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The abandoned Amritsar International Hotel situated near the Golden Temple. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Digitised rare manuscripts to be available online soon
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Amid opposition, state rolls out advance tax
No norms flouted, claims Bajwa’s lawyer
Khaira: Majithia picking parts of Justice Kuldip report to target rivals
Not sure if Sidhu will be fielded from Amritsar: Tandon
Bajwa must quit his post, says SAD
Virsa Singh Valtoha (left) and Inderbir Bolaria at a press conference in Amritsar on Sunday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Sulking Bhagat skips party functions
Cong MLA votes for BJP man as Block Samiti chief
...But this Madhopur resort a profit model to emulate
British PM awarded for
serving Sikh community
Indian banker gets Pride
of Punjab Award in UK
Three days after wedding, groom crushed under train
Villagers grab many acres of PSPCL land in Hoshiarpur
Govt profit from lotteries sinking
Victim’s father meets Verka
HC raps Pepsu officials for harassing employee
Drug smuggler Bhola’s name crops up in ASI murder case
6 booked for molesting fencing players, 1 held
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Hotel failing to make turnaround
even in vicinity of Golden Temple
Amritsar, November 10 Opened in the late 1980s, the complex has been lying abandoned for the last six years. Having 55 rooms, it once used to boast of two restaurants, a bar, lift and a swimming pool, amenities considered rare in border areas when the venture was started. Earlier run by the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation, the hotel was sold by the state government in 2007 to an NRI family for Rs 56 crore. The deal was finalised under the state government’s disinvestment policy. Spread on more than two acres, the hotel is located less than half a km from the Golden Temple. It is situated near the bus stand between the GT Road and Shera Wala Gate. Infested with snakes Capt (Retd) Chanan Singh Sidhu, a tenant in one of the 15 shops being run in the arcade of the Amritsar International Hotel, said the building had been lying closed since it was sold. He rued that unattended, the building was now infested with snakes and other reptiles, which were a source of panic among customers. He said the value of the property was over Rs 125 crore. “Even a private concern had offered Rs 135 crore to its current owner,” he claimed. Others flourishing Ironically, the number of private hotels has increased manifold in recent years in Amritsar. The availability of rooms in various categories in the hospitality sector was not more than 2,600 about five years ago. But a recent survey revealed that the number of hotel rooms in the city had now touched 4,050. It stated that these rooms were available in 240 accommodations, including 198 hotels, besides inns, rest houses and guest houses. Another property lost The Tourism Department suffered loss of its another property in the city when it had to hand over its Youth Hostel on the GT Road, near bus stand, for the construction of the International Bus Terminus a few years ago. Since then, the city never got any such hostel. The youth hostel used to offer rooms at affordable rates to youngsters visiting the holy city from various parts of the country. The SGPC claims over a lakh tourists visit the Golden Temple daily. The authorities at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post are also set to raise seating capacity to enable more people to witness the Retreat Ceremony. The city along with neighbouring Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts has a number of historic gurdwaras, which have not been publicised to the tourists. Wooing tourists In order to prolong the stay of tourists in the city, the state government is restoring the late 18th century Gobindgarh Fort and a heritage village in Guru Nanak Dev University to provide a glimpse of the old charm of Punjabi village life to tourists. The hospitality industry, however, is peeved at the delay in operationalisation of these projects. Now, the state government has embarked on another ambitious tourism project to raise the Valmiki Temple in Ramtirath area, 15 km from the city. Tourism players feel the shrine would increase the tourist flow manifold. Hopeless venture * Opened in the late 1980s, the hotel had 55 rooms and was situated less than a km from the Golden Temple * It used to boast of two restaurants, a bar, lift and a swimming pool, amenities rare in border areas when it was opened * The hotel was sold to an NRI for Rs 56 crore in 2007 * It’s current value is stated to be more than Rs 130 crore * Spread over two acres, the hotel was never renovated after its opening * The unattended building is now infested with snakes and other reptiles * The hotel failed to flourish even though over a lakh pilgrims visit Amritsar daily
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Digitised rare manuscripts to be available online soon
Hoshiarpur, November 10
Digitisation of more than 70,000 manuscripts, consisting 94 lakh pages, has been completed. There are a total of 58,045 DVDs containing digital images of the manuscripts collected from various repositories. In the pilot project, the NMM digitised 16,018 manuscripts, comprising 10,591 manuscripts at Oriental Research Library, Srinagar; 340 Kutiyattam manuscripts from Kerala; 1,938 Siddha manuscripts in Tamil Nadu; 1,749 rare manuscripts in Orissa; and 1,000 Jain manuscripts in Lucknow. In the second phase, 55,255 more documents were digitised. As the process of making national library of manuscripts online is underway, the digitised copies may be accessed on the consent of the repository holding the manuscript. Interested institutions or individuals may contact the repositories directly. Visweshvarananda Biswabandhu Institute of Sanskrit and Indological Studies, Hoshiarpur, is an important manuscript repository in the northwest zone of the country. The collection of the department is distinctive with 2,685 manuscripts. These include the north Indian and south Indian languages and scripts pertaining to different subjects such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, astrology, astronomy, and ayurveda written on different materials like birch bark, palm leaf and hand-made paper. VBIS project director Prem Lal Sharma said the institute had been collecting information on manuscripts through surveys. Out of the 125 surveys conducted so far, information was collected on 26,000 manuscripts from different repositories. The entire digitised data will be available online soon. About the project *
The National Mission for Manuscripts will soon come up with a national digital manuscripts library *
Digitisation of more than 70,000 manuscripts, consisting 94 lakh pages, has been completed *
There are a total of 58,045 DVDs containing digital images of the manuscripts collected from various repositories *
The entire digitised data will be available online soon
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Amid opposition, state rolls out advance tax
Patiala, November 10 Almost 10 days after the Bill on advance tax was passed, hundreds of firms have stopped transactions that are believed to be bogus. “Many of these firms were dealing with tax refunds worth crores on imports and exports,” said senior taxation department officials. Now, importing firms will have to pay advance tax before the sale of products. Sources said, “The government was losing out on its Value Added Tax collection.” Anurag Verma, Commissioner of Excise and Taxation Department, said only trading firms that were involved in benami transactions would be inconvenienced by the tax. “It will also help us keep an eye on products brought into the state from outside,” Verma said. Meanwhile, industrialists alleged the tax would have an adverse impact on business in this lean period. “The government should rethink its policy and take the industry into confidence,” they said. —TNS
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No norms flouted, claims Bajwa’s lawyer
Chandigarh, November 10 “Neither any housing colony has been built on the land, nor any change of land use (CLU) has been granted by the government,” he said. After Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia had raised the issue on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha, the Deputy Commissioner of Mohali was asked to inquire into the matter. The notice to PCB Real Estates seems to be part of that inquiry. Bajwa’s advocate has submitted to the Collector that the land in question is covered under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) and cannot be used for any other purpose “except minimal agriculture activity permissible.” The price of the land, that is barani (not canal-irrigated) in nature, had been fixed at Rs 9,50 lakh per acre by the Collector, but the company had purchased the same at a higher price, he has said. “None of the vendors from whom the land was purchased is party to the petition pending before the High Court,” he has said. Questioning the notice, the advocate has observed that “it appears that notices are being issued by your office (Collector’s) without realising that the land is under the PLPA and cannot be used for housing colony and any other commercial purpose.” He has argued that the company is not using the land for any commercial purpose. “In fact, the landowners are entitled to claim compensation and award thereupon as provided under Sections 14 and 7 of the PLPA which states that wherever restrictions and prohibitions are notified under the PLPA, the district Revenue Officer and the state shall provide the compensation.” He has said the company had paid Rs 14.93 lakh as stamp duty and the entire payment, to the tune of Rs 2,98,60,000, was made through cheques and the statement of account filed with the Income Tax authorities. Bajwa said the ruling SAD was in a panic because of the state’s frail fiscal health and to divert people’s attention was pointing an accusing finger at his company.
