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SAD all set for show of strength at Mansa rally today
Faridkot schools to remain open
13 years on, Bet residents await power substation
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Further remand for drug lord Bhola
Only small fish caught so far, claims Congress
recruitment scam
Bajwa claims many Akali leaders set to join Congress
Politics over Sangat Darshan to the fore
guru nanak dev university foundation day
ban on teachers' recruitment
Finally, Patiala MC gets land for waste disposal plant
PPCB fails to crack whip on illegal hotels near Golden Temple
Heritage Village to open in Amritsar next year
Ayurveda is about overall wellness, says Vice Chancellor
Indian student’s short film makes it to Venice Film Festival
RinGside view
Gang of bike thieves busted
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SAD all set for show of strength at Mansa rally today
Mansa, November 24 On the occasion, the SAD will hold a massive rally at Banawali village that falls in the Bathinda parliamentary constituency represented by the Chief Minister’s daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Arrangements have been made to accomodate one lakh spectators. The Akalis clearly intend to cash in on the success of the project before the coming Lok Sabha elections. More power was one of the key promises made by the SAD in its election manifesto. The Sterlite company’s Talwandi Sabo plant is the first-ever power plant by a private company in the state. It is expected to generate 1,880 MW of power by May next year, enabling the state to become power sufficient. All MLAs in the state, especially from the Malwa belt, have been asked to transport supporters to the rally. While it has been a common practice to “ forcibly” hire buses of private transporters for such rallies, this time school buses too have not been spared. It will, hence, be an unofficial holiday in most of the schools in the region. Though the plant will be inaugurated tomorrow, actual generation will begin only by December-end. The plant will generate 660 MW in the first phase and may run full capacity (1,880 MW) by the beginning of paddy plantation next year. An upbeat management said once fully operational, the power plant would generate enough power to put an end to power cuts/industrial holidays. “Residents may not require generator sets any more if other plants start generation by next year,” said an official. For the power plant, coal will come from the Mahanadi coal mines in Odisha, 1,700 miles away. Only six months ago, work on the project was shut down owing to non-allocation of coal. The plant is to sell power to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) between Rs 3-Rs 3.50 per unit. The PSPCL will sell the same to consumers at higher rates. Most residents of Banwali village, where the power plant has come up, are not too happy. They complain that they received a compensation of Rs 9.40 lakh to Rs 15.40 lakh per acre, which was not enough. “Even worse, the government has not given jobs to displaced families, as promised,” alleged Rajinder Singh, panchayat member of the village. But another resident Raj Kumar said he had been employed as a foreman at the power plant. Gurdeep Singh of nearby Makha village said he had been employed as a driver. The PSEB Engineers’ Association has been criticising the private company for not employing locals. “It is a hard fact that only Chinese and Japanese are getting employment and no engineering graduate from Punjab is being employed. “On the other hand, state-owned thermal plants at Bathinda, Lehra and Ropar have given jobs to hundreds of Punjab engineers,” an association spokesman said. Fruits of labour
Boon for Sadda Singh Wala The coal linkage for the plant necessitated the laying of rail tracks. This has proved a boon for area residents. The railway station at Sada Singh Wala village is witnessing a change. It now boasts of seven lines, of which four have been laid by Sterlite. The village station has more lines than Mansa and other cities 2,000 buses to ferry SAD workers to Banawali village
Bathinda:
At least 2,000 buses will reach the rally site & fuel worth Rs 80 lakh- Rs 1 crore spent on transportation. District Transport Officers have been told to arrange
buses to ferry partymen to Banawali village.
Private transporters are afraid that their buses may be impounded if they refuse to oblige the officials. They say most mini buses are hired by a Haryana-based dera. —
TNS .
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Faridkot schools to remain open
Faridkot, November 24 On Saturday, closure orders were issued as buses of five schools in Kotkapura, four in Faridkot and six in the district’s rural areas were to be deployed to ferry supporters of the ruling SAD-BJP coalition to the Banawali rally. The media had highlighted the “forced” closure of private schools. This seems to have propelled the district administration to cancel the order. The development has caught the school heads by surprise. Dashmesh Public School in Faridkot today sent an SMS to its teachers and parents of students in this regard. Most schools did like-wise. “We are expecting a poor attendance of students as well as the staff tomorrow,” said an exasperated principal of a school in Kotkapura.
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13 years on, Bet residents await power substation
Hoshiarpur, November 24 Six years after the announcement, the project stone was laid by then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Work came to a halt after a part of the building was raised. The project cost has now jumped from Rs 60 lakh to Rs 3 crore. The Bet area consists of 33 villages with a population of around 60,000. There is no water source other than the public supply tube wells for both irrigation and domestic purposes. The underground water level is at least 1,200 ft and even deeper. The lifeline of the area is electricity that is supplied from a 66 KV power substation at Chandpur Rurki in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. The line is a single stretch of about 70 km. Such a long stretch has resulted in distribution losses and low voltage. Owing to overloading, faults in the line are a routine affair. Responding to the people’s demand, in 2000 the CM, during a Sangat Darshan function at Achalpur village, asked the then power board Chief Engineer to come on stage and promise the people a 66 KV power substation at Dallewal village. In 2002, Capt Amarinder Singh became CM and Avinash Rai Khanna Garhshankar MLA. The project was not taken up. In 2004, Khanna was elected MP and Luv Kumar Goldy of the Congress won the Garhshankar byelection in 2005 . Goldy, who belongs to the Bet area, resumed efforts to begin work on the power station. In 2006, Amarinder Singh laid the stone for the project in Dallewal village. A grant of Rs 20 lakh was also released. A building was raised. But work had to be halted as the next instalment for funds could not be released because of the poll code. There has been no movement since. Chairman of the Garhi Mansowal Cooperative Society Ajaib Singh said: “There is a fault in the line every other day. If the fault occurs at night, the power supply is resumed only the following day. It is worse during the summers.” Former legislator Goldy said that despite repeated announcements by ruling party leaders, including the CM, during their visits to Garhshankar, the only work done so far was raising a boundary wall around the substation building. Executive engineer (XEN) Balwinder Singh said the project cost stood at Rs 3 crore now. He said that work to raise towers from Garhshankar to Dallewal to lay the power lines had been started recently. General secretary of the Kandi Sangharsh Committee Darshan Singh Mattu said: “It is already too late. Work needs to be undertaken on a war footing.”
Of unmet promises
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Further remand for drug lord Bhola
Patiala, November 24 His questioning led to more arrests, including that of hotelier Maninder Singh Bittu Aulakh of Amritsar and an owner of three pharmaceutical units, Jagjit Singh Chahal. Bhola was already on transit remand with the Patiala police in a case dated April 3, 2013, under the NDPS Act and the Arms Act registered with the Urban Estate station. The Patiala police today claimed to have recovered another 1 kg of chemicals from a farmhouse near Chunni village allegedly hidden by Bittu Aulakh a couple of days prior to his arrest. Asked if the farmhouse owner would also be arrested, the police said although he knew Aulakh, but was unaware if his nefarious activities. Sources said ever since the case took a political hue, with the Congress demanding a probe by a sitting High Court Judge, the Patiala police had been trying to keep the case under wraps and away from media glare. Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) HS Mann said they had impounded three more vehicles belonging to Jagjit Chahal used for transporting drugs. More recoveries
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Only small fish caught so far, claims Congress
Chandigarh, November 24 Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress’ official spokesperson, said: “The offer for a CBI inquiry can be a turning point for a lasting solution to the problem of drug menace in Punjab.” Khaira said the Bhola drug racket had shaken the state with seizures of more than Rs 1,000 crore. The arrest of Bittu Aulakh, general secretary of the Youth Akali Dal (YAD), cast a shadow of doubt over Akali Member of Parliament Rattan Singh Ajnala, his MLA son Bony Ajnala and also the Revenue Minister as the latter was president of the YAD. He pointed out that the MP and his son had chosen to keep mum on the matter. He said the Punjab Police had only caught the small fish involved in the racket whereas big sharks remained untouched owing to political patronage. “The Punjab Police does not have the courage to interrogate or question Bikram Majithia, Rattan Singh Ajnala or Bony Ajnala for shielding drug peddlers,” he said.
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recruitment scam
Patiala, November 24 "We have initiated steps to remove these employees. But, we will have to follow a lengthy procedure to do so", said Dipinder Singh, Secretary Punjab Mandi Board. The recruitments were allegedly made in connivance of certain officials of the department. Sources said those recruited were earlier working as contract tea mates and helpers in the department. At least 12 of the 24 electricians do not fulfill the eligibility criteria. Despite two departmental probes into the matter, the Board is helpless in taking immediate action against these employees. Suresh Arora, Director Vigilance, said a probe had been initiated against accused Board official Liakat Rai and others. "We will soon register an FIR in this regard," he said.
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Bajwa claims many Akali leaders set to join Congress
Zira, November 24 He said: "They will be inducted into the party at an appropriate time keeping in view the Lok Sabha elections". Bajwa rubbished the claim by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal that Punjab would become power surplus with inauguration of the Talwandi Sabo thermal plant. He alleged: "Sukhbir has mastered the art of telling lies. The plant will only be running at 30 per cent of its total capacity of 1900 MW. Electricity produced by it will be 25 per cent costlier than other thermal plants". Bajwa said the Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura thermal plants were owned by private companies and the state government had not imposed any ceiling on power tariff to be charged by them. Alleging that the SAD leadership had been exposed in the multi-crore drug racket, Bajwa said he had urged the Union Home Minister to ask the Narcotics Control Bureau to take over investigations. The PPCC chief said Badal should wind up his Sangat Darshan programme which was nothing more than "a political stunt". On the recent statements by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Bajwa said he (Capt) was like an elder brother who could advise him on any matter. Former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal alleged that Punjab was not in safe hands as the Badals were bent on mopping up all the resources of the state. Others who spoke on the occasion included MLAs Rana Gurmeet Sodhi and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leaders Inderjit Singh Zeera, Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Hans Raj Josan.
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Politics over Sangat Darshan to the fore
Gurdaspur, November 24 Langah, who lost the last assembly elections to Congress candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa by 2,200 votes, is pulling out all stops to ensure the Chief Minister holds one such programme in his area. To compound matters for Langah, Badal has already held Sangat Darshans at Qadian, where former Education Minister SS Sekhwan is area chief and at Fatehgarh Churian, which is represented by former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon. Both Sekhwan and Kahlon are considered to be political rivals of Langah and, if senior SAD leaders are to be believed, both are working overtime to ensure that the Chief Minister does not oblige Langah. Insiders reveal that by holding a Sangat Darshan at Dera Baba Nanak, the political fortunes of Langah are sure to take an upswing. "Developmental works will be initiated in the constituency from where he lost. This will augur well for him and the ruling alliance in the forthcoming parliamentary elections," said a senior SAD leader. "The Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat comprises nine assembly seats. It is politically important for the Chief Minister to nurture it. But, as far as Sangat Darshan is concerned, Badal is in a fix. On one hand, he wants to help Langah regain his position while on the other he can't afford to cold shoulder senior leaders like Sekhwan and Kahlon," he said. "In a majority of the villages in the district, there is an acute problem of drinking water. Roads are also not in good shape. These problems can be addressed if the Chief Minister holds a Sangat Darshan here," he added. At loggerheads
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guru nanak dev university foundation day
Amritsar, November 24 They were speaking during the 44th foundation day function of Guru Nanak Dev University here today. Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, who was the chief guest on the occasion, expressed concern over the lack of competent faculty members and the deteriorating standard of higher education. He said instead of increasing the number of universities or colleges, the focus should be on imparting quality education and improving the existing institutes. Vohra said teachers should imbibe self-confidence, determination and traditional values in students. He stressed the need for more collaboration between universities of Punjab and J&K to provide more opportunities and exposure to students. He asked the Guru Nanak Dev University authorities to sign MoUs with his state's educational institutes. He said this would facilitate optimum utilisation of faculty and infrastructure. "There should be no reservation on the basis of religion in educational institutes. Our motto should be to produce factory-ready resource persons and thereafter, have a proper marketing strategy to get them placed suitably. Students can be imparted requisite skills only if we let them make optimum use of research facilities. "We should design our curricula in a way that we have well-learned faculty and quality infrastructure. More education programmes should be designed in collaboration with best universities and institutes abroad for students as well as faculty so that their vision gets broader," he said. Prof Deepak Pental, former Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, and Prof Rattan Singh Jaggi, Punjabi University, Patiala, also presented their views on the occasion. Prof Pental inaugurated an exhibition of rare books and manuscripts related to the Ghadar Movement and Sikh history at the Bhai Gurdas Library of the university. A folklore and painting exhibition was organised by affiliated colleges. An exhibitory hockey match between Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Guru Nanak Dev University was also organised. Besides, a "kirtan darbar" was also organised in the evening at the gurdwara on the campus.
Setting benchmark
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ban on teachers' recruitment
Fazilka, November 24 The lone teacher catering to 108 students at Arya Putri Pathshalla, which was once considered a pioneer educational institution for promoting female literacy, retired on October 31. The school, which was established in 1904, offered education to thousands of girls at a time when even primary education was considered to be an achievement. “We will not allow the historical institution to shut down. We will run it from our own resources. The government should appoint teachers against the vacant posts immediately,” said Umesh Chander Kukkar, president, Arya Putri Pathshalla Managing Committee. Ironically, the school still falls under the grant-in-aid scheme category. District Education Officer Sandeep Dhuria said they had written to the higher authorities to take action regarding vacant posts in the school. He said if teachers are not appointed, the students should be shifted to other schools from the next academic session. The other five aided schools in the town are SD Girls Primary School, Guru Nanak Sikh Kanya Pathshalla, SD Primary School, Satsang Primary School and Jain Primary School, which have six teachers in all. These schools are also likely to meet the same fate as Arya Putri Pathshalla as most of these teachers are going to retire next year. Official sources said only six teachers were imparting education to 662 students in these five aided schools. On an average, one teacher is catering to as many as 110 students in these schools against the prescribed ratio of 1:30 as per the Right to Education Act implemented by the government. Notably, 95 per cent of the total funds needed to run the aided schools
is given by the state government and five per cent is managed by the school management. Sources said the main reason for such a pitiable condition of these schools was the ban by the government on recruitment of teachers in 2003. Since then, teachers have been retiring and posts have been falling vacant. “The government should lift the ban on recruitment of teachers in aided schools and direct the managements to recruit teachers on the basis of the strength of students,” demanded Raj Kishore Kalra, patron, Shiksha Sudhar Committee. Ajay Thakral, spokesperson, Punjab Government Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union, Fazilka, too, made a similar demand and urged the government to resolve the matter expeditiously.
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Finally, Patiala MC gets land for waste disposal plant
Chandigarh, November 24 Of the total eight clusters, barring Pathankot, work has already been allotted for the Ferozepur, Jalandhar and Ludhiana clusters. Tenders have been floated for Amritsar and Mohali while the issue of treatment plant at Bathinda is under consideration of the National Green Tribunal because of certain objections raised. AK Kansal, nodal officer of the project implementation committee, said: “The area for the treatment plant at Dudhar village has been fenced. The National Green Tribunal will be informed about it. Instructions have been issued for floating tenders for the project.” The gram panchayat had resisted setting up of the treatment plant, saying it would pollute the environment. Reliable sources said the issue was sorted out recently with the government assuring jobs to the village youth and a “higher” lease amount for the land on which the plant was to come up. Priyank Bharti, Director, Local Government, said Jindal ITF Urban Infrastructure Limited had been allocated the work for the Ferozepur, Bathinda and Jalandhar clusters. The task for Ludhiana had been assigned to A-Z Company. Tenders for the Amritsar and Mohali had been floated. The issue of the ongoing land acquisition for a treatment plant for the Bathinda cluster was scheduled to come up before the National Green Tribunal on December 11, 2013. The selection of
site for the Pathankot plant, too, had almost been finalised. Safai karamcharis have been fiercely opposing solid waste management plants for fear of losing their jobs. The department will require to work out an action plan at the garbage collection level. Unless there is a system of door-to-door collection, the plant functioning will be affected. Then there is the likelihood of residents walking to common garbage disposal bins to throw waste. The department has decided to collect a garbage disposal fee
as a component of the electricity bills. Waste figures in state
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PPCB fails to crack whip on illegal hotels near Golden Temple
Patiala, November 24 The PPCB could have sealed these hotels for these violations for not taking its consent under the Air and Water Pollution Act. But instead, it has just issued notices while air and underground water pollution continues unabated. The hapless PPCB now has shifted the entire blame on the local Municipal Corporation claiming that “it can only issue notices which it has already done”. They say it is the duty of the local MC to seal buildings that are coming up. Sources said the PPCB had failed to take serious action against the hotels, given the proximity of their owners to ruling politicians. There is resentment against the hotels as these are continuously polluting the pristine environs of the Golden Temple. A former SGPC member said that due to the increasing pollution level, 'sewa' had to be performed regularly to clean the blackish-greenish deposit on the gold plating of the shrine. “Till a few years ago, there was no need to perform 'sewa' so regularly, but now if it doesn’t rain for sometime, blackish stains on the gold plating appear,” he stated. A PIL in this regard is pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. PPCB chairman Ravinder Singh said the PPCB had done its best by issuing notices and ensuring that all hotels had installed sewage treatment plants. “We cannot do any more. Notices have been sent for which a majority of the hotels have given their replies,” he stated.
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Heritage Village to open in Amritsar next year
Amritsar, November 24 To create the ambience of a traditional Punjab village and its old-world charm, Punjab Heritage and Promotion Board has created farmhouses and shops with artisans making bangles and traditional juttis. A block has been reserved for holding melas, once an integral part of country life. Tourists could also stay there. At least 20 rooms are being constructed for the purpose. In addition, there is a village school, dak ghar (post office), barat ghar (marriage hall), phulkari ghar and an administrative block. A haveli stands in the middle of the village, characterised by narrow winding brick-laned streets. At the tail-end of the village stands a Punjabi dhaba offering delicacies, including tandoori dishes. Though the government has announced to open
the village within two months, the landscaping is yet to be done. The entire path from the village entrance to the Punjabi dhaba at the tail-end is kutcha too. The government intends to operate the project
on the private-public partnership mode and has entrusted the task of finding a suitable operator to the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board.
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Ayurveda is about overall wellness, says Vice Chancellor
Hoshiarpur, November 24 He said Ayurveda practioners should adopt the medical system as propounded by Lord Dhanvantry and Acharya Charka by sticking to the principles in practice. He said if the “vaidyas” followed the real system of Ayurveda, they did not need to fear from the government. He said Ayurveda was not just about curing diseases but also overall wellness of an individual. Quoting “shlokas” from Sri Mad Bhagwat, Charak Samhita and Vedas, he talked about the duties of vaidyas and discussed their role in physical, social and spiritual well-being of society. Tikshan Sud, Advisor to Chief Minister, was the chief guest on the valedictory function. He released a souvenir published by the Vaidya Mandal. Addressing the function, he promised to raise the demand of Ayurveda practitioners to get them enlisted with the government and seek the help of the Health Minister in this regard. An exhibition of herbs was also organised on the occasion. District family welfare officer Dr Chuni Lal Kajal, Punjab Ayurveda Congress president Pramod Tiwari and Punjab Vaidya Mandal chairman HD harguna were also present on the occasion.
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Indian student’s short film makes it to Venice Film Festival
Chandigarh, November 24 “Kush” is based on the true account of a schoolteacher’s struggle to protect a Sikh student from a mob during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Bhutiani came across this story when he was in Grade XI. “I went to Woodstock school in Mussoorie, where our teacher saved a Sikh child from a mob... She told us the story, and I knew it should be a film,” he said.
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RinGside view
Owing to the Vidhan Sabha poll in Delhi, leaders have been missing from their offices in the Punjab Secretariat since the beginning of this month. Subsequently, the corridors of power wear a deserted look. Supporting office staff too is taking it easy.
It will be interesting to count the actual number of days the head of the state has spent in his office in the recent past. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, except for a couple of days has been tied up with a string of inaugurations, launching of schemes and attending bhogs. He did spend a considerable time meeting people in the waterlogged areas. But returning to office and ensuring that other work does not suffer too is important. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia are in Delhi in connection with the Delhi elections. They are unlikely to return before the poll on December 4. With ministers, MLAs and even Chief Parliamentary Secretaries accompanying the top leadership during the inauguration of various projects, often there is none to hear the grievances of the common people in the secretariat. The government seems to have spent a number of days on “non-serious activity”, including elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). The entire top brass had then left office to campaign for the gurdwara elections. It was the same story during the Moga byelection as also during the SAD ‘chintan shivar’ in Goa. Besides this, the top leadership has made several foreign trips along with a battery of officers. The issue becomes important in view of the Chief Minister announcing on more than two occasions that ministers would be available to listen to public complaints at least thrice a week. Senior officers say that “actual administration has came to a standstill”.
US Honour for
PU graduate
Kanwal Prakash Singh, a member of the Indianapolis Community in the US, has been awarded the Community Service Award by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Citizens Academy of Indianapolis. Kanwal Prakash Singh has received the award for supporting “historic preservation, cultural diversity and the importance of arts to life and human spirit”
A product of Panjab University and IIT, Kharagpur, he moved to the US in 1965. His book, "The Art & Spirit of KP Singh - Selected Drawings and Writings" has been well-received. Three of his paintings are installed in The Sikh Heritage Gallery at the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The awardee has been quoted as saying: “I am grateful and proud for the spirited engagement, growing community involvement of Sikh Americans, and all-important media services that is connecting the NRIs and the Sikh world globally”.
Women's effort gets
things moving
The Gurdaspur Municipal Committee is surely a lethargic body. Tax-paying residents were fuming last week when the MC failed to lift garbage at various sites in the city. The most littered among these are the open spaces in front of schools and colleges and byzantine bylanes. With residents’ pleas to the MC authorities falling on deaf ears, and the threat of an epidemic looming large, three gutsy women of the Inner Wheel Club (Chirag), its president Ranjeeta Sharma, Shardha Mahant and Upma Mahajan, decided to take things head on. They drafted a memorandum and took appointment with the Deputy Commissioner. The latter reacted with alacrity. The MC authorities were pulled up. The garbage heaps were removed and residents heaved a sigh of relief. However, a few days later, it was back to square one. And the enterprising club members realised that permanent problems required permanent solutions.
Repaying gratitude in a unique way
Former chairman of the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council Navtej Singh Toor’s joy knew no bounds after he helped locate Pakistan’s former acting president Wasim Sajjad’s ancestral house at Surajganj locality near Jyoti Chowk, Jalandhar. He was tipped off by an elderly Tribune reader. The house was located just a few hours before the dignitary’s visit to Jalandhar on October 28.
Toor says a leading Pakistani lawyer had helped him find his ancestral house in Sialkot about a decade ago. He had merely returned the favour. Toor was born in Sialkot on October 26, 1946. He was six months old when his family migrated to Jalandhar after Partition. When he first got a chance to visit Pakistan as a member of a delegation of Indian lawyers in 2004, then vice-president of the Punjab Bar Council, Lahore, Arif Chaudhary, helped him locate his ancestral house on Railway Road, Sialkot. Toor had earlier helped a Lahore-based advocate, Zair Burki, in locating his ancestral house at Basti Bawa Khel in 2004. Then too he was helped by a few elderly persons of that locality.
Searching roots
across border
The ancestral houses of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, late Pakistan president Zia-ul-Haq and renowned Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are also in Jalandhar. Jalandhar has 12 bastis (localities), including Basti Danishmandan, Basti Sheikh, Basti Guzan, Basti Bawa Khel, Basti Shah Kulli, Basti Mithu, Basti Nau, Basti Peer Dad, Basti Bhure Khan and Basti Pathanan. It was in these localities that a majority of Muslims resided before Partition. Imran Khan’s maternal grandfather Ahmad Hasan Khan’s house is located in Basti Nau. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was born at Aryan Mohalla, Jalandhar, on August 12, 1924. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's ancestral house is situated at Basti Sheikh. Spread over 15 kanals, Imran’s ancestral haveli is now with an NRI, Bimla Rani. She lives in England. A resident of the locality, Narinder Kumar Neti, says her late husband, Mohan Lal, had purchased the haveli at an auction for Rs 85,000 post-Partition. Interestingly the haveli housed an evening college till two years ago. The tenant vacated the premises on court directions after a case was filed by the owner. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born at Lyallpur, now Faisalabad, on October 21, 1948, to a family of qawwals whose lineage went back to one Haji Maroof, who came from Afghanistan and settled in Basti Sheikh, Jalandhar.
Was film title row
a drama?
The controversy surrounding Sunny Deol-starrer 'Singh Saab The Great' may have come to an end. But the manner in which it culminated left many baffled. The Akal Takht Jathedar claimed that they had given the movie the green signal after the filmmaker agreed to change its name to 'Singh Saab The Great'. He claimed to have reached this compromise on Friday morning. But the movie posters already put up in the city mentioned its name as 'Singh Saab The Great'. Interestingly, those protesting against the movie tore posters mentioning the movie's title as 'Singh Saab The Great', contending that the Akal Takht had objected to it. This has left people wondering whether the film's title was already 'Singh Saab The Great' or the filmmaker had changed it well before the Sikh clergy's meeting.
Cong leaders lend a helping hand
Many Congress leaders have moved to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to help their party colleagues in electioneering. Kewal Dhillon, Congress MLA from Barnala, has been in Madhya Pradesh for the past 10 days. While pre-poll surveys have predicted the return of the BJP Government in Madhya Pradesh, Dhillon is confident that the Congress will stage a comeback. "Come counting day and all surveys will be proved wrong," he claims. Kuljit Nagra, MLA from Fatehgarh Sahib, has been campaigning for Sheila Dikshit in Delhi. Former CM Capt Amarinder Singh is to leave for Rajasthan soon. —
Contributed by Sanjeev Singh Bariana, Perneet Singh, Ravi Dhalwal and
Dharmendra Joshi
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Gang of bike thieves busted
Hoshiarpur, November 24 They said Station House Officer, Tanda, had received information about the gang, following which a raid had been conducted. The accused have been identified as Harbhajan Singh, Narinder Pal, Surinder Singh and junk dealers Suresh Kumar, Sandeep Singh, Sanjay and Paramhans. The police said Harbhajan, Narinder and Surinder had confessed to have stolen 20 bikes, which were sold to the accused junk dealers for Rs 2,500 to 3,000. They said bikes, which were in a good condition, were sold further and those in bad condition were dismantled to sell their parts. The police said the gang had stolen motorcycles from Tanda, Hoshiarpur, Bullowal, Panchranga, Cholang and
Bhulath.
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Mansa, November 24
Patiala, November 24
Several senior Akali leaders, including former ministers and MPs, who were "feeling suffocated in the party due to autocratic ways of the Badals would soon join the Congress," claimed PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa while kicking off the third phase of his mass contact programme from Zira today.
Eminent academicians stressed the need for competent faculty to achieve high standards of education and inculcating moral values among students so that they become assets for the overall development of the country.
They were speaking during the 44th foundation day function of Guru Nanak Dev University here today.
Ending the controversy over allotment of land for disposal of waste in
Patiala, the gram panchayat of Dudhar village has handed over 20 acres of land to the Patiala Municipal Corporation.
Of the total eight clusters, barring Pathankot, work has already been allotted for the
Ferozepur, Jalandhar and Ludhiana clusters.
Tourists visiting the holy city will have another
destination in Heritage Village from next year. The village, being set up on
the precincts of Guru Nanak Dev University here, will offer them Punjabi delicacies.
To create the ambience of a traditional Punjab village and its old-world charm, Punjab Heritage and Promotion Board has created farmhouses and shops with artisans making bangles and traditional
juttis.
Residents of Bet area of Garhshankar are still awaiting the 66 KV power substation announced in 2000 by then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
