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No attempt to evict Sikh farmers: Modi
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Diversification: State to seek funds from finance panel
Majha protests: Police finds it hard to fight rumours
Disposal of bio-medical waste
Cong leader Ajit Singh Shant joins Akali Dal
Bittu Congress Parliamentary
Party whip
Sukhbir administers oath to 9,000 panchayat members
Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal talks to mediapersons at Pathankot on Monday. A Tribune photograph
CMCH director’s feat gets US recognition
State’s circuit houses to don new look
Acid attack on cows
Not paid for 5 months, schoolteachers protest
Ravi damages crops in Gurdaspur
villages
Villagers move to safer places in Sultanpur Lodhi on Monday. A Tribune photo
Earmark land for garbage dumps, CM to
panchayats
Chief Minister PS Badal (right) administers oath to newly elected panchayat members in Sangrur on Monday. A Tribune photo
Protest after rape victim dies
PCS officers back
Nagpal
Minister nabs staff dumping expired drugs
PSHRC seeks report on plight of mortuary Will expose those patronising drug mafia:
Ex-DGP
Sangrur man gets 12-yr RI for attacking Ahluwalia
SC stays order on minor minerals
Maharaja’s nephew to challenge verdict
Faridkot Maharaja’s nephew Bharatinder’s son Amarinder Brar in Chandigarh on Monday.
High Court raps PFC for ‘meaningless litigation’
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No attempt to evict Sikh farmers: Modi
Ahmedabad, August 5 “There is no question of Sikh farmers from Punjab returning to their home-state. The state government is not using any force to evict them from their land in Kutch,” Modi told Badal, said an official spokesman. Modi said though the matter was pending before the Supreme Court, the state government would ensure that these farmers were not subjected to any harassment or hardship. “Nearly 50,000 Sikhs living in Kutch and elsewhere in Gujarat are peacefully co-existing with other communities in the state. We will ensure that they continue to live peacefully in Gujarat,” he said. Modi said the confusion had been created by faulty revenue rules framed by the Congress government in the state 50 years ago and the subsequent government resolution issued in 1973. He, however, did not clarify the “confusion” and blamed “vested interests” in the Congress for deliberately misinterpreting the 1973 resolution and creating a rift with the Sikh community to “defame” his government. Modi said a delegation of Sikhs living in Gujarat had called on him and expressed satisfaction over the steps initiated by his government for peaceful co-existence of all communities. The leader of the Lakhpat Sikh Samaj, Jugraj Singh, had written him a letter pointing out that the Sikhs were living peacefully in Lakhpat and other areas in Kutch and taking advantage of the state government schemes and had never been harassed in any way. Fatehgarh Sahib:
Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC president, said today that the eviction of Sikh farmers from Kutch in Gujarat would not be tolerated. Inaugurating a building at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College here, he said he had written to the Gujarat Chief Minister and the Prime Minister to resolve the issue. He said it was the duty of heads of state to protect the interests of all citizens. On the Delhi University’s move to "undermine" the status of Punjabi, he said lakhs of Sikhs living in the National Capital Region spoke the Punjabi language. He said the university decision to allow only three affiliated colleges to teach Punjabi, had led to resentment among the Punjab-speaking people. He said he had sought time from the Prime Minister and the Delhi Chief Minister to put forth his viewpoint on the issue. However, there had been no response so far.
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Sarna meets Rajnath, speaks up for Gujarat Sikhs
New Delhi, August 5 Sarna, in a memorandum to Rajnath Singh, said: “We are pained to point out the fate of Sikh farmers in your party-ruled state of Gujarat, which is headed by one of your top leaders, Narendra Modi, who is seen as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. It was expected that like other states in India, Sikhs in Gujarat would get a fair and equal opportunity to follow the vocation of their choice.” Sarna said the Gujarat government was apparently following an anti-minority policy to drive out the Sikh farmers from Kutch. Sarna pointed out that
“earlier at Pathankot, Modi had indirectly spoken against the Anand Marriage Act while in Ludhiana, he had indicated his opposition to Punjab’s claims on riverwaters by describing them as national resources.” Sarna told Rajnath Singh that “your party needs to win the confidence of minorities by following the policies of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.” Sarna said he would be forced to approach Akal Takht for non-cooperation against Modi in view of his ‘anti-Sikh’ activities.
