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Yet another heroin haul in Amritsar
The pipe used to push heroin into Indian territory through the barbed fence near the border in Amritsar. A Tribune photo
Notification on mining sans green nod withdrawn
Camelot Project |
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UPA has ruined federal structure: Badal
20 pilgrims killed in Hoshiarpur accident
The truck that fell into a gorge near Manguwal village in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Bholath family loses 11 members
Badal was sent e-invite for Sangrur function
Credit war: Akalis too plan function at Sangrur
Gidderbaha Cong MLA not invited for CM’s function
Ashwani faces wrath of party men
Will not join politics, says Majithia’s father
Sukhbir awards relief to border farmers
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal presents a cheque to a border farmer at Attari, Amritsar, on Thursday. Also seen are ministers Bikram Majithia and Gulzar Singh Ranike. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Villagers for more de-addiction
centres as police gets cracking
Paddy procurement: Storage space no more a worry for govt agencies
Killings in the Philippines
Constituent colleges add to financial woes of Pbi varsity
Bodies of man, 2 children found from Bhakra canal
Villager dies in shell explosion Clerk held on bribe charge
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Yet another heroin haul in Amritsar
Amritsar, October 10
MF Farooqui, DIG, BSF, said when jawans on patrol duty noticed some movement in Rajatal area, they warned the suspects. But, the movement continued. The jawans then opened fire following which the smugglers fled leaving behind their consignment. “During a search, we found 23 packets of heroin and a Pakistani SIM,” said Farooqui. Another search was launched in the morning during which the BSF seized three more packets of heroin and a mobile phone, he said. The DIG said special plans had been chalked out to check cross-border smuggling. He said patrolling was being intensified and planned as per the topography of the respective areas. BSF to lodge protest with Pakistan The BSF will lodge a protest with the Pakistani rangers over the seizure of 17 kg of heroin a few days ago. The contraband was found just in front of the Pakistani border outpost during a flag meeting. Farooqui said the BSF had conveyed its concerns to Pakistan, but got no response. Amritsar sector tops in drug seizures The Amritsar sector has recorded maximum recoveries this year. Besides today’s haul, the BSF has so far confiscated 124 kg of heroin out of the total 257 kg seized from the Punjab frontiers. It is followed by the Ferozepur sector from where 106 kg of contraband was seized. The Gurdaspur and Fazlika sectors witnessed the seizure of 21.88 kg and 5 kg.
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Notification on mining sans green nod withdrawn
Chandigarh, October 10 The development is significant as public notices were issued for auctioning 115 quarries in 19 districts. Information to this effect was furnished to the Punjab and Haryana High Court today as the case came up for resumed hearing. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice GS Sandhawalia disposed of the petition, but made it clear that contempt proceedings against Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Karan Avtar Singh, and his predecessor AR Talwar would continue for non-compliance of court orders. Digging deep into the issue of environment protection, the High Court had last year imposed a complete and immediate ban on mining without environmental clearance in operational quarries of up to five hectares in Punjab. The Bench had issued the directions after the Union Government counsel informed the High Court that the orders passed by the Supreme Court of India made clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests mandatory. The state, as such, was required to obtain clearance from the SEIAA to continue with the mining operations. For expediting the grant of permissions, the Bench had also directed the authority to decide within 10 days a representation for granting clearance. But, the state government failed to get the clearance from the SEIAA even after one year of the High Court orders. Case file * The High Court had last year banned mining without environmental clearance in quarries of up to five hectares * The state was thus required to obtain clearance from the state environment impact assessment authority to continue with the mining * But the government failed to get clearance even after one year of the orders
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Camelot Project
Chandigarh, October 10 They have been asked by the department to pay capital gain on more than Rs 2 crore allegedly earned by them in entering into a deal with Tata for the Tata Camelot Housing project. Ten former and sitting MLAs, including former Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, claimed that the Income Tax Department had wrongly issued notices to pay "capital gain" on amount they were yet to receive. The Punjab MLAs' Cooperative House Building Society with nearly 100 members was formed in 2000-01 by pooling in Rs 5 lakh each.The members were each entitled to a 500 sq yard plot. As per the agreement with Tata, each MLA was to get 82.5 lakh and a flat in lieu of the plot. Describing the issuance of notices as unfair, counsel for the MLAs argued that the total amount received so far by each MLA did not exceed Rs 30 lakh. Besides, the flats were yet to be given to them by the company. The petitioners submitted that the Income Tax Department could not charge tax on the total amount, as they were yet to receive it. He said the MLAs had earlier challenged the orders before the Income Tax Appellate Authority, but the latter rejected their appeal, compelling them to move the High Court for quashing of IT notices. Taking up the matter, a Division Bench issued notices to the Income Tax Department. Tata Housing has already agreed in the Supreme Court not to go ahead with its high-rise building project near Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake till further orders. The undertaking came as the SC sought its response within eight weeks to two petitions by Justice SS Sodhi and 16 others, against the proposed construction of 1,794 residential flats. The petitioners have challenged the High Court's August 21 order, giving the green signal to the Tata project, subject to the company getting the necessary clearances from the authorities concerned. During arguments, the Bench acknowledged that the matter “is extremely significant” as Chandigarh was one of the few panned cities in the country.
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UPA has ruined federal structure: Badal
Gidderbaha, October 10 Interacting with mediapersons at Lundewala village on the sidelines of a Sangat Darshan programme in Gidderbaha assembly segment, Badal said the national leadership of the Congress was “eroding” the federal system. He said to “gain political mileage”, the Centre was “deliberately ignoring” the elected governments of states during the inauguration of developmental projects. The attitude, he said, reflected the “frustration” of the Congress leaders who were making “futile” attempts in the hope of regaining power again at the Centre. “The Congress leaders must not forget that money spent on these projects comes from the states itself through collection of taxes,” he said. On not being invited for the foundation stone-laying function of the PGI’s satellite centre in Sangrur, Badal said that no more bothered him, though not inviting a CM was “unconstitutional” and “derogatory”. CM praises Jakhar, criticises Bajwa Badal today praised the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sunil Jakhar for supporting the state government in seeking grants for water-logged areas. Jakhar had recently accompanied the Chief Minister to the Planning Commission office in Delhi where he even touched the latter’s feet. However, Badal held Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa responsible for causing “irreparable” damage to the interests of the state. He said, “Bajwa has caused loss of thousands of crores to the state exchequer by getting central grants blocked. These grants could have ensured overall development of the state.”
Gidderbaha Cong MLA not invited for CM’s function
Gidderbaha, October 10 The Chief Minister’s Office failed to inform Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amarinder Singh ‘Raja’ Warring about the Sangat Darshan programme being held in his constituency. Warring said, “Nobody from the state government informed me about the Sangat Darshan in my constituency. But, I am happy that it is tit for tat done. Now, he has realised how an elected representative feels when he is not informed about a function being organised in his domain. When he (Badal) is not invited, he shoots off a letter to the Prime Minister. Whom do we write to when we are treated in a similar manner?”
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20 pilgrims killed in Hoshiarpur accident
Hoshiarpur, October 10 Eyewitnesses said the driver failed to negotiate a sharp turn and the truck into the gorge. Senior Superintendent of Police Sukhchain Singh, who monitored the rescue operation, said truck driver Tarsem Singh of Bhogpur village in Jalandhar had been arrested. He had told the police that he was unable to apply the brake because of a snag. The police, with the assistance of locals, extricated the injured with the help of ropes. A battery of 100 policemencompleted the rescue operation in three hours. Some of the injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Gagret. Two succumbed to injuries while being taken to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur. A critically injured patient, Shinda, was referred to the PGI in Chandigarh. Six other patients were referred to Johal Multi-Speciality Hospital and Joshi Hospital in Jalandhar. Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani visited the injured at the Hoshiarpur hospital. He announced Rs 1 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased and Rs 25,000 for the injured. Former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur also visited the hospital on receiving news of the death of 17 persons from her constituency (Bholath). She gave Rs 5,000 to the family members of each of the deceased who were identified as Lovejit Singh (14), Prabhjot Kaur (15), Abhi (2) Sukhwinder Kaur (30), Piar Kaur (55) Manisha (7), Harbhajan Kaur (55), Kuldeep Singh (40) and Nanjo (60), all residents of Fatehpur village; Harpreet Kaur (18), Surjit Kaur (50), Sukhdev Ram (32),Sarwan Kumar (45), Reena Rani (19), Kajal (13) and Pritam Kaur (60) of Bajaja village; Santosh (35) of Miani, Disho (50) and Jamuna (23) of Bassi Akhara in Jalandhar and Shinder (40) of Sibhu village in Hoshiarpur. Sorry state of affairs * The Civil Hospital at Hoshiarpur, hometown of Union Minister of State for Health Santosh Chaudhary, was ill-equipped to handle the rush of injured * The hospital reportedly ran short of oxygen cylinders * Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Anil Mohindra denies this * There were not enough ambulances to ferry the injured to the hospital * There were no drivers available for official ambulances * Six ambulances were pressed into service, claims the SMO
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Bholath family loses 11 members
Fatehpur (Kapurthala), October 10 While Balwinder, her son Vishal, brother-in-law Joginder Pal, sister-in-law Poonam and nieces Gurleen, Kiran, Amandeep and Rajandeep survived, her daughter Prabhjot Kaur (13), mother-in-law Pyar Kaur (65), sisters-in-law Chhinder Kaur (35) and Santosh Kaur (30) and niece Manpreet Kaur (12) could not. Jagir Singh, Balwinder's uncle, looked shattered." My world has come crashing down. I do not know how I will cope up with the loss." He said Balwinder hired a DCM truck as she wanted all her relatives to accompany her to the pilgrimage. "Accompanied by relatives from Babuan village in Hoshiarpur, Khusropur village in Jalandhar and Bhatha and Akhara villages in Kapurthala, Balwinder left for Chintpurni yesterday at noon. Little did we know what lay in store for us," Jagir Singh who lost his wife Harbhajan Kaur (62), daughter-in-law Sukhwinder Kaur (30), grand-daughter Manish Kaur (5), sister-in-law Gurdish Kaur, niece Yamuna and nephew Lovejit (13) in the accident. His granddaughter Jashanpreet, sister Kulwinder Kaur, niece Sujan and nephews Deepak and Davinder are in hospital. The sarpanch of Bajaj village, Balwinder Kumar, lost five relatives in the accident: Surjit Kaur (50), Reena Rani (22), Ujagar Singh (40), Baby (11) and Sukhdev (40).
Lucky escape for family Good Samaritans lend helping hand
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Badal was sent e-invite for Sangrur function
Chandigarh, October 10 Invitation cards, it has been learnt, could not be printed for the event as the time of the ceremony was finalised only two days ago-in view of a delayed confirmation from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for the stone-laying. On being contacted, PGI’s official spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said an invitation had been sent to the Punjab Chief Minister. She, however, refraining from commenting on the mode of communication. Talking to mediapersons at Malerkotla on Tuesday, Badal had expressed displeasure that his government had not been invited to the function. The Chief Minister had said not inviting the state government for an event to be attended by the Congress vice-president and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad exposed the Congress “design of seeking to gain political ground in Punjab”. The Chief Minister had pointed out that the state government had provided 25 acres of land to the PGI for setting up the hospital at Ghabdan Kothi, 10 km from Sangrur. The PGI’s satellite centre will be a model teaching hospital with major clinical and para-clinical departments catering to the rural population of Sangrur and adjoining districts
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Credit war: Akalis too plan function at Sangrur
Chandigarh, October 10 The Badal Government is upset that the Congress has snatched the credit for setting up the centre even though the land for the project was given by the state government. Senior SAD leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said the party would honour the Chief Minister and the Deputy CM for their role in bringing the cancer hospital to Sangrur.
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Ashwani faces wrath of party men
Gurdaspur, October 10 Four of the five MLAs in his home district of Gurdaspur have asked the AICC to take disciplinary action against the MP. The CM had inaugurated the home in Jeewanwal Babri village, 5 km from here, on October 4.The issue snowballed into a major controversy when it surfaced that the MP had not invited his party leaders, including PPCC chief and sitting Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, to the function. Neither were the five Congress legislators invited. The four MLAs who have signed a resolution asking the Congress high command to initiate action against the "erring" MP are Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Dera Baba Nanak MLA and president of the Gurdaspur District Congress Committee (DCC), Aruna Chowdhury, Dinanagar, Tripit Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Fatehgarh Churian, and Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, Qadian. Ashwani Sekhri, Batala MLA, is away to Gujarat. The resolution was moved at a meeting of the DCC here yesterday. Among others who have signed the resolution are Balwinder Singh Laddi and Raman Bahl, both contested the assembly elections on the Congress ticket from Sri Hargobinpur and Gurdaspur, respectively. Former Minister Susheel Mahajan was present too. Avtar Henry, a former minister, attended the meeting as party observer. "On the one hand SAD leaders are victimising Congress workers and on the other, Ashwani Kumar, a Congress Rajya Sabha MP since 2002, has the audacity to invite the SAD patriarch to a function organised by him. We are fighting the Akalis tooth and nail. But here is an MP who thought it prudent to invite the CM. This action of his has demoralised the Congress rank and file," said DCC chief Randhawa. He said the DCC had passed a resolution at the monthly workers' meeting and, hence, there was no need to consult the PPCC president on the matter. Invite Row * Congress MP Ashwani Kumar invited CM Parkash Singh Badal to inaugurate an old-age home * The CM inaugurated the home in Jeewanwal Babri village, 5 km from Gurdaspur, on October 4 * This angered party men as the Congress MP did not invite any party leader to the function * Neither the PPCC chief and sitting Gurdaspur MP Partap Bajwa nor the five Congress legislators from the district were invited
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Will not join politics, says Majithia’s father
Amritsar, October 10 Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a book release function here today, Majithia rejected all the talk of his contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar constituency. “When I am not keen on even entering the political arena, the question of my contesting the Lok Sabha poll doesn't arise," he said. Currently holding the post of Khalsa College Governing Council president, Majithia said he never visited the constituencies of his son
Bikram, daughter Harsimrat and son-in-law Sukhbir despite them being in politics for years now. In recent past, there were speculations about the ruling SAD contemplating to field Satyajit from the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2014 General Election. Though the constituency lies with the BJP right now with Navjot Singh Sidhu being the incumbent MP, there were reports that the two alliance partners may swap some seats in the next elections. These reports gained ground particularly after Sidhu's long absence from the constituency and subsequent outburst against the state government, especially the SAD and the Badal family. However, the SAD had been constantly denying these reports of seat-swapping and fielding Majithia from the seat.
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Sukhbir awards relief to border farmers
Amritsar, October 10 Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal distributed compensation cheques worth Rs 99 lakh among 3,285 farmers of 47 border villages in Amritsar district. At least 20,000 acres of land lies on the other side of the fence along the 553-km Indo-Pak border in the border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Fazilka. A majority of farmers said the compensation was inadequate in the light of rising inflation and high input costs. They demanded that it should be increased to Rs 10,000 per acre. However, some farmers said it was ‘better than nothing’.These farmers were last given compensation at Rs 2,500 per acre during 1998-99. Addressing the farmers, Sukhbir said the state government had this year released a Rs 6 crore compensation from its limited resources as the Congress-led UPA Government had not bothered to extend aid to Punjabi farmers, despite requests by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. He said border farmers would be paid compensation every year now on . The Deputy Chief Minister announced that every farmer with land across the barbed fence would be awarded a tubewell connection by December this year. Till date around 2,000 tubewell connections had been issued to such farmers. he said. Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the event, Sukhbir lashed out at the Gandhi family scion, saying Rahul Gandhi should imbibe democratic values. By not inviting the Chief Minister to a stone-laying ceremony at Sangrur, the Congress-led UPA Government had not only breached protocol but also harmed democratic values, he said. " The people of Punjab are intelligent enough to understood the Congress game plan and will teach it a lesson in the coming parliamentary elections," Sukhbir said. Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the Congress had always accorded a step-motherly treatment to Punjab farmers. Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, who represents the Attari constituency, outlined the problems being faced by the farmers in the area. The police had a tough time controlling the impatient crowd as the Deputy CM arrived late by two hours. Nobody was allowed to leave the venue. Later, the organisers roped in local singers to ensure the people remained on their seats till the arrival of the Deputy Chief Minister. People lauded for 'boycotting' Rahul's speech Chandigarh: Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia has lauded the Punjabis for "boycotting" Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's speech by leaving the pandal just before his arrival for laying the stone of a PGIMER satellite centre at Sangrur. In a statement, he claimed the Punjabis had not taken kindly to the "crass discourtesy" shown by Rahul Gandhi to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by not inviting him to the function. — TNS
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Villagers for more de-addiction
centres as police gets cracking
Bathinda, October 10 The villagers informed the MP that a large number of drug addicts had been arrested ever since Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal ordered to intensify campaign against the drug menace. “There is a sudden surge in the number of NDPS cases in the district,” said Rupinder of Chak Ram Singhwala village. He said lack of counselling and de-addiction centres had led to rampant drug abuse in the district. He said there was a panic among villagers in view of the rising number of arrests. “Such campaigns should be monitored consistently so that addicts should be reformed and not punished,” he added. Raju of Lehra Saunda village said: “Even police informers are being booked under the NDPS Act. Those consuming drugs need treatment and sympathy.” A section of villagers raised similar demands when Harsimrat held the Sangat Darshan in Goniana Kalan, Jeeda, Jandanwala, Khialiwala, Kothe Amargarh, Kothe Sandhu, Mehma Swai and Sivian villages. Harsimrat assured the villagers that their demand of more de-addiction centres would be looked into. She also listened to other grievances of villagers and resolved some of these on the spot. She also distributed grants for various development works. Expressing no sympathies with drug addicts, Ravcharan Brar, Senior Superintendent of Police, said they would soon launch another operation to arrest more addicts. “The addicts must get themselves registered with the de-addiction centres run with the help of Red Cross Society or others to get themselves treated,” he said.
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Paddy procurement: Storage space no more a worry for govt agencies
Chandigarh, October 10
FCI officials told The Tribune that this year they had 20 lakh tonnes of empty storage space. “Our target is to procure 13 lakh tonnes of paddy this year. We have enough space for its storage. In fact, we will be left with 7 lakh tonnes of unutilised space,” said an official. Paddy procured by the state procurement agencies is generally lifted from the mandis and stored directly in the rice mills where it is later shelled and delivered to the government. Sources said as compared to 13 lakh tonnes of paddy stocks lying in various rice mills across Punjab last year, the stocks in rice mills were just around 3 lakh tonnes. This means that there is additional 10 lakh tonnes of space available for storing paddy procured by the state agencies. The private participation in paddy procurement has also been good this year. Of the 8.25 lakh tonnes of paddy that arrived in mandis so far, 1.99 lakh tonnes (24 per cent) have been procured by private millers and traders. Though these millers are not paying high prices as compared to the MSP of Rs 1,345 per quintal, sources said as the procurement picked up, they were hopeful that the private buying would continue.
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Killings in the Philippines
Jalandhar, October 10 Khanna has urged the Centre to take up the matter with Philippines government for providing adequate steps to ensure safety of Indian youths settled there to avoid recurrence of any such incident. “There is lot of resentment among Punjabis as two youths, Amrik Singh and Jaswinder Singh, have been recently shot dead in Philippines. Other Indians settled in Philippines too are living in fear after the killings,” he said. While Amrik Singh (24) of Lallian Khurd village was shot dead in Manila on Monday, Jaswinder Singh (38) of Haripur village was killed in Barak city a few days ago. “These are not isolated cases as over 250 Punjabis have been killed in Philippines in the past decade,” Khanna said.
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Constituent colleges add to financial woes of Pbi
varsity
Patiala, October 10 It is running nine of the 15 constituent colleges in the state. Of these nine colleges, two were set up by the state government alone and the rest were set up in collaboration with the University Grants Commission (UGC) three years ago. But, the state government for the last two years has not kept its promise of paying the university Rs 1.5 crore annually to run each college. The Punjabi University is yet to be paid Rs 25.5 crore. Of the nine colleges run by the Punjabi University, seven colleges are based at Ghudda, Sardulgarh (Mansa), Jaito, Dhilwan (Barnala), Moonak (Sangrur), Chunni Kalan (Fatehgarh Sahib) and Ghanour. The two constituent colleges set up by the state government are based at Mirapur and Mansa. These colleges were established after a survey conducted across the country found that in 374 districts, the Gross Enrolment Ratio in terms of higher education was less than the National Enrolment Ratio. In Punjab alone, 15 such colleges were proposed out of which 13 were set up. Punjabi University, Patiala, is currently running seven while Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, are running a total of six colleges. Following the survey, UGC signed an MoU with the state government, based on which it provided land for these colleges and the UGC bore the cost of setting up the infrastructure. It was decided that once the colleges were set up, the state government would pay the recurring liabilities of these colleges, including the salaries of its employees. Later, the state government handed over these colleges to the universities. However, since Punjabi University has not been paid for the last two years and finds itself in a financial crunch, is now eyeing financial assistance from the government. The university’s finances are stretched as the strength of students and employees in these colleges has gone up. Sources said the university authorities had written to the state government several times in this regard but to no avail. “Running constituent colleges is not the duty of the universities. Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, had sometime ago conveyed to the government its inability to run these colleges without getting financial assistance. Punjabi University too should follow in PU’s footsteps, especially when the financial position of the university is not very good,” the source said. Dr AS Chawla, Registrar of the university, said they were in talks with the government and had been assured of financial assistance at the earliest. “Once we get the money, there should not be a problem in running these colleges,” he added.
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Bodies of man, 2 children found from Bhakra canal
Ropar, October 10 The police said while the body of Satish was found near Chamkaur Sahib, the bodies of Payal and Taranpreet were retrieved from the canal at Kotla and Bunga Sahib. The family left home at 5 pm to visit Naina Devi on October 3 and never returned, said Investigation Officer Vijay Kumar. The CCTV recordings showed the family to have paid obeisance at Naina Devi at 9.30 am and crossed the Mehatpur barrier of Himachal Pradesh at 4.30 pm. Thereafter, their whereabouts remained unknown. Vijay Kumar said the bodies would be handed over to the next of kin of the deceased after the post mortem is conducted.
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Villager dies in shell explosion
Amritsar, October 10 Police investigations pointed out that Lalli was trying to remove metal from the shell with a stone that led to the explosion. He died on the spot, said Sukhwant Singh, Station House Officer, Gharinda police station. He said the explosion was so strong that both his arms were badly damaged while around 17 splinters pierced his body. “We have seized pieces of the shell. Action has been initiated under 174 CrPC. The body has been handed over to the family after a post-mortem,” he added.
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Clerk held on bribe charge
Patiala, October 10 The accused had allegedly first demanded Rs 10,000 but settled for Rs 3,000. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered. — TNS
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In yet another drug haul along the India-Pakistan border in the state, the BSF seized 26 kg of heroin worth Rs 130 crore from Rajatal border outpost in the Amritsar sector during early hours today.
Twenty pilgrims, among them 12 women and four children, returning from the Chintpurni shrine, were killed and 45 injured when the truck
(Tata 407) carrying them plunged into a 200-ft deep gorge near Manguwal village, 20 km from here.
Eyewitnesses said the driver failed to negotiate a sharp turn and the truck into the gorge.
A family of Fatehpur village in Bholath lost 11 members in the accident at Manguwal village. Balwinder Kaur (35) had planned a trip to Chintpurni to thank the Almighty. Her husband Jaswinder Singh had migrated to the UK recently.
After more than 15 years, farmers owning land across the border fence finally got some respite with the state government awarding an annual compensation of
Rs 3,000 per acre to them at Ranike village near Attari today. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal distributed compensation cheques worth Rs 99 lakh among 3,285 farmers of 47 border villages in Amritsar district.
The BSF also seized a Pakistani SIM, a mobile phone with BSNL SIM and around 13-ft-long plastic pipe which was used to sneak in the consignment.
Child orphaned
Earlier, the state procurement agencies and the FCI used to get into a panic mode around this time, with fresh arrivals coming and little or no movement of the old stocks lying in the state’s warehouses and open storages. Thanks to a constant and rapid movement of paddy from the state for the past few months, this year’s paddy procured by both the state agencies and the FCI will have a ready storage space.
