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Burdened by taxes, people take to streets
Centre gets 2 weeks to reply on plea against Prez
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Cong to oppose Modi’s rally: Bajwa
Modi’s rally now in Jagraon
Emotions run high as Sarabjit’s kin receive his belongings
Family members of Sarabjit Singh break down as they receive his belongings at the Wagah border on Thursday; and (below right) his widow Sukhpreet Kaur; and (left) sister Dalbir Kaur. Tribune photos: Vishal Kumar
Diversification results to be reviewed
Vandalising GAP ad hate crime: NAPA
Rights group to hold meet on Sikh genocide in Canada
Tension grips Ropar village after woman dies
Despite central grant, SC pupils await scholarship
Moga clash: Akali leader trying to broker peace
ludhiana abduction case
Baler machine to help check stubble burning
Police yet to take action against Akali miller for paddy pilferage
Special train cancelled, pilgrims unhappy
CCTV cameras have brought down crime rate: Police
3 siblings die in accident
Officials reluctant to furnish info on cancer cases: ICMR
HC rejects ex-judicial officer's plea against dismissal from service
Three held for murder
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Burdened by taxes, people take to streets
Chandigarh, November 28
With the protesters taking to the streets, the government has once again decided to reduce the property tax on industrial units and on rented commercial property. The property tax on commercial property is being reduced from the present 7.5 per cent to 3 per cent. The move will be okayed by the Cabinet soon, said Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi. This is being done because of massive protests by commercial property owners who claimed they were now subject to double taxation as they were already paying income tax on rental income. Sources said the government succumbed to the demands of urban voters by considerably reducing the slabs for property tax. As a result, property tax being charged now is half of the house tax that was charged in Punjab till December 2011. Only yesterday, the Punjab Government had announced creation of a separate slab for calculating property tax on industrial units, thereby excluding the existing industrial units from the present commercial and residential taxes. Under the new formula, only 1.5 per cent property tax would be charged on the prevailing commercial collector rate of 75 per cent from industrial plot owners. With this, the property tax on industrial plot holders has been reduced considerably — only 1.5 per cent would be charged against the earlier 3 per cent of the commercial rate of property. Though reluctant, people have started paying property tax. Officials said a large number of people had started depositing the tax to avail 10 per cent rebate if it is deposited before November 30. The government has already collected around Rs 80 crore, it has been learnt. The target is Rs 500 crore. The protests seem not as much because of high tax but because under the new property tax, even self-occupied houses and vacant plots are being taxed. “Since self-assessment of tax while depositing it has been made mandatory, a number of people who were earlier avoiding house tax payment will come under the scanner and will have to pay up. We are also getting a simultaneous survey of the entire urban property done to ensure no one escapes the tax net,” an official said. (Contributed by Ruchika M. Khanna in Chandigarh, Dharmendra Joshi in Jalandhar, GS Paul in Amritsar, Kuldip Bhatia in Ludhiana, Gagan K. Teja in Patiala, Ravi Dhaliwal in Pathankot and Praful Chandra Nagpal in Fazilka) Jalandhar erupts into series of protests The Jalandhar city has witnessed the maximum number of protests against property tax. The affected parties are now planning to resume their agitation to pressurise the government into further slashing the tax rates. They have been demanding that property tax on commercial buildings should be reduced from 7.5% to 2%. The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has already collected over Rs 7 crore from nearly 40,000 residents. In Amritsar, 3 lakh properties taxable In Amritsar, 3 lakh properties, including 50,000 commercial units, will come under the ambit of property tax. In the posh Ranjit Avenue, anyone owning a 1-kanal house (500 sq yards plot) will end up paying Rs 3,000 as annual property tax after 10 per cent depreciation. For self-occupied houses up to 50 sq yards, a consolidated Rs 50 per year is being charged and for houses between 50 and 100 sq yards, the annual consolidated tax rate is Rs 150. Till date, 30,000 units (22,000 residential and 8,000 commercial) have been covered and the tax deposits have touched Rs 5 crore. Ludhiana residents refuse to pay tax The civic body here is at the receiving end of the public ire over property tax on residential, commercial and industrial buildings in the city precincts. The rates vary from Rs 4,500 to Rs 12,000 per annum for a 500 sq yard house in posh and non-posh localities while for a house on 100 square yards, the rate will be Rs 900 to Rs 2,400. Of the estimated 3.8 lakh taxable properties, a little over 45,000 have agreed to pay the tax. Around Rs 16.5 crore, against the targeted Rs 150 crore, has been collected. Industrialists and traders say
are facing a liquidity crisis due to recession and multiple taxes. Patiala traders seek Haryana pattern Patiala traders claim the system of calculating tax on multi-storey buildings is "wrong" as an owner will be charged for all the storeys. They say Punjab should fix property tax on the Haryana pattern or it should be 25 % of the collector rate. There are about 1 lakh taxable properties in the city and only 15,000 have paid the tax (Rs 2.5 crore) so far. Pathankot residents unwilling to pay tax Residents here are not coming forward to pay the tax despite awareness camps in the past two weeks. The authorities have collected Rs 46.34 lakh and as the last date approaches in two days, the figure is expected to touch Rs 60 lakh. Fazilka civic body collects
Rs 5 lakh Municipal Council sources say only Rs 5.1 lakh has been deposited by owners of various properties so far. As many as 21,300 taxable units have been identified and the target is Rs 50 lakh.
