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1984 anti-Sikh riots issue
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State of Industry Ludhiana-II
Students prepare mobile app for paper-free campus
The Kashmiri students in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo
Shining Golden Temple interiors soon
Retired IAS officer to join AAP
Nurmahal dera prepares to handle rush of visitors
Land cleared for parking a large number of vehicles at the Nurmahal dera on Friday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Cong relay fast fizzles out
State free to lease panchayat land to pvt parties
Badal: Bill to check food adulteration on anvil
4 business groups surrender Rs 5.75 cr to I-T Dept in raids
SAD youths accused of misbehaving with
woman
Rajpura thermal plant begins commercial operations
CM to lay stone of war memorial on February 12
Sewage treatment plant in Abohar by April
Make women aware of govt schemes: Minister
AIDS control society workers on strike Govt sends two names for CEO’s post
No relief for Moga MLA
in illegal colony case
HC quashes selection of PROs
Teacher crushed to death in Sangrur Opium, poppy husk seized; 2 held Transport union chief arrested
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1984
anti-Sikh riots issue
Chandigarh, January 31 The demonstrators demanded that the guilty be expelled from the Congress. The YAD leaders also asked Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa to clarify his stand on the confessional statement of Rahul Gandhi and tell the people of the state whether he would side with the murderers or demand exemplary punishment for them. In Amritsar, scores of Akali workers held a demonstration outside the District Court Complex here. Addressing the agitators, former MP Rajmohinder Singh Majitha, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Inderbir Singh Bolaria and Amarpal Singh Boni, MLAs Baljit Singh Jalal Usma and Manjit Singh Manna along with other leaders said that Rahul had let the cat out of the bag. The leaders said that during the 1984 riots, the police did not even fire a single bullet to stop the carnage. Also the fact that the guilty had not been arrested for the last 30 years proved that all this had been a part of the Congress strategy, they charged. In Patiala, YAD workers and members of various Sikh organisations burnt the effigy of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. They demanded an immediate dismissal of the Congress-led UPA Government. Among others present at the site were Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, Ghanour MLA Harpreet Kaur Mukhmailpur and YAD general secretary Harpal Juneja. In Nawanshahr, YAD activists, led by district president Budh Singh Balakipur and district YAD co-ordinator Tanvir Singh Dhaliwal, protested against the Congress. In Sangrur, a large number of YAD workers, led by district president Satgur Singh Namol, held a rally outside the district administrative complex here. In Moga, senior YAD vice president Barjinder Singh Brar led hundreds of workers in the protest against the Congress. In Ropar, YAD workers’ protest was led by local MLA Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema. They burnt Rahul’s effigy near the mini
secretariat.
Their demands
Fissures to the fore Fatehgarh Sahib: Two warring factions of Youth Akali Dal (YAD) held separate dharnas and burnt the effigy of Rahul Gandhi separately here today. One group was led by Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra, national secretary of YAD, and the other by Ajay Libra, YAD district president. The Chandumajra group protested outside the Deputy Commissioner's Office while Libra held the protest at his petrol pump on GT Road in Sirhind. The police had made elaborate security arrangements as the two groups had clashed at a dharna a few days ago.
— OC
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Will intensify stir if culprits not named: SAD
He said this in reference to a recent TV interview in which Rahul Gandhi admitted that some Congressmen were probably involved in the riots. Manjit Singh GK, who is also the president of SAD Delhi unit, said if the Congress had some compassion for the minority community, it should name those Congressmen, who were involved in the riots. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, general secretary of DSGMC, said the Ved Marwaha
Commission was told to stop the probe when it was about to highlight the role of top Delhi policemen. The panel was constituted to investigate the riots. “This clearly shows the Congress had planned the riots,” he added.
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State of Industry Ludhiana-II
Ludhiana, January 31 Blaming the Punjab Government’s “anti-industry” policies for the “crisis”, they allege things started getting bad after the government introduced massive hikes in power tariff as well as taxes. Two years ago, 4 per cent VAT (Value Added Tax) was charged on yarn and finished garments, which has now been raised to 6.05 per cent. “The knitwear industry is declining rapidly due to the government’s anti-industry policies.
Costly, erratic power supply The power is not only costly but the supply gets erratic during the summers, says a unit owner. This, he says, belies the government’s claim of Punjab heading towards being a power-surplus state. While neighbouring Haryana has decided against any fresh hike in the power tariff, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has, in its Annual Review Report submitted to the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission, suggested a 12 to 13 per cent hike. “The frequent power tariff hikes have also led to the industry’s downfall. The rates are raised arbitrarily and several units, particularly the smaller ones, fail to bear the brunt. The unscheduled cuts too play spoilsport. To tackle long power cuts, we are forced to work on generators and shell out huge money,” maintains Badish Jindal, national president of the Federation of Association of Small Industries of India.
Industry shifting to HP Feeling dejected, the industry has been shifting its base to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, which provides relatively cheaper power and also offers tax concessions (due to the prevailing tax holiday in the hill state).
Need for exhibition centre Lack of a common exhibition centre in the city has been giving a tough time to the local industry, especially the knitwear and hosiery units. A buyer-seller meet is held every year by a city-based knitwear and hosiery association but due to lack of a common exhibition centre, the stalls are scattered in various resorts and hotels located along the Ferozepur Road. Sudershan Jain, president of Knitwear and Apparel Manufacturers Association of Ludhiana, says, “The buyer-seller meet can attract more customers if it is held at a single venue. We want to make it an international event, which cannot be possible without a large-capacity exhibition hall.” Madan Mohan Mittal, Punjab Minister for Industry and Commerce, says, “I am aware of the demand (of an exhibition centre for Ludhiana). A site will be finalised soon.” (To be continued)
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Students prepare mobile app for paper-free campus
Patiala, January 31 The application can be downloaded from Google playstore and can be installed in an android mobile phone.
Anshu Kataria, chairman, Aryans Group, said the students had done an excellent job. He said the college had sanctioned Rs 1 lakh to them for other such projects. Besides, next semester books would also be given to the girls free of cost, he added. The students said the application named Aryans had two separate logins, one each for students and staff while the outsiders could simply view details of the college without a login. Notices intended for the students would be uploaded in student login while official communication in staff login, they said. The girls said their teachers encouraged them to achieve big in life. “We do not feel that we have come from a different culture. We feel like home on our college campus,” they added.
How the app works
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Shining Golden Temple interiors soon
Amritsar, January 31 After visiting the holy shrine, one can make out the difference with the help of a patch that has been left untouched by the team probably to show the results of the exercise. Apart from cleaning the roof, the experts are working on restoring the wall paintings with the help of stone colours, which are compatible to the existing ones. The restoration work was preceded by compilation of a detailed damage assessment report in which the entire wall paintings were documented. As the preservation of wall paintings involves intricate work, it will take another few months before it could be finally completed. Conservation expert SP Singh, who is associated with the project, said they were carrying out the restoration work while ensuring that the originality and the aesthetics remained intact. He said they were currently working on the wall paintings while the detailed project report (DPR) for the preservation of gold work was underway. The SGPC has already clarified that there will be no tampering with the ancient artwork and all efforts will be made to preserve its originality. Significantly, this is the first time ever that the restoration work on the interiors of the shrine is being done. The gold-plating and the artwork dates back to Maharaja Ranjit Singh era. The interiors of Sri Harmandar Sahib boast of rare architecture comprising ‘mohrakashi’, ‘tukri’ and ‘gach’ work. The gold-plating has turned black probably due to rising pollution while at a few places, it has lost grip with the walls.
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Retired IAS officer to join AAP
Chandigarh, January 31 Sidhu played a crucial role in computerising revenue records in the districts where he was Deputy Commissioner. When contacted, Sidhu said he had decided to join politics because there was a need to cleanse the system. “I would like to work as a political missionary and to contribute my bit to educating the electorate so that honest people are elected to Parliament and the Vidhan Sabha," he said. Despite enthusiasm among certain sections, especially ex-servicemen, professionals, the youth and intellectuals, about AAP's new brand of politics, a leadership vacuum at the top has impeded the party’s growth in the state. The party has no organised structure in Punjab. Some NGOs, RTI activists and intellectuals have been working for AAP on their own. The AAP leadership has been negotiating with various state leaders to hand them over the party command. Reports suggest that AAP at one point of time was in touch with People's Party of Punjab (PPP) leaders Manpreet Singh and Bhagwant Mann. Sources say the party has also gathered information on at least two Congress leaders who have been vocal against SAD's top leadership. HS Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, who came to the limelight for fighting the cases of 1984 riot victims, may emerge as the party's face in the state. He is likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Ludhiana. The AAP high command will have to address the leadership issue first, lest the enthusiasm of its potential supporters in the state wears off.
Party yet to find feet
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Nurmahal dera prepares to handle rush of visitors
Nurmahal, January 31 Police personnel on guard at the dera are not allowing the entry of outsiders into the inner closure of the premises. A fire tender and a police camera van have also been deployed. Jaspreet Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar (rural), and several administrative officials visited the dera today. Addressing mediapersons, Swami Vishalanand, chief spokesperson of the dera, said: "Ashutosh Maharaj is in samadhi and will return to normal life as and when he desires so." He claimed that even 60 hours after the godman went into samadhi, his health was stable. "Had the Maharaj been dead, his body would have started decaying, but there is no such sign." He expressed his ignorance over the construction of a helipad near the dera. When asked why a portable mortuary (freezer) was called from Bhootnath Temple, he said: "On the day the Maharaj took samadhi, a local man
got panicky and brought a portable mortuary to the dera without our knowledge. We will shift
it today." Sources said given the tight security, it was impossible that a portable mortuary was allowed inside the premises without the knowledge of dera officials.
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Cong relay fast fizzles out
Chandigarh, January 31 Partap Bajwa, PPCC chief, said the party would start district-level dharnas from February 3. The first such protest would be held in Ropar and the last in Barnala on February 28. A party office-bearer said, “The relay fast fell victim to poor planning. Initially planned as a sustained hunger strike, the protest soon turned into a token exercise from 10 am to 5 pm daily. Else for presence in the media, the exercise did not mean anything.” Sources said the “formality” of a relay fast in the state capital meant a costly affair for the protesters arriving from various parts of Punjab. But. a section of the party leadership refused to accept that the protest had fizzled out: “Only the protest mode has been changed.” But, insiders feel a prolonged agitation without any pre-planning would not serve any purpose. “We got to know from newspapers that the fresh agitation starts from Ropar. The fact that it will end on February 28 means it too will be a token exercise,” said a party office-bearer from Jalandhar. Pankaj Khanna, PPCC spokesman, said, “The party did not want to inconvenience the public. We will keep organising our programmes at the district level till the government hears us or till we are forced to change out strategy.”
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State free to lease panchayat land to pvt parties
Chandigarh, January 31 Punjab is now free to lease out panchayat land to private entities for industrial, educational, commercial and professional purposes. This means the state's solar power projects on panchayat land can now take off. Under the new policy, village common land (shamlat) can now be leased for industrial, educational or commercial purposes for a maximum 33 years. The policy was approved by the state Cabinet in October last year. The policy states that panchayats can lease 50 per cent of the cultivable area of the common land to those who have had their projects approved. Sources said the panchayat land can now be leased to a corporation/company or any other legal entity whose projects are sponsored by the administrative department. The land will be leased through an open auction by the panchayat concerned. A committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner will determine the reserve price for the lease, depending on the nature of the land, its market price and its distance from highways and urban areas. The lease money will be raised by 10 per cent each year if the land is leased to a government department, board or corporation for projects of public interest.
New policy was approved in October last year
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Badal: Bill to check food adulteration on anvil
"We are committed to check the menace of adulteration. The Bill for making strict provisions to deal with food adulteration will be presented in the coming assembly session," Badal said while replying to a query on recent directions of the Supreme Court regarding milk adulteration. Badal, who held a Sangat Darshan here today, termed the Centre's decision to enhance the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 a "political stunt". Earlier, Badal inaugurated a newly constructed office of the local municipal council and sewage treatment and water works plants. He also laid the foundation stone of a district jail. The Chief Minister welcomed the Supreme Court stay on Devinder Pal Bhullar's execution. On Uttarakhand, he claimed there was a Modi wave in the country and a panicky Congress had changed its Chief Minister in the hope of getting votes.
Anti-drug helpline Badal said the state government would soon launch a toll free number to keep tabs on drug peddling in the state. He said anyone could give information about drug peddling in their area on this helpline. He directed Ashok Bath, Senior Superintendent of Police, to install boards displaying information about this helpline U-turn on SIT probe We are not against the SIT to probe the killings of Sikhs in 1984. But, any further inquiry will delay justice for another couple of years~ Parkash Singh Badal, chief minister
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4 business groups surrender Rs 5.75 cr to I-T Dept in raids
Jalandhar, January 31 Income tax sleuths, led by Income Tax Commissioner (Jalandhar-I) Rakesh Suri, conducted the raids. The places were Johal Hospital in Rama Mandi, Leo Vinyals on the Kapurthala road, MK Fabrics in Basti Adda and Raxin House on the GT Road. The raids brought to the fore several discrepancies in the books and accounts of these units. “This additional income was not reflecting in their books. We compared stocks, cash and books of these business houses and the hospital and we found that there were some mismatches. Now, the owners will have to pay a penalty at the rate of 33 per cent on the detected additional income, which comes to around Rs 1.78 crore,” said Suri while talking to The Tribune. “To avoid strict actions such surveys or raids, businessmen should show the actual income in books and pay due tax in the shape of advance tax or self-assessment tax at an appropriate time. We can safely say that the surrendered additional income could be potential income tax evasion,” he added. In the soup
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SAD youths accused of misbehaving with
woman
Muktsar, January 31 "The boys, apparently under the influence of liquor, first misbehaved with the employee over the restaurant's landline phone and later entered the building and again passed derogatory remarks. I immediately called the Deputy Superintendent of Police but these boys misbehaved with him over the phone and ran away after threatening the girl," he said while addressing a press conference. He also showed CCTV footage of the incident. Investigating officer ASI Surinder Singh said, "I have been transferred today to another police station. But, the matter is being investigated."
— TNS
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Rajpura thermal plant begins commercial operations
Patiala, January 31 The CMD said the plant was being set up with latest super critical technology. The plant was tested at full load of 700 MW for 72 hours without any interruption and thereafter it underwent two sets of ramp up and ramp down tests before being granted commercial operation status. These tests were monitored round-the-clock by a team of experts from
PSPCL, Lahmeyer International India Pvt Ltd and L&T Power Ltd. The foundation stone of this green field project was laid by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on March 3, 2010.
Power boost
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CM to lay stone of war memorial on February 12
Amritsar, January 31 He said the blueprint of the war memorial was ready and the tenders for its construction had been floated. Spread over an area of seven acres, the memorial would showcase the history of wars fought during the times of Guru Hargobind Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh, and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, besides the freedom struggle, the 1971 war and the Kargil War, he said. Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said various committees headed by senior officials had been set up to look after the arrangements for the programme.
— TNS
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Sewage treatment plant in Abohar by April
Abohar, January 31 Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Sub-Divisional Engineer Hakam Singh told him that Hakam said the plant, one of the most modern units in the recent times, was being developed at a cost of Rs 20 crore and would be able to process 25 million litres of water every day. He said the main disposal works had been linked by huge pipes to the Sayeedwala drain. Chambers have been provided on the 10-km-long pipeline to enable farmers to use treated water for agricultural activities during the closure of the canal system. This might give a boost to agricultural activities, officials said.
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Make women aware of govt schemes: Minister
Mohali, January 31 Tirath, who laid the foundation stone of a regional centre of the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), New Delhi, said women continued to lead a life of subjugation, drudgery and maltreatment at home and the workplace. The minister said an overwhelming number of women were unaware of government schemes and programmes that could help raise their status. The minister said NIPCCD activities were targeted at enhancing the knowledge and skills of trainers and field functionaries dealing with women at the grassroots level. Surjit Kumar Jyani, Punjab Minister for Social Security, lauded the efforts of the Central Government for the welfare of women and children.
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No relief for Moga MLA
in illegal colony case
Moga, January 31 Earlier, Additional Chief Administrator of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) had sought the suspension of legal proceedings against Jain and his family. He pleaded that the state government had granted general amnesty to all colonisers under its policy for regularisation of illegal colonies. The court dismissed this plea on the ground that the witnesses of GLADA had already given their statements in the court and that the trial was going in the right direction on merit. Last month, the court had declared MLAs elder son Puneet Jain a proclaimed offender (PO) after he failed to appear for court hearings. It is learnt that the Moga police have not yet issued a lookout notice against Canada-based
Puneet.
Case history
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Four Kashmiri girls studying in the Aryans College of Engineering, Chandigarh, have developed a mobile phone application to make their campus paper-free.
The girls, Rumaisa, Zeenat, Sadiya and Yusra, all B.Tech students, under the guidance of Manpreet Mann, HoD (projects), have developed the application to circulate important information among students and staff.
The restoration work on the interiors of the sanctum sanctorum at the Golden Temple has gained momentum and has also started showing some positive outcome. At present, the focus is on preserving the wall paintings on the first floor of the sanctum sanctorum and a team of seven experts is on the job. They have cleaned up a part of the roof in a scientific manner, thus restoring its sheen.
After visiting the holy shrine, one can make out the difference with the help of a patch that has been left untouched by the team probably to show the results of the exercise.
Apart from cleaning the roof, the experts are working on restoring the wall paintings with the help of stone
colours, which are compatible to the existing ones.
Two days after doctors declared Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan head Ashutosh Maharaj clinically dead, dera representatives continued to maintain that the godman was in a state of deep meditation
(samadhi). However, preparations are afoot to handle a huge rush of visitors to the dera in the coming days. A helipad is coming up at Litran village, 7 km from the
dera.
The first unit of Rajpura Thermal Plant, coming up at Nalash village, started commercial operations today. KD
Chaudhri, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited
(PSPCL), said in the first phase, two units of 700 MW each were being set up. He said with addition of 700 MW today and another 700 MW in the coming days, power cuts would be a thing of past.
The CMD said the plant was being set up with latest super critical technology. The plant was tested at full load of 700 MW for 72 hours without any interruption and thereafter it underwent two sets of ramp up and ramp down tests before being granted commercial operation status.
New Delhi, January 31
Inflation is another problem, which has reduced the purchasing capacity of the people,” says Randeep Jain, a manufacturer from Bahadur-ke-road.
“We have received a proposal from the Himachal Government, which will be providing us round-the-clock power at Rs 4.05 a unit. We are also being offered 1 per cent relief on Central Sales Tax and the facility of single window clearance for new projects. Besides, we are being offered 75 per cent subsidy on transportation of raw material,” says Vinod Thapar, Knitwear Club chairman.
Muktsar, January 31