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Jittery BSP announces
6 Lok Sabha candidates
Bhakra Dam Golden jubilee celebrations
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Ambani keen to provide internet to schools, hospitals
SAD’s Delhi unit adamant on contesting 16 seats
3-month extension to IFS official kicks up row
Special to the tribune
Abohar property dealer kidnapped, freed after ransom
Stone-crusher owners plan stir against FIRs
Chawla writes to SGPC on ‘offensive’ message on FB
Promotion a taboo for state
patwaris!
Oz court defers bail pleas of 2 Punjabis accused of rape
Ayurveda Dept bought 37 drugs at inflated prices: Patiala ex-MS
HC relief to Khaira in defamation case
Three held for selling 10,000 fake SIM cards
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Jittery BSP announces
6 Lok Sabha candidates
Chandigarh, October 22 Parkash Bharti, in charge of the party’s state unit, said: “Any decision on an alliance will be taken by party chief Mayawati. Neither the Congress nor the SAD has bothered about issues concerning Dalits. They are not even bothered about the upper caste poor”. Parkash Singh Jandali, BSP state president, said: “The foundation stone of the Valmiki temple in Amritsar was laid four times earlier, but nothing happened on ground. Voters cannot be misled because of the announcement ahead of the elections”. Ravinder Hans, BSP state general secretary, said: “The government has not announced any clear action plan for building the temple. Even the foundation stone was not laid in the sarowar as was required.” Harcharan Bains, media adviser to the Chief Minister, said: “The BSP has woken up after a huge public response to the temple function. The government has been working on the project since long. There have been 18 meetings of which 17 were chaired by the Chief Minister”. Sukhpal Khaira, PPCC spokesperson, said: “The Congress wants an alliance with the BSP. But, the party is run on the whims and fancies of its president Mayawati. A call will be taken by our alliance committee. I can only say that the figure of 70 per cent for SC/BC population in the state is highly bloated. The Congress is equally concerned about farmers and farm
labourers”.
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Bhakra Dam Golden jubilee celebrations
Nangal, October 22 Rawat said the dam had paved the way for Green Revolution and provided protection against floods. “Its contribution to the economic growth of the region will be written in golden letters,” Rawat said. He announced two months’ salary to all BBMB employees on the occasion. He also released a commemorative postal stamp on the occasion. The Bhakra dam has become the only project in the country with two commemorative stamps. A souvenir and coffee table book containing the dam’s history and its contribution to India’s growth story were also released. On the request of local MP Ravneet Singh Bittu to channelise the swan river flowing in the area so that there was no floods in Ropar district, Rawat assured of all help whenever a proposal was sent by the state government in this regard. Others present on the occasion were Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Punjab Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Saikhon, Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Avinash Rai Khanna, MP, and Dr Dhani Ram Sandil, Social Welfare Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The main function was held at the Cricket Ground, Nangal. Hooda who was guest of honour. Addressing the gathering, he became nostalgic while recalling his visit to the dam 50 years ago when Nehru dedicated the dam to the nation. “My father Ranbir Singh Hooda, then Punjab Irrigation Minister, used to visit the Bhakra dam every month. His ashes were immersed in the Gobind Sagar as per his wishes,”he said, appreciating the significance of the Indus Water Treaty, Haryana had proposed a second Ravi-Beas link which would ensure utilisation of the country’s legitimate share in the Ravi waters. Though the Union Government had declared it a national project in 2008, little headway had been made, he said. He announced a grant of Rs 51 lakh for the renovation of the BBMB Hospital at Nangal. The dignitaries offered tributes at the martyrs’ memorial on the left bank of the dam powerhouse. They also visited Nehru Centre that has pictures on the history of the dam. Talking to the media, Punjab Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon said the state could not fill its quota of BBMB posts owing to delay in getting Centre’s approval. The posts of XEN, SDO and JE would be filled by the government soon, he added. Union Minister for Water Resources Harish Rawat wrote in the comments book: “For me it is a great moment. I congratulate the nation and its people, particularly from Punjab, Haryana, HP and Rajasthan on this great occasion.” Bhakra village residents cry foul
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Ambani keen to provide internet to schools, hospitals
Mumbai/Chandigarh, October 22 The Deputy CM also initiated talks with software giant Tata Consultancy Service
(TCS) to take citizen services to the doorstep of the people through “Punjab Online” programme that would cover every village panchayat in the state. Ambani expressed his eagerness to take up a
petro-chemical project, expand its facility in Hoshiarpur and to invest in agro-processing in Punjab.