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Centre gets 2 weeks to reply on plea against Prez
Chandigarh, November 28 As the matter came up for hearing, the counsel for the Union Government sought additional time to file its reply after seeking instructions in this regard. The case will now come up for further hearing on December 18. The petitioner too has been asked to address the court on the issue of maintainability of a petition demanding contempt proceedings against the Chancellor of Universities. The professor, Rajiv Kumar, has sought initiation of proceedings under the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act in a service matter against the Chancellor of Universities. He has requested the High Court to issue contempt notice to Mukherjee, in his capacity of Chancellor of Universities for not taking a decision on his appeal. The High Court, in January this year, had directed the appellate authority, Chancellor of Universities, to decide Kumar’s appeal in the service matter within three months. The petitioner alleged the same was not done by the Chancellor.
Case file *
The petitioner had sought contempt proceedings against President Pranab Mukherjee in his capacity as the Chancellor of Universities *
He has requested the High Court to issue contempt notice to Mukherjee for not deciding his appeal in service matter within the stipulated three months *
The case will now come up for further hearing on December 18
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Cong to oppose Modi’s rally: Bajwa
Bathinda, November 28 Addressing a protest rally in Bathinda against the imposition of property tax in the state today, he said: “The people of Punjab should not allow a politician like Modi to enter their state. We should not forget that Modi’s government has been giving a tough time to Sikh farmers settled in Gujarat.” He said he was shocked at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal bestowing the title of “sardar” on Modi. He warned that the PPCC would use all its might to stop Modi’s entry into the state. The PPCC chief said the Congress would field a strong candidate from Bathinda against sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the Lok Sabha elections. He demanded an impartial inquiry into the alleged involvement of SAD leaders in the international drug racket. He said since SAD leader Maninder Singh Bittu Aulakh was arrested in the case, a central agency like the CBI or the Narcotics Control Board should pursue the case.
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Modi’s rally now in Jagraon
Chandigarh, November 28 A party spokesman said the decision was taken at a meeting of SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal with BJP leaders, including Kamal Sharma and Tikshan Sud, held in New Delhi today. SAD secretary Daljit Singh Cheema said the rally would be held at the Sugar Mill Ground in Jagraon. The venue had been changed as more space was available in Jagraon, he said, adding that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and other leaders of NDA would also address the rally. Cheema said the meeting deliberated upon the arrangements for smooth conduct of the rally, movement of traffic and other arrangements.
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Sikhism becoming global religion: US don
New Delhi, November 28 Prof Juergensmeyer, who has studied Sikhism for the past four decades, is Director, Orfalea Centre for Global and International Studies, University of California, US, chose to speak on “Sikhism as a global religion”. He said some 35 years ago, Sikhism was a “forgotten religion mentioned in footnotes. In these 30 years, things have changed.” He said the challenges ahead was assimilation with the global order and participation in global society. There were more Sikhs than Jews in the world, Prof Juergensmeyer said. As of now, 30 per cent of Sikhs resided outside Punjab. “The religion now faces three immediate challenges; cultural adaptation in new lands, transformation, and participation in society globally”. The time had come when there would be a debate on what were the core values of the religion and what were the cultural values, the professor said as he cited an example. “In gurdwaras in the US, langar (community meal) is laid out on the table for people seated on chairs instead of sitting on the floor, as in India. It is for the community to decide if this is a cultural issue or a core value of the religion,” he said. He said it was essential to wear the five Ks all the times. “Is it a core value or a cultural value,” the US-based Sikh expert asked. He said he wanted to see Sikhs as a larger part of the global cultural tapestry as the religion that assimilated without diluting its own identity or compromising on the core values. Prof Juergensmeyer spoke at Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan. Among those present were Prof Jai Rup Singh, VC, Central University of Punjab, Dr JS Neki, Professor of Eminence, Punjabi University, Patiala, NS Sarna, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Kuldip Nayar, former Governor of Karnataka TN Chaturvedi and Dr Rupinder
Kaur.
