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Being targeted by Modi Govt, allege Sikh farmers from Kutch
Minorities panel seeks Centre’s intervention
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SGPC: Punish those behind gurdwara graffiti in US
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal hands over an appointment letter to Sarabjit Singh’s daughter Swapandeep Kaur in Jalandhar on Friday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Majithia dares Bajwa to name one project he got from Centre
Fatehgarh
Sahib Bus Accident
Divers resume search operation
Need to install crash barriers, say experts
E-trip: Dealers get a month to upgrade systems
Protesting BJYM members, police clash
ISTC holds convocation ceremony
Nagar panchayat chief removed
Komagata Maru ship incident
332 attend NCC camp
HC seeks info on applications for mining clearance
5-yr-old girl raped
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Being targeted by Modi Govt, allege Sikh farmers from Kutch
Chandigarh, August 2 The Sikh farmers, numbering 5,000, say they have been systematically targeted by the Gujarat Government and the land mafia during the past some years. Most of them had migrated to Gujarat from Punjab’s Malwa region and Haryana’s Karnal district. “Revenue officials have been tampering with the records to show that we are no longer occupants of the land. The girdawari has been changed to show that nobody cultivates the land owned by us,” alleged farmer Surinder Singh. He said this was aimed to dispossess them of their land. “Those hand in glove with the land mafia issue threats to Sikh farmers asking them to sell their land. Intimidated, some farmers have sold part of their land-holding at throwaway prices,”Surinder Singh alleged. The Gujarat Government sent eviction notices to the Sikh farmers under the Bombay Tenancy and Agriculture Lands Act. The affected farmers challenged the notices in the Gujarat High Court. “After a five-day hearing, a three-Judge Bench ruled in our favour, stating that there was no mention in the Act that Gujaratis alone could own agriculture land and that the Act only forbade non-farmers from owning land,” explained Dr Ajaib Singh, member of the National Commission for Minorities, who spent five days in Bhuj. However, the Gujarat Government challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court. The case is listed for hearing on August 27. Dr Ajaib Singh said that most of the affected farmers we camping in New Delhi, seeking help of senior leaders from Punjab,” he said. Surinder Singh recalled that when they moved to Gujarat in the 1960s, the almost barren land was available for less than Rs 1 lakh per acre. “Now a fertile belt, the land rates have soared to Rs 10 lakh - Rs 12 lakh per acre. We produce about 50 quintals of cotton from one hectare. We also grow wheat, groundnut and guar,” he said. “We have raised mango orchards and grown the world’s best dates with the help of tissue culture,” Surinder Singh claimed. Most of the Punjabi farmers are settled around Kuthara town in the Nalia subdivision. The Gujarat Government is now reportedly allotting land to industrialists there. The belt is rich in minerals.
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Minorities panel seeks Centre’s intervention
Chandigarh, August 2 He said a letter had also been sent to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Dr Ajaib Singh said the “land freeze,” had hit the Sikh farmers who were now unable to take loans to purchase farm equipment, fertilisers and pesticides. Dr Ajaib Singh said he had met the district officials concerned during his visit to Gujarat. The officials had expressed their helplessness in the matter.
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SGPC: Punish those behind gurdwara graffiti in US
Amritsar, August 2 Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC president, today appealed to the US Administration to identify those behind the incident and initiate stringent action against them. He demanded that a thorough probe be ordered to expose the forces behind such incidents. He expressed surprise at the timing of the incident, saying the Oak Creek gurdwara shootout had taken place during the same time last year. American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) president JS Hothi, coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh and Sikh activist Harpreet Singh said they were in touch with the federal authorities through the American Sikh Congressional Caucus. The Sikh leaders described the incident as ‘hate crime.’ They said co-chairpersons of the American Sikh Caucus Judy Chu and David Valadao had initiated a campaign to educate the public about the Sikh community. Dr Pritpal said that religious ceremonies were being performed to mark the first anniversary of the attack on Gurdwara Oak Creek. “This is the time to offer prayers for the departed souls and sympathise with the aggrieved families,” he said. Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa president Kanwarpal Singh said: “The rogue element in the American society that has been targeting Sikhs by resorting to hate crimes has once again shown its ugly face.” He said though the US Administration had showncommitment to check the recurrence of such incidents, it needed to be more vigilant in this regard.