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Diversification: State to seek funds from finance panel
The commission team is likely to visit the state later this month. It will interact with the Chief Minister and senior government officials. The commission has the powers to determine and define the formula for devolution of funds to the states. It also has the mandate to make special allocation to deal with state specific problems such as fiscal and revenue deficit and for any exclusive driver related to improve state's economy. Sources said a special chapter was being prepared by the government for submission to the commission to seek exclusive allocation of funds for taking up diversification in the farm sector in a big way. Some years ago, the Centre had advised the state to persuade farmers not to grow paddy because its demand would decline in due course as many states in the North-East have almost become self-sufficient in this regard. "We have decided to seek special devolution of funds from the commission for gearing up the process of diversification in the state", said a senior government functionary. From the 13th Finance Commission, the state had sought special devolution of funds to improve the canal irrigation system and before that for the overall improvement in the farm sector. The government had sought an allocation of about Rs 8,000 crore in next five years from the Central Government to create infrastructure, technology and market for growing and selling non-paddy crops in the state. However, for the current fiscal year, the Centre has allocated Rs 224 crore. Of this, Rs 112 crore would be released this week, it is learnt. Meanwhile, the overall area under paddy, including basmati, has gone up this year by 21,000 hectares. Last year, it was 27.50 lakh hectares and this year, it is about 27.71 lakh hectares as per initial estimates prepared by the Agriculture Department. However, it has been confirmed that the area under basmati, a less water-guzzling rice crop, has gone up by 50,000 hectares. The sources said data gathered so far had indicated that area under maize had gone up to 1.52 lakh hectares this year from 1.29 lakh hectares last year. The area under cotton has gone up by 24,000 hectares and under groundnut by 4,000 hectares. There was an insignificant increase of 1,000 hectares in the area under sugarcane. Money matters
Boost to alternative crops
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Majha protests: Police finds it hard to fight rumours
Amritsar, August 5 It all started a fortnight ago with rumours in rural as well as urban areas of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts that members of the “kala kachha gang” were once again active in the area. The district and police administration repeatedly refuted these rumours. But there was no stopping panic among the people. Subsequently, the residents took upon themselves to ensure the safety of their near and dear ones by resorting to “theekri pehra” even as the police intensified night patrolling. Lathi-wielding women could be seen performing “theekri pehra” in some areas as men brandished swords and firearms. While “theekri pehra” helped curb mischievous elements, it led to harassment of innocent persons mistaken for criminals. Some elements also started targeting their rivals. Kulwant Singh was shot dead at Pandori Waraich village a few days back.A youth in Guru Ki Wadali area and another in Maqboolpura were also killed. A Railway employee was brutally thrashed in Fatehgarh Churian despite the fact that he showed his identity card to those on “theekri pehra”. Even mentally challenged persons had to bear the brunt of “theekri pehra”. These rumours took a dangerous turn with people confronting the police, first in Kathunangal and then at Bal Khurd village. Similar reports were received from the neighbouring Batala in Gurdaspur district. Amritsar Police Commissioner Ram Singh today said the situation in the city areas was under control. “We are holding meetings with ward-level representatives to reach out to the people and remove misgivings.” The Deputy inspector-General (DIG), Border Range, Paramraj Singh Umranangal, said they had come across instances where those on “theekri pehra” were found indulging in anti-social activities. He said the police had asked the sarpanches to choose persons for performing “theekri pehra”. He claimed that most of the village residents were cooperating with the police.
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Disposal of bio-medical waste
Patiala, August 5 After issuing ample instructions and warnings, the PPCB has now decided to tighten its noose around such violating HCFs by introducing a barcode-based software for online monitoring of effective collection and treatment of such hazardous waste. An official of the PPCB said hundreds of HCFs in the state were violating the prescribed norms regarding safe disposal of bio-medical waste despite repeated instructions in this regard and therefore, the board had started online monitoring of such waste reaching the common bio-medical waste treatment facilities (CBWTF) in the state. “For online monitoring, the vehicles carrying such waste would be GPRS enabled so that they can be effectively kept under check and all HCFs have to follow the pattern,” he said. The PPCB had recently issued a five-point reminder to all HCFs, including the testing laboratories, clinics, private small hospitals and other nursing homes, to follow the rules to avoid any penalty. “From now onwards, all the HCFs will paste a barcode sticker on their respective colour-coded bags before handing it over to CBWTF,” reads the instructions. “The bags are scanned by using hand-held devices at the time of collection,” it reads further. “These instructions were passed to all such HCFs covered under this scheme and violators would be put to the task,” said PPCB member secretary Babu Ram. At present, the CBWTF are available in Mohali, Pathankot, Ludhiana and Amritsar districts and special vans leave from these facilities to collect bio-medical waste from the HCFs. “We have been lenient in the initial stage, but strict action will be taken against the defaulters as the laws in this regard are very clear,” said Babu Ram.
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Cong leader Ajit Singh Shant joins Akali Dal
Chandigarh, August 5 Shant had won the reserved seat of Nihalsinghwala in 2007 and after being elected as MLA, he had supported the Congress. He had contested as a Congress candidate from this constituency in 2012, but had lost to Rajwinder Kaur Bhagike. His leaving the Congress is a jolt for the party as he was not just the party’s favourite candidate for the Faridkot parliamentary constituency, but also a prominent Dalit leader. He was welcomed into the SAD by party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Sukhbir said Shant had joined the Akali Dal unconditionally.
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Bittu Congress Parliamentary
Party whip
Chandigarh, August 5 This decision was conveyed to him by party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Bittu was handed over the letter regarding his appointment by Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kamal Nath. Bittu, an active participant in the Lok Sabha proceedings, has posed more than 400 queries to the ministers on various issues. Thanking the high command for reposing trust in him, Bittu said he would discharge the responsibilities assigned to him with devotion. Bittu is the grandson of assassinated Congress CM Beant Singh.
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Sukhbir administers oath to 9,000 panchayat members
Kahnuwan, August 5 The halqa (area) chief, SS Sekhwan, virtually hijacked the function to Kahnuwan, that is part of the Qadian assembly segment. The function was slated to be held at Government College, Gurdaspur. But the local administration moved the event to Sekhwan’s backyard. “With people coming from nearby Fatehgarh Churian, Sri Hargobindpur and Gurdaspur assembly segments, the function could have been held in Batala. It is difficult to understand as to why the event was shifted to Kahnuwan,” said an Akali leader. The Deputy Commissioner (DC), Dr Abhinav Trikha, refused to be drawn into any controversy. He said the venue had been chosen after weighing various factors.“The Kahunwan grain market has tin-sheds for protection against rain. Also, close to the market is a site where a chopper can land safely," the DC said. On an otherwise gloomy day, cine star and former Gurdaspur Member of Parliament (MP) Vinod Khanna lent glamour to the proceedings. He attended the functions at both Pathankot and Kahnuwan. Earlier at Pathankot, the Deputy Chief Minister administered oath to 2,600-odd panches and sarpanches. Sukhbir announced that all 30 lakh-odd BPL families in the state would be brought under a health insurance cover (up to Rs 30,000 per family). For this, various private hospitals would be identified by the state government. Sukhbir, in his fiery speech, claimed that the plight of the Sikh farmers in Gujarat was the outcome of the “irrational” policy decision taken during the tenure of then Congress Gujarat Chief Minister in 1973. “A circular was issued, stating that any person not from Gujarat buying agriculture land in the state would be declared a non-agriculturist. Owing to this circular, the land-holdings of Sikhs have been put on freeze,” he claimed.
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CMCH director’s feat gets US recognition
Ludhiana, August 5 He got the distinction as being the only one from India to feature in these 100 years of pioneering events in surgery. Dr Thomas, after his training in the USA and Europe, started microsurgery at the CMCH in 1983. Since then, he and his team of doctors had reattached numerous amputated parts of the body like fingers, hand, arm, scalp, foot, leg and even penis and testes. The American College of Surgeons had completed 100 years in 2012 and compiled pioneering events in the world in the field of surgery and Dr Thomas’ work in face replantation had been listed in the decade 1991-2000. Dr Thomas and his team reattached a totally avulsed off face and scalp in a nine-year-old girl from Malerkotla in July 1994 which was a landmark event in the world of reattaching of the face. Following this, surgeons in other parts of the world embarked on transplantation. It is noteworthy that Dr Thomas was the pioneer in reattachment of amputated parts in Punjab, having done all the work at the CMCH. He has trained over 50 surgeons in this speciality who are now working in India and abroad. Dr Thomas’ work also features in the Limca Book of Records for the first replant in scalp and penis. He is also the recipient of Dr BC Roy Award in 2000.
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State’s circuit houses to don new look
Chandigarh, August 5 The Punjab Government is all set to lease out the operation and management of the circuit houses to private bidders. It will also provide them additional land near these circuit houses to set up hotels. The state has circuit houses in all important cities - Amritsar, Ferozepur,
Bathinda, Ludhiana, Faridkot, Patiala and Jalandhar. As a pilot project, the Ludhiana and Amritsar circuit houses will be the first to don a new look. Official sources told The Tribune that with the state government having no funds for the upkeep of these circuit houses, a legacy of the raj, it had been decided that private bids be invited to manage these. “The circuit house at Amritsar has some land around it, where a PWD guest house is located. This land is now proposed to be allotted to the highest bidder for building a hotel and managing the circuit house. "In Ludhiana, there is no vacant land near the circuit house. We are in the process of finding suitable land near the circuit house to be allotted to the successful bidder,” said a senior government official. He said the scheme was still at the drawing board stage and tenders for the same would be allotted before the year-end.
Pilot project
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Acid attack on cows
Sangrur, August 5 As a precautionary measure, the police reportedly detained about 100 protesters from the town so that they could not take out the protest march. However, later they were let off. Over 1,000 police personnel were deployed and nakas were set up at various places in and around the town to stop the march. The police and the civil administration were in touch with the Hindu and Muslim leaders for the past two-three days to maintain law and order in the town. In view of the seriousness of the problem, Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mandip Singh Sidhu today remained present in the town. Gau Raksha Sewa Dal president Satish Kumar Rajpura, Shiv Sena (Bal Thakrey) vice-president Harish Singla and Kimti Lal Bhagat along with their supporters were stopped at a naka at Bagrian village so that they could not enter Malerkotla. When they were not allowed to move further, they submitted a memorandum of their demands addressed to the Chief Minister to the SSP. Their demands include free water and electricity supply to gaushalas, construction of more cow sheds, stoppage of atrocities on cows and complete ban on cow slaughtering. The SSP said they would forward the memorandum to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner. He also said both the communities cooperated with the police and the civil administration in maintaining peace in the town.
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Not paid for 5 months, schoolteachers protest
Patiala, August 5 Perturbed over the indifferent attitude of the state government as far as shortage of teachers in the government aided schools was concerned, the union members demanded immediate notification on the merger of the aided schools. State-level action committee member Anil Bharti said if the government failed to issue the notification regarding merger, they would continue their dharna till August 9. Meanwhile in Fatehgarh Sahib, the district unit of the union failed to hold the protest here. Interestingly, the Punjab Aided Schoolteacher's Union is supporting the merger, while the teachers belonging to the Government Aided Progressive Front and the Government Aided School Bachao Front have also threatened to go on hunger strike if the Government took the decision to merge the aided schools with the government schools without declaring any concrete
policy. Malkiat Singh, president and Anju Kaura, general secretary of the Government Aided School Bachao Front, opposed the merger in the present form. Upjit
Brar, president of the Government Aided Progressive Front, said they were against the merger of the aided schools.
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Ravi damages crops in Gurdaspur
villages
Makkoran Pattan (Gurdaspur), August 5 Hemmed in by the Ravi and Ujh on one side and the India-Pakistan border on the other, the residents, to put pressure on the Centre and the state government, refused to exercise franchise during the 1980 parliamentary elections. Taken aback, the PM then asked the Punjab Governor to visit the area, who did as told. However, nothing changed. The Ravi and Ujh rivers yesterday washed away land, standing crops and livestock. As instructed by the Pathankot Deputy Commissioner, Siben C, a team of revenue officials visited the affected villages today to assess the losses. "This has become a perennial problem. Temporary solutions are of no use," said a villager. At Makkoran Pattan where the Ravi and Ujh rivers meet, the damage to the crops has been the maximum. In the worst-hit
Lasian, Bhaiyal, Toor, Chibe, Mumychakranja and Jianpur villages, strong currents left the fields flattened.
Jalandhar: With the Beas in spate, nearly 12 villages surrounding Baupur in Sultanpur Lodhi got flooded on Monday. Kuldeep Singh
Chandi, SDM, Sultanpur Lodhi, said Baupur, Sangra and 12 villages along the river had been flooded.
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Earmark land for garbage dumps, CM to
panchayats
Sangrur, August 5 Badal exhorted the newly elected panchayat members to perform their duties well as several among them would eventually become MLAs and ministers.
Badal said the state government would hold a re-survey of the ‘atta-dal’ beneficiaries and their number would increase from the existing 15 lakh to 30 lakh. The state government would spend Rs 400 crore on cleaning village ponds. Every block would be given Rs 3crore to Rs 4 crore for the
purpose. Badal asked the panchayats to earmark land for village garbage dumps. Among others who spoke at the function were MP Sukhdev Singh
Dhindsa,MP, Panchayats Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Parkash Chand Garg and Balbir Singh
Ghunas, chairman, Punjab Wakf Board, Mohammad Izhar Alam, Amargarh MLA Iqbal Singh
Jhundan, and state BJp secretary Jatinder Kalra.
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Protest after rape victim dies
Patiala, August 5 In his complaint, the victim's father, hailing from Alhaura village, said: "On July 30, when my daughter was alone at her house in Bharhi Panecha village, power official Amarjeet Singh allegedly entered the house to check meter reading and raped her. The victim's mother-in-law saw Amarjeet fleeing from the house". Sources said despite a complaint, the police allegedly kept waiting for the panchayat to strike a compromise with the accused. It was only after the woman died on August 2 that the police registered a case, they added.
Gurinder Bal, Bhadson Station House Officer, said: "We have booked former panchayat members, Megha Singh and Sarabjeet Singh, deceased's brother-in-law Gurmail Singh, sister-in-law Pal Kaur and husband Thandu Ram for trying to hide facts and not assuring proper treatment of the victim". "They had allegedly settled the matter for Rs 15,000 and tried to hurriedly cremate the body without reporting the matter to the police," Bal added. Amarjeet has been arrested.
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PCS officers back
Nagpal
Chandigarh August 5 The association said that her work in Punjab was appreciated by her colleagues as well as senior officers. “It appears that the officer is being targeted for not bowing to the illegal demands of the political bosses,” a press note by the association stated. The association expressed its solidarity with the officer.
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Minister nabs staff dumping expired drugs
Ropar, August 5 The staff of the ambulance, however, told the Minister that they were carrying nine bags of medicines and the storekeeper at the hospital had asked them to dump these medicines. The Minister then asked Sood to look into the matter. The Civil Surgeon reached the hospital and seized five more bags of such medicines lying there. On checking, it was found that a huge quantity of medicines was left unused at the hospital since 2006.
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Sangrur man gets 12-yr RI for attacking Ahluwalia
Patiala, August 5 It awarded him imprisonment for three years and fined him Rs 5,000 under Section 27 of the Arms Act, 1959. The sentences will run concurrently. The Judge ordered that Dr Ahluwalia be paid a compensation of Rs 1.50 lakh under Section 357 of the Criminal Penal Code. The prosecution told the court that livid at his relative being refused admission despite the recommendation of an Akali Member of Parliament, Jora Singh opened fire at Dr Ahluwalia with a .32 bore revolver on August, 1, 2011, outside the university premises. But Jora Singh told the court that accompanied by his friends, he was on his way to Chandigarh on August 3, 2011, when he was arrested by the highway patrol police and implicated in the case. None of the university officials could identify Jora Singh in court. In a written statement, Dr Ahluwalia told the court that he was present in his office on July 28 and 29, 2011, when he was approached by Jora Singh. The latter wanted his relative to be given admission in the university. When he refused to do so, he left in a huff, only to return and fire at him.
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SC stays order on minor minerals
New Delhi, August 5 A Bench comprising Justices SS Nijjar and FMI Kalifulla today issued a notice to the state government on an appeal by Ropar Construction, challenging the May 2, 2013, verdict of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing the company to pay Rs 9.56 lakh to the state government for using the soil from a private land in Bathan village in the Khamano subdivision of Fatehgarh Sahib district. After “making payment” to the landowner, the company excavated the soil in 2007 and used it for construction of an embankment for the Morinda-Khamano rail section as part of the new broad gauge rail line between Chandigarh and Ludhiana. (The company had won the contract from the Railways). Upon this, the Mining Officer of the Department of Industries, served a demand notice on the company in January 2008, directing it to pay Rs 3.18 lakh as royalty for the minor mineral and Rs 6.37 lakh as the cost of earth. After unsuccessfully challenging the demand notice at various levels in the state government, the company approached the High Court which upheld the demand raised by the state government under the Punjab Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 1964, and the Punjab Minerals (Vesting of Rights) Act, 1996. After hearing advocate RK Kapoor, who argued for the company, the Supreme Court Bench stayed the HC verdict pertaining to the cost of the earth as the company had already paid the royalty. The company has, nevertheless, challenged the government’s right to levy royalty. The company “had no right to excavate ordinary earth without obtaining a lease/licence/contract/permit. The orders by the appellate authority have been passed after taking into consideration the relevant rules and the fact that the petitioner had no lawful authority in the shape of a lease, licence or permit to raise minor minerals,” the High Court had ruled.
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Maharaja’s nephew to challenge verdict
Chandigarh, August 5 Kanwar Bharatinder Singh, nephew of Harinder Singh Brar, had decided to challenge the recent court order, Bharatinder’s son Amarinder Singh Brar told mediapersons today. Kanwar Bharatinder Singh, son of the Maharaja's younger brother, late Kanwar Manjitinder Singh, has staked claim to the property citing the "Rule of Primogeniture", according to which property rights are granted to first born son or eldest living male blood relative, but the court overlooked these facts while pronouncing the verdict, he said. Amarinder said Bharatinder was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mohali after his knee transplant surgery. "Kanwar Bharatinder Singh will soon file an appeal in exercise of his rights under the Civil Procedure Code," he said. Amarinder claimed that the Maharaja had executed another registered will dated May 22, 1952, regarding certain specific properties. “This will is undisputed till date and should "automatically" apply after the 1982 will was declared as forged and illegal by court,” said Amarinder Singh. He said that Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur had been specifically excluded in this will wherein the Maharaja wrote: “This will has been necessitated by the fact that I do not want to leave any property by will in favour of my daughter, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur”. Last week, ending a long, legal battle over inheritance the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate had ruled that the will of the erstwhile Maharaja of Faridkot was "forged", thus clearing the decks for his daughters to inherit estates and assets worth a staggering Rs 20,000 crore. The Maharaja, father to three daughters and a son, went into a depression after the death of his son Tikka Harmohinder Singh Brar, in a car accident in 1981. Within months of Tikka's death, in 1982, the Maharaja’s servants taking advantage of his condition allegedly forged a will benefiting themselves by raising a "trust" of which all of them were made members. His daughters, who would have inherited the property, were allotted paltry monthly salaries of Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,000 by the trust. Not a penny was given to the Maharaja's wife Narinder Kaur or his mother Mohinder Kaur, both of who were alive then.
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High Court raps PFC for ‘meaningless litigation’
Chandigarh, August 5 The censure came on a petition filed by Banarasi Dass Ramji Dass Steal Rolling Mills and other petitioners against the corporation. The petitioners had decades ago sought a loan from the corporation. But the corporation claimed the amount was not repaid. It was later found that the “petitioners were not in default”. Virtually reprimanding the corporation, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih asserted: “This is a classic case where the respondent, Financial Corporation, which waives crores of rupees in settlements, is quibbling over a few thousand rupees qua a registered mortgage created in 1969. Possibly, more amounts would have been spent in litigation than the dispute involves”. The Bench added the undisputed fact of the case was that the balance amount of Rs 38,000 ought to have released by the corporation to the petitioners. But, the amount was never released. “Thus, this is a case where there is a categorical finding that the respondent-Corporation was at fault in not releasing the loan installments as coupled with the finding that the petitioners were not in default. It is also not in dispute that this order has become final,” the Bench observed. The Bench also took note of the fact that the petitioners had filed the petition for quashing notices dated September 12, 2011, and November 16, 2011, for initiating action against them; and the rate of interest was the fundamental issue. “In our view, there cannot be a second view on this issue taking into consideration the fact that the mortgage deed itself provided for interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum. We, thus, direct the corporation to work out amount, if any, payable on the basis of the aforesaid rate of interest without penal interest and litigation charge. We hope that the parties shall put an end to this unnecessary and meaningless litigation”.
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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has assured his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal that no attempt will be made to evict Sikh farmers settled in the border district of
Kutch. Modi spoke to Badal today and acquainted him with the situation prevailing in the state in the wake of the controversy that his government was “harassing” farmers from Punjab and Haryana re-settled in the Kutch region.
Chandigarh, August 5
Kahnuwan, August 5
Makkoran Pattan (Gurdaspur), August 5
Sangrur, August 5
Chandigarh, August 5
Chandigarh, August 5