Sukhbir invited TCS to invest in the IT Park, Mohali. Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry said he would ask his team to visit Punjab and consider the proposal. The Reliance Group head also agreed to attend the Progressive Punjab Investment Summit being held on December 9-10. Sukhbir briefed Ambani about the incentives being given on value-added tax (VAT) and Central Sales Tax (CST), whereby companies investing in the state could retain as much as 80 per cent of the taxes for a period of 10 years. Ambani said his company was ready to provide broadband connectivity to all schools and hospitals in the state at a nominal cost. He said this initiative had the potential to change lives. Ambani also said his company wanted to train more than a million diploma engineers in home services, to help them develop real-time skills and create jobs in this sector. At the TCS campus here, company vice-president Tanmoy Chakraborty and his team gave a presentation on the proposed “Punjab Online” encapsulating the services needed by every citizen at the village and the ward
level. Chakrabarty said the programme would result in jobs for at least 25,000 persons. The services offered would include birth and death certificates, school admission forms, examination results, vehicle registration, passport verification, marriage certificate, utility services and provision of land records. The company also offered to manage healthcare services on a turnkey basis for an inventory of medical records, online update of bed capacity and online claims/payments.
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Parallel tour: Key Majha leaders skip Capt’s Amritsar function
Amritsar, October 22 Today, he was in Amritsar where he met farmers and party activists. Even though key leaders from Majha kept away from Amarinder's visit, he drew a sizeable gathering at the Bhagtanwala grain market here. Pradesh Congress vice-president and Majha zone in charge OP Soni, Amritsar (Rural) Congress chief Harpartap Singh Ajnala and Amritsar (Urban) Congress chief Jugal Kishore Sharma did not accompany him. Soni is also Congress MLA from the Amritsar Central constituency. Congress MLA from Amritsar Dr Rajkumar Verka too was not present. Former MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa, once known to be close to Amarinder, was also missing despite the fact that the grain market where the former CM held his function is located in the Amritsar South constituency from where Dimpa contested the assembly poll. Soni and Jugal Kishore were also seen as Amarinder loyalists at one point of time. When contacted, Soni said he was out of town. Jugal said his wife was unwell. Ajnala could not be contacted for comment. Only two Congress MLAs, Rajasansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, attended the former CM's function. While Sarkaria was with him right from the start, Tripat joined him at Attari. Sarkaria had recently demanded that PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa be ousted and the Captain be re-appointment to the key post. Tripat reportedly does not have a good rapport with Partap Bajwa. Tarn Taran Congress unit chief Dr Dharamvir Agnihotri, Congress leaders Tarsem Singh DC and Shailenderjit Singh Shally also attended Amarinder's function. Tarsem and Shally had lost the last assembly poll from Attari and Majitha, respectively. Except for Tripat, no Congress MLA from Gurdaspur district came for Amarinder's show. Talking to mediapersons, the former CM denied there was any division in the party. He, however, failed to give a convincing reply on the absence of key Congress leaders from his function. On the Sarkaria issue, he said the MLA had some grievances and ahd simply put these up before the party high command. He claimed the matter had been resolved. On his son Raninder Singh sharing stage with Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, he said nothing much should be read into it. Addressing a gathering of farmers and arhtiyas later, he tried to strike a chord with them by recalling his tenure as Agriculture Minister. He blamed the state government for the plight of the farmers. "They should resolve the issues regarding moisture content and discolouration once and for all," he said. He said if he could approach then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, why could the Akalis not reach out to PM Manmohan Singh to redress the farmers' woes. Amarinder got a warm reception at the grain market. The venue, though small, was packed to capacity prior to his arrival. Amarinder did not address any workers' meeting at Chatiwind and Attari as scheduled. He visited the homes of local party leaders. Those missing
Those present