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CM ducks queries on probe into encounters
Kartarpur (Jalandhar), August 2 Interacting with mediapersons after administering oath of office to the newly elected sarpanches and panches of the district at a function held here today, Badal did not give any clear reply on the formation of an SIT. On Monday, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who also holds the Home portfolio, too, had downplayed the issue while stating that the matter was yet to come up for discussion at the government level. Taking a dig at the Congress-led regime at the Centre, Badal alleged the Union Government's politically motivated food security ordinance was absurd. He said the Congress itself was uncertain whether the Centre would be able to get the ordinance ratified in Parliament. Responding to a media query, Badal said the state government was with the Punjabi farmers of Gujarat, who were facing the threat of displacement in Kutch. He claimed efforts were afoot to get their problems solved by the Gujarat Government.
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Majithia dares Bajwa to name one project he got from Centre
Gurdaspur, August 2 It turned out to be double whammy for Bajwa. While he was being castigated by Majithia at a press conference held at Gurdwara Chotta Ghallughara Sahib, BJP Yuva Morcha activists laid siege to Bajwa’s house in Qadian. The Yuva Morcha activists were led by Tarun Chugh and Shiv Bir Singh Rajan, in charge and general secretary of the BJP’s youth wing. They were protesting against the UPA Government’s “anti-people” policies. Majithia, who was accompanied by former Cabinet Minister SS Sekhwan and Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha, laid the foundation stone of two sub-tehsils and inaugurated two patwar work stations at various places in Qadian Vidhan Sabha segment, which is represented by Bajwa’s wife Charanjit Kaur. Political observers claimed that Majithia’s visit to the PPCC chief’s stronghold, where Charanjit Kaur beat Sekhwan by a margin of nearly 16,000 votes in the last assembly elections, held enough political significance as it aimed at denting the image of the state Congress chief. “Sekhwan, by virtue of being the ‘halqa’ (constituency) in charge of Qadian, is helping the residents in solving their administrative problems. With today’s visit, Majithia has made it clear that Sekhwan enjoys his support,” said a SAD leader. The Minister lashed out at Bajwa for “unnecessarily dragging his name into the illegal mining controversy”. “The Punjab and Haryana High court is seized of the matter. Even the e-tendering process for quarrying was in the knowledge of the high court. How can Bajwa blame the SAD-BJP alliance politicians for being involved in the mining controversy,” asked Majithia. He said Bajwa had developed a rather “unhealthy habit” of constantly criticising the state government.
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Fatehgarh Sahib Bus Accident
Patran/Samana, August 2 There are hundreds of others like him hoping against hope to get information on their missing kin. They regularly visit the channel siphons in anticipation of finding a body entangled in the nets. As their patience wears off, they leave after pasting posters with their contact numbers at the site. “I have visited Khanauri, the last siphon in the Punjab territory, to search for my boy’s body,” said a dejected Harjeet Singh. His son is among the passengers of the bus that plunged into the Bhakra canal on Wednesday morning. With little support coming from the government, desperate kin paste posters and engage the services of private divers. The government has no trained divers on its rolls and no arrangements to locate bodies from the water channel. Private divers at these siphons charge between Rs 4,000 and Rs 25,000 for finding a body. “The task is risky. Many times the condition of the body is extremely poor. We have no insurance cover. Hence, the charges are justified,” explained Raminder Singh, a diver from Patran.
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Divers resume search operation
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 2 While accusing the police of misbehaviour, the divers had yesterday halted the rescue operation. It was only after a call from Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hardevinder Pal Singh, who is in charge of the rescue work, that Ashu and his team agreed to look for the bodies in the Bhakra Main Line canal in Sirhind. The police had faced flak from various quarters for the alleged misbehaviour. Talking to The Tribune, Ashu confirmed he had received a call from the DSP. He said “the police officer had assured that “reasonable” amount would be paid to them for their services, besides food and fuel for their two-wheelers. He also said a passenger’s body had been fished out late last night. “We have been working round-the-clock for the last 24 hours to locate the bodies. But instead of recognising our services, the police misbehaved with us,” he had said. The DSP said the divers would be honoured for their services.
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Punjab Roadways buses plying without insurance
Amritsar, August 2 Punjab Roadways (depot-I) General Manager Darshan Singh Gill said this while replying to a query on the compensation being extended to the missing passengers of the bus that fell off a bridge into the Bhakra canal in Sirhind on July 31. The bus belonged to the Amritsar depot. Though the bus had been purchased in April last, it reportedly was in a good condition. It had covered less than 2 lakh kilometres — a bus becomes non-motorable after it covers 5.25 lakh km or turns seven years old. Gill said similar was the case with other Punjab Roadways buses. But compensation, he said, was paid in accordance with the victim’s age, earning capacity and cause of the accident. Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), a semi-government public transport body, through its former managing director DPS Kharbanda, had even approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the past, urging it to direct “reluctant” insurance companies to cover public transport buses too under their policy. The matter is still pending. “We were willing to pay Rs 30,000 as annual premium for each vehicle, but not even a single insurance company came forward to accept our proposal. They argued that these vehicles often cause accidents, thus it is not a viable deal. It was then that I approached the high court,” Kharbanda said.
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Need to install crash barriers, say experts
Ludhiana, August 2 An expert, Navdeep Asija, said, “The driver alone was not at fault. Our roads are designed with zero tolerance to human error. One mistake and drivers as well as passengers end up facing a life-threatening situation.” About the construction of the particular stretch on which the accident occurred, Asija said, “The width of the road is enough but the bridges are narrow. No warning sign or reflective tapes are present on the bridge parapet or on its railing.” Moreover, a majority of the old bridges on canals and rivers in the state had iron railing, which should be replaced with crash barriers, he said. Another expert, currently working with the state government, said in the absence of reflectors, a driver may not be able to see the railing while driving at night. “While the police was quick to register a case against the driver, who may have died, it did not take any action against the construction company for failing to install crash barriers,” he said. Fatehgarh Sahib Senior Superintendent of Police Gurmeet Singh said, “If found at fault, action will be initiated against the construction firm as well.”
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Sirhind bus mishap exposes chinks in security network
Ludhiana, August 2 The bridge, off which the bus had plunged into the canal, is close to the floating restaurant located along the canal. Incidentally, the Delhi-Lahore bus stops at this restaurant. Even though the state government had launched the night patrolling scheme barely a fortnight ago, the police personnel failed to notice the bus floating in the canal. The bus that plunged into the water body around 2 am was spotted by some villagers nearly 3 km away from the bridge at 6 am. Though the police claims to have set up highway control rooms every 50 km and deployed over 4,000 personnel to patrol highways at night, the plan proved ineffective here. The state government has assigned 62 highway patrol vehicles, 1,014 police vehicles, 22 ambulances, cranes and recovery vans for the night patrolling project. Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, Fatehgarh Sahib Senior Superintendent of Police, said, “As it is an accident-prone area, two vehicles were patrolling in the vicinity at the time of the mishap. The teams were near Mandi Gobindgarh and Madhavpur Chowk.” Sources said the accident had exposed major chinks in the security network of the authorities concerned.
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E-trip: Dealers get a month to upgrade systems
Patiala, August 2 “Trade organisations had made a representation that many dealers did not have the infrastructure to comply with requirements under Rule 64-A and 64-B. The dealers have been given time till August 31, 2013, to upgrade their systems,” said the Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, Anurag Verma.” Field checking would be undertaken and penalties imposed only after the grace period, he said. Clarifying further, Verma said: “E-trip/e-ICC will not be applicable when goods are being transported from the premises of the dealer to the transporter. These will be applicable when the goods are moved from the premises of the transporter,” Verma stated. Transporters would be able to submit data on the department website on behalf of the dealers. "For goods (covered under Rule 64-B) being sent outside the state, the time limit condition will not apply," Verma said. Traders across the state were up in arms against the state government over implementation of the e-trip system.
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Protesting BJYM members, police clash
Patiala, August 2 The protesters demanded a meal worth Rs 5 from
the Centre, making a satirical comment on the statements made by Congress leaders recently on a meal being available for Rs 5. They allegedly tried to barge into the MP’s house and were stopped by the policemen on duty,
following which the protesters tried to rough up the policemen. “The agitating members misbehaved and even hurled abuses at a DSP-level officer after they were stopped from breaking into the house of the
Patiala MP. Perturbed, the protesters started pushing the policemen and I had to intervene,” said Patiala SP Daljit Singh Rana. “We had to use
mild force to stop the protesters, who were adamant to enter the MP’s house,” he said. State president of the BJP youth wing Mohit Gupta alleged the police did not allow them to hand over the drafts outside the MP’s house and there were some heated arguments thereafter. "We returned after the drafts were handed over," he added.
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ISTC holds convocation ceremony
Chandigarh, August 2 He emphasised the need for building human relations to encourage team work and harmony in order to be successful. He also advised the passing out trainees to adopt the spirit of an entrepreneur to sustain in
the competitive world. Principal of the ISTC RC Agnihotri, while presenting the institute’s annual report, said almost all students, except those pursuing higher education, had got placed in reputed companies at handsome remunerations. He said the centre had so far produced 3,241 graduates in various streams. The meritorious students of the institute were awarded medal and prizes. Arun Kumar Singh, Amit Kaushik, Lakhwinder Singh, Kushlesh Singh, Ganesh Chand and Shaeeny Singh were felicitated on the occasion.
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Ropar, August 2 He was issued a show cause notice in this connection on June 10. Six nagar panchayat members, including vice-president Sarabjit Singh, had lodged a complaint with the department, stating that during a meeting of the nagar panchayat, there was no consensus among the members over certain proposals put before the house. The members gave their opinions in the proceeding book. The complainants said when the meeting was over, Mangat asked the executive officer (EO) to hand over the proceeding book to him and when the EO refused to follow his orders, the president shouted at him. Pressurising the computer operator, Mangat got the record of the meeting changed, it was alleged. Following an inquiry into the matter, the secretary
of the department dismissed the president from his post. —TNS
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Preneet Kaur for restoration of Qila Mubarak
Patiala, August 2 The Chief Executive Officer of the NCF, Dr Shobita Punja, and senior manager T Lakshmi Priya, along with Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, took round of the Qila and discussed various steps to be taken to restore its lost sheen. Talking about her visit, Dr Punja said they were here to explore the heritage building. She said urgent steps were required to save the prestigious monument. “It is one of the most beautiful forts of the country and it is our combined responsibility to preserve our pride. Our organisation has taken up the work of preserving country’s historical monuments and we will now be preparing a report on Qila Mubarak,” she said. Preneet Kaur said on her request, a team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had prepared a report on Qila Mubarak and Sheesh Mahal and the Centre, in the 13th Finance Commission, had approved Rs 100 crore for Punjab for the restoration of the historical places. Out of this Rs 40 crore were earmarked for Patiala, including Rs 32 crore for Qila Mubarak and Rs 8 crore for Sheesh Mahal. The Punjab government, however, had not yet made any further efforts to get the money sanctioned to begin the restoration work. “Qila Mubarak is among the best forts in India but it is in a bad shape. We have received an amount of Rs 20 lakh from the Ministry of Railways for its restoration and will begin the work on it soon. I know this is a meagre amount but it is a good start nonetheless. I will also impress upon Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to take up the issue further,” she said. Blaming the SAD-BJP government for the deteriorating condition of the Patiala monuments, Preneet Kaur said the Punjab government was deliberately ignoring Patiala. “Rather than making efforts to save monuments of Patiala , the Punjab government is trying its best to put the city on the backseat. We will never let this happen,” she added.
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Komagata
Maru ship incident
Patiala, August 2 Joginder Singh Johal, son of late Punjab Chief Minister Darbara Singh and a leading Sikh activist in West Bengal, who was at Punjabi University to attend the South Asian Punjab Conference, said he had discussed the commemoration plans with former Chairperson of the Minority Commission Tarlochan Singh and Dr Jaspal Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University. He said they had agreed to take part in the programme. Komagata Maru was a Japanese streamliner chartered by businessmen Gurdit Singh to bring Indian immigrant to Canada. In April 1914, the ship departed from Hong Kong to Japan. The passengers on the ship included 376 Indians— 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus. However, when the ship reached Canada via Japan, it was not allowed to dock under the Asian Exclusion Act formulated by Canada to keep the Asian immigrants out. The passengers waited on the docks for almost two months and on July 23, 1914, the ship was forced to return from Vancouver. In September 1914, when the ship returned to Kolkata, the British government stopped its entry and when the passengers protested, the policemen fired at them. The incident claimed 21 lives (official figure quoted by the British government. Some books have reported 100 deaths.) Johal said, “The horrific incident shook the entire nation, but youngsters are unaware of the atrocities these passengers faced. In 1954, Jawahar Lal Nehru dedicated a memorial to the tragedy. However, no one remembers these passengers now. Therefore, the Sikhs residing in West Bengal have decided to celebrate this year in a big way.” Meanwhile, Johal urged PM Manmohan Singh to release a commemorative stamp on the killings of the passengers. He said the Canadian government was releasing a postal stamp on it. He said he would soon meet Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for he wanted the Punjab government also to take part in it.
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HC seeks info on applications for mining clearance
Chandigarh, August 2 The High Court also sought information on pendency of the applications. The directions came during the hearing of a bunch of petitions on illegal mining in Punjab. The High Court, on the last date of hearing, had directed the Punjab Government to place on record a detailed policy defining the catchment area of rivers in the state where mining could not be permitted. The case will now come up for next hearing on August 13. The court also directed the state government to give details of the requirements for running stone crushers and officers competent for compounding challans of illegal mining.
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5-yr-old girl raped
Sangrur, August 2 Station House Officer of the Lehragaga police station Tejinder Singh said on the complaint of the mother of the girl, the police had registered a case against the boy. The SHO said as per the statement of the girl’s mother, the incident occurred on July 27. The accused allegedly called the girl to his house and raped her. The accused was yet to be arrested, the SHO added. — TNS
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Chandigarh, August 2
Chandigarh, August 2
Gurdaspur, August 2
Patiala, August 2
Patiala, August 2
Chandigarh, August 2