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PPCC chief launches counter-offensive
Chandigarh, November 10 In a statement, Bajwa asked Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, to share his secret of multiplying money with the people of Punjab, who were turning paupers. He asked why it was so that transport business of the Badal family was flourishing while public transport like Punjab Roadways and PEPSU Roard Transport Corporation were running into losses. He said while Orbit Hotels and the leisure park in Gurgaon owned by the Badals were making money while, the hotel and tourism industry in Punjab was reeling under heavy losses. “The Badal family has ventured into almost all trades and monopolised business, leaving no room for small entrepreneurs. They have captured real estate, liquor, cable, transport, hospitality and sand mining and let loose terror on the common people trying to venture into these businesses,” he alleged. He said the names of most members of the Badal family had figured in Justice Kuldip Singh panel report for owning land Targeting the Chief Minister on ‘Sangat Darshan’, Congress leaders Brahm Mohindra, Ajit Inder Singh Mofar, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Parminder Singh Pinky and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the CM was using the programme to cover up his government’s poor governance. They said that people were denied justice through administrative channels and were forced to “beg before the Chief Minister.” They accused Badal of wasting development funds by dlong out partial grants for development works in villages.
Posers to CM *
Why is the transport business of the Badal family flourishing while public transport like Punjab Roadways and PEPSU Road Transport Corporation are running into losses *
Why is it that Orbit Hotels and the leisure park in Gurgaon owned by the Badals are making huge money while the hotel and tourism industry in Punjab is reeling under heavy losses *
Why is it that the Chief Minister's family is getting richer and Punjab poorer by the day
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Khaira: Majithia picking parts of Justice Kuldip report to target rivals
Chandigarh, November 10 He said the panel had observed that there were more than 70,000 such sale deeds involving shamlat land. “Will the Revenue Minister take action against all sale deeds or will he just single out Bajwa for action... You cannot quote a report selectively to target political rivals,” Khara said. “While accusing Bajwa of owning shamlat land, the arrogant Revenue Minister forgot that his Financial Commissioner, Revenue, justified all sale deeds presented before the registration office quoting Section 32 of the Registration Act, 1908. “While targeting Bajwa and other political rivals, Majithia, conveniently, forgot to name Sumedh Singh Saini, DGP, Punjab, who has been indicted by Justice Kuldip Singh panel for illegal mutation of 32 kanals in Kansal village near Chandigarh,”Khaira said. He challenged Majithia to ask his Akali MLA Bibi Jagir Kaur to vacate 12 acres of prime land of the Begowal Nagar Panchayat (Kapurthala), worth Rs 100 crore under her “illegal” possession.
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Not sure if Sidhu will be fielded from Amritsar: Tandon
Amritsar, November 10 On the continued absence of Sidhu from Amritsar and the consequent loss of work, Tandon said Sidhu had professional commitments to meet and once these were over he would resume his duty here. He admitted that the situation resulted in some shortcomings, but said they would remove these. Sidhu was absent from today’s meeting as well although his wife and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu was present. Tandon ruled out swapping of seats with the SAD and reiterated that his party would contest from the Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats. He said efforts had been initiated to bring about changes in the selection of workers at the booth level. He rejected the opinion that the SAD was gradually increasing its influence on the urban pockets, traditionally the stronghold of the
BJP.
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Bajwa must quit his post, says SAD
Amritsar, November 10 They said Punjab Congress leaders should speak out against the “corrupt practices” of its president otherwise it would be deemed that he had their tacit support. Valtoha claimed that Bajwa’s own party men had distanced themselves from the matter. “Even former PPCC president Amarinder Singh has stated that Bajwa should clarify his position lest it would bring a bad name to the party,” Valtoha said. Referring to Justice Kuldip Singh report, the SAD leaders claimed that it mentioned Bajwa’s company on whose behalf the “ illegal” land deal was executed. Bolaria said the Congress high command must now decide whether to support Bajwa, who was “ corrupt”, or sack him. On the other hand, OP Soni, PPCC vice-president, MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, DCC president Harpartap Singh Ajnala and Sukhjinder Raj Singh (Lalli Majithia) alleged that Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia had misled the Vidhan Sabha on land deals by Bajwa’s family by reading out only a portion of Justice Kuldip Singh report. They said Bajwa was open to a judicial scrutiny of all land deals transacted by influential persons on Chandigarh’s periphery. The leaders demanded that the state government should withdraw its SLP from the Supreme Court so that the “people of Punjab can see the real culprits.”