Sarkaria meets Ahmed Even as Capt Amarinder claimed that the Sarkaria issue had been resolved, sources said the disgruntled MLA recently met AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed and put forth his grievances. Sarkaria had last month written to the party high command, accusing the PPCC chief of failing to win the trust of party leaders and seeking the re-appointment of Capt Amarinder as PPCC chief
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SAD’s Delhi unit adamant on contesting 16 seats
New Delhi, October 22 Addressing a conference, Delhi unit chief and DSGMC president, Manjit Singh GK today said the core committee of the party last evening had decided to contest 16 seats in Delhi on the party symbol. A list of constituencies had been sent to the party headquarters and “I am sure that the high command will consider the issue in the favour of the Delhi unit,” he said. He said the BJP had undervalued the power of the SAD in Delhi. “We have a strong following in the city. In the last elections, we were given four seats. We lost the Rajouri Garden seat by a mere 46 votes. The BJP had earlier lost the seat with a huge margin. We have won the DSGMC elections with a thumping majority which shows the SAD has a sizeable vote bank in Delhi,” Manjit Singh said. “We are not being given our share of seats by the BJP in Delhi though in Punjab, the SAD gives a good number seats to the BJP.The SAD is a a secular party that enjoys the support of all minorities in Delhi”, he claimed. He said they had already started work in 16 assembly constituencies. These were: Madipur, Timarpur, Greater Kailash, Hari Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Janakpuri, Moti Nagar, Shakur Basti, Nangloi, Adarsh Nagar, Shahdra, Krishna Nagar, Kalkaji, Rohtas Nagar and Rajinder Nagar. However, the final decision would be taken by the party high command, Manjit Singh added.
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3-month extension to IFS official kicks up row
Mohali, October 22 The order of the state government (endst no. 1157, dated September 30, 2013), signed by DS Bains, Financial Commissioner, Forest and Wildlife Preservations, Government of Punjab, stated that “the Governor of Punjab is pleased to approve extension of 3 months in his (Gujral) service on the post up to 31st December, 2013 in anticipation of the approval of the Government of India in public interest”. The development is said to be contrary to Rule 16 of the All India Services (DCRB) Rules, 1958, which clearly states that a member of the service may be given extension of service for a period not exceeding three months in public interest with the prior approval of the Central Government. The proposal that is under the consideration of the central government is that of granting Gujral six months extension in service beyond his date of superannuation on September 30, 2013. “As per the rule, the government could not approve the extension in service of any officer in anticipation of the approval of the Government of India,” said a senior bureaucrat on condition of anonymity. DS Bains said the proposal in question had already been approved by the concerned authorities and the ministry. “Now the file is lying at the Prime Minister’s Office. As he was out of the country, the matter got delayed,” claimed Bains adding that the state government could approve extension under Rule 9 of the All India Services (DCRB) Rules, 1958. Harsh Kumar Sharma, an IFS, has also sent a communiqué to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister against Gujral stating that he was being prosecuted in three courts of law-Punjab and Haryana High Court, CBI court and the Patiala and Additional Sessions Judge, Chandigarh. On being contacted, Kumar confirmed that he had sent a communiqué to the Government of India (GOI) against three officers, including Gujral. The GOI clubbed this communiqué with Gujral’s file, seeking extension. “In a letter (dated 26.11.12) to the state government, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF) had requested to file a criminal case against the officers, including Gujral. The Union Government had also asked the state government to send any proposal seeking sanction for prosecution of the officers. Now in a latest communiqué (dated October 7, 2013), the MEF has again requested the state government to initiate action in this regard”, said Harsh Sharma, adding that he had already received the letter in question from the MEF. Bains said the decision of approving Gujral’s extension was made deliberately as he had a vital role to play in the ‘Greening Punjab Mission’ under which five crores saplings had been planted every year. The planting would continue for the next eight years to increase the forest area in the state from seven per cent to 15 per cent.
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Special to the tribune
The unique story of the Sikh contribution in helping the Allies win the World War I is to be told, thanks to support from the London-based Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
A preliminary grant of just under Rs 40 lakh (£39,400) represents 10 per cent of what the UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA) can expect to help fund its project, “Empire, Faith and War: Sikhs in World War One.” Sue Bowers, Head, HLF, said: "We are pleased to give initial support to this project. The Sikh contribution to the World War I is a heritage subject of national and international importance but little understood. The project will help to address that.” The funding, made available ahead of the 100 year anniversary of the World War I in 2014, will also help highlight the role of non-white Commonwealth soldiers. The UKPHA aims at using the funds to create a major exhibition at a prestigious central London gallery, featuring interactive displays and an educational zone for children as well as a commemorative publication. Educational packs for schools are also being planned, as is a nationwide programme of outreach events, designed to provide opportunities for the public to take part in a number of exciting ways. Also planned is an interactive online project to document stories of Sikh soldiers and their families. Members of the public will be encouraged to undertake their own research into their and others’ family histories to help create an online database, the commemorative publication and exhibition material. Amandeep Madra, UKPHA Chair, said: “The UKPHA is delighted to have received HLF support for our ambitious project. Given the major commemorations that will take place nationwide in 2014, this seemed like the appropriate time for the Sikh contribution to be recognised in a fitting way.” He said: “The role of Sikhs in the Great War is largely unknown. Sikhs made up a tiny percentage of undivided India and yet at the start of the war contributed some 22 per cent of the British Indian Army. These numbers swelled over the course of the war and Sikhs fought in all the major theatres contested by British forces from the Western Front to the Middle East. The UKPHA looks forward to revealing the untold stories of these soldiers and, just as importantly, the families they left behind and we will be calling on people from all backgrounds to help us in doing so.”
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Abohar property dealer kidnapped, freed after ransom
Abohar, October 22 In his complaint to the police, Sekhon, a resident of Dharangwala village, alleged that one of the kidnappers phoned him and called him to a house in Sai Vihar Colony in connection with a property deal. The victim alleged that as he entered the house, the accused attacked him with sharp-edged weapons. He said they made him call up his partner, Jawahar Lal, at knifepoint and demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore. The deal was finalised at Rs 5 lakh. Sekhon claimed he subsequently fell unconscious as the accused made him inhale a chemical. He said he was late dumped near the Abohar-Bahawalbasi road. — OC
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Stone-crusher owners plan stir against FIRs
Jalandhar, October 22 They threatened to intensify their stir by blocking the Pathankot-Jammu highway and even proceeding on hunger strike if their demands were not met. Addressing mediapersons here today, association members Vijay Passi and Pushpinder Maini alleged that the Rs 1,000-crore stone crushing industry was already struggling for survival and the registration of cases would sound death knell for it. They said the industry had been legally purchasing raw material from Jammu and Kashmir ever since a ban was imposed on mining in Punjab. Passi alleged that the Industry Department had been trying to enforce mining laws forcibly. He said the department had recently come up with a new rule and that too without any government notification. The rule mentions that all stone crushers will have to be registered with the Mining Department and Rs 10,000 will have to be paid as annual registration fee. The association alleged that another anti-industry direction was that if any unit was fined or penalised or its power connection was snapped in the last five years, the department would cancel its registration. Maini alleged that the state government’s policies had not only forced them to shift to neighboring states but had also rendered over 50,000 persons (employed directly or indirectly in the industry) jobless, he said.
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Chawla writes to SGPC on ‘offensive’ message
Amritsar, October 22 She claimed that the names of prominent Sikh figures have been mentioned in the message. She urged Makkar to take serious note of the matter. She also requested him to act against the guilty. The former minister has released a copy of the message to the media. Though it doesn't have a signature or name of any SGPC member, it mentions the designations of a few religious Sikh personalities. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said they were investigating the matter which seemed to be a mischief. —
TNS
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Promotion a taboo for state
patwaris!
Bathinda, October 22 At least 12 patwaris promoted as kanungo recently have sought to be demoted. The applicant patwaris have given ludicrous reasons for the same. Some have quoted family reasons, others medical reasons. In the past eight years, the Revenue Department has accepted the request of 125 patwaris to not be promoted or to be demoted. Sources said a patwari wielded more power than a kanungo in the rural areas and hence did not want to lose the plum post for a marginal rise in salary. In Ferozepur district, 18 patwaris gave it in written to the department that they did not want to be promoted. Two patwaris in Barnala, Sohan Singh and Gulwant Singh, cited hypertension and diabetes as reasons for turning down promotion. Babu Singh and Baljinder Singh of Mansa cited domestic reasons as did Vijay Kumar and Baljit Singh of Jalandhar. Nine patwaris in Sangrur district declined to accept promotion for similar reasons. Five patwaris in Muktsar, the Chief Minister’s home district, did not accept their promotion as kanungo. In Faridkot 10, Amritsar six, Taran Tarn eight and Jalandhar two patwaris refused promotion. As many as 18 kanungos were reverted to their post of patwari on request. Nirmal Jit Singh Bajwa, president, Revenue Patwari Union, Punjab, claimed it was wrong to say the patwaris were on a plum post and, hence, did not want to be promoted. “The job of kanungo requires extensive field work and travelling. So patwaris close to retirement don’t want to be disturbed,” he claimed. Navreet Singh Kang, Financial Commissioner (Revenue) said some patwaris had requested the department not to consider their names for promotion in future too. “I’m not directly linked to these matters as these applications are dealt with at the district level,” he added. However, some officials who did not want to be quoted, said the reasons for declining promotion were obvious. “ Their present post is far more lucrative than that of kanungo,” they said. Lure of the post
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Oz court defers bail pleas of 2 Punjabis accused of rape
Melbourne, October 22 Ajitpal Singh (31) and Randhir Singh (20) appeared in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) magistrate's court on charges of rape, abduction, unlawful confinement, and committing acts of indecency and pleaded not guilty. The duo applied for bail, but Magistrate Peter Dingwall deferred the request until the men's immigration status could be confirmed. The court heard a third man had fled the country back to India earlier this month. The two allegedly used a dating app to lure the woman into meeting
them at the Kippax shopping centre in Holt suburb, according to an ABC report. It was said that the victim who was from Canberra was also once threatened by the accused who told her that they were aware of her son's school before driving her to an apartment where they repeatedly assaulted and raped her. The woman told police she had no idea how
the men found out her private details, but that she thought she recognised one of the men after they followed her onto a bus at an earlier date. ACT police said the case was an example of the perils of social media applications. Both men are being held in Canberra's jail while concerns over their immigration status are resolved. The next hearing of the case will be next week.
— PTI
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Ayurveda Dept bought 37 drugs at inflated prices: Patiala ex-MS
Patiala, October 22 Dr Singh said, “The rates at which the drugs were manufactured were sky high. For instance, 450 ml of Maha Narayan Oil that currently costs Rs 217 was purchased for Rs 548 in 2012-13 and Nagararjun Abhar Ras was purchased for Rs 1,900, whereas its current rate is Rs 588.” Dr Singh has met Health Minister Surjit Jayani and sought a CBI inquiry into the purchase. According to the guidelines of the government, the price of medicines purchased in bulk should be less than their retail price. Director of Ayurveda Dr Rakesh Sharma said, “We have not purchased medicines at inflated prices. Moreover, the Health Ministry’s order barring the procurement of drugs from loan licence manufacturers was released after we had placed the order.”
