|
|
|
|
|
assembly in session
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Vidhan Sabha passes Bill to prevent human trafficking
House session ends on bitter note
Sidhu protests against 'poor' law and order
Badal justifies grant for Muktsar, says it was needed to check water-logging
Farmers being forced to buy costly fertilisers with urea
Sarna vows more transparency in running DSGMC affairs
Gurjeet urges Akal Takht to punish Majithia
Staff Shortage
Change shortage: Bank to supply coins to PRTC
Amol Rattan Singh sworn in as additional judge
ITBP passing out parade held
Sukhbir inaugurates Morinda overbridge
Three killed in road mishap near Patiala Arms licence: Namdhari booked in Mohali
HC stays PCS selection process
Liquor seized in Chandigarh, one arrested
|
assembly in session
Chandigarh, December 21 The Chief Minister took upon himself to reach out to the Congress on the last day of the session even as Congress MLAs continued to boycott the House proceedings for the third day in protest against the Speaker's "selective action" against Congress legislator Rana Gurjit Singh. The latter was suspended for his confrontation with Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia. The CM stepped in to affect a truce with the Opposition after an attempt by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal to invite the Opposition back into the House failed yesterday. The Congress Legislature Party Leader, Sunil Jakhar, had announced yesterday that the party would hold talks with Badal Senior alone. Accordingly, when the House assembled today, the CM requested for two 30-minute adjournments for holding talks with the Congress. The latter on its part framed a letter demanding reinstatement of Rana Gurjit, suspension of Majithia from the House and his dismissal from the Cabinet. It also sought the suspension of a police employee for "misbehaving" with Congress women legislators yesterday. It was decided that a party delegation would meet the CM and hand over the letter to him. The Congress, however, decided to put off the meeting when a six-member party delegation was stopped by the assembly staff from entering the gallery leading to the Speaker’s office. Jakhar said the door was slammed on the delegation members on the plea that there was a message that only two Congress members should be allowed to proceed to the Speaker’s office. Furious, the Congress decided to take the matter to the media. Jakhar alleged that there was a disconnect between the CM’s humility and those “who now control the organs of the government”. He alleged that the CM seemed to have shut his eyes to the developments in the assembly during the past two days and that the Deputy CM had shown arrogance by siding with Bikram Majithia. Jakhar said the Congress held Majithia responsible for the current lawlessness in Punjab and that he should be dismissed from the Cabinet immediately. Senior Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal claimed that Congress legislators had been threatened with dire consequences on the floor of the House. She said if any Congress legislator was attacked directly or indirectly for raising his/her voices in the House, the CM and the Deputy CM would be responsible for the same. Taking Charge Khali dekh ke jungle lalkara mare ne (They are putting a challenge when there is none present in the arena) — Rajinder Kaur Bhattal of the Congress reacts to Sukhbir’s speech on law and order to empty benches Kya chor hain hum ki darban humko roke. Keh do ki ham jaan pehchaan ke hain (We are not thieves that a doorman should intercept us. Tell them that we are known to each other) — CLP leader Sunil Jakhar’s reaction when a door was slammed on the Congress delegation that was to meet the Chief Minister Bikram Majithia should render an unconditional apology (for his behaviour in the assembly) or he should be dropped from the government — Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress MP from Gurdaspur
|
|
Vidhan Sabha passes Bill to prevent human trafficking
Chandigarh, December 21 The Bill empowers an executive magistrate not below the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrate(SDM) or a police officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to "search any premises and seize any document or substance used for fabrication." Motor Vehicles Tax Manoranjan Kalia, a senior BJP leader, pointed out discrepancies in rates, the government withdrew the Punjab Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2012. It was pointed out that under the amended Bill, charges for an old Maruti 800 were the same as a new SUV. Sukhbir Badal said "the draft on the table was definitely not the one that had been approved. So, the government will withdraw it and relook into the matter". Pension Bill revoked The House revoked the Privately Managed Affiliated and Government Aided Colleges, Pensionary Benefits Bill, 1996, after years of dharnas and rallies by employees. Marriage Bill The House passed the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Bill, 2012. which entails that any marriage not registered within a year shall be registered only with the permission of the Chief Registrar. It says that those already married also need to get their marriage registered for the record. Panel for minorities The government will constitute a commission for minority communities to "recommend additional social, economic, educational and cultural requirements of religious and linguistic minorities to preserve secular traditions and promote national integration." Fire Safety The assembly passed the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land development and Finance Corporation (Amendment Validation) Act, 2012, the Fire Safety Measures for Prevention and Control of Fire Bill, 2012, and the Northern Indian Canal and Drainage (Punjab Amendment) Act 2012.
|
|
|
House session ends on bitter note
Chandigarh, December 21 The session witnessed an ugly confrontation between Congress legislator Rana Gurjeet Singh and Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia. This happened when Rana moved towards Majithia after the latter levelled allegations against him even as the Congress members were protesting in the well of the House. Rana's utterances were drowned in the din, but Majithia, who was leading the debate on law and order on behalf of his party, was caught mouthing expletives on live television. Already trying to pin down the government on law and order, the Congress seized the opportunity to claim that Majithia's behaviour had vindicated its stand. Though the incident itself unsettled the House, the fact that the SAD failed to handle it properly created further problems. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal did not allow Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to handle the situation and instead took on the role of a strict school master with pencil in hand to announce that he would not allow the House to function for the next five years in case Rana Gurjeet did not apologise. Rana was subsequently suspended from the House for the duration of the session in a one-sided action, which led to anger amongst the opposition and even placed Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal in the midst of the cross fire. The Congress promptly decided to boycott the House. Observers feel the SAD could have planned its strategy differently. The SAD chose to field Majithia as its first speaker despite the fact that the entire ire of the opposition was aimed at him. The party also failed to manage the after-effects of its strategy on almost every day. The Chief Minister seemed to have visibly withdrawn from the Assembly proceedings with the Deputy CM looking in charge. The Badal Senior did try to intervene in the wake of the altercation between the members but was prevented from doing so by the Deputy CM. Badal even chose to absent himself from the Assembly yesterday and left it to the Deputy CM to bring about a reconciliation with the Opposition, which he failed to do. The CM did take on the role of the leader of the House today and tried to mend fences with the opposition, but it was only because the Congress said it would speak only to him. On the other hand, the Congress took the help of a slight incident today to thwart any reconciliation with the SAD-BJP coalition on the last day of the session. The party felt that it was better to take the issue to the people and make the most of Majithia's utterances, which have gone viral on the internet. The Congress, which was earlier in disarray following the defeat in the Assembly elections, feels this issue will revive its fortunes. However, the bitterness created between the ruling combine and the Congress is expected to spill over into public life and make Punjab politics even uglier in the days to come.
|
|
|
Sidhu protests against 'poor' law and order
Amritsar, December 21 She reached outside the conference venue at 4.30 pm. She said there was an urgent need to address the law and order situation in Amritsar and sought the deployment of women police personnel to curb eve-teasing. She also demanded that a helpline be launched to check crime against women and that such cases should be tried by fast-track courts. She lodged strong protest against an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) who, she alleged, had been using abusive language against women and pressuring people to withdraw cases after taking money from the opposite party.She demanded that an inquiry be initiated against him and he be transferred out of the city. Quoting several cases, she alleged that the police had been working in an autocratic manner. She wanted to submit a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police, who was busy at the conference. She raised slogans against the Police Department and sought justice for women. The protesters were pacified after Police Commissioner Ram Singh came outside along and accepted the memorandum. The first All-India conference of Police Commissioners was jointly inaugurated by state Director-General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini and KN Sharma, DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, along with the DGP of Andhra Pradesh, V Dinesh Reddy. Sharma said to ensure the safety and liberty
of citizens, "we need to do away with the archaic policing system and develop a people-friendly immediate response system.” CPS Demands She says... Emergency Services
|
|
Badal justifies grant for Muktsar, says it was needed to check water-logging
Chandigarh, December 21 “If this issue had been raised by any other member of the Opposition, I would not have been surprised. But I am shocked that it was Sunil Jakhar who raised the issue, despite the fact that he is fully aware of the gravity of the situation in the water-logged areas of Muktsar district, the especially Lambi constituency”. The Chief Minister pointed out that nearly 1.50 lakh acres of land was affected by the menace, 1.37 lakh acres in Muktsar district alone. In the Lambi constituency, 52,000 acres (nearly one-third of the total water-logged areas in the state) were hit by the problem. The Chief Minister informed the House that following concerted efforts by the SAD-BJP Government, the Centre had agreed to the relining a 100 km stretch of the Rajasthan Feeder as well as the Sirhind Feeder at a cost of Rs 1,441 crore. Thanking the Prime Minister for his "benevolent" gesture, Badal said he had got another project estimated at Rs 960.62 crore sanctioned by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who had visited the water-logged areas to find a permanent solution to the problem. The Chief Minister asked Jakhar: “Would you like to demand an inquiry to probe into the funds (Rs 2,400 crore) sanctioned by the Congress-led UPA Government to tackle the problem of water-logging which mainly affects Muktsar district, especially the Lambi constituency?” Justifying the grant of Rs 41.59 crore for Muktsar district for the construction and repair of houses of Dalits and other poor people, the Chief Minister said the housing scheme had been implemented in a transparent and fair manner.The Muktsar Deputy Commissioner had constituted teams headed by Sub-Divisional Magistrates for identification of beneficiaries. Substantiating his stand on overall development of the state, the Chief Minister said there was no question of discrimination against any constituency or area and that he had always approved grants without bias or prejudice. He said the state government was spending Rs 2,300 crore for cleaning rivers and Rs1597.98 crore on clean drinking water. He pointed out that the state government was providing a Rs 5,800-crore power subsidy to farmers and weaker sections. Matter of fact
|
||
|
Farmers being forced to buy costly fertilisers with urea
Chandigarh, December 21 Farmers apply urea thrice during the wheat sowing season— the first after sowing, the second in January and the third is done in March. Many farmers rued that they were being forced to buy weedicide or zinc sulphate as fertiliser retailers and agents got huge commission on their sale. “The poor farmer is forced to buy the weedicides, some of which are very expensive. Most retailers are selling imported zinc sulphate at Rs 60 per kg (as against domestically manufactured zinc sulphate at Rs 25–35 per kg) along with urea. At other places, farmers are being forced to buy weedicides against phalaris minor costing Rs 2,700 per dose (for applying on four acres of land),” said Naginder Singh of Baronga village near Amloh. He said the farmers in the area were told by the retailers that there was a urea shortage. GS Romana, a farmer from Budhlada, said most of the fertiliser retailers in the area were selling urea in “bundle packages” with expensive weedicides. Interestingly, the authorities maintain that there is no shortage of urea in Punjab. Officials in Markfed, which distributes 70 per cent of urea in the state, said as against a requirement of 4.70 lakh metric tonnes given to the agency, they have already supplied 3.20 lakh metric tonnes of urea. Markfed will be able to supply another 30,000 metric tonnes by the end of December, they added. “The remaining 1.2 lakh metric tonnes will be distributed in January,” said an official. Iffco Tokio, which has received an order to supply 30 per cent of urea in Punjab, too maintains that there is no shortage of urea. Against an order to supply 2.10 lakh metric tonnes, it has already supplied 1.62 lakh metric tones, officials said. Director, Agriculture, MS Sandhu, said he would ask all district agriculture officers to keep a tab on unscrupulous dealers. “There is no shortage of urea in the market. This year, we have surplus fertilisers. Farmers who face any harassment can approach the district agriculture officers and we will take concrete steps, including cancelling of licences against those found guilty of urea hoarding,” Sandhu said. Unfair bargain
|
||
|
Sarna vows more transparency in running DSGMC affairs
Amritsar, December 21 Also, he said they would bring in more transparency in the DSGMC affairs on being voted back to power. He denied the charges of corruption against him. Talking to mediapersons after his return from Nankana Sahib ahead of the DSGMC elections, Sarna said they will soon prepare a blueprint and hand over the 'kar sewa' to Baba Jagtar Singh. He said the Trust had also begun the repair work of another historic gurdwara in Sialkot following efforts by the DSGMC. On the forthcoming DSGMC elections, he said they were fully prepared for it and will retain their hold on it with a thumping majority. He said they had nominated most of their candidates and the remaining too will be done soon.
|
||
|
Gurjeet urges Akal Takht to punish Majithia
Chandigarh, December 21 Talking to mediapersons here, Rana Gurjeet said the Revenue Minister should be declared ‘tankhaiya’ and excommunicated from the panth for passing a derogatory remark about his moustaches. The Congress leader said the Shiromani Akali Dal too should take a serious note of Majithia’s utterances. He demanded immediate dismissal of Majithia from the primary membership of the party.
|
||
|
Staff Shortage
Sangrur, December 21 The school gate was opened after 90 minutes when Balwinder Singh, Deputy District Education Officer (DEO), Secondary, Sangrur, reached the school and assured the protesters that their demand for more teachers would be met soon. Sources say the school has more than 350 students (from Class VI to Class XII). With the posts of principal, lecture and master lying vacant, students have been suffering. When contacted, Deputy DEO Balwinder Singh said he had made arrangements for two more teachers. The remaining staff would be made available after the winter break next month, he said. But wary villagers warned that if their demand was not met after the winter break, they would resume their agitation as they could not allow their wards to suffer.
|
||
|
Change shortage: Bank to supply coins to PRTC
Patiala, December 21 The main objective behind the move is to ensure that passengers, who do not have change, get their balance back from the corporation instead of getting toffees worth the same amount. The PRTC Managing Director DPS Kharbanda said from January 1, they would get the coins amounting to Rs 20 lakh from SBoP every month. The bus fare for several destinations is Rs 21, 31, 36, 41, 51, 56 etc. And in many cases, the conductors wouldn’t have change so would return toffees worth the balance. This would annoy many passengers and lead to arguments between them and the conductor. The PRTC has a fleet of 1,023 buses and 1,200 bus conductors. Its daily collection from the bus fares is between Rs 75 to 80 lakh. Kharbanda said that taking coins from the SBoP was the best option as conductors had a difficult time in procuring coins from shopkeepers and other institutions. "Subsequently, we wrote to the senior SBoP functionaries and they agreed to our request. They will now provide us coins worth Rs 20 lakh per month in the denomination of Rs 1, 2 and 5," said
Kharbanda.
|
||
|
Amol Rattan Singh sworn in as additional judge
Chandigarh, December 21 At a ceremony attended by sitting and retired judges of the High Court, bureaucrats, relatives and advocates, the Judge swore to "bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established". The Judge also swore to "uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India" and "duly and faithfully and to the best of his ability, knowledge and judgment, perform the duties of the office without fear or favour, affection and ill will". The number of Judges, with his elevation, has gone up to 43 against the sanctioned strength of 68. Initially, the names of five lawyers were recommended for elevation to High Court judgeship by the collegium of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The lawyers included Puneet Jindal, GS Bajwa, Lisa Gill, and Kamal
Sehgal.
|
||
|
Patiala, December 21 The cadets, who had undergone the 44-week-long training programme. vowed to protect the country during the parade. ITBP Inspector General (IG) Kirpa Ram said the cadets were trained in weapon use, physical drills, judo, karate, internal security and map reading. “During the training, special emphasis is laid on teaching them about the minute details of weapon training so the cadets are ready to face any challenge,” he said. The IG later honoured the meritorious cadets. The function was attended by Commandant, Punjab Police, GS Pannu and other senior ITBP and police officials. — TNS
|
||
|
Sukhbir inaugurates Morinda overbridge
Morinda, December 21 Sukhbir said he had already approved the Rs 31,000-crore-plan for the integrated development of 12,745 villages in the state and Rs 9,000-crore-plan to improve civic amenities in 143 towns of Punjab. —TNS
|
|
Three killed in road mishap near Patiala Patiala, December 21 Station House Officer (Sadar) Surjit Dhanoa said the two victims were yet to be identified. “Prima facie, it appears that the speeding tipper hit the autorickshaw from behind and then hit a tree on the roadside,” said Dhanoa. The police carried out the rescue operation and shifted the injured to a hospital, where their condition was said to be critical. Hundreds of autorickshaws illegally operate from Patiala to Ambala and Chandigarh every night, putting the lives of passengers in danger.
|
||
|
Arms
licence: Namdhari booked in Mohali
Mohali, December 21 According to sources, the case has been registered against Namdhari for allegedly resorting to illegal means to obtain arms licence from District Magistrate, Ropar, in 1995 and a passport in the state. Subsequent renewals were carried out by District Magistrates of Rupnagar and Mohali later. Namdhari had given a vague address of Kurali to get the arm licence on which he had three weapons. One of the weapons, a mouser, has reportedly been used in the Ponty Chadha's and his brother’s murder. — TNS
|
||
|
|
HC stays PCS selection process
Chandigarh, December 21 The directions came on a petition alleging discrepancies in the answer sheets of preliminary examination of the PCS (Executive). The petitioners, Surinder Pal and others, are seeking directions from the High Court for setting aside the results and merit list issued by the Punjab Public Service Commission on December 11. Arguing the matter, the counsel for the petitioners contended that the discrepancies in the answer sheet had been admitted by the commission, which even granted grace marks to all the candidates. The action was in violation of the statutory rules, resulting in unjustified enrichment to candidates who had not attempted the questions, he held. Referring to a similar case in Haryana where discrepancies were pointed out to the High Court, the counsel argued that in this case too similar directions could be issued to pass on the matter to an expert committee. He also sought on the behalf of the petitioner directions for restraining the commission from inviting applications for holding the mains examination. Taking up the matter, the Bench issued notice to respondent commission and authorities for January 10 and directed to put on hold the further process of selection. PPSC membership
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the State of Punjab to take a decision on removing Dr Kulbir Singh Sandhu as Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) member. Sandhu is facing allegations of not resigning from his job before taking up the new assignment. A PIL had alleged that Dr Sandhu was appointed as a member vide notification dated December 2, 2011, and was administered the oath of office on December 12. But he did not resign as Director, Extension Education, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary Science University,
Ludhiana. The Order
|
|
Liquor seized in Chandigarh, one arrested
Patiala, December 21 Bikramjit Singh Brar, Station House Officer, Rajpura City, said the accused Rajesh Kumar would be questioned to ascertain the role of others involved in smuggling cheap liquor from Chandigarh to other states in the region. “A case under various sections of the Excise Act has been registered against the accused and action would be taken,” Brar added.
|
|
| 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 | |
While the state government faced the heat from the Opposition on the floor of the House over law and order, the issue today evoked a strong reaction from one of its own members with Chief Parliamentary Secretary Navjot Kaur Sidhu staging a protest outside the venue of the ongoing All-India Conference of Commissioners of Police here.