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Emotions run high as Sarabjit’s kin receive his belongings
Attari, November 28 Emotions ran high at the Attari-Wagah joint check post as the Indian High Commission officials handed over Sarabjit’s possessions to his family. Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur, his widow Sukhpreet Kaur and daughters Swapandeep and Poonam were there to receive the belongings. Dalbir Kaur hit out at the Pakistan Government for failing to provide certain things, including her brother’s personal diary, a register and some family pictures. “Sarabjit would pen down his daily experiences in jail in a diary. He had written about incidents of ill-treatment and harassment. He also had a register that he had shown to us when we visited him in jail. The Pakistani Government has deliberately held these things back so that its misdeeds are not exposed,” she said. She said religious books read by Sarabjit, including Gutkas, Hanuman Chalisa and Shani Chalisa, a water cooler and pictures of the family agitating at Jantar Mantar were also missing. She urged the Indian Government to get Sarabjit’s diary back from Pakistan. The three packets received by Sarabjit's family contained his clothes, utensils, spectacles, shoes, bedding, an English dictionary, Urdu dictionary and the Quran. “We never thought we would see this day. Following an assurance from then Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, we were hopeful that Sarabjit would be freed,” said a sobbing Dalbir Kaur. Rajkumar Verka, Vice-Chairman of Scheduled Caste Commission, and Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat were also present. The residents of Sarabjit’s native Bhikhiwind village too had turned up in large numbers. Verka said he would urge the Union Government to initiate steps to get the diary and other articles. The belongings were taken to Bhikhiwind where the three boxes were opened in the presence of the police, the Tarn Taran district officials and the family members. The villagers thronged the family’s house for a glimpse of Sarabjit’s belongings. Dalbir Kaur said these would be kept in a museum that the family planned to raise in Sarabjit’s memory. The Pakistan Government had handed over Sarabjit’s belongings to Indian officials in Pakistan on Tuesday. Sarabjit’s sister had requested Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to bring back the same. Sarabjit had died in Lahore on May 2 after being brutally attacked by fellow inmates at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail on April 26. He had strayed into Pakistani territory in an inebriated condition in 1990 and was implicated in a serial bomb blast case. He was subsequently sentenced to death. *
Clothes, utensils, spectacles, shoes, beddings, an English dictionary, Urdu dictionary & the holy Quran *
The articles came in three packets * A diary in which Sarabjit used to pen down his daily experiences in jail *
Religious books, a register, some family pictures and a water cooler
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Diversification results to be reviewed
Chandigarh, November 28 The committee, to be headed by Farmers’ Commission Chairman Dr GS Kalkat, will have Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice Chancellor, PAU, and Dr VK Teneja, Vice Chancellor, GADVASU, as members. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had asked Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to release Rs 7,900 crore for the state's diversification programme. The state government had submitted an elaborate project report to the Union Agriculture Ministry seeking funds. In response, Ahluwalia has informed the state government that the Union Agriculture Ministry, which had released Rs 224.50 crore to the state last year, was of the view that the “future road map of diversification in Punjab will be considered after taking into account the outcome and experiences of the ongoing crop diversification in Punjab and other states”. The Planning Commission has said the programme may be considered for implementation through the National Food Security Mission, National Horticulture Mission or Rashtriya Kirshi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). “It is clear that the Centre is not prepared to follow the road map given to it by the state government. That is why it has insisted that an expert group should evaluate the ongoing programme,” said a senior officer. The state has done well on the basmati front. The area under basmati has gone up from 4.87 lakh hectares last year to 5.50 lakh hectares this year. Compared to last year’s figure of 14.05 lakh tonnes of basmati, already 15.44 lakh tonnes have arrived in the grain markets. Basmati fetched Rs 4,000 per quintal this year whereas last year the price did not go beyond Rs 2,800 per quintal. The state government had slashed 7 per cent market fee and rural development fund on basmati to encourage its purchase by private traders. Though cotton fetched up to Rs 5,200 per quintal, because of waterlogging, farmers suffered huge losses in the Muktsar belt. The area under maize has also gone up from 1.29 lakh hectares to 1.52 lakh hectares. Maize is being projected as alternative to paddy.
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Vandalising GAP ad hate crime: NAPA
New York, November 28 Calling it a hate crime, NAPA Executive Director Satnam Chahal said the perpetrators should be brought to book at the earliest. The Indian American community has been stunned by the racist graffiti on the GAP advertisement. The American multinational clothing and accessories retailer had launched a 'Make Love' drive, featuring several multi-cultural figures in GAP garments during the holiday season. One of the posters featured the turbanned Ahluwahlia, a model and filmmaker — with a caption that read "Make Love". An unidentified New York vandal crossed out "Make Love", and replaced it with "Make Bombs." GAP took immediate action to show its support for Ahluwalia by featuring him on its Facebook profile. —IANS
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Rights group to hold meet on Sikh genocide in Canada
Ontario, November 28 The information sent to the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) by SFJ stated the conference would be
held at Moonlight Convention Centre, 6,835 Professional Ct, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The conference would revise the Sikh genocide complaint to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Eyewitnesses and survivors of the
genocide will also share their experience at the conference. The guest speakers include Bibi Jagdish Kaur, survivor of the 1984 Sikh genocide. She had witnessed how Congress leader Sajjan Kumar orchestrated the attacks on Sikhs. She had lost her son, husband and other
family members in the genocide. Indira Prahst, Chair, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will also address the conference. He has travelled to Punjab, India and Pakistan to study the issues related to Sikhs. He has also interviewed several Sikh survivors of the genocide.
The conference *
The conference would revise the Sikh genocide complaint to the UN Human Rights Council
(UNHRC) * Eyewitnesses and survivors of the genocide will also share their experience at the
conference * The guest speakers include Bibi Jagdish Kaur, survivor of the 1984 Sikh genocide *
She had lost her son, husband and other family members in the genocide
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Tension grips Ropar village after woman dies
Ropar, November 28 On November 19 and 20, the Ropar Forest Department had recovered its 83 acres of land falling in Fatehpur and Bhangala villages on Ropar-Purkhali road. The local residents, including Sukhjinder Kaur had tried to resist the move, leading to an altercation between the locals and police. Yesterday afternoon, Sukjinder began vomiting and died subsequently at around 4 pm. Residents alleged Sukhjinder died due to the injuries she had sustained during the clash with the police on November 19. They decided not to cremate Sukhjinder Kaur’s body till a criminal case was registered against DFO Naresh Mahajan, Tehsildar Rupinder Pal Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurdev Singh, who were present in the village on November 19. Soon, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Gurtej Singh and Ropar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Pushpinder Kailey rushed to the spot and assured the protesters of an inquiry into the incident. They also announced a relief of Rs 3 lakh for the family and a job for one of the family members of the deceased. The ADC ordered status quo on the recovered forest land till the pending cases regarding the land were not disposed of in the SDM court. Thereafter, the agitating residents agreed to cremate the body.
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Despite central grant, SC pupils await scholarship
Chandigarh, November 28 The scholarship is given to students of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) pursuing medical and engineering courses and diplomas.The scheme was launched by the Centre in 1998. An official communication of the state government confirming the receipt of the central grant, does not make a mention of the state’s share of Rs 61 crore. The Centre, too, has not released Rs 146 crore of the total Rs 427 crore for the previous years. Official sources said the amount received from the Centre would be released in phases. The Secretary, Department of Welfare of SCs/OBCs, Anurag Aggarwal, said the Finance Department had sanctioned the scholarship bills.The department would clear all scholarships by mid-December, he said. “We are releasing an amount of Rs 281 crore, immediately and the state share of Rs 61 crore will be given, subsequently,” he said. But the president of the National Scheduled Castes Alliance (NSCA), Paramjit Singh Kainth, is not impressed. “What is the point in giving the scholarship money now when the academic session has almost ended,” he asked. Kainth said it was unfortunate that despite 34 elected SC members in the state assembly, SC students had not been getting the scholarship money on time.
Official Word *
Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said the Centre had released ~281 crore for SC students for
2013-14 * He said 2.64 lakh students would be given scholarship for 2012-13 from the sanctioned amount *
As many as 3.65 lakh students have registered themselves with the official portal *
3.11 lakh have applied for scholarship
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Moga clash: Akali leader trying to broker peace
Faridkot, November 28 The police and senior leaders of the area are trying to mollify the warring groups. Senior Akali leader Tota Singh, who was camping in Delhi for the past many days in the runup to the assembly elections there, rushed to Moga today. He met leaders of radical Sikh groups. He will also be meeting disgruntled dera premis to broker peace. The Faridkot police are also keeping a close watch on Sadhanwala village too that has seen clashes between dera followers and radical Sikh groups in the past. The village has a considerable number of dera followers. Jawinder Pal Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Faridkot, who led a police party to Sadhanwala village yesterday, said the police would not allow interference in religious affairs by any group. The ruling SAD’s stakes in the Malwa belt are high. With parliamentary poll round the corner, it can ill-afford to antagonise Dera premis in the area. At the same time, it also wants to keep radical Sikh groups in good humour. Tota Singh said he had met novelist Jaswant Singh Kanwal. “He is respected by all communities and can play a role in maintaining communal harmony”, he said. The Akali leader said the village residents wanted to sit together and find an amicable solution. Sources close to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said District Magistrate Arshdip Singh Thind would be asked to hold a probe into the incident. However, the latter said he had not yet received any such instructions.
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ludhiana abduction case
Chandigarh, November 28 Saini had filed an application before the Delhi Court on November 25 for exemption from appearance.Taking up the plea, Judge Mendiratta had issued a notice on the application to the CBI for today. As the case came up today, the Judge observed that an application for transfer of the case was pending before the Sessions Judge and was scheduled to come up on December 9. The Judge, as such, adjourned the hearing of the case to January 9 next year. The directions for withdrawing exemption on November 20 came on an application filed by complainant Ashish Kumar. Judge Mendiratta in his order had asserted: “It has been pointed out by complainant/witness Ashish Kumar that the defence has already taken over 27 dates for his cross-examination and there is a deliberate attempt to delay the trial…. “It is a matter of great concern as serious allegations of pressurising of witnesses have been made in the application. This court cannot be a mute spectator to the fact that cross-examination (of Ashish Kumar) has continued for a considerable time and is yet to be concluded on behalf of accused SS Saini…. “Considering the serious allegations made in the application, accused SS Saini is also directed to appear during cross-examination of witness and his exemption is withdrawn for the aforesaid dates till further orders”. In his application, Ashish Kumar had alleged that the accused were delaying the trial by adopting “one coercive method or the other” and till date the defence had already taken more than 27 dates, only for Saini. Seeking day-to-day proceedings in the case, the complainant said the accused had adopted a new method to harass him mentally.
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Baler machine to help check stubble burning
Nawanshahr, November 28 The district administration in collaboration with a cooperative society of Begumpur village has purchased a baler machine, which will help farmers make bales of the paddy/wheat stubble easily. These can be sold to bio-mass plants at a price of Rs 130-Rs 150 per quintal instead of being burnt. The machine bales 18 to 25 acres of paddy straw in a day. One acre contributes 25 to 30 quintals of straw. The administration has also chalked out a comprehensive plan to supply the paddy stubble to bio-mass plants and paper/cardboard industries. This will not only check environment pollution and threat to soil fertility but will also enable farmers to earn from paddy stubble. Mitra said the only way to end the practice of stubble burning was to use machines such as Happy Seeder, Zero Till Drill, Rotavator and balers. However, the heavy cost of these machines was a major hindrance for farmers in adopting the method, she said. “To overcome the problem, it was decided to purchase the machine with cooperative societies by giving them a 50-per cent subsidy,” she added. Mitra said efforts were on to arrange sufficient number of such machines as per the requirement of the district for other cooperative societies or groups of at least ten progressive farmers. She assured that farmers would be given requisite help in getting subsidy by forming groups. She said it would be the responsibility of district agricultural department and cooperative societies to chop the straw/stubble as well as transportation of the bales to bio-mass plants
or industries. The district administration, with a view to mobilising progressive farmers to adopt baler machines, recently organised a field demonstration at Krishi Vighyan Kendra in
Langroya. The project *
The machine will help farmers make bales of paddy/wheat stubble, which can be sold to a bio-mass plant at a price of
~130-Rs 150 per quintal * The machine bales 18 to 25 acres of paddy straw in a day. One acre contributes 25 to 30 quintals of straw *
The Nawanshahr administration has also chalked out a plan to supply the bales to bio-mass plants and paper industries
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Police yet to take action against Akali miller for paddy pilferage
Faridkot, November 28 While the Punsup has sent many reminders to the Faridkot police since September 9, when the complaint was lodged, the police are reportedly waiting for an approval from the higher ups before registering an FIR against the Akali leader. Interestingly, in some other cases, food procurement agencies in Faridkot faced no difficulty in
getting criminal cases registered against the accused in pilferage cases in the past one month
as the accused were not “politically connected” persons. Disappointed with the police, the Punsup is pursuing legal cases in the local court against the Akali leader for the
recovery of misappropriated paddy. Punsup district manager Sandeep Bansal alleged the food grain agency had stored 1.11 lakh paddy bags in the rice mill of the Akali leader in October 2011 for milling and shelling. However, the rice miller did not deliver back 27,000 quintal of paddy after milling. Sources said days before the police complaint was filed, Punsup under “political pressure” had agreed to take no legal action if the accused paid Rs 6.27 crore in lieu of the embezzled paddy. The accused, too, “agreed to pay the amount in four installments”. However, Punsup felt cheated when the cheques of the first installment bounced due to insufficient money in the account. Thereafter, Punsup filed a complaint in the local court against the Akali leader for bouncing of
the cheques. The police in Faridkot claimed its economic offence wing was still probing the allegations against the Akali leader. The Punsup had
moved an application in the court of the additional district and sessions judge of Faridkot a month back to pledge all properties of the accused for recovery of the money. However, while pursuing these court cases, Punsup is facing yet another
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Special train cancelled, pilgrims unhappy
Fazilka, November 28 Railway officials said the train had been running with more than 60 per cent occupancy in the area. Many residents of this area took the train to Jammu to visit the Vaishnu Devi temple to pay obeisance. SPS Bhatia, Assistant Operating Manager, Ferozepur Division, said
there was no proposal of extending the train. “The department has cancelled almost all special trains running during holidays and there is so far no
proposal to extend them too,” he said. Northern Railway Passengers Samiti members led by their president Amar Lal Baghla had in fact met the General Manager, Northern Railways, during his visit to the Ferozepur Railway Divisional Office on November 22 to urge him to extend the train service to thrice a week.
The members have flayed the decision of the department.
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CCTV cameras have brought down crime rate: Police
Sangrur, November 28 A total of 89 cameras were installed by the district police under a police-public partnership project in Sangrur, Sunam and Sherpur to beef up surveillance. In Sangrur city, as many as 29 CCTV cameras at eight sensitive locations, including chowks, have been installed under the project. In Sunam, 28 cameras at eight locations and in Sherpur (Dhuri) 32 cameras on all major roads and chowks have been installed. The project was initiated by Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu keeping in view the utility of CCTV cameras in checking visible crimes, including snatching, eve-teasing, traffic violations and thefts. For the purpose, he talked to leaders of various organisations and individuals for raising the funds. Sangrur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gurpreet Singh Dhindsa said after the installation of CCTV cameras in eight areas of the city, no complaint regarding snatching, eve-teasing or theft had been received by the police so far. He said Rs 14 lakh had already been spent on the project. He said CCTV cameras would now be installed at the railway chowk, municipal committee chowk and Nabha Gate in the city soon. Dhuri DSP Krishan Kumar Panthey said the police had also not received any report of theft, snatching or eve-teasing after installation of the cameras in Sherpur as they had displayed boards at various places mentioning “You are under scanner of CCTV camera”. He said the cameras had a storage capacity of recording for seven days. He said in the next fortnight, CCTV cameras would also be installed in Dhuri. Sunam DSP Sukhdev Singh Virk said the crime rate had reduced in Sunam as criminals were fearful of being captured by CCTV cameras while committing a crime.
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3 siblings die in accident
Abohar, November 28 The deceased are Paramjit Singh, his brother Jagjit Singh Laati and their sister Sonia. Three other persons, including the deceased’s mother Beant Kaur, Paramjit’s wife Rajwinder Kaur and Sonia’s eight-year-old son Amritpal, sustained injuries. Belonging to Dhinkla village near Majitha (Amritsar), the victims were on their way to attend a condolence meeting in Srivijaynagar. — OC
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Officials reluctant to furnish info on cancer cases: ICMR
Patiala, November 28 However, Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary of Health Department and Medical Education and Research Department, Punjab, assured full cooperation to ICMR at the formal inauguration of the 29th National Annual Review Meeting of NCRP. ICMR representatives complained that the insufficient data provided by the Health Department officials was making it difficult for them to compile the information. Dr A Nandakumar, NCDIR Director-in-charge, also expressed resentment that only the Patiala Civil Surgeon had attended the review meeting while all the civil surgeons of the state had been requested to do so. Mahjan said ever since the Punjab Government had made cancer a notifiable disease, government institutes were keeping an updated record of the disease. She said the department would ensure that private hospitals too extend their cooperation. Dr KK Talwar, advisor, Medical Education and Research Department, was the chief guest on this occasion. Dr Nitin Gangane from Wardha and Dr MS Ali from Assam threw light on the types of cancer prevalent in the country. Meanwhile, Dr Talwar and Vini Mahajan held an interactive session with the faculty members and students of Government Medical College, Patiala, and invited suggestions for further raising the quality of education at the college. Dr Talwar said it was important for students to do research. He said the government would arrange short-term courses for these students at PGI, Chandigarh, to apprise them of the latest advancements in various fields. The staff members and students from various departments also raised concerns over the shortage of latest equipment in the departments.
The grievances * ICMR experts said the insufficient data provided by the state Health Department officials was making it difficult for them to compile information *
Only the Patiala Civil Surgeon attended the review meet of NCRP while all the civil surgeons of the state were requested to do so
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HC rejects ex-judicial officer's plea against dismissal from service
Chandigarh, November 28 Dhaliwal had challenged the order dated February 5, 2008, whereby a penalty of dismissal from service was imposed. He had joined as Civil Judge (Junior Division) in February 1996, but his services were placed under suspension in September 2003 in contemplation of disciplinary proceedings. A chargesheet was issued to him in March 2004. The article of charges contained in the chargesheet alleged that on the last day of August, 2003, at about 9 pm, he in a drunken state had knocked at the door of a woman Civil Judge (Junior Division) at Rajpura. It was also alleged that he had visited a hotel in Rajpura in a drunken condition and had demanded liquor and chicken from the manager and created a scene there. The inquiry officer concluded that the department had however succeeded in proving the second charge. “My conclusion in this regard is again supported by the confession made by the delinquent officer before Justice JS Khehar,”he said. Dismissing the plea, Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Fateh Deep Singh asserted: “The confession is communicated to the Chief Justice by an Administrative Judge of the Sessions Division, in which the petitioner was posted. The petitioner has not denied that in fact he was called by the Administrative Judge…. Such a confession cannot be permitted to be disputed by the petitioner.” “If the confession was not correctly recorded, the petitioner should have pointed it out to the Administrative Judge. He never did so.”
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Three held for murder
Phagwara, November 28 Phillaur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sarabjit Rai said Gurjant had taken an amount of Rs 1 lakh from his employer, but had kept the money with a friend running a shop in Phillaur. The accused, who were working as labourers with Gurjant’s friend, had an eye on this amount and hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him to get hold of the money. The DSP said the accused, who were arrested within 24 hours of the murder, had confessed to their crime. He said Gurjant was murdered with sharp-edged weapons and his body was found lying in a pool of blood. It was first noticed by a farmer, Manpreet Singh, when he went to give
him his morning tea. He immediately informed the police. The DSP said during the investigation, Akhlaj admitted to committing the crime and disclosed the names of his accomplices Namaj and Shadhat. A case has been registered under various sections of the
IPC.
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More than six months after the brutal killing of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan’s Kot Lakhpat Jail, his family members finally received his belongings today.
Emotions ran high at the Attari-Wagah joint check post as the Indian High Commission officials handed over Sarabjit’s possessions to his family. Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir
Kaur, his widow Sukhpreet Kaur and daughters Swapandeep and Poonam were there to receive the belongings.
Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner Anindita Mitra has taken an innovative initiative to curb the menace of stubble burning by providing farmers an alternative rather than merely taking punitive action against farmers defying the ban on the practice.
The district administration in collaboration with a cooperative society of Begumpur village has purchased a baler machine, which will help farmers make bales of the paddy/wheat stubble easily.
The representatives of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today expressed concern over the unwillingness of the Punjab Health Department officials in providing adequate data on cancer patients to the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research
(NCDIR), Bangalore. The ICMR is collecting data for the project, ‘An Atlas of Cancer in Punjab’, under the National Cancer Registry Programme
(NCRP).
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