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TOP STORIES

Atta-Dal Scheme runs into rough weather
Gurdaspur, June 17
The Atta-Dal Scheme might have given the SAD-BJP combine the edge in the 2012 Assembly elections, but it has now run into rough weather with over 1.42 crore blue card holders, the beneficiaries of the scheme, in the state not knowing when they will get their due.

Pepsu Transport Corp stuck in loss lane
Patiala, June 17
The Punjab Government's move to increase bus fares from 83 paise per km to 91 paise per km may irk some passengers but it will bring some respite to the fund-starved Pepsu Road Transport Corporation.


Passengers alight from a Pepsu Road Transport Corporation bus in Patiala. Tribune photo



YOUR TOWN
Amritsar
Chandigarh


EARLIER STORIES



Colleagues of ‘assaulted’ teacher seek police action
Abohar, June 17
The Punjab EGS Teachers Union has warned the Abohar police that it would launch an agitation if the persons responsible for thrashing Radha Rani, a teacher, were not arrested within the next two days. Union executive member Goga Rani said Radha Rani had been waiting for justice during her treatment at the Community Health Centre in Seetogunno village for the past one week but the police were trying the “shield the culprits under pressure from some ruling politicians”.

Radha Rani at a health centre at Seetogunno village

350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib
Celebrations begin tomorrow
Chandigarh, June 17
The year-long celebrations of the 350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib, associated with the birth of the Khalsa, begin on June 19. An akhand path was started today at Gurdwara Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. Earlier known as Makhowal, the town was founded by Guru Teg Bahadur. The foundation was laid on June 19, 1665. On the occasion of Baisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh baptised “Panj Piare” at this place, marking the birth of the Khalsa. The SGPC has constituted a committee to celebrate the town's 350th anniversary. The town, that has a fort, is now a subdivisional headquarters where thousands of devotees and tourists gather for Hola Mohalla in March every year.

A file photo of gathering on a holy occasion at Anandpur Sahib.





 

POLITICS

AAP workers raise ruckus
Ludhiana, June 17
Pandemonium prevailed outside the venue of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) meeting here today where the party leadership had gathered for its first meeting of “Mission Vistaar”. The exercise is aimed at expanding AAP’s base in Punjab and restructuring the party.

COMMUNITY

Work on Ropar IIT complex to begin in 3 months
Ropar, June 17
Students and staff of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, can hope for better facilities in the near future as work on the new building for the premier institution will start soon. While the tender for work on the first phase of the new campus (to be spread over 501 acre) has been already floated, the construction is likely to start in the next three months.

Scorching heat no deterrent for devotees
Amritsar, June 17
Even as the mercury continues to soar with each passing day, there has been no let-up in the number of devotees visiting the Golden Temple. The number of pilgrims visiting the shrine is touching the one-lakh mark daily, says the SGPC.


Devotees at a Golden Temple sarai. Tribune photo: Vishal Kumar

Wrong to ignore PSGPC, says Sarna
Amritsar, June 17
Former DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna today said the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) could not be ignored, and that the Akal Takht must ensure it was kept in loop when any key decision concerning the Sikh community was made.

Education Dept to launch web portal, toll-free service
Mohali, June 17
To help people register their complaints, make suggestions and to know about the status of their application, the state Education Department will launch its web portal and a toll-free service soon. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Education Minister, chaired a high-level meeting of senior functionaries of the department here today. He said: “The portal and toll-free service aims to encourage public participation in the decision-making mechanism of the department.

Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Education Minister, at a meeting in Mohali on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Deceased Vidhu Jain’s family shifts to Ludhiana
Sangrur, June 17
The family of 12-year-old Vidhu Jain, who was burnt alive on September 30, 2013, has shifted to Ludhiana. "My son's killers are roaming free in Malerkotla and may also harm my younger son Naman," says Navneet Jain, who sold his ancestral house in Malerkotla about three months ago.

Relatives of deceased Vidhu Jain demonstrate against the state government at Malerkotla on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

De-addiction centres to come up in Badal village, Bathinda
Faridkot, June 17
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has decided to open a de-addiction centre at his native village Badal to provide succour to addicts. The 10-bed centre will function under Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot. The Chief Minister today sanctioned a Rs 30 lakh grant to the university for this centre.

Govt to create land banks for new projects
Chandigarh, June 17
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal to create a land bank of at least 3,000 acres along the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway to cater to the needs of investors for setting up new ventures.

Counselling cancelled, chaos prevails at Adesh University
Bathinda, June 17
Chaos prevailed on the campus of Adesh University in Bathinda today after the students and their parents, who had reached there for counselling, were intimated by the management around 9.30 am that the counselling had been cancelled following orders from the state government.

An official of Adesh University tries to pacify parents and students after the counselling for MBBS admissions was cancelled in Bathinda on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

MGnrega scam
Raids on to arrest panchayat officials
Patiala, June 17
The Patiala police today conducted raids at various places to nab the two suspended Block Development and Panchayat Officers (BDPOs), Malwinder Singh and Dinesh Vashisht, for allegedly embezzling MGNREGA scheme funds. The police have summoned the original record of all purchases made under the scheme.

Dalits on dharna at DC office
Sangrur, June 17
Members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community from Balad Kalan village (Bhawanigarh) started an indefinite dharna at the district administrative complex here today. They are organising the protest under the banner of Zamin Prapati Sangharsh Committee.

Heat wave claims 2 lives in Jalandhar
Jalandhar, June 17
With the extreme heat claiming two more lives, the toll has reached six in the city in a week. Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakhwinder Singh said the police was informed by some residents that an unidentified person was lying unconscious on an empty plot in Nurpur village.

DIASPORA

'Toothless' NRI wing
Lawyer seeks HC intervention
Chandigarh, June 17
Alleging that the NRI wing of the Punjab Police was virtually lying defunct, a Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate has sought judicial and political intervention for making it effective to prevent the feeling of alienation among the NRI community.

CRIME

15 vehicles recovered, one arrested
Fazilka, June 17
The district police claimed to have recovered 15 stolen two-wheelers from a resident of Chack Mannewala village in Fazilka district. In another case, the police recovered 2 kg of opium from a drug peddler.



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TOP STORIES
 

Atta-Dal Scheme runs into rough weather
From the Dec-May stock, ration for only April has been distributed
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, June 17
The Atta-Dal Scheme might have given the SAD-BJP combine the edge in the 2012 Assembly elections, but it has now run into rough weather with over 1.42 crore blue card holders, the beneficiaries of the scheme, in the state not knowing when they will get their due.

In Gurdaspur district alone, there are 1,37028 blue card holders awaiting the benefits of the scheme, under which wheat is to be given at Rs 1 per kg while dal is to be given at Rs 20 per kg. The maximum limit of 35 kg per person per month was fixed for wheat while the limit of Dal was pegged at 2.5 kg per household at Rs 20 per kg.

Just before the General Election, Punjab was the first non-Congress state to implement the National Food Security Act after merging it with its own version of the Atta-Dal Scheme. However, the scheme has got bogged down in logistics due to various reasons.

Officials were all set to distribute wheat and dal on a six-month basis for the lot pertaining to December (2013)-May (2014) when the Election Commission of India directed the state government to distribute the food stock on a monthly basis. This decision meant that the beneficiaries in Gurdaspur district got their quota for the month of April. However, these beneficiaries are yet to receive the rest of their five-month quota.

Apart from the existing 1.37 lakh blue card holders in the district, the applications of another 20,474 Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, to whom blue cards have been given, were in the pipeline in this district.

The Gurdaspur District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Joginder Singh Sidhu, said, “In Gurdaspur district, there are nine storage points and all have abundant stocks of wheat. We are awaiting instructions from the head office and the moment we get them, we will distribute ration to the beneficiaries. Our storage points are located at strategic locations, which will ensure speedy distribution of ration when we receive the green signal.”

To compound matters, the 1,144 ration depot holders of this district are up in arms against the government. They claim that the transportation and labour charges incurred by them on bringing wheat stocks from storage points to their depots should be paid by the state government.

“These depot holders had some problems when the stocks were distributed in April. However, the government is now ready to pay the transportation and labour charges,” said one of the officials in charge of executing the scheme in this district.

Change of rule

Officials were all set to distribute the six-month stock of wheat and dal for December to May when the Election Commission of India directed the state government to distribute the food stock on a monthly basis. Following that, the beneficiaries in Gurdaspur district got their share only for the month of April.

In Gurdaspur district, there are nine storage points and all have abundant stocks of wheat. We are awaiting instructions from the head office for its distribution. Our storage points are located at strategic locations, which will ensure speedy distribution of ration, when we receive the green signal. — JS Sidhu, district food and supplies controller, Gurdaspur

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Pepsu Transport Corp stuck in loss lane
Of the Rs 5 crore monthly losses, Rs 4.5 crore is pensioners’ bill
Gagan K. Teja
Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 17
The Punjab Government's move to increase bus fares from 83 paise per km to 91 paise per km may irk some passengers but it will bring some respite to the fund-starved Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC). The PRTC is already running under a monthly loss of about Rs 5 crore. Of this amount, Rs 4.5 crore is incurred on pension alone. The PRTC owes its 4,000 retired employees around Rs 145 crore.

While the PRTC owes Rs 28 crore as pension commutation, it is yet to deposit Rs 48 crore in the GPF trust, Rs 22 crore as gratuity, Rs 8 crore against pending leave encashment and over Rs 1 crore as medical bills.

To top it all, the PRTC fleet is short of 92 buses. Against the approved limit of 1,075, it has only 983 buses in operation currently. Due to this shortage, the corporation is losing Rs 2.5 crore a month.

The corporation did have a few monopoly routes that ensured it profit, but private transporters have been overlapping there too, and no action is being taken by the authorities concerned.

The corporation recently approached the government for help for getting rid of the debt. The management also submitted a proposal suggesting steps that would enhance the PRTC income and also demanded financial aid.

In a meeting with the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, the management urged the state government to complete PRTC’s fleet and to control all “illegal operations” in the state so that they could get more passengers.

It also demanded action against vehicles ferrying passengers illegally on a daily basis, thus causing losses worth crores to the government as well as the PRTC.

Patiala depot general manager Pardeep Sachdeva said the PRTC buses covered a distance of around 3 lakh km daily.

With the 8 paise hike per km, the PRTC would generate an additional income of Rs 2.4 lakh per day (Rs 72 lakh a month and Rs 8.64 crore per year).

This amount would help the PRTC balance its operational cost, which comes out to around Rs 50 lakh a month. However, the liability of the pensioners would continue to haunt the PRTC till the government helped it settle the pending bills of Rs 145 crore.

PRTC Pensioners Association general secretary Hari Singh Chamak said the bus fare hike may not help much until there was a check on the recurrent hikes in diesel prices.

“The government will have to control the diesel prices and take tough measures to ensure that daily revenue is increased. The months of March and June are peak months and the daily receipt two days ago was over Rs 93.5 lakh. Then there are days when the receipt is as low as Rs 60 lakh, which speaks volumes about the anomalies in the system,” he said.

Running short of 92 buses

  • The Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) runs 983 buses, 92 short of its sanctioned strength of 1,075
  • Due to the shortage of buses, the corporation is suffering a monthly loss of Rs 2.5 crore
  • The PRTC also recently surrendered 23 bus permits, thus doing away with a daily loss of Rs 25 lakh

A ‘fair’ hike for the transport body

  • The 8 paise/km hike will help the PRTC generate an additional Rs 2.4 lakh per day
  • After the hike, the bus fare will increase from 83 paise per km to 91 paise per km
  • The total amount comes out to around Rs 72 lakh a month and Rs 8.64 crore a year

Contempt cases up

The PRTC has been facing around 100 cases of contempt of court for defaulting on the payment of mandatory dues to its employees. The inability to make timely payment of pensions to the retired staff even after strictures from the Punjab and Haryana High Court had led to the attachment of the salaries of all of its senior officers twice in four years: July 2010 and May 2014.

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Colleagues of ‘assaulted’ teacher seek police action
Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 17
The Punjab EGS Teachers Union has warned the Abohar police that it would launch an agitation if the persons responsible for thrashing Radha Rani, a teacher, were not arrested within the next two days. Union executive member Goga Rani said Radha Rani had been waiting for justice during her treatment at the Community Health Centre in Seetogunno village for the past one week but the police were trying the “shield the culprits under pressure from some ruling politicians”.

Radha Rani had alleged that she was dragged from her house and thrashed by her father-in-law, his elder son and six other goons hired by them as her husband had refused to follow their diktat over allowing a passage to their farmhouse illegally last week. She was taken to the health centre by some locals and the Seetogunno police were informed, but they “did not act”.

The EGC union said such atrocities on women won’t be permitted. The police should act or be ready to face the stir, it said.

SAD Women Wing president Nirmala Bishnoi condemned the incident and called upon the administration to ensure safety of women in the sub-division.

The police said investigation was on and the allegations were yet to be wetted.

The case: Radha Rani alleged that she was dragged from her house and thrashed by her father-in-law, his elder son and six other goons hired by them as her husband had refused to follow their diktat over allowing a passage to their farmhouse illegally last week

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350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib
Celebrations begin tomorrow
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 17
The year-long celebrations of the 350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib, associated with the birth of the Khalsa, begin on June 19. An akhand path was started today at Gurdwara Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. Earlier known as Makhowal, the town was founded by Guru Teg Bahadur. The foundation was laid on June 19, 1665. On the occasion of Baisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh baptised “Panj Piare” at this place, marking the birth of the Khalsa.

The SGPC has constituted a committee to celebrate the town's 350th anniversary. The town, that has a fort, is now a subdivisional headquarters where thousands of devotees and tourists gather for Hola Mohalla in March every year.

EcoSikh, a non-government organisation, has appealed to the state government and the SGPC to work towards making this holy city eco-friendly.

Dr Rajwant Singh, president of EcoSikh, said: “Anandpur Sahib should be declared a green city. The town's tranquil environment should be protected and preserved."

Ranjodh Singh, state convener of EcoSikh, said: "Construction around sacred sites, such as Takht Sahib, should be restricted. The town's serene environment should not be tampered with. The Punjab Government should declare Anandpur Sahib a plastic-free town.”

He said that in consonance with the trend worldwide, the state government should look at the possibility of promoting alternative systems of medicine in the area.

EcoSikh is working with national and international organisations to use technology to make Nanded Sahib, which houses Takht Hazur Sahib, an eco-friendly town.

About Phase II of Virasat-e-Khalsa

Chandigarh: The second phase of Virasat-e-Khalsa will be completed within a year. Work on the project has begun and the first installment of funds totalling Rs 17 crore has been released. Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister for Jails, Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Printing and Stationery, put the project cost at Rs 51 crore. He said the second phase would be completed as the yearlong celebrations in Anandpur Sahib come to a close in 2015. The government had demarcated five acres for Bhai Jaita Ji Memorial at Sri Anandpur Sahib, the minister said. "As soon as the concept for this memorial is ready, construction will be started without any loss of time," Thandal said.

The town's significance

  • Earlier known as Makhowal, the town was founded by Guru Teg Bahadur
  • The foundation was laid on June 19, 1665
  • Guru Gobind Singh, on the occasion of Baisakhi in 1699, baptised Panj Piare at this place
  • This marked the birth of the Khalsa
  • The town is now a subdivisional headquarterss
  • Thousands of devotees and tourists gather in the town for Hola Mohalla in March every year

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POLITICS
 

AAP workers raise ruckus
Party holds ‘Mission Vistaar’ meeting at Ludhiana
Tribune News Service


Agitated AAP activists at a party meeting in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Ludhiana, June 17
Pandemonium prevailed outside the venue of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) meeting here today where the party leadership had gathered for its first meeting of “Mission Vistaar”. The exercise is aimed at expanding AAP’s base in Punjab and restructuring the party.

As party member-observers Manish Sisodia and Jarnail Singh were holing a meeting with state and district committees, several local AAP activists resorted to sloganeering. They were angry at not being allowed to meet Sisodia.

Balbir Aggarwal, who claimed to be AAP’s district secretary, said, “We have been working for the party for the past year and a half and have played a key role in strengthening the party at the grassroots level. During the Lok Sabha elections, we worked hard to ensure the party’s victory in four of the nine Assembly segments of the Ludhiana constituency. And now, we are not being allowed to meet the team from Delhi.”

Aggarwal claimed that during his visit to Delhi he was told to meet the party leaders when they visited Ludhiana. “Now we are not being heard here too,” he lamented. The protesting workers complained that the party was being restructured without taking into confidence the “grassroots workers”.

Some of them threatened to quit the party.

Manvir Singh Grewal, convener of AAP’s Ludhiana (rural) wing and his supporters said they were not informed about the meeting. “The party should be restructured on the advice of its core workers. Leaders who enjoy the confidence of the party cadres alone should be appointed on key posts,” he said.

Senior leaders had to intervene to stop the party activists from raising slogans. Jarnail Singh said the activists had been asked to come for a meeting tomorrow.

“We want to further expand at the grassroots level and connect to the masses. We are preparing the ground for the next Assembly elections,” he said.

On AAP’s poor performance in other parts of the country, he claimed it could not be called poor as the party had just been formed. “We have 27 MLAs in Delhi and four MPs in Punjab. Surely, this cannot be a bad start for a party that is only a year old,” he contended.

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COMMUNITY
 

Work on Ropar IIT complex to begin in 3 months
Arun Sharma
Tribune News Service

Ropar, June 17
Students and staff of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, can hope for better facilities in the near future as work on the new building for the premier institution will start soon. While the tender for work on the first phase of the new campus (to be spread over 501 acre) has been already floated, the construction is likely to start in the next three months.

CPWD project manager Gopal Varshney said the first phase of the campus would be completed at a cost of Rs 387.79 crore within two years after the commencement of the work.

The institute, which has around 500 students enrolled with it, offers BTech (computer science and engineering), BTech (electrical engineering) and BTech (mechanical engineering) at present. It also offers PhD courses in computer science and engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, humanities and social science.

MTech courses will also be launched very soon, sources maintain.

It was in 2008 that the new IIT, a first in the region, was established by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development. The classes for the academic session 2008-2009 were held at the IIT-Delhi before it started functioning from a temporary campus, which was earlier occupied by the Women's Polytechnic, Rupnagar, in August 2009.

The foundation stone of the new campus was laid by then Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on February 24, 2009, at a site which is situated around 5 km away from the town.

Though the master plan aims at accommodating 10,000 students, the academic block will be set up for 1,500 students in the first phase.

A total of 215,739 sq m area of the campus comprising academic and administration blocks with accommodation for staff and faculty, along with sports and hostel facilities, will be developed.

In the first phase, an administration block, academic departments, a school of mechanical, material and energy engineering and three hostels for boys and girls having 790 single-room accommodations will be constructed on the campus with three-star GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment). Classrooms, a lecