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Badals open 26 projects in 13 days
Badal Govt dragging feet on e-pensions
80 booked for Moga clash
Akali leaders take on Capt
Revolt against Nabha halqa in charge
Ashutosh’s family to seek Nitish's help
punjab progressive agriculture summit — analysis
Maize dryer to help farmers get remunerative prices
NIT teachers threaten to step up stir
Meter installed at VIP helipad
Blueprint of PGI’s satellite
centre at Sangrur okayed
Pak friend helps Amritsar man connect to his royal lineage
Adarsh school recovers salaries ‘inadvertently’ paid to teachers
Vedanti hits out at critics of original Nanakshahi calendar
One PCS officer on four posts
Lecturers warn to boycott exam duty
Abohar’s kinnow to compete with Pak’s
UK Sikh hits Rs 2.5 cr jackpot
Vacate property or face contempt proceedings, HC tells state
Five held for illegal mining
2 killed, 15 hurt as mini bus hits SUV
Two nabbed for burglary
Constable on the run in theft case
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Border farmers seek relief, employment for youth
Amritsar, February 13 Addressing the protesters, committee’s state head AS Sandhu and general secretary Rattan Singh Randhawa said it was becoming increasingly difficult for the border farmers to cultivate their land across the fence as they could neither sow the crop of their choice nor have the liberty to plow it as per their wish due to time restrictions. They alleged that the successive governments had turned a blind eye towards their plight. “There is hardly any infrastructure in crucial sectors like transportation, health care, and education while the youth are in the grip of drug addiction.” They alleged drug trade was flourishing in the border belt under political patronage. The farmer leaders demanded that a panel should be constituted to create infrastructure in the border belt. They also sought a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers having their land across the fence. They said the farmers who had been cultivating land allotted to them by the state government decades ago should be given its ownership while the youth should be provided with employment opportunities. The government should set up agriculture-based industry in the border belt to open up employment avenues for the youth. Addressing the convention, experts from Guru Nanak Dev University said the literacy rate in the border areas of the district was low as compared to the other parts. They suggested that a social capital fund should be set up so as to provide all amenities to the border area residents.
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Didn’t meet Rao to request Army op: CM
Sangrur, February 13 Badal said Amarinder lying to the people as he had never met Narasimha Rao or any other Congress leader in this regard. He said he would not reply to Amarinder's open letter as levelling of false allegations on him was an old habit with Capt Amarinder Singh. Badal also said that the then president of the Shiromani Akali Dal Sant Harchand Singh Longowal had not written any letter to the personal secretary of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi regarding military action on Harmandir Sahib, as alleged by Amarinder Singh. Badal was here today to mobilise SAD-BJP workers for a rally that will be addressed by NDA's PM candidate Narendra Modi at Jagraon on February 23. Badal asked why Amarinder Singh had not levelled these allegations on him when he was Chief Minister and state Congress president. He then reasoned that as Lok Sabha elections were drawing near, Amarinder had started levelling allegations to regain captaincy in the party. Badal said it was a matter of sorrow that Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister and president of that party that had attacked Harmandir Sahib and massacred Sikhs in 1984. On the AAP in Punjab, Badal evaded a direct reply and said the choice of PM -- Modi or Rahul -- was up to the people. He asked the people to take part in the Jagraon rally to boost Modi chances in the Lok Sabha elections.
I was arrested after two days: CM
Lambi: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday said that he had never seen a bigger liar than Capt Amarinder Singh in his life who had not only eroded the credibility of the Congress, but also vitiated the political atmosphere in the state. He was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of the Swaran Sudha Jain Charitable Hospital at Lalbai village in Lambi block here. On the situation in the state in 1984, Badal said, "Curfew was clamped across the state during Operation Bluestar and I entered Haryana from my village and was arrested after two days." He said that while Amarinder Singh had never been imprisoned even for a day for any public concern, the entire world knew that he had languished in jail for several decades. Badal alleged that Amarinder was divested of the office of the Chief Minister and the presidentship of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee due to his die-hard habit of vendetta, making false claims and beating about the bush.
—
Archit Watts
CM lying: Capt
Jalandhar:
The Punjab Congress has alleged that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had “forced” then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to launch Operation Bluestar and this was a matter of record in Parliament proceedings. Nimisha Mehta, PPCC spokesperson, told the media here that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had burnt copies of the Constitution on February 27, 1984. “After this, then BJP president Vajpayee described the situation as explosive and asked Indira Gandhi to act or step down,” Nimisha said, referring to a February 29, 1984, press report. —
TNS
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Badals open 26 projects in 13 days
Mansa, February 13 As many as 26 such functions have been organised since February 1 besides holding of sangat darshans in select areas with the aim of attracting more votes on the plank of development. But these functions don't mean that the projects will be ready to use soon. Work on projects like the Moga-Jagraon highway and Ludhiana southern bypass started before the Assembly elections, but are yet to be completed. The Bathinda Airport is another example. It has been completed, but is lying unused as no flights have been planned from there. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal inaugurated developmental works worth Rs 67 crore in Mansa district. These included the new building of a police station and foundation stone for the construction of the Mansa-Talwandi Sabo Road worth Rs 40 crore and a PUDA colony at the cost of Rs 25 crore. The father-son duo has concentrated on Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Sangrur and Bathinda Lok Sabha seats where the ruling coalition may need more impetus for the elections. Most of the projects have been planned for Sangrur where the likely Akali candidate SS Dhindsa faces a strong fight against sitting Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla. The Badals have been inaugurating each and every project — from local bus service, roads, police stations, colleges to housing complexes. At Mansa today, Sukhbir claimed that Punjab has witnessed unprecedented development in the past seven years under the SAD-BJP government. PPCC uses RTI route to nail govt lies on investment
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Badal Govt dragging feet on e-pensions
Chandigarh, February 13 The government is unwilling to roll out the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) scheme for social security pensions for fear it may reduce the hold of Akali leaders over pensioners in their areas. Punjab was to roll out the scheme in 11 districts but has so far introduced it in just Muktsar and Mansa and eight blocks of Ludhiana. Of the 20 lakh beneficiaries, including the elderly, widows, physically challenged, destitute women and orphans, only 2.5 lakh are receiving pensions electronically. Most social security pensions are transferred to banks. The village sarpanch withdraws the amount and the pensions are disbursed by panchayat members. Hence, they have a hold on the voters. Taking away the pension disbursal task from them at this point may not be the correct decision. With the state often defaulting on pension payments, these panchayat members are asked to identify the “most needy beneficiaries”. These beneficiaries are expected to show their gratitude in the elections. Also, new beneficiaries are enrolled by the panchayat members who are invariably those politically aligned with them. The issue came up for discussion during the state-level Bankers Committee meeting here today. While the convener bank (Punjab National Bank) asked Punjab to expedite the EBT scheme, Food and Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon and the Director, Social Welfare, Gurkirpal Singh, said this was not possible as the scheme had several glitches. The minister asked the banks to come up with a new model for pension disbursal. Gukirpal Singh said they had asked the banks to identify banking correspondents (BC) who could go door-to-door distributing the pensions. But the BC model had not worked out, he said. Dole politics
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80 booked for Moga clash
Moga, February 13 Jain’s blue-eyed boy Harnek Singh Ramuwalia, block samiti member, Amit Brar, Paramjit Brar and 50 of their supporters were booked under the IPC and the Arms Act. Over 30 of Gill’s supporters, including Preet Singh alias Billu and Kulwant Singh were also booked. Virsa Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Moga city (I) police station, said Harnek Ramuwalia fired shots from his revolver while others pelted stones in the clash. Till the filing of the report, no one was arrested. Though Jain did not visit the union office, Gill’s confidant Devinder Singh Rania was seen there. The police failed to book Jain’s supporter Jagroop Takhtupura and Gill’s supporter Devinder Rania even though they were present outside the union office yesterday. The truck union with over 800 members is one of the biggest truck unions in the state. Jain and Gill have been in a tug of war over capturing the union office as it is a money-spinner. The office bearers of the union charge truck operators a certain amount for its own kitty. Sources
say since the union is not a registered body, huge amounts of unaccounted money is paid to
politicians.
Reason behind fight
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Badal spent 40 months in jail: Cong
Chandigarh, February 13 At a press conference, Khaira said that Badal became politically relevant in the late 1960s. In case he courted arrest earlier, those instances were very brief. "Probably, the longest period Badal suffered was during the Emergency-Save Democracy Morcha that began on July 9, 1975. Badal along with senior Akali leaders, including Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Surjit Singh Barnala, Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi and Sukhjinder Singh, were detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for 19 months." "The detention under National Security Act (NSA) lasted only for a year as the Rajiv-Longowal accord was signed on July 24, 1985. Badal's statement that he was arrested on June 10, 1984 and released on March 11, 1986 stands nailed as he contested as an Akali candidate from Lambi in the September 1985 Vidhan Sabha elections. "The claim of Badal of having spent 17 years in jail also falls flat simply because the most troubled period from 1984 to 1997 amounts to only 13 years. I dare Badal and his ill-informed cronies to rebut my claim that Badal spent no more than 3-4 years under detention," he said. Khaira also advised Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal "not to falsely eulogise his father or unfairly compare him to Nelson Mandela. Sukhbir Badal needs to get his facts right. Nelson Mandela underwent 27 years in prison fighting apartheid and never compromised his ideology for petty personal and family gains like his father." To show SAD's involvement with the Centre during the days of Operation Bluestar, Khaira quoted a letter written by a party think tank, Balwant Singh, addressed to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that was published in "Chakarvyuh". He wrote, "I have never supported any of the ideas of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and undertake to continue to oppose him."
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Akali leaders take on Capt Chandigarh, February 13 In a press note, SAD leaders said while Amarinder Singh had trashed the 1984 White Paper issued by the Union Government as a “pack of lies", he was now using the same to hurl accusations at the Chief Minister. Akali leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahamapura, party secretary general and senior vice-president, respectively, said that honourable men like Khushwant Singh had returned state awards, including the Padma Shri for “Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s cynical and bloody conspiracies against the Sikh community that climaxed in Operation
Bluestar.”
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Revolt against Nabha halqa in charge Patiala, February 13 She has accused him of “corruption and ignoring SAD workers”. Lalka has denied the allegations.The divisions in the party could harm SAD’s prospects in the coming parliamentary elections. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is expected to address a rally in Nabha on Monday. Sources said a section of SAD leaders today met at Gurdwara Akalgarh Sahib, Nabha, to discuss the future course of action against the halqa chief for “ignoring party workers and favouring Congress supporters”. Shivdev Kaur said party workers had stood behind Lalka, who was earlier a Congress man,once he was made halqa in charge. But Lalka had been working against the party and this was helping the Congress gain ground in Nabha, she alleged. Meanwhile, SGPC member Satwinder Singh Tohra alleged that local Akali workers were feeling stifled and it was time that the party high command replaced Lalka with a leader who could help strengthen the party ahead of the parliamentary elections. “We will surely take up the matter with party president Sukhbir Singh Badal,” he said. Lalka claimed: “The leaders who have gathered against me are eying plum postings and are steeped in corruption.
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Ashutosh’s family to seek Nitish's help
Jalandhar, February 13 Mahesh Jha, brother-in-law of the dera chief's son, said accompanied by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Sabha, the family would meet Nitish Kumar tomorrow. They would ask him to take up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. He said the family had collected documents and would file a case in the Supreme Court. “Our lawyer Prem Shankar Singh has left for Delhi and will file a case in a few days,” Jha claimed. Puran Singh, who claims to be the Maharaj's driver, had visited Lakhnaur three days ago to bring the family to the dera at Nurmahal. However, the family refused to do so. He then filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court. Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had dismissed a habeas corpus petition seeking a medical examination of "clinically dead" Maharaj. Validating Punjab Government's assertion that the Nurmahal dera chief is indeed "clinically dead", the Court had suggested that the body be honourably put to rest.
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punjab progressive agriculture summit — analysis
Chandigarh, February 13 The summit, that will cost about Rs 42 crore, is being held when the nation is gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections. Had the sole objective of the conference been agriculture, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal would not have organised the summit at this juncture. The country at this point is more keen to know who will form the next government at the Centre and who will lead the country as Prime Minister.
Badal has been projecting himself as a champion of farmers’ cause for years. He appears to be preparing to play an important role at the national level. He is not the first one to do so. Years ago, the late Chaudhary Charan Singh and Chaudhary Devi Lal made their mark in the national politics through espousing the farmers’ cause. In North India, politics has always revolved around the farm sector. If no political alliance gets majority in the Lok Sabha elections, there will be efforts to select someone from among regional leaders as Prime Minister. Already the CPI has declared Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as the third front’s prime ministerial nominee. Anna Hazare has reportedly endorsed the name of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the post. The SAD has an alliance with the BJP that heads the National Democratic Alliance
(NDA). Badal also has good ties with leaders of parties not part of the alliance. The Chief Ministers of almost all states were invited to the agriculture summit, no Chief Minister from Congress-ruled states has confirmed his participation yet. With BJP president Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers from
BJP-ruled states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh attending the summit, the political message cannot be missed. The UP Chief Minister, Akhilesh
Yadav, will take part in the conference and so will Gujarat’s Agriculture Minister, it is learnt. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah are also expected to attend the summit. Experts in soil fertility, irrigation, biotechnology, GM seeds, fishery, dairy farming, poultry, bee-keeping, piggery, food processing and marketing will hold discussions at the four-day summit starting on February 16. The focus is likely to remain on rural indebtedness and minimum support price
(MSP). Fixing the MSP, indebtedness and suicide by farmers are issues with strong political overtones. Political parties, especially regional, have been speaking out on these issues but have not made a sustained effort to pursue these or launch a structured agitation. Five helipads have been prepared for the landing of VIP helicopters near the summit venue at Chappar
Chiri. Food for thought
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Maize dryer to help farmers get remunerative prices
Nawanshahr, February 13 Deputy Commissioner Anindita Mitra said the plant would help maize and paddy growers reduce moisture in their crops and get remunerative prices. She further said it would boost crop diversification. This is the second maize dryer plant set up in the state with the first one being built at Saila khurd in Hoshiarpur district. The DC said the plant would help farmers in drying maize and paddy. The plant has the capacity to reduce moisture content in 64 tonnes of a crop to three per cent in an hour. “The latest technology will enable the farmers to meet the specifications laid down by the procurement agencies and help them get better prices for their crops,” she said.
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NIT teachers threaten to step up stir
Jalandhar, February 13 With no classes being held for the past three days, students are losing out on their studies. The NITFFJ members said faculty members from other NITs would soon join their protest against the Union Human Resource Development Ministry’s notification on introducing four-tier-system in the NITs. They said that pay fixation of the faculty as per the 6th Central Pay Commission (CPC) had not been implemented for over four years, while the 7th CPC had been announced. MD Roy, Pramod Kumar and NK Srivastava, patron, president and vice-president of the NITFFJ, respectively, claimed the four-tier-system could not be implemented in the NITs without the notification in the Gazette of India as per the NIT statutes, 2009. They claimed the grant of PB-IV to some faculty members had been pending for over a year. They further said the MHRD notification for grant of PhD increments to Assistant Professors at entry-level, approved by the 17th Board of Governors (BOG), NIT, Jalandhar, in 2010 had not been implemented till date. Moreover, the MHRD notification for grant of MTech/MPhil/ PhD increments to the faculty in service, approved by the 17th BOG in 2010 had not been implemented. They further alleged promotions as per the Career Advancement Scheme had not been effected, whereas the same had been done in other NITs. On students losing out on studies, the trio claimed they would make up for lost time.
What they want
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Meter installed at VIP helipad
Bathinda, February 13 The Market Committee, Gidderbaha, has paid Rs 3,575 as security. Powercom officials refuse to impose a fine for the power theft. — TNS
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Blueprint of PGI’s satellite
centre at Sangrur okayed
Chandigarh, February 13 The Centre has approved the project under the 12th Five-Year Plan scheme of redevelopment of hospitals and institutions at a cost of Rs 449 crore, inclusive of recurring cost of Rs 161 crore for the first four years. A senior official of the PGIMER said the Punjab Government had allocated 25 acres to the PGI in Sangrur. The centre will have a 300-bed college and hospital in the first phase. It will have key medical and surgical departments of internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology, pediatrics, anaesthesia, radiology, radiotherapy, ophthalmology, ENT, dental, community and family medicine and psychiatry. The centre will have residential quarters for faculty and other staff. This centre will work as a model teaching hospital with major clinical and para-clinical departments catering to predominantly rural population of Sangrur and adjoining districts of Malwa. There will be two super-specialty departments of hepatology and nephrology as there is high prevalence of alcoholic liver diseases and kidney diseases.
The project
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Pak friend helps Amritsar man connect to his royal lineage
Amritsar, February 13 Gauri, a descendant of Bhai Vasti Ram, a famous saint and spiritual guide of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, recently received two marble slabs from the saint's shrine located on the outskirts of Lahore. He gives credit to his Pakistani friend Waseem Altaf for reviving this linkage spanning over 200 years. A recent decision by the Pakistan government to restore the shrine prompted Amit to contact his friend to help him reconnect to his ancestry. "When I heard that the Pakistan government has decided to restore the shrine and temple of Jhingar Shah Suthra near Lahore Fort, I asked Altaf, who is a celebrated blogger in Pakistan, to travel to the site. He went there and procured two marbles slabs from Bhai Vasti Ram's tomb and sent it across to me," Gauri said. "I feel indebted to my friend. The stones were lying dumped in the open. These might be pieces of slabs from a ruin for the world, but for us it's a family treasure," he said. "My grandfather Inder Singh, who was principal of Khalsa College, Amritsar, used to share stories of how the shrine came into existence. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was a devout follower of Bhai Vasti Ram, raised the samadh outside the Lahore Fort facing Minar-e-Pakistan,” he said. About Bhai Vasti Ram Bhai Vasti Ram was the son of Bhai Bulaka Singh who is said to have accompanied Guru Gobind Singh to the south in 1707. Bhai Vasti Ram settled in Lahore after that journey. He was the spiritual guide of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who had credited success in the Battle of Bhasin (1800) to his guidance. He died in 1802 at the age of 94.
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Adarsh school recovers salaries ‘inadvertently’ paid to teachers
Faridkot, February 13 The teachers — Rajni Goyal, Jaspreet Kaur, Shifali, Sandeep Kaur and Harpreet Kaur — of Adarash School in Faridkot’s Middumann village were not paid salaries for November, December and January to recover Rs 1,68,500 on the account salary drawn by them during the three-month maternity leave. The teachers went on leave between May and September last year. The PEDB’s Finance Department claimed that since the teachers were contractual employees, they were not entitled to paid maternity leave. “Though all government women employees are entitled to paid maternity leave, but it is not the case with teachers of Adarsh school that were opened under the public-private partnership (PPP) model,” said Maninder Pal Singh, Manager, Finance, PEDB. The PEDB has been looking after the affairs of some Adarsh schools ever since private managements withdrew from the task. “Though the PEDB is a department of the state government, the old terms and conditions of the agreement are binding upon the teachers,” Maninder said. “It’s a matter of concern that how the women teachers will meet expenses during maternity leave,” District Education Officer (DEO) Amarjit Singh said, adding that “I have taken up the matter the matter with the higher authorities.” Being harassed
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Vedanti hits out at critics of original Nanakshahi calendar
Amritsar, February 13 Talking to the mediapersons here, Vedanti said: “If the calendar was erroneous then everyone, including myself, calendar’s architect Pal Singh Purewal, the then SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar, Sikh high priests and CM Parkash Badal should be summoned to Akal Takht and awarded ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment). If such is not the case then those voicing protest against the original calendar should be punished.” He claimed that the calendar was implemented in 2003 after an approval by all concerned. Vedanti said: “Pointing out shortcomings in the calendar is not good. Suggestions for change, if any, could have been given in 2010 when amendments were made to it”. He claimed that 97% of Sikhs had agreed to the original Nanakshahi calendar when it was implemented in 2003, but those who distorted it were still raising questions.”
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One PCS officer on four posts
Phagwara, February 12 Former ADC Satish Kumar had the additional charge of the SDM and the Improvement Trust Chairperson. He retired on December 31, while MC Commissioner Kuldip Singh Vaid was transferred as Administrator of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) in February. After the matter was reported, Kapurthala DC Daljit Singh Mangat assured to remind the state government about the state of affairs. With Sandhu’s appointment on four posts, not much has changed though.
Burdened
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Lecturers warn to boycott exam duty
Hoshiarpur, February 13 The guest faculty of MRPD Government College, Talwara; Giani Kartar Singh Memorial Government College, Tanda; and Government College, Hoshiarpur, has been on strike for 24 days. The lecturers said the Cabinet had, in October 2011, decided that the guest lecturers would be paid from the government treasury with 10 per cent increment every year, but the decision was yet to be implemented. Guest lecturers’ union president Ajay Kumar Arsh said, “If the government does not agree to our demand, we will boycott exam duty.” — OC
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Abohar’s kinnow to compete with Pak’s
Abohar, February 13 Drawing inspiration from his guide Vinod Setia, a progressive farmer of the village, Sushil hopes a trailer carrying the container will reach Pune in five days. A ship has been booked there for the onward delivery to Dubai. Earlier, entrepreneur Suman Taneja had arranged an air-conditioned trailer capable of transporting 1,500 boxes of the fruit to South India in less than a week. Efforts were made last year to export kinnow, but the consignment was not found fit on landing in Pune due to variation in climatic conditions. Notably, Pakistan started exporting kinnow on November 12, 2011, with the first shipment of 56 tonnes to Dubai. Russia and Iran have emerged as markets for Pakistan, which has highest production of citrus breed. To encourage exports, Iran is going to slash duty on kinnow from 45 per cent to 4 per cent this month, after consuming its own crop. To introduce kinnow in India, Abohar-based Regional Research Station of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) had acquired buds from Lyallpur town of West Punjab province, besides importing plants from California, US. The sub-division now boasts of producing the best of citrus fruit in the country. Sources said Russians, who normally absorb around 20 per cent of entire exports, have lifted a ban on kinnow imports from Pakistan. Pakistan Fruit and Vegetables Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) set the target of kinnow export at 3 lakh tonnes this year.
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UK Sikh hits Rs 2.5 cr jackpot
London, February 13 Roop Singh became the seventh contestant to win the prize (about Rs 2.59 crore) and only the second male to clock the impressive feat on Channel 4's popular 'Deal or No Deal' show. "The night before my game, my daughter quite innocently said, 'Dad, I want confetti'. When I was offered 46,000 pounds all I could think of was, 'Dad, I want confetti' and I said, 'No Deal'. I still cannot fully remember what happened next but I do remember the confetti and everyone hugging and congratulating me," the 54-year-old from Leeds in northern England said after his win. The game show involves 22 identical boxes containing randomly assigned sums of money ranging from 1 to 250,000 pounds and they are opened over a number of rounds. Contestants can either ‘deal’ to take the money, or play to the end, settling on the amount in their box. Roop Singh opted to go all the way and was rewarded in the end. He has since bought a few presents for his family and friends and a bike for himself, so he can cycle the coastline of Britain later this year. He also plans to donate money to some charities he supports. —
PTI
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Vacate property or face contempt proceedings, HC tells state
Chandigarh, February 13 The Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli made it clear that it would be left with no option but to issue a notice of contempt for wilful disobedience of court orders. As the matter came up for hearing, the Bench described it as a case of gross abuse by the police authorities. The Bench observed that not a penny was paid to any party since 1984. It said it was granting time to the appellants to hand over the possession to the District Collector by 10 am on February 17. The case dates back to 1962, when the Punjab Police illegally pitched a tent on a property in Bassi Pathana without any rent or lease deed. Turning the tables on the encroaching cops in January this year, Justice Rameshwar Singh Malik High Court not only reprimanded the state for “highhandedness”, but also imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh. The admonition came on a petition by Bhushan Lal Gupta and other petitioners, seeking directions for opening the lock put on the gate of their property.
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Five held for illegal mining
Hoshiarpur, February 13 The accused have been booked under the Mining Act. Those arrested include Janu Kumar and Munna Kumar of Betia district in Bihar, Sucha Singh of Meghowal village and Mandeep Singh and Kewal Krishan of Bahtiwal.
— OC
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2 killed, 15 hurt as mini bus hits SUV
Tarn Taran, February 13 After the collision both the vehicles fell into a canal. The mini bus was on its way from Fazilka to Beas dera. It was carrying 35 passengers. The injured were taken to Community Health Centre, Sarhali. Due to lack of facilities there, they were referred to Guru Nanak Hospital, Amritsar. In another accident, Harjit Singh (35) of Khadur Sahib was killed near Chack Mehar village last late evening. The victim was riding a motorcycle which was hit by an unidentified vehicle. He died on the spot. — OC
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Two nabbed for burglary
Abohar, February 13 The accused, Mohan Singh Bawri and Gurmail Singh Bawri, are from Moga district. They broke into the warehouses on January 29. The accused reportedly confessed that the stolen goods were sold through Kanta Singh and Mukhtar Singh in Punjab and Rajasthan. A Punjab police team has reached Sadulshehar to interrogate the accused. Preliminary investigation indicated that the accused were members of a gang that had been targeting warehouses in Punjab as well.
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Constable on the run in theft case
Abohar, February 13 A booking clerk at the Sirsa bus stand alleged that constable Bohad Singh had stolen his bag containing tickets worth Rs 80,000, Rs 40,000 in cash and a mobile phone. The accused has been booked under Section 379 of the IPC.
— OC
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Scores of activists of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee today held a massive conference.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today refuted the allegation levelled on him by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Jalandhar, February 13
A maize dryer plant set up at the Nawanshahr Grain market at a cost of Rs.10.16 crore would be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Saturday.
Deputy Commissioner Anindita Mitra said the plant would help maize and paddy growers reduce moisture in their crops and get remunerative prices.
Chandigarh:
Amit Rajat Gauri, a 41-year-old local businessman, had only heard about his family legacy until fate gave him a chance to claim it, at least a slice of it.