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Sulking Bhagat skips party functions
Jalandhar, November 10 The group owing allegiance with BJP national executive member and MLA from Jalandhar Central Manoranjan Kalia has been feeling cornered for some time. Now, state Forest and Wildlife Preservation Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat, who represents Jalandhar West, has begun to keep away from functions of the ruling alliance, including stone laying ceremonies and press conferences of senior leaders. Though BJP leaders are tight-lipped about the matter, insiders say that changing his portfolio (he was earlier Local Bodies Minister) has offended the veteran leader. Bhagat was not present at the press conference of BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi and Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi. He also skipped the stone laying ceremony for works in Jalandhar by Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. Bhagat did not attend the state-level function for launching Dr Hargobind Khurana scholarship scheme on Friday. He was not present at BJP president Kamal Sharma’s functions held in the city today. Sources say that the tussle among different BJP groups in Jalandhar has intensified.Trying to downplay the issue, a BJP leader said: “Bhagat may not be present at the party functions because of other engagements. But his son Mohinder Bhagat is present at all such functions.” A few weeks ago, a senior BJP leader from Jalandhar had confronted the party’s state president at a meeting in Chandigarh.
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Cong MLA votes for BJP man as Block Samiti chief
Dinanagar (Gurdaspur), November 10 This move by the MLA has not only created a wedge between SAD and BJP workers in her assembly constituency, but also marginalised former Cabinet Minister and halqa in charge (area chief) SS Langah who was reportedly trying to expand SAD base in her constituency. Elections to the posts of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Gurdaspur Zila Parishad had to be put on hold as rules clearly state that elections to these posts can be held only after the Block Samitis chose their Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons. In the 15-member Dorangla Block Samiti, the SAD had six members and the Congress and the BJP seven and two members, respectively. Langah’s “interference” in the Dinanagar seat had been irking the Congress MLA. She asked Hardev Singh Deba, her loyalist, to join the SAD, reducing the Congress strength to six. The SAD members were taken to Anandpur Sahib by a Langah loyalist lest the were influenced by the Congress. They were taken to the Dornagla Block Development and Panchayat Officer’s office minutes before the elections. Earlier, Chaudhary had approached the Rural Development Department to have the election proceedings video-taped. She was allowed to cast her vote, putting to rest the controversy whether or not an MLA could vote in the block samiti elections. Even as the Akalis were anticipating a smooth-sailing, Chaudhary stumped her rivals by voting for BJP candidate Bikram Singh as Chairman. He was elected by a margin of two votes, leaving Langah fuming. ‘smart’ strategy *
Akali strongman Langah's 'interference' in the Dinanagar seat had been irking the Congress legislator *
She asked Hardev Singh Deba, her loyalist, to join the SAD, reducing the Congress strength to six *
She stumped her rivals by voting for BJP candidate Bikram Singh as Chairman *
The latter was elected by a margin of two votes, leaving Langah and his supporters fuming
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...But this Madhopur resort a profit model to emulate
Madhopur (Pathankot), November 10 The ultra-modern hotel, which is located on the Upper Bari Doab Canal near the Madhopur headworks, was set up by the Punjab Government in 1985 keeping in view the fact that the area was the gateway to J&K and was the last town in Punjab where tourists could make a stop before entering the neighbouring state. Insiders claim that for 21 long years, the resort could not take off financially because of the alleged myopic attitude of the Tourism Department despite the fact that hundreds of J&K-bound tourists (and the Punjab-bound ones from J&K and Himachal) frequented it almost every day. In 2006, the Capt Amarinder Singh Government came up with its disinvestment policy and this proved to be a boon for the tourists as the resort came into private hands. Interestingly, the proprietor, Dinesh Mahajan, a known businessman of the area, put in the highest bid at a whopping Rs 7.01 crores against the reserve price of Rs 2.95 crore. The second highest bid, put in by a conglomerate, was pegged at Rs 5.25 crore. The two dozen staff members, including the manager, who were all state government employees, were re-employed by the new owner. Not only this, he increased the total staff to 70-odd employees and now the state-of-the-art resort is attracting tourists like moths to a flame. Why did Mahajan put in a bid that was over Rs 4 crore more than the reserve price? “I could sense that the area had immense tourism potential because of the several hydro projects in the area and also due to the fact that the area was a gateway to two neighbouring states. I formed a team of experts taken from various fields and for months the experts studied the feasibility of buying the resort keeping in view the immense flow of tourists to and fro J&K. I also knew that the venture was not being run in a professional manner.” Mahajan said he knew the value of the resort was five times more that the reserve price. “It was a gold mine waiting to be unearthed. Now, tourists who are regulars gave my staff a pat on the back whenever they compare it to the resort that was run by the stage government through its Tourism Department.” If the new owner purchased it for Rs 7.01 crore seven years ago, the value of the resort has now appreciated with experts in the business pegging its present value at anything between Rs 15 and Rs 17 crore. In 2006, the dilapidated building was given a new state-of-the-art look and was rechristened the Coral River Resort. Furniture and crockery were purchased from places as far as Mumbai and Jammu while interior decorators were specially requisitioned from Delhi to turn the archaic looking building into a modern one. Mahajan refused to comment on the profits being raked in by him, though he admitted that amongst all hoteliers in Punjab, he was the one who was paying the maximum VAT.
Showing the way *
The hotel was set up by the Punjab Government in 1985 * It was set up in view of the fact that Madhopur is the last stopover in Punjab before entry to J&K *
It remained a loss-making venture till the government sold it to a private player for Rs 7.01 crore seven years ago *
Bought for Rs 4 crore more that the reserve price, the resort is now earning profit worth lakhs a month
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British PM awarded for serving Sikh community
London, November 10
“David Cameron, during his visit to India earlier this year, became the first serving Prime Minister to pay his respects at The Darbar Sahib (the Golden Temple),” the citation by the Sikh Awards 2013 said. “At the memorial site in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Cameron laid a wreath at the memorial to the 1919 Amritsar massacre. “Writing in the memorial book of condolence, Cameron described the massacre as ‘a deeply shameful event in British history’, adding, we must never forget what happened here,” it said. “Cameron is also the first serving UK Prime Minister to host a Vaisakhi celebration reception at Downing Street where 'Keertan' (singing God's praises and invoking his blessings) was performed at his residence for the first time. The Vaisakhi reception is now a firm fixture in the Number 10 calendar,” the citation said. After receiving the award last night at 10 Downing Street, Cameron said: “It is a tremendous honour and privilege to receive the award. These awards are all about highlighting the very best of the Sikh faith both here in Britain and abroad. It was such a privilege to visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar earlier this year and on that visit I learnt a huge amount about the values that are so important to Sikhs across the world - a devotion to God, earning an honest living, sharing your community.” "These are the values that run right through the heart of this great faith, and they're the values you're here to celebrate tonight,” Cameron said. Navdeep Singh, publisher of the Sikh Directory Ltd and founder of the Sikh Awards, presented the award to Cameron. The British Prime Minister is scheduled to make his third visit to India in two years from November 14. At the Sikh Awards held at the Hilton Hotel, India-based Harpal Singh Saggu received the Sikh Businessman Award. Saggu operates 'Synergy Group' which has an annual turnover of USD 200 million and over 4,000 employees. India-based Harpreet Kaur won the Sikh Businesswoman Award. She was only 11 years old when she began investing in the stock market. She is GICF Group founder. — PTI
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Indian banker gets Pride of Punjab Award in UK
London, November 10 Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow presented the awards established by the Punjabi Society of The British Isles here on Friday night. The citation described Bhupinder Singh as a "seasoned banker" with an extensive experience of over 35 years across Credit, Marketing, Corporate Governance, Audit, Compliance, Investments, Human Resource and Merchant Banking. Receiving the award, Bhupinder Singh said, “This award goes to 80 million customers of the bank globally.” The other awardees were Seema Malhotra, Labour MP for Feltham and Heston, for her services to the public; Atul Pathak, one of the UK's most successful franchise entrepreneurs, for philanthropy; and Kuljit Singh Gulati, vice-president of the Punjabi Society, for his distinguished community services. Parliamentarian Seema Malhotra said that she, being the first female member of the British Parliament, was proud to receive the award. Speaking on the occasion, Virender Paul, India’s acting High Commissioner to Britain, lauded the achievements of the NRI community in the UK, saying, “You make India proud by your achievements.” Speaker Bercow praised the achievements of Rami Ranger, president of the society and parliamentarian Keith Vaz. “It helps psychologically traumatised soldiers to rebuild their lives and in the process turn liabilities into assets again for our nation,” he said, adding that, “Mental agony can be worse than losing an arm or a leg.” Ranger and Nirbhai S Rai, treasurer of the society presented a cheque for 5,000 pounds in the aid of Combat Stress UK. — PTI
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Three days after wedding, groom crushed under train
Batala, November 10 The only son of his parents, Amritpal Singh of Nathpur village had tied the knot with Sandeep Kaur, 19, of nearby Bhagian village amid much fanfare. A family member said that a Qadian-based photographer engaged by the couple's kin for the wedding, asked Amritpal to stand near the rail track to “enhance the aesthetic value of the pictures.” As the photograph clicked pictures, a train passed by. The force of the train was such that Amritpal lost balance and fell on the track. He was crushed to death instantly. The photographer had also asked the groom’s parents and those of the bride to accompany the newly-wed for the photo shoot. Sandeep, her parents and her in-laws were standing at some distance from the track and, hence, escaped unhurt. Amritpal’s body was cremated at his native village this evening.
Fatal error *
A photographer engaged by the family asked the groom to stand near the rail track *
This, he said, would "enhance the aesthetic value of the pictures" *
As he clicked pictures, a train passed by * The force of the train was such that Amritpal lost balance and fell on the track *
He was crushed to death instantly * His bride and parents, who stood some distance away, escaped unhurt
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Villagers grab many acres of PSPCL land in Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur, November 10 Earlier, the government had acquired nearly 1,500 acres to build the channel and compensated the farmers Rs 4,000 per acre. It was later increased to around Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 after litigations. With the passage of time, the villagers encroached upon chunks of the acquired land and resisted attempts of the department to get it vacated. On June 11, the encroachers attacked members of an enforcement team when they tried to stop them from tilling the government land. The land has still not been vacated even though a case has been registered against the encroachers on the complaint of a PSPCL supervisor Davinder Singh at Hajipur police station. Certain influential persons even went to the extent of building a poultry farm on the PSPCL land in Nikku Chakk village while another villager constructed a marriage palace adjacent to the Hajipur Power House. AK Aeri, Deputy Chief Engineer of the PSPCL, admitted that several acres of their land along the MHC had been encroached upon.
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Govt profit from lotteries sinking
Muktsar, November 10 Information procured under the RTI Act from the Directorate of Lotteries shows that the profit has been decreasing every year. The net profit in 2005-06 was Rs 107.65 crore, in 2006-07 Rs 107.56 crore, in 2007-08 Rs 77.19 crore, in 2008-09 Rs 29.97 crore and in 2009-10 Rs 28.16 crore. In 2010-11, the department suffered a loss of Rs 3.49 crore as the taxable amount was far more than the gross profit. In 2011-12, the net profit was Rs 13.53 crore and in 2012-13 it was Rs 6.59 crore. The department had in 2004-05 suffered a loss of Rs 34.82 crore from the sale of lotteries. When contacted, Rupesh Puri, Deputy Controller, Finance and Accounts, Directorate of Punjab State Lotteries, refused to comment on the matter, saying: “The Deputy Director is the right person to give any information in this regard.” But Deputy Director Tarsem Lal Goel said: “The matter comes under the finance and accounts section. Officials there can tell you the reason behind the declining profit.” Attempts made to contact Shruti Singh, Director, Punjab State Lotteries, proved futile.
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Sexual harassment
Samrala, November 10 The accused, identified as Gurvinder Singh, Pardeep Pappa and Sukhvinder Singh, had allegedly attacked the minor’s parents. The girl is admitted to a Chandigarh hospital. Her condition is stated to be serious. She had written a suicide note, which helped the police nab the accused. The minor’s father, Sher Singh, today met National Commission for Scheduled Caste Vice-Chairman Raj Kumar Verka in Amritsar and brought the incident to his notice. Sher Singh demanded the arrest of other accused in the case and action against the police post in charge for “ignoring” the family’s complaints. Verka raised the matter with the police and demanded an action-taken report within 15 days. The police said 10 persons, including two women, had been booked in the case. — OC
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HC raps Pepsu officials for harassing employee
Chandigarh, November 10 Directing Pepsu to pay Rs 50,000 as costs to the employee, the High Court also made it clear that the money has to be paid by officials responsible for creating the murky situation. The strictures came on a petition by Prem Dass through counsel Vijay Sharma. Taking up the matter, Justice Mahesh Grover asserted: “It is a classic case of high handedness and absurd reasoning on part of certain officials of the corporation where the petitioner's entire misery stems from being its employee. “The insensitivity and illogical reasoning has sent the petitioner into throes of litigation to get back what was legitimately due to him from the respondents. His claim for promotion against a reserved category eventually became the bane of his troubles”. Dass had joined as a clerk in general category before obtaining a backward class certificate. Dass told the court that some employees turned inimical towards him after his objections to grant benefits to them saved losses. They, in turn, accused him of obtaining benefit in service on the basis a fraudulent and forged BC certificate. What followed were rounds of endless litigation, with the petitioner filing no less than five petitions for his dues. He retired in August 2006, but the litigations continued. The criminal law was also set in motion, but the police “mercifully” did not find anything wrong with the certificate.
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Drug smuggler Bhola’s name crops up in ASI murder case
Patiala, November 10 Those recently arrested in the case are identified as Rajinder Singh, Amanpreet Singh alias Jeeti Jalandhri, Amandeep Garg and Palwinder Singh Pinda. Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) HS Mann said that Bhola had provided shelter to the arrested accused in other states and supplied them with luxury cars and drugs, which were further sold in the market. A police officer seeking anonymity said Bhola, an ex-policeman, was well-versed with the functioning of the police and therefore had evaded arrest over three times. He said it was difficult to track Bhola as he changed his location frequently.
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6 booked for molesting fencing players, 1 held
Tarn Taran, November 10 The girls had come here to participate in the three-day Junior Punjab Fencing Championship. Sarad Kumar, in-charge of the championship, told the police that the accused first harassed the girls when they had gone to the local market. Armed with sickles and sticks, the accused later entered the serai, where the players had been lodging, and molested the girls, besides threatening to kill them, he alleged The police said two more accused had been identified as Jughar Singh and Sarwan Singh, both brothers. Mukhtar Singh, ASI, said raids were being conducted to nab the absconders.
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That the holy city, famous for the Golden Temple, is one of the most-visited destinations across the world has failed to transform the fortunes of the Punjab Government’s three-star Amritsar International Hotel.
Opened in the late 1980s, the complex has been lying abandoned for the last six years.
Amritsar, November 10
Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Virsa Singh Valtoha, Inderbir Bolaria and Harmeet Singh
Sandhu, and other Akali MLAs today demanded that Partap Singh Bajwa resign as PPCC chief for causing an enormous loss to the state and national exchequer by way of “evading” stamp duty and income tax.
They said Punjab Congress leaders should speak out against the “corrupt practices” of its president otherwise it would be deemed that he had their tacit support.
The Madhopur-based Coral River Resort is a classic example of how a loss-making government undertaking can be turned into a highly profitable venture. The resort, which was accruing losses worth lakhs every month when it was run by the mandarins of the Punjab Tourism Department, got a fresh lease of life when it was handed over to a private player following the state government’s disinvestment policy initiated in 2006.
He said even as the minister pointed an accusing finger at PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa for acquiring land on Chandigarh’s periphery, the Revenue Department headed by him had filed a Special Leave Petition (on August 16, 2012) in the Supreme Court, challenging the setting up of Justice Kuldip Singh panel by the High Court. Khaira said after “misleading” the Vidhan Sabha on the contents of the panel’s report, Majithia was now “misusing public fora to selectively pick portions of the report to target his political rivals, particularly the PPCC chief,” Khaira alleged.