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HC relief to Khaira in defamation case
Chandigarh, October 22 Again in storm
This is not the first time the name of Fastway Transmission Private Limited has cropped up before the High Court. Just before Punjab Assembly elections in 2012, the High Court had directed the State Government to respond to the allegations of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal taking over 95 per cent of the cable business in Punjab by “misusing his official position and political power”. The directions came on a plea filed by an Amritsar resident seeking anticipatory bail in a case alleging violation of the copyright Act, besides cheating and criminal conspiracy. In the petition, Rakesh Arora had asserted that co-accused in the case, Gurdev Singh Bhullar of Godfather Communication, his employees and subscribers were being victimised by the local police at the instance of cable operator Sarabjit Singh alias Raju. Sarabjit Singh was also a partner in Fastway Transmission Private Limited and DIGI Cable. “It is an open secret that SS Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, is the real owner of DIGI Cable,” Arora had added. The controversy
Khaira claimed he had issued a statement to the media based on a news-report that Fastway was not allowing viewers to watch cricket world cup. The report had quoted an “unnamed spokesperson for ESPN Channel”. His statement was carried in a newspaper on February 21, 2011. A criminal complaint under Section 500 of the IPC was then instituted by the cable TV service provider in a Ludhiana court in March 2011. Political slant
Khaira, through his counsel Jasjit Singh Bedi and Jasdev Singh Mehndiratta, claimed: “Continuing the proceedings against the petitioner would be a sheer abuse of process of court. The proceedings initiated against the petitioner manifestly are intended with malafide and have prima-facie been maliciously instituted for wreaking vengeance against the petitioner with a view to spite him due to personal grudge, he being vocal critic of the government….” The petitioner claimed offence of defamation was not made out. “The petitioner is alleged to have only said Fastway cable network was working under the pressure of Akali-BJP government and had shown his concern that the cricket lovers were being deprived from the world cup matches…. “Accusations alleged to have been made are against the ruling family for investing ‘benami’ money in these channels…. There is no accusation made against M/s Fastway Transmission Private Limited, which can be taken to have harmed the reputation of respondent or which could have caused any mental pain,” counsel added. Notice to state on plea seeking job letter The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice of motion to the State of Punjab and the Education Department on a petition seeking issuance of appointment letter to 90 candidates selected as schoolteachers in master cadre. Their names have already appeared in the waiting list for Hindi and science teachers. Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa issued the notice for December 6 while taking up a petition filed by Sonia Sharma of Sangrur and other candidates.
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Three held for selling 10,000 fake SIM cards
Ludhiana, October 22 “Since 10,000 fake SIM cards have been activated, we are not ruling out any threat perception. We will coordinate with intelligence agencies on the issue,” said Police Commissioner Paramjit Singh Gill. The police seized 102 fake SIM cards from Gagandeep Singh of Kot Mangal Singh on October 19. It was revealed that he was running the trade along with Jatinder Kumar alias Jatin and Amandeep Verma. While Jatin owns a mobile shop in the posh Sarabha Nagar market, Amandeep Verma runs a photography studio in Sherpur village. Amandeep and Jatin were today held with around 1,000 fake identification proofs, 630 SIM cards, 47 fake stamps, scanners, printers, three demo SIM cards, a camera and pen drives. Jatin and Gagan would sell these cards to migrant labourers while Amandeep would prepare the fake documents and activate the SIM numbers. Gill said he would soon hold a meeting with the representatives of cellular companies, including Reliance, Vodafone and Videocon to get the fake numbers deactivated.
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Mumbai/Chandigarh, October 22
Barely a week after the Congress central leadership hosted lunch in Delhi to warn warring Pradesh Congress leaders to behave or face action, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh kickstarted his statewide tour on Monday. He began with a visit to Kapurtala and other Doaba towns.
The candidates are Bhagwan Singh Chauhan from Hoshiarpur, Pardeep Singh Walia from Amritsar, Succha Singh from Khadoor Sahib, Ram Kumar Prajapati from Ferozepur, Bhupesh Sharma from Bathinda and Ram Singh Dhiman from Patiala. These candidates represent the Ravidasia, Khatri Arora and Majbi Sikh communities.