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monsoon mayhem
Flood-hit confront Badal with pending demands in border belt
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Govt has failed on relief front, claims PPCC chief
Sukhbir: BBMB told to regulate water flow
Gujarat’s Sikh farmers say no to SAD help
Centre meddling in state affairs, says Sukhbir
Will approach party chief Rajnath, says CPS Sidhu
MLA’s wife is Muktsar ZP chief
Rakhra confidant is new Patiala zila parishad chairman
Won't support Food Security Bill
in present form: SAD(B)
Golden Temple’s kitchen to be re-designed to check pollution
Denied choice postings, doctors allege betrayal
DEO among 8 suspended for wrong info
Giani Mal Singh takes over as Takht chief
‘Insult’ of Sikh Pupils
Govt wants formula for transfer of central funds changed
Sangrur civic body in financial mess
Finance Minister Dhindsa
non-committal on DA
PSEB ex-chief’s daughter back on contractual job
Farmers protest against power corporation
Maharaja’s case: Trust allowed to withdraw
Rs 50 lakh
Mansa police arrests 3 for wheat pilferage
Grant scam: Ex-principal arrested
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monsoon mayhem
Muktsar, August 22 Residents of
Jagatsinghwala and Kokri villages even opened fire at each other over
the matter. A villager, Veerpal Singh, was injured. In another
incident, a resident allegedly attempted suicide by jumping into a
canal. He was seeking immediate drainage of rainwater from his village
in Gidderbaha. Similarly, residents of Baba Nanak Nagar in Muktsar
sat on a hunger strike demanding drainage of rainwater. They later put
off the protest following an assurance by SAD leader Kanwarjeet Singh
‘Rozy’ Barkandi. A number of state and national highways
continued to be flooded. The situation is worst on the
Muktsar-Kotkapura highway and the Malout-Delhi national highway, which
is still blocked near Danewala village. Parmjit Singh, Deputy
Commissioner, Muktsar, said: “Our priority is the safety of
residents. Loss to property and crops can be compensated.” A senior
official said the administration had so far got Rs 30 lakh to carry
out flood relief activities. “Nearly Rs 10 lakh was given under the
disaster management fund and Rs 20 lakh was sanctioned by Principal
Secretary, Irrigation, Sarvesh Kaushal during his recent visit,”
said the officer. Meanwhile, the administration has supplied relief
material in areas which are likely to be visited by the Chief Minister
tomorrow.
55-year-old drowns Jawala Singh (55)
of Guddar Bhaini village in Fazilka drowned on Wednesday when he had
gone to ensure the safety of his tractor lying in his fields. While
returning home, he himself was swept away by the strong current of the
river. His body has been recovered. With this, the death toll due to
floods in the district has risen to five. The government is yet to
announce any compensation for the kin of the deceased. ‘Bundh’
reinforced A strategically important ‘bundh’ near Kanwanwali
Pattan in Fazilka, which had been facing the threat of breach, has
been strengthened to some extent. “Over 30,000 sand bags have been
laid at different places to strengthen it,” said Gulshan Nagpal,
Executive Engineer, Drainage. The Army personnel have also started
strengthening their bunkers, which are facing damage by the floods.
Two bunkers had been washed away recently. Desperate bid
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Flood-hit confront Badal with pending demands in border belt
Bhanewala (Ferozepur), August 22 At Bhanewala village, situated near the India-Pakistan border, the residents confronted the Chief Minister with their pending issues, including poor condition of roads, inadequate power supply, unavailability of potable water and annual flood problem. They also demanded construction of a road from Tindiwala to Chandiwala and a bridge over the Sutlej near Gatti Rajjoke. They sought a dispensary and up-gradation of the only high school in the area to senior secondary level. At Baggewala, the village sarpanch complained about frequent damage to their crops due to floods. The villagers also demanded construction of an advance-protection ‘bundh’ from Hazara Singh Wala to Fattewala. One after the other, the affected farmers kept on demanding adequate compensation for the losses incurred by them on account of the loss of dwellings, cattle and crops. Badal said he had already ordered a special girdawari for assessing the losses to the crops, besides a survey to ascertain the damage to property. He said he had also ordered deferment of the recovery of crop loans by co-operative societies, thereby converting the short-term loans into medium-term loans to ease the debt-ridden farmers. The Chief Minister, accompanied among others by Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon and BJP state president Kamal Sharma, also hit out at the Congress-led Union Government, terming its criteria for fixing flood relief as a ‘sham’. He said the Centre should revise these norms, which were “irrational” and “inadequate” to compensate anybody affected by floods.
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Govt has failed on relief front, claims PPCC chief
Tarn Taran/jalandhar, August 22 He said a new dhussi bundh should be constructed near the river flow. Bajwa said funds under the Indira Awas Yogna be used for re-constructing houses damaged in the flood-affected areas. Accusing the Badals of having driven Punjab to fiscal bankruptcy, Bajwa said the SAD-BJP Government was “devising ways to sell prime sites to reduce fiscal deficit”. Addressing a meeting of party workers at Kartarpur today, Bajwa alleged that intra-department borrowing was being routed through PUDA which had been assigned to sell prime assets of the state to some vested interests at undervalued prices on the pretext of raising funds for development works.
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Sukhbir: BBMB told to regulate water flow
Fazilka, August 22 They demanded a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for the loss of crops, besides fodder for their livestock, kerosene oil and deployment of a veterinary and medical doctor for the marooned villages. “In a similar situation two years ago, we had received a meagre compensation of Rs 5,000 per acre. The farmers must be paid at least Rs 25,000 per acre,” said an elderly farmer Resham Singh of Teje Rohela village. The villagers have demanded a compensation of Rs 80,000 for those use concrete houses had been damaged. Sukhbir said the Punjab Government had already requested the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to regulate water discharge in the Sutlej. He issued directions for appointing a nodal officer for each flood-affected villages to expedite compensation.
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Gujarat’s Sikh farmers say no to SAD help
Chandigarh, August 22 The farmers have made it clear they can “ never even think of engaging lawyers of Parkash Singh Badal's choice,” till the time the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is in alliance with the BJP. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has been insisting that the Congress government preceding the Modi regime is responsible for the eviction of Punjabi families from Gujarat. In an apparent attempt to prevent the issue being politicised any further, the farmers have also turned down the Congress offer on legal aid. The Punjab Government had yesterday asked its Advocate-General to assist the farmers before the Supreme Court. The farmers have made it clear that they are not interested in a battery of lawyers promised by Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa. The farmers said they were fighting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi “who has intimidated, browbeat, terrorised and victimised” them on communal lines and asked both the Congress and the Akalis to “put their energy to better use” by asking Modi to withdraw the case against them in the Supreme Court. Mincing no words, the farmers said they had not engaged the services of Advocate-General Ashok Aggarwal and no lawyer could be thrust upon them. The farmers said Aggarwal did meet them in New Delhi, but they had not “appointed” him. “We want to clarify that we have not appointed Aggarwal as our lawyer. It is our fundamental right to appoint a lawyer of our choice and no lawyer can be thrust upon us by any political party in the garb of giving us legal aid,” the farmers said in a statement. “Our lawyer in this case is Barrister-at-law Himmat Singh Shergill and we have faith in his capabilities and integrity,” they said. Accusing Modi of “terrorising, browbeating, intimidating and victimising the minorities in Gujarat,” the Punjabi farmers settled in Gujarat have already contended before the apex court that the prevailing law only prohibits non-agriculturists from buying land in that state. In a statement filed before the Supreme Court, they have claimed that the Agricultural Land (Vidharba Region and Kutch Area) Act, 1958, “nowhere says that agriculturists from other states cannot buy land in Gujarat.” Their counsel, seeking the dismissal of the Gujarat Government’s appeal with costs, has said that “gross injustice has been done to the respondents as they are, prima facie, not hit by Section 89 Act, which specifically barred only non-agriculturists from buying Land in Gujarat.” Farmers from Punjab as well as Haryana started buying land in the Kutch area of Gujarat after the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war on the invitation of then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri who wanted the area to be “well-inhabited”.
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Centre meddling in state affairs, says Sukhbir
Chandigarh, August 22 He lambasted the Centre for needlessly interfering in the affairs of the state. On the recent visit of a three-member central team to Punjab to assess the extent of illegal mining in the state, Sukhbir asked: “Why have central probe teams not been sent to states like Uttar Pradesh or those ruled by the Congress and its political allies?” Denying that illegal mining was going on in the state, he promised to take action against any person found involved in the
same. Sukhbir was addressing mediapersons at a press conference after inaugurating a multi-mode police helpline for women, children, senior citizens and NRIs to look into their grievances in a time-bound manner. He also inaugurated the NRI and women’s wing, that has been integrated with the ‘181’
helpline. Sukhbir said one could register a complaint, even anonymously, against delaying tactics of the police, drug abuse, anti-social elements, lawlessness and corruption. In order to ensure professionalism, the helpline work had been outsourced to a private company, he said. The Deputy Chief Minister brushed aside suggestions that the state’s economy was shrinking. “This is a lean phase, but in another two months, we will be back on the track. More than Punjab, it is the country’s shrinking economy that is of immediate concern. “The UPA’s misrule has financially ruined the country and the Central Government now has a huge current account deficit,” the Deputy CM said. Regarding the cancellation of his Canada visit, he said it was unfortunate that the Canadian Government had refused to provide him security for his visit there. “They have written to the Union Ministry of External Affairs that as per their protocol, they provide a security blanket to only those persons who have an international threat perception,” he explained.
Day 1: 547 calls & 86 complaints
Chandigarh: The non-emergency helpline of the Punjab Police, 181, attracted a keen interest with a number of callers inquiring about the services it would render. The Punjab Police Call Centre was inaugurated with fanfare by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal. On day one, it received 86 complaints, mostly from women and NRIs.
Two harried women in Mohali who met with an accident and was refused help by the Phase VIII police, called 181 this evening. Within hours, the top brass of the Mohali police was on its toes. Additional Director-General of Police Dinkar Gupta said the motive behind launching the helpline was to bring more transparency in the police working. The helpline would specially cater to vulnerable sections, such as women, children, senior citizens and
NRIs. As many as 50 persons, including call counsellors, case coordinators and clinical psychologists, had been employed by the helpline. Gupta said the job of the helpline would also be to pursue cases with various police stations. — Ruchika M
Khanna
No ‘Kale Kachche Wale’ gang: Home Minister
Mohali: While the Punjab Police claims to have nabbed members of the ‘Kale Kachche Wale’ gang at certain places, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today dismissed reports about such a gang as mere
rumours, leaving the police force red-faced. “Being the state Home Minister, I assure you that all such rumours are politically motivated to malign the image of the state police and the government,” Sukhbir said after launching the Punjab Police Helpline at Phase VII here. Claiming that no such gang existed in the state, he directed the state police chief, SS
Saini, to look into police claims/reports on ‘kaale kachche wale’. The Mohali police had recently claimed to have nabbed six members of the gang.
— Akash Ghai
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Will approach party chief Rajnath, says CPS Sidhu
Amritsar, August 22 Talking to The Tribune here today, she fired a fresh salvo at Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma, claiming that he was aware about her concerns but had done nothing to address these. Would approaching Rajnath Singh mean bypassing the BJP state leadership, Dr Sidhu said she had no other option. “At the party’s monthly meetings, I had time and again raised the issue of denial of grants to my constituency. Yet nothing was done. Though Local Bodies Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat had signed the file for the release of grants worth Rs 10 crore for my constituency in October 2012, I am still struggling to realise the same,” she said. Dr Sidhu said though it was more than a year since she was appointed Chief Parliamentary Secretary, she had not been provided an official vehicle. She said she had also taken up the issue of her not being sent any files, but to no avail. Lashing out at the state leadership for allegedly promoting those working against the party, she claimed a local BJP leader was given a key post in the party despite the fact that he had a hand in the defeat of two BJP councillors in the MC elections. “The two BJP leaders have now switched over to the Congress,” she pointed out, adding that she would highlight all these issues during her meeting with Rajnath Singh. The state BJP chief said Dr Sidhu was free to approach the national party president, as “it is every BJP worker's right to do so. I have no problem with that." He refused to comment on Dr Sidhu’s charge that he had done nothing to resolve the issues raised by her. He had earlier said that he would speak to her to know her side of the story before deciding the future course of action. Dr Sidhu has been in the eye of the storm on various occasions in the past too. She had sparked a row in April this year by hinting that her MP husband, Navjot Singh Sidhu, may quit politics. Prior to that, she had locked horns with Punjab Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal by conducting a sting operation to catch government doctors indulging in private practice and then again over a visit to London to participate in an event. Stoking controversy once again
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MLA’s wife is Muktsar ZP chief
Muktsar, August 22 Lakhveer Kaur, daughter-in-law of Akal Takht chief Giani Gurbachan Singh and wife of SAD Muktsar circle chief Manjinder Singh 'Bittu', was elected vice-chairperson. The two seats are reserved for women. All zila parishad members and chairpersons of block samitis backed the candidature of Abneet Kaur and Lakhveer Kaur. Congress MLAs Karan Kaur Brar and Amarinder Singh ‘Raja’ Warring did not attend the meeting. Bhupinder Singh, son-in-law of former SAD minister Bibi Jagir Kaur, and Gurpreet Singh Maluka, son of Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka have already been elected chairmen of the Kapurthala and Bathinda zila
parishads.
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Rakhra confidant is new Patiala zila parishad chairman
Patiala, August 22 Ghalorhi is considered close to Sanaor halqa in charge Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu and enjoys the support of the Rakhra group too. Surjit Singh Rakhra said it was good that Kalyan had been unanimously appointed chairman as it would send "right signals to everybody". "We have made the best choice and are hopeful that the newly elected members would work for the overall development of villages," he said, adding that there was no factionalism and the party high command would decide on the probable Lok Sabha candidate. Sources close to the Rakhra family said the cabinet minister had made up his mind to get the zila parishad's most important post for Kalyan and so, despite opposition from villagers, Kalyan was made to contest the elections from another village. "The new appointment also gives a clear signal to his detractors who were holding fort against the minister since the recent election of the Patiala Mayor. The councillors were interviewed by a three-member panel, which did not include Rakhra," a source said. Meanwhile, Charanjit Singh Rakhra has slowly projected himself as the SAD's choice for the Patiala Lok Sabha seat. He has been attending political functions and working closely with his team of supporters. Kalyan's elevation is being seen as an indication of Charanjit's growing stature in the politics of Patiala. However, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his recent visits did not give any clear signal about his choice for Patiala candidate. A confidant of the cabinet minister said ever since the SAD decided to appoint former Congress leader from Dera Bassi Deepinder Singh Dhillon as the District Planning Committee chairman, there were rumours in the political circles about his probable candidature from Patiala as the SAD candidate. However, his recent role has been limited to attending official meetings and he is yet to get support from all the SAD factions in Patiala, which makes his task tougher.
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Won't support Food Security Bill
in present form:
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 22 While addressing mediapersons here today, he said the Food Security Bill introduced in Parliament was an imitation of the already "successfully running" Atta Dal Scheme of the Punjab Government in which these essential commodities were being provided to 15 lakh beneficiaries on "very cheap" rates. He said now, the Punjab Chief Minister had declared that the beneficiaries would be almost doubled to 31 lakh. He said the SAD(B) would not favour the Bill in the present form as it had been introduced only to get political mileage. He said that it was unfortunate that the Congress had been stressing on the propaganda of this Bill but had never talked about the mechanism of how the poor would get the food as the present public distribution system was a "failure". — OC
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Golden Temple’s kitchen to be re-designed to check pollution
Wood and coal is burnt in the kitchen, which contribute to 46 per cent of the total sulphur dioxide and 12 per cent of the total nitrogen dioxide concentration found in the air around the shrine. Even the industry's contribution of 41 per cent to sulphur dioxide concentration is lesser than that of the shrine. The study found that while sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide concentrations were still within the 'national ambient air quality standards', but the particulate matter concentration — caused by re-suspension of road dust (47 per cent) and industry (31 per cent) — exceeded the norms. Among the other pollutants are industrial stacks, vehicles, coal and wood-based restaurants and diesel-operated generators. The IIT was roped in for the study by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). SGPC secretary Tarlochan Singh said, "We have already started construction of the new kitchen block as per the PPCB suggestions." He said every effort would be made to curtail pollution. He said they were also planning a vertical garden and a layer of plants in big pots around the Golden Temple for checking the problem. A meeting of the PPCB, SGPC and the district administration officials was held here today to finalise action plan to counter the problem. After the meeting, various departments, including the Municipal Corporation, Agriculture, Power Corporation, Transport and Police, were instructed to complete the tasks assigned to them well in time, said Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal. PPCB chairman Ravinder Singh said vehicular traffic around the Golden Temple Complex was a cause for concern, something that the police and the municipal corporation authorities needed to work on. Earlier, a city resident, Gursevak Singh, had filed a complaint with the Prime Minister and shared his concerns about the problem of pollution at the shrine. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had also taken a suo moto notice of his letter and admitted it as a civil writ petition. It was during a hearing of the case that the IIT was hired for the study. The next date of hearing in the case is on September 10. Major pollutants
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Denied choice postings, doctors allege betrayal
Chandigarh, August 22 The second batch of 108 doctors has been given posting option only in remote areas of Malwa region comprising Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Mansa, Muktsar and Ferozepur districts. The doctors who met Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal today to apprise the latter of their grievances failed to get a satisfactory answer in this regard. Mittal has often reiterated that the health staff would be posted at the station of their choice claiming that it would make them perform better. The Health Department had issued appointment letters to 213 medical officers two months ago. After the completion of training of the first batch of 105 doctors, they were posted at stations of their choice. But, the second batch of 108 doctors was not so lucky as the stations listed for their option are of Malwa region only. The agitated doctors said they were feeling cheated as they were asked to provide names of three stations according to priority at the time of appointment. Now, they were being asked to join stations far from their homes, they said. The doctors alleged they had to spend from their pocket on their accommodation during their training of 12 weeks even as they were promised that it would be provided by the government. Besides, no salary was paid to them for the last two months, they alleged. Mittal said he had advised the doctors to join their duties at the stations allotted to them. He would look into their problems later on and accommodate those having genuine problems, he said. As not many doctors were ready to join hospitals in Malwa, the government had to fill the vacancies on a priority basis, he added.
Raw deal
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DEO among 8 suspended for wrong info
Chandigarh, August 22 Those suspended are Amarjit Singh, DEO (Senior Secondary), Faridkot; Balwinder Singh, superintendent; Roop Singh, junior assistant; Jagdish Chand and Jarnail Singh, both clerks in Ludhiana DEO’s office; Bal Kishan, superintendent; and Harjinder Singh, clerk in Ropar DEO’s office; and Sarbjit Singh, computer faculty. The minister told senior officers of the department to make sure that the explanation report reached his office within 10 days. — TNS
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Giani Mal Singh takes over as Takht chief
Amritsar, August 22 The post fell vacant following the demise of Giani Tarlochan Singh. Giani Mal Singh, earlier Golden Temple's Head Granthi, was appointed Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib chief on August 15. Takht Sri Damdama Sahib chief Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Takht Patna Sahib chief Giani Iqbal Singh,Takht Sri Hazur Sahib (Nanded) chief Giani Partap Singh, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal attended the ceremony. Giani Mal Singh said he would make all efforts to propagate Sikhism and sought the cooperation of the Sikh Sangat in this regard.
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‘Insult’ of Sikh Pupils
New Delhi, August 22 Raising the issue during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha today, Shiromani Akali Dal Member of Parliament Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said during a bachelor-level entrance exam conducted by the Chandigarh-based premier health institute, baptised Sikh students were asked to remove their “kara” and
“kirpan” at various centres Demanding that Guaba be arrested, Dhindsa said: “Many students were also asked to give an undertaking that they were voluntarily removing the articles of Sikh faith. Their turbans were searched, humiliating them further. This is a case of serious violation of the rights of the minorities,” the indignant Akali MP said. The PGI authorities have already expressed “regret” over the incident.
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Govt wants formula for transfer of central funds changed
Sources said the state government wants the percentage of the state population be given more weightage while determining the share of states. Besides this, it wants the percentage of Scheduled Caste population in the state also be given due consideration. A memorandum in this regard will be submitted to the 14th Finance Commission which is scheduled to visit the state in the first week of September. The issue has already been discussed with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. A copy of the memorandum would be sent to the commission members to enable them to prepare for a discussion on the issue with state government officials during their visit here. As of now, Punjab houses 2.4 per cent of the country's population. However, its share in the Central pool of taxes is a mere 1.4 per cent. In other words, from the total devolution of funds, Punjab gets a 1.3 per cent share from the central taxes on the basis of the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission. “In case, the share is increased as per the population, the Punjab’s per annum allocation would go up by Rs 3,500 crore. In the State Budget, the share of revenue from the Central taxes is pegged at Rs 4,832 crore for the current fiscal,” said a senior government functionary. On the basis of the criteria approved by the 13th Finance Commission, 25 per cent weightage is given to the population, 10 per cent to the total area of the state, 17.5 per cent to fiscal discipline and 47.5 per cent to the state's ability to generate revenue. As Punjab is one of the states with a high percentage of Scheduled Caste population, it wants that the 14th Commission should give due weightage to this factor while allotting funds. Besides, the fact that Punjab has a 545-km-long international border should be given due weightage. The state government is also in favour of increasing the share of the states to 50 per cent from the total devolution of funds from the central pool. At present, the devolution from the net proceeds of central taxes is pegged at 32 per cent for states and overall transfers to the states at 39.5 per cent. What it advocates
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Sangrur civic body in financial mess
Sangrur, August 22 Apart from about 100 employees and workers, who have not received their salaries so far, former municipal councillors, whose five-year term had expired on July 21, have also been waiting for the payment of their honorarium for the month of June and 21 days of July. Sources said the council had not paid salaries to about 20 employees of the fire brigade and the sewerage wing of the council for July so far while about 50 contractual employees of the water supply wing had not been given salaries for the months of June and July. Besides, about 30 sanitation workers of Mohalla Sudhar Committees had also not been given their monthly payments (Rs 2,400 each) for the past four to five months, they said. The sources said the council had not deposited the electricity bill pertaining to tube well motors of June amounting to Rs 16 lakh. They said it would now have to pay about Rs 1.20 lakh as fine along with the bill amount to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. Besides, they said, the council had received the electricity bill of Rs 14 lakh for the month of July. They said the council authorities were concerned about how they would pay over Rs 30 lakh in time. In addition to this, the council requires about Rs 60 lakh for the payment of arrears of retirement benefits to about 15 of its retired employees. Due to financial constraints, the council has been making payments to retired employees in instalments for the past few years. Sources said the council had not deposited three instalments of a bank loan (about Rs 10 lakh) for May, June and July. They said this amount had been deducted by the council from the salaries of employees but it had not been deposited in the bank so far. Pending tasks
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Finance Minister Dhindsa
non-committal on DA
Patiala, August 22 Dhindsa, who was in the city to attend the 'Global Village' function at Playways Senior Secondary School, said many state governments had not yet given DA instalments to its employees. He said the Congress leadership in Punjab was deliberately misguiding people about the fiscal health of the state. Notably, the Centre released the 8-per cent DA for government employees, pensioners and family pensioners from January 1, 2013, and with the latest enhancement, the DA has gone up from 72 per cent to 80 per cent. Refuting the allegations levelled by PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa that the state was heading towards a financial emergency, Dhindsa said the fiscal health of the state was much better than that of the Central government. “July to September are usually lean months as we have a lot of pending bills. Though the state’s revenue growth has been slow of late, I am hopeful of a good revenue growth from the next month. We have an overdraft now but there is no need to panic and we will clear it within the stipulated time,” Dhindsa said. When questioned on the remaining 30-per cent instalment of the 5th Pay Commission arrears from January 1, 2006, to July 31, 2009, he said the government would try to release a part of it at the earliest. On taking Rs 1,000 crore from PUDA, Dhindsa said the money would be invested on Capital Investment of the government and was not meant for daily expenses of the government. “It is not a loan that we have to return. It is a payback from PUDA as the government has transferred land to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore for building infrastructure,” he said.
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PSEB ex-chief’s daughter back on contractual job
Mohali, August 22 The Punjab Education Department had already observed that the appointment in question had been made in violation of certain rules in 2011. Navneet is the daughter of former PSEB chairperson Dr Dalbir Singh Dhillon. Sources said an advertisement had been published to fill the post of director, computer cell, on contract basis. Gill was selected for the post on October 30, 2011, by the selection committee on contract basis. She joined the department October 31, 2011, and was regularised the same day on the pay scale of
37,000-67,000. Her appointment was challenged in a court through a writ petition by Jagdish Rai Sharma. The state government had also stated that for any direct appointment in the board, the approval of its high-power committee was mandatory and in this case, no such approval was taken. The sources said the government had even asked the board authorities to remove Gill from the post. Meanwhile, no decision on filling the post of the board's secretary was taken during the meeting as the state government is yet to send the panel for the post. The board had sent its panel of three candidates but the sources claimed that the documents of the candidates were not scrutinised by the authorities as per the rules, following which it was sent back. The board authorities said the vacancy would be filled only after the government sent the panel list to them. They said the board of directors would select the candidate from that panel.
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London, August 22 The treaty, struck between Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, and Charles T Metcalfe of the British East India Company in 1809, was bought by an anonymous bidder for 3,400 pounds. The base price set for the document was between 600 and 800 pounds. "We are honoured to be selling this rare document. The Amritsar Treaty was very important in the foundation of the great empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh had built," said Richard Westwood-Brookes from Mullock's auction house. The East India Company's need for a defensive treaty against the French resulted in the pact, which chalked out the frontier of land controlled by Ranjit Singh along the Sutlej. The treaty was presented to the British Parliament in 1818. A number of other historical documents and photographs related to Punjab went under the hammer yesterday.These included a stamp with the image of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and an early watercolour of a Sikh Guru that fetched
440 pounds. Other key items up for auction included a large collection of rare and early Sikh books in English and
Punjabi. — PTI
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Farmers protest against power corporation
Patiala, August 22 Earlier this morning, hundreds of farmers blocked the Mall Road. The police remained a mute spectator and kept diverting the traffic till evening. The farmers' union demanded that the farming motor load should be increased for farmers as the water table had
gone down.
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Maharaja’s case: Trust allowed to withdraw
Rs 50 lakh
Chandigarh, August 22 The court also allowed the trust to withdraw Rs 50 lakh from bank accounts to meet expenses on a hospital run by the trust, salaries and legal expenses regarding the Maharaja’s properties. The court also directed the trust to present an account of these expenses before it on the next date of hearing on September 26 and 27 when the arguments in the case will be heard. On July 25, Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajnish Kumar Sharma disposing of a petition filed by Amrit Kaur, the Maharaja’s eldest daughter, challenging the will, had declared the will as “null and void”, making the trust non-existent. The decision of the court entitled Maharaja’s two daughters Amrit Kaur and Deepinder Kaur, to inherit his property worth Rs 20,000 crore.
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Mansa police arrests 3 for wheat pilferage
Bathinda, August 22 The accused have reportedly confessed to siphoning 6,000 quintals of wheat from the BPL quota and supplying the same to a Ludhiana- based businessmen, who in turn supplied it to flour mills across the state. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mansa, Narinder Bhargav, said the pilfered wheat was stocked at Ludhiana for further supply. He said 150 quintals of wheat was recovered from the three accused. He said the racket could be much larger as 6,000 quintals of wheat was pilfered by one ration depot alone. Those arrested were identified as middleman Rajwinder Singh and the Mansa-based ration depot holders Virinder Singh and Honey. They had stocked the pilfered wheat at a godown near Kenchian in Mansa against norms. The role of employees of the Food and Civil Supplies Department was being probed. The ration depots supply subsidised wheat to four categories of card holders. Under the BPL-Antoyadya scheme, 35 kg of wheat is supplied every month to one card holder at Rs 2 per kg. Under another scheme, wheat is supplied at Rs 4.70 per kg and the maximum of 35 kg to each card. For blue card holders, the wheat is provided at Rs 4 per kg and for ration card holders above the poverty line at Rs 8 per kg.
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Grant scam: Ex-principal arrested
Rajpura, August 22 Rajan Parminder Singh, Station House Officer, Rajpura city, said the accused would be questioned for his role in the scam in which college grants were siphoned. The police had earlier arrested two UGC officials two months ago. The officials in connivance with college principals had released grants by allegedly accepting commission.
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Even as the
floodwater has started receding in some areas of the district, the
drainage of water has been resulting in bloody brawls.
The farmers of flood-ravaged villages marooned by the swollen Sutlej today poured out their tale of woes before Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa today visited flood-affected areas in the district.
He alleged the state government had failed to provide timely compensation to the affected people. He said about 50 villages in the district had been affected and crops over 50,000 acres had been damaged, but the district administration had not provided any relief to the residents.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre was playing politics by sending probe teams to Punjab on any issue.
After her outburst against the state government over “denial of grants” to her Amritsar East constituency, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu today said she had sought an appointment with national BJP president Rajnath Singh and would take up the issue with him.
The free kitchen at the Golden Temple is a major pollutant, something that has been contributing to discolouration of the shrine's gold-plating, a study conducted recently by the Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT), New Delhi, has found.
Amritsar, August 22
Chandigarh, August 22