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Family friend among 5 held for kidnapping industrialist’s son
6 die in Patiala mishaps
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Medical colleges in admission row not new to controversies
HC: Within rights to order regularisation of workers
High drama over
land ownership at Rajindra Hospital
AICC to groom 5
state leaders as spokespersons Restore 80%
subsidy on solar pumps, Badal tells Centre Batala industry
gasping for life A Batala foundry wears a deserted look. A Tribune photograph Withdraw cops
deployed in other states, govt told Ravi Sidhu seeks
better facilities behind bars Diversion of
funds: Cong MP asks Centre to conduct inquiry Rs 4.35 crore
wheat scam unearthed Aided school
teachers differ on union strike on August 5 Rights group to
serve US court summons to Badal
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Family friend among 5 held for kidnapping industrialist’s son
Ludhiana, July 16 Manish, who was kidnapped along with his driver Hem Raj by six persons posing as policemen from the highway near Doraha on Saturday, had returned home yesterday. The accused have been identified as Gur Arpan Chauhan, a resident of Gill Road, Deepali Bassi (35) of Lajpat Nagar in Jalandhar, Tony, Sonu Chourasia and Himmat Singh. All of them were arrested from Gur Arpan's house. Their two accomplices, Amit and Sahil, managed to flee in a car with the ransom money. The car along with the cash was later recovered from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. Amit and Himmat worked at the factory of Gur Arpan while Tony, Sonu and Amit were hired for kidnapping. Gur Arpan's elder brother is a Block Development Officer. Sources said after taking their share of ransom money, Deepali and Gur Arpan were planning to leave the country. The police has also seized three .32 pistols, 54 live cartridges, duplicate AK-47, police uniforms, 2.5 kg of opium, five mobile phones, handcuffs, a walkie-talkie set, a Maruti Swift car, a Hyundai i-20 car, a motorcycle and 130 gm of gold. Commissioner of Police PS Gill said the accused had procured the weapons and opium from Rajasthan while police uniforms were purchased from a city trader, who had been booked. Giving details of the incident Gill said six men posing as policemen intercepted Manish's car on July 13 at 6.45 pm on the highway near Doraha. While checking the vehicle, one of the accused planted a package of opium in the car. The "policemen" handcuffed Manish and his driver and took them in a white Maruti Swift car to a farmhouse belonging to Gur Arpan in Khatra village near Khanna. They were kept hostage there until ransom was paid. Deepali also visited the farmhouse twice. The accused thrashed Manish and Hem Raj. Though the police has refused to divulge details of the rescue plan, sources said in a secret operation, the police installed a GPS device in one of the bags containing the ransom money. The kidnappers tried to outsmart the police and disposed of the bags after taking out the cash. But their location had been traced by then. Manish and Hem Raj were later thrown out of a moving vehicle near Manish's house in the early hours yesterday. Gill said: "Deepali, daughter of industrialist Mahinder Partap Bassi, is known to the family. She was once proposed for a matrimonial alliance with Manish's elder brother Tarun. But, it did not materialise. Deepali then came in contact with Gur Arpan, son of scrap dealer Surinder Partap Chauhan," said Gill. When Gur Arpan told Deepali that he wanted to make a quick buck, the latter suggested that Manish could be an easy target. The accused then hatched the kidnapping plan two months ago. They surveyed Manish's factory and house in Sarabha Nagar many times before committing the crime.
The crime
The rescue
The accused
Unanswered questions
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6 die in Patiala mishaps
Patiala, July 16 The deceased have been identified as Nirmala (18), her husband Parbodh (25) and their friend Pardeep (19). The body of Nirmala’s mother Asha alias Godhar (38) is yet to be found. All of them were migrant labourers and belonged to Uttar Pradesh. Lakhvir Singh, Station House Officer, Sadar police station, said it took them an hour to recover the bodies. In another mishap that occurred at Rori Kutan Mohalla in Sanouri, two sisters, three-year-old Gulshatan and five-year-old Bano, died adda in the wee hours today after a wall adjacent to their shanty collapsed due to heavy rain and high-velocity winds. They were buried under the debris and their bodies were recovered after a four-hour rescue operation. Eight other persons, including four children, were injured. Sub-Inspector Surinderpal Singh said, “The girls had died by the time they were located under the debris.” The condition of the injured persons was stated to be stable, an official said.
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Medical colleges in admission row not new to controversies
Jalandhar, July 16 The PIMS was embroiled in a controversy after the SAD-BJP government allotted a sprawling complex worth crores of rupees to the society on a 99-year lease at “throwaway” prices for running a hospital and medical college. The management defaulted on electricity bills on several occasions. The PSPCL not only slapped heavy penalties on it but also disconnected its power connection many times. With the arrest of two main functionaries of the society for their alleged involvement in the Harpreet Kaur (Bibi Jagir Kaur's daughter) kidnap case, the institute suffered a major financial setback following which the management failed to pay salaries to the staff for months. Even students once protested against the management for not providing them the promised facilities. Dr Kulbir Kaur, Principal-Director, PIMS, said: "We have written to the MCI to provide us a list of the findings following which the approval to admit students was suspended". Similarly, the CMC, run by Chintpurni School Educational Society, embroiled into controversy after the society, under the chairmanship of Sunil Joshi, a liquor trader, faced financial crunch in 2012. The cash-starved society was taken over by Swaran Salaria, a Mumbai-based businessman and a BJP leader. Joshi and Salaria were at loggerheads over a financial dispute and both had staked claim on the ownership of the college. The college was not allowed to admit students in the second batch of the MBBS course in 2012-13 session. The college had hit the headlines last year when heavy rain flooded its premises and the management had to vacate the girls' hostel.
Chintpurni college gets approval
Chintpurni Medical College today issued a press note claiming that the MCI has approved admissions to the 3rd batch for the 2013-14 session.
PIMS, Jalandhar
Chintpurni Medical College
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HC: Within rights to order regularisation of workers
Chandigarh, July 16 “It may be true that a writ court would not ordinarily issue a mandamus for regularisation of services of an employee as such an exercise falls within the domain of the Executive as ruled by the Supreme Court in State of Haryana and others versus Piara Singh and others and other later decisions. “However, when the question of implementation of a conscious decision taken by the State or its instrumentalities arises, the Constitutional Court shall be well within its rights to issue the desired directions for the implementation of such a policy in a non-discriminatory manner so that all the employees are granted its benefit without any artificial classification,” the Division Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Surinder Gupta ruled. The ruling came on an appeal by the State of Punjab against Sukhminder Kaur and other clerks and peons in the Sahnewal Nagar Panchayat of Ludhiana district. The State, in its appeal, had challenged the Single Judge's order of February 8, directing the regularisation of services as per the government policy decision dated January 23, 2001. The counsel for the employees had contended that the petitioners were initially appointed for 89 days on a fixed salary and on temporary basis. In December 1993, the nagar panchayat passed a resolution for regularising their services. But the resolution was not approved by the competent authority. Their petition before the High Court for grant of regular pay scale was allowed and upheld by the Supreme Court. In the second round of litigation, they sought directions for regularisation of their services following government policy of January 2001. Taking up the matter, the Bench asserted: “There is no denial to the fact that hundreds of daily wagers were brought on regular establishment on implementation of the policy, but the private respondents were denied such benefit on the solitary ground that their appointments were on contract basis.” Dismissing the appeal, the Bench asserted: “Such a plea taken before the Single Judge has been repelled and in our considered view rightly so for the reason that after the initial appointment on contract basis for 89 days, the respondents were appointed on temporary basis and in the regular pay scale…”
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High drama over land ownership at Rajindra Hospital Patiala, July 16 When they reached the hospital, the authorities handed them a letter that the land they wanted to demarcate fell in the boundary of the hospital and they would not allow its demarcation. The letter read that if they tried to demarcate the land, the hospital authorities would take legal action against them. Following this, the kanungo and patwari returned without demarcating the land. Speaking to The Tribune, Dr VK Sharda, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said the land was acquired almost 60 years ago and till date no one had claimed it. Kanungo Ram Singh said, “We had informed the Medical Superintendent of the hospital about Mahant Darshan Gir Pheva Sohan Gir’s claim of the 5 biswas of the hospital land. We had also informed the authorities about our visit to the hospital on July 16 for demarcation. We had asked them to be present there with necessary documents that substantiated their claim on the
land concerned.” “The mahant furnished the documents that verified that the land was his. The hospital authorities, however, could not produce any document to prove their claim. But since the land is now in the possession of the government, we will report the matter to the senior authorities and act accordingly,” said the kanungo. Meanwhile, Patiala Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said there was no way any person could present his stake on the land falling on the premises of the government hospital. “I will initiate an inquiry to know as to how the officials wrote a letter to the MS for demarcation,” he added.
Claim, counterclaim We had informed the Medical Superintendent of the hospital about Mahant Darshan Gir Pheva Sohan Gir’s claim to the 5 biswas of the hospital land. We had also informed the authorities about our visit to the hospital on July 16 for demarcation. — Ram Singh, kanungo I will initiate an inquiry to know as to how the officials wrote a letter to the Medical Superintendent for demarcation. — GK Singh, Patiala Deputy Commissioner
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AICC to groom 5 state leaders as spokespersons The five leaders are current PCC spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira, Supreme Court advocate Jaiveer Shergil, former Finance Minister Balwant Singh’s son Rajanbir Singh, Punjab Mahila Congress vice-president Nimisha Mehta and party’s youth strategist Raman Kumar. PCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa said the five leaders had been chosen in keeping with the party’s decision to groom leaders who could deal with the media effectively. Sources said while the recommendation of Khaira was on the expected lines as he was already functioning as the party spokesperson in the state, the state Congress had gone in for fresh talent in the case of the other four. They said Shergil had been chosen primarily because of the inputs given by him on the media front to the party as well as liaisoning done by him in Delhi. He is also responsible for creating a helpline to collate as well as help the victims of “Akali repression”. The helpline is already functioning in Amritsar. Rajanbir is a Bajwa loyalist who has been working behind the scenes for him. Earlier, he had been appointed Secretary in the PCC office but that appointment was withdrawn at the insistence of the party high command. Raman Kumar is a back-end strategist who has served as party spokesman in the past too. Mahila Congress leader Nimisha Mehta carved a niche for herself recently by taking up social issues effectively in the media.
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Restore 80% subsidy on solar pumps, Badal tells Centre Chandigarh, July 16 However, in 2004-05, the Centre reduced the subsidy to 30 per cent of the installation cost and remaining cost to be borne by the farmer, which was very high. The Chief Minister said Punjab had more than a million agriculture pump sets and the power requirement for this sector was almost 25 per cent of the total consumption in Punjab. The decentralised generation and utilisation of solar energy in the agriculture sector for water pumping was the best option to promote the use of renewable energy, which had long-term benefits in terms of energy utilisation and sustainable development, he said. The average size of an agriculture pump set in Punjab required about 5 KW capacity Solar Photovoltaic (SPV). Badal said farmers could also meet partial load of the farm house when there was no demand for irrigation. The approximate cost for this system was Rs 4.5 lakh and with the present level of 30 per cent subsidy, the farmer was unable to meet the balance 70 per cent cost, which was not viable for him. Badal said optimum utilisation of solar energy would not only boost the usage of renewable but also lead to far more efficient use of precious ground water. He said this programme had huge potential through, which solar energy could be harnessed for powering agricultural pumps. Badal had taken up this issue with New Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, when he had called on him a few days ago.
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Batala industry gasping for life Batala, July 16 In the past two decades more than 65 per cent businesses have been shut down. Those surviving may well have to close shop if their problems are not solved. Trade has become so bad that businessmen are fast surrendering their sales tax numbers, power and telephone connections. Industrial plots have no buyers. Sources say there were more than 2,000 foundries in the town in 1980 of which only 530 remain. Likewise, there were 550 firms manufacturing agricultural implements. Now just 128 of these are in business. Manufacturers of hand tools have been wiped off while producers of galvanised and conduit pipes and aluminium doors and windows are on the verge of closure. An Industry Department official said it was the abolition of freight equalisation policy by the Narasimha Rao Government in 1992 that sounded the death knell of manufacturing units. The policy was adopted in 1948 by the Central Government to facilitate equal industrial growth in the country. It meant that a factory could be established anywhere in India and transportation of minerals would be subsidised by the government through the Railways. “First the Punjab militancy in the eighties and then the abolition of the FEP in the early nineties ruined the town's industry,” claimed businessman Harmanjit Singh Goraya. “The cost of raw material procured by the town's foundries exceeds the price of finished goods produced by units located in the vicinity of steel plants,” observed another businessman. “Partition, militancy and the abolition of FEP killed the town's industry. The bad condition of roads and poor rail connectivity were the contributing factors,” remarked Iqbal Singh.
For resuscitation...
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Withdraw cops deployed in other states, govt told The development is significant as the state government had already told the High Court that 1,873 police personnel were providing security to 703 individuals. They were other than constitutional authorities, elected representatives and government functionaries. As a petition filed in public interest on the issue by advocate HC Arora came up for hearing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih observed in the open court that the Punjab Government cannot deploy its security personnel in other states permanently for providing security to persons residing in those states. “It is the duty of the states concerned to provide security to the residents of those states,” the Bench observed. In the written statement, the Punjab Government claimed that “certain protectees have been provided security by the Punjab Police due to their past or present association with affairs of Punjab in some manner”. It said: “Some of these protectees, such as Iqbal Singh, Governor, Puducherry; BKN Chhibber, former Governor, Punjab; Balbir Punj, MP; Tarlochan Singh, former MP, are now based outside the state but have been provided security by the Punjab Police as they remain closely associated with the affairs of the state and visit the state quite frequently”.
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Ravi Sidhu seeks better facilities behind bars Ropar, July 16 Sidhu was jailed yesterday for six years after being convicted for accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from Bhupjit Singh, an Assistant Excise Inspector, as part of a Rs 35 lakh deal to select him as a PCS officer in March 2002. Sidhu requested for ‘B category’ facilities, stating that he was a graduate and held a reputed post of the PPSC chairman. Under B category, jail inmates are provided a bed along with a table and chair. A separate barrack is earmarked for such convicts or undertrials. Sidhu has been asked to take care of flower beds at the Ropar jail. Sources in the jail said Sidhu’s application was sent back to the court with comments that there were no ‘B category’ facilities available there.
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Diversion of funds: Cong MP asks Centre to conduct inquiry Sangrur, July 16 In a statement issued today, Singla said it was a matter of shame that the state government had diverted hundreds of crores received for the APL scheme from the Centre to run a similar scheme for providing succour to the poor under the name of the ‘atta-dal' scheme. Accusing the SAD-BJP government of adopting double standards, the Congress leader said while on one hand the government had projected a central scheme as its own, it was not announcing the implementation of the Food Security Act on the other.
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Rs 4.35 crore wheat scam unearthed
Chandigarh, July 16 Confirming the development, PS
Shergill, Managing Director of the Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation
(PUNSUP), said, “Preliminary reports indicated Gurmeet Singh, the dealing clerk, could not find any records of the missing bags at the PUNSUP
centre. A criminal case will be filed and all the suspected persons may face suspension.”
— TNS
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Aided school teachers differ on union strike on August 5
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 16 Senior teachers who are either holding the post of Principals or on the verge of retirement are against the government’s move, saying it would affect their seniority. The teachers said after the merger, they were likely to be placed at the bottom of their respective seniority list and there was every possibility that they would retire simply as teachers. However, young teachers who had been appointed by the managements of these aided schools were in favour of the merger, stating that it would help in improving their future prospects.
— TNS
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Rights group to serve US court summons to Badal
Washington, July 16 The Hague Service Treaty, of which India is a signatory, allows service of judicial papers between the signatory countries without diplomatic involvement. The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which earlier filed a human rights violation case against Badal along with the Akali Dal (Mann), took the decision after it failed to serve summons on Badal recently. “We will use the Hague Service Convention to serve outstanding Federal summons on Badal in India to make him accountable before Wisconsin Federal court for protecting and commanding a police force responsible for torture and extra judicial killings of Sikhs in the state of Punjab,” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ. The Eastern District of Wisconsin has given SFJ until October 24 to serve the summons on Badal in human rights violation lawsuit.
— PTI
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Batala,
July 16
Former
Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) chairman Ravi Sidhu, after being
convicted and jailed by the local court in a case of corruption, has applied for
‘B category’ facilities in jail. The court forwarded his application to the
jail authorities for comments. They returned it to the court, stating that the
state government was the only authority to decide on such matters. Sidhu was jailed yesterday for six years after being convicted for accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from Bhupjit Singh, an Assistant Excise Inspector, as part of a Rs 35 lakh deal to select him as a PCS officer in March 2002.
Chandigarh, July 16
Chandigarh, July 16