the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime. The Commission had asked for deletion of the said clause in Article 25, adding that it be rephrased to acknowledge the independent identity of the three religions. Ajnala argues, "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 also been recognised as a separate minority (alongside Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis) under the National Minority Commission Act. Earlier, Ajnala had written to former Law Minister Salman Khurshid asking him to pilot the amendment. A private members' Bill, not being a Government Bill, is not part of the government's legislative agenda and the government is free not to heed to it. In the past, however, the government departed from norm by accepting a private members' Bill seeking an amendment of the Anand Karaj Act 1909 to allow registration of Sikh marriages. The Bill was moved by MP Tarlochan Singh in the Rajya Sabha. The government later brought it as its own Bill, allowing the Sikhs to register marriages under the amended Anand Karaj Act instead of the Hindu Marriage Act, as was the practice earlier. Pending demand
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Golden Jubilee Celebrations
Ludhiana, December 7 PAU Employees Union president Paramjit Singh Gill said as the Union Government expected the university to play a key role in bringing about the "Second Green Revolution", the Centre must issue grants for research and innovation. He said the funding would help in filling vacant posts of scientists and inducing new scientists for research work. Gill said the university was at the forefront while ushering the country in the Green Revolution earlier as well. While gearing up for the high-profile visit, Vice-Chancellor BS Dhillon said the Prime Minister's visit would have "positive ramifications". He said he, however, did not have any specific expectations from the Prime Minister's visit. Counting the university's achievements, he said taking agriculture to the next level was the next task cut ahead of the university.
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Alumni who did agricultural varsity proud feel ignored
Chandigarh, December 7 Many of those who spent years in lecture theatres and laboratories of the five constituent colleges of the university to earn a name for themselves and their alma mater are unhappy over the manner they have been ignored for the ongoing 50-year celebrations. "Somebody called me a couple of months ago to ask me whether I studied at PAU. When I replied in affirmative, he promised to send me details about an alumni meet to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebrations. But that was the end of it," rues Dr Bhushan Chander Gupta, who superannuated as Union Food Secretary a few months ago. Dr Gupta is not alone in feeling ignored on a special occasion like the 50th anniversary of the university. Several others, including those in bureaucracy, corroborate his views. Punjab Agricultural University has wide representation in civil services, both in bureaucracy and police. Former Financial Commissioners (Development) of both Punjab (Sada Nand) and Haryana (NK Miglani) are products of this prime farm university of North India. Director-General of Education Kahan Singh Pannu, too, is a PAU passout. In the Punjab Police, former Director-General of Police Jarnail Singh Chahal, present Additional Directors-General SK Sharma and CSR Reddy, besides Inspector-General BK Uppal, have been students of the university. PAU alumni have done the institution proud overseas as well. Three-time Member of Parliament (House of Commons) in Canada Gurmant Grewal did his MBA from College of Basic Sciences of PAU. Shiv Om Prasher, another alumni, is Chair and Professor, Bioresource Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. He is an expert in soil and water engineering, an area in which Punjab needs expertise to handle the dwindling health and drying up water resources of its once fertile soil.
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Illegal mining: Cong to raise issue in Assembly, says Jakhar
Pathankot, December 7 He flayed the state government for its “inability” to control the soaring prices of construction material, including sand, gravel and bricks. Thirtytwo of the total 46 sitting Congress legislators attended the rally at the busy Gandhi Chowk. Pathankot was chosen for the protest as four rivers-Ravi, Ujh, Beas and Chakki- flow through the town and removing sand from the riverbeds is rampant. Jakhar claimed that the district administration was hand in glove with the mafia. The administration was working under pressure from a senior SAD leader, he claimed, in an oblique reference to a powerful Cabinet Minister of Majha. “I will raise the issue of illegal mining on the floor of the House. The CLP had also raised the issue during the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha following which Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had assured us that the issue would be solved by August 15. However, four months down the line, nothing concrete has been done. This is clearly a breach of privileges. The Supreme Court had asked the state government to set up an Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (EIAA) but the state government is dragging its feet over setting up such a body,” said Jakhar. He said despite a ban on removing sand from the riverbeds, illegal mining at the banks of the Satluj in Ferozepur was continuing with impunity. Gurdaspur District Congress Committee president Sukhjinder Randhawa lambasted Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal for “protecting the mining mafia.” He said the State Brick-Kiln Association had become a puppet in the hands of some influential SAD leaders. “Some kilns owners of Malwa are indulging in hoarding. Just two years ago we could get 2,600 bricks for Rs 1,000,” claimed Randhawa. At one stage, an incensed Randhawa went off tangent and instead of speaking about illegal mining issue, he trained his guns at Pathankot MLA and state BJP president Ashwani Sharma for allegedly asking the police to file false cases against Congress workers.
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Property tax in Punjab from April ’13
Ludhiana, December 7 From April 1, 2013 onwards, the possessors of vacant, residential, commercial and government properties will have to pay the property tax. The house tax levied on commercial properties earlier will
now be replaced by the property tax. Sources said the two committees constituted under the guidance of the Local Bodies Department had been asked to divide the
cities/nagar councils into zones by January 15, 2013 after which property holders will be given a time of one month to file their objections. "In the second phase, another committee will be formed which will be headed by the district Deputy Commissioner and MC Commissioner with respective Member Parliaments, Members of Legislative Assembly and officials from the Local Bodies Departments as its members. This committee will fix the rates in the cities for each zone. The rates will be different for commercial or residential properties and after the rate is fixed, the possessor of the property will be asked to pay 1 per cent tax," said an official. REALTY CHECK
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Dharmendra’s kin too have usurped his land
Ludhiana, December 7 Ravinder Sood, caretaker of Dharmendra’s ancestral property, today claimed that there were around 40 land grabbers, including the actor’s relatives, who had encroached upon his 3-acre plot in Ajit Nagar area of Haibowal in Ludhiana. The police had yesterday registered a case against 12 persons and arrested two of them, property dealers Rohit Kapila and Jaswant Singh. The caretaker, however, has demanded that the Revenue Department officials who allegedly connived with the accused to change the original land record for showing that the plot did not belong to Dharmendra should also be arrested. “Getting a fake land registry done is not possible without the active involvement of the
tehsildar, patwari, kanungo and storekeeper of the record room concerned… The Vigilance Department has adopted a pick and choose policy. Why no government employee has been arrested,” he questioned. For his part, Senior Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) Satinder Singh said raids were on to arrest the remaining accused in the case. Though Kapila and his aides could not prepare fake papers of Dharmendra’s property in the first attempt, they managed to do so in the second attempt.
Sood claimed that it was in June that he had, through a letter, brought to the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner’s notice that a conspiracy was being hatched to usurp the plot, valued at several crores of rupees. He said in all, land mafia had usurped 10,000 square yards of land, valued at Rs 15 crore, in the area where the plot was situated. Plots had been carved out of Dharmendra’s plot and sold further. After some time, the buyers even got to know that the land belonged to the film actor. But, they were assured by the land mafia that “no action would be taken against them”. “Dharmendra’s relatives too have encroached upon the actor’s land by constructing quarters for migrant
labourers,” he said.
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Maluka against posting women in remote areas
Chandigarh, December 7 Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said it was imperative to check harassment of female teachers and such incidents had to be tackled with effectively. He said instructions had been issued to make efforts not to post female teachers in remote rural areas. Male teachers should be posted in such places with priority, he added. It has been suggested that a female teacher should not be asked to sit in the office during odd hours before or after school timings for filling reports. No female teacher should be posted in a school where all other teachers are male, the directions say. It is also suggested that school principals and school managements must ensure that no outside youths harass female teachers by any means. The Education Minister said whenever a block resource person or district resource person visited a school, he should be made to sign the visitor book or it would be considered that he visited the school with wrong intent. He also requested female teachers to immediate report any form of physical or mental harassment to the officials concerned.
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IIT Ropar students top on recruiters’ priority list
While a US-based company has offered USD 105,000 annual package to two students from the computer science department, Microsoft has offered placement to seven other students from computer science and electrical departments with an annual increase of Rs 2 lakh against the package offered last year. This year, the software giant has offered students an average annual package of Rs 18 lakh. Pankaj Verma and Shikhar Srivastav, passing out in April in computer science, were selected by Epic Systems Corp for USA posting with an
annual pay package of Rs 57 lakh. “The company had employed three students from the campus last year with a package of USD 80,000,” said Prabh Sharan Singh, training and placement officer. “As companies are revisiting the campus with an increase in pay packages, it shows they are impressed with the performance of the students selected from IIT Ropar,” said A Palanivel, Registrar of the institute. Students from IIT Ropar have fared better in terms of pay packages when compared to other new
IITs in Patna, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Gandhinagar. Reports suggest that students at IIT Ropar were offered annual salary package between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 18 lakh against Rs 9.5 lakh-Rs 9.9 lakh offer at Gandhinagar. “We started inviting the companies much earlier with a proper follow-up. Last year 87 per cent students got campus placements and this year we are expecting it to touch the 100 per cent mark with three new companies CISCO, TCS and Cognisance on placement drive here,” said Prabh Sharan Singh, an employee with IIT
Ropar.
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IT raids on 3 shops in Sangrur
Sangrur, December 7 The team continued checking the records at the three shops namely Mittal Jewellers, New Electric Store, and India Cloth House till the filing of the report. An official of the department said officials from Barnala, Sangrur and Patiala districts were part of the team. The raids were conducted simultaneously, he said. The official said the checking would continue till late and the team would examine all the records. — TNS
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Punjab chemists: We have been framed by the police
Patiala, December 7 Association President Surjit Mehta alleged that the police would plant drugs on the premises of the pharmacists and register a case against them. He demanded that the police should immediately stop pracitising such tactics. He said drug inspectors and not police personnel were authorised to check pharmacies. “The police should be held accountable for registering false cases against chemists. One such case was registered against the ex-President of Mansa District Chemists Association Lachman Dass and he committed suicide. It was found that no illegal substance was recovered from him,” Mehta said. He said the association had already issued instructions to all its members not to sell habit forming drugs. The association members were willing to cooperate with the government in eradicating the drug
menace. We had written a letter to the Health Ministry to provide us a list of banned drugs, but till date, we have not received it, he added. The members threatened to start an agitation against the government if the raids continued. Patiala Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said, “The matter has not come to my notice. If the chemists have any issues, they should talk to me. I will try and resolve the matter.”
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Rs 13,000 cr earmarked for rural areas
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 7 Minister for Rural Development Surjit Singh Rakhra said this while inaugurating the newly-constructed sheds for animals in Nabi Pur village. The sheds were built at a cost of Rs 7.56 crore. He said the villagers faced a major obstacle in disposing sewerage water. The sewerage system will be laid soon, Rakhra said. He said along with empowering the village panchayats, the villages would be divided into wards and elections would be conducted. The government would provide better education facilities; improve civic amenities; provide twenty four-hour electricity
supply and construct shopping centers.
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Minor untraced, people stage dharna
Sangrur, December 7 Later, they blocked the Sangrur-Patran road near the police station. However, they lifted the blockade when the Sunam Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaskaran Singh Teja assured them of speedy justice. The committee members also alleged that the police had failed to nab the alleged kidnapper. A member of the action committee said one Harwinder Singh of Kular Khurd village had kidnapped the girl from the village. The victim’s family had got a case registered in this regard but the police had not been able to trace the girl and her kidnapper so far, he added.
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Mandi Gobindgarh MC to install CCTVs
Mandi
Gobindgarh, December 7 Sources said the decision was taken during a recent meeting held between councillors and police officials in view of an increase in incidents of loot and murder. The councillors had unanimously approved the installation of CCTV cameras in the town. MC President Harpal Singh Nasrali said the local police had identified about 30 strategic points, including banks, government buildings, main chowks and other places. He said the council had decided to install Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras as the cables connecting these with the main control room were damaged by some unscrupulous elements. Nasrali said they would soon float tenders for the installation project. The total cost of the project and other instruments required for setting up a control room were estimated at Rs 45 lakh, he informed. He said as soon as the tenders are finalised, the work on setting up the cameras will be started, Nasrali added. Nasrali said he had recently convened a meeting of MC officials and directed them to provide basic amenities at Transport Nagar. His main endeavour was to shift transporters operating from the main town to somewhere else to decongest the national highway.
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Bathinda, December 7 The elected representatives passed the proposal to seek loan, which will be paid over the next 12 years, adding to the burden of the common man in the form of various taxes - property tax to begin with. The grumblings of councillors belonging to the opposition Congress was brushed aside. Unable to stage protest with facts and figures, the Congress councillors could not stall the proposal. — TNS
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2,596 acres sold illegally: Punjab
Chandigarh, December 7 Responding to a petition filed in public interest, SS Khara, Special Secretary, Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, said 2,433 acres had been illegally sold in Kapurthala, Bhulath and Phagwara tehsils in Kapurthala district. Over 115 acres of nazool land had been sold in Rajpura tehsil in Patiala, while 39 acres had been illegally sold in Fathegarh Sahib district. In Mohali, over six acres of
nazool land had been illegally sold. In his petition filed in the High Court, Soma Singh, a Rajpura resident, had alleged that huge chunks of nazool land had been sold to influential people in connivance with revenue department officials. Soma Singh had sought directions to Punjab government to constitute a special investigation team. Nazool land means land situated beyond two miles of the municipal limits, which has been escheated to the State Government and has not been appropriated any purpose. Stating that nazool land could be allotted only to cooperative societies belonging to the scheduled castes, the petitioner also sought directions of the High Court bench to the government to declare all transfer or sale nazool land as illegal.
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Respond to PIL on mining by Monday, DCs told
Chandigarh, December 7 The petition was filed in public interest. The Bench also directed the Centre to simplify the procedure of granting permissions for the excavation of earth for brick kilns. Indicating that it was not averse to vacate the stay on mining in Punjab, the Bench further directed the Union Ministry of Environment to comply with its own time frame while granting environmental clearances. The Bench was of the view that the delay in granting permissions for mining was encouraging illegal mining and smuggling of minerals from other states. The Bench also directed the Union Ministry of Mining to frame relaxed guidelines for excavation of earth for kilns and produce the same before the Bench on December 14. — TNS
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Congress Member of Parliament (MP) from Gurdaspur Partap Singh Bajwa today said he would raise the issue of ASI Ravinderpal Singh’s murder by an Akali activist in the Lok Sabha.
More skeletons continue to tumble out of the closet following the arrest of two property dealers who had allegedly masterminded and encroached upon 1,333 square yards of land belonging to film actor
Dharmendra. Ravinder Sood, caretaker of Dharmendra’s ancestral property, today claimed that there were around 40 land grabbers, including the actor’s relatives, who had encroached upon his 3-acre plot in Ajit Nagar area of Haibowal in Ludhiana.
The key accused in the murder of Assistant Sub-Inspector Ravinderpal Singh in Amritsar on Wednesday had been issued three arms on a single
licence. The police will have a tough time explaining as to why this was done and what was the threat perception that he faced.
New Delhi, December 7
Ropar, December 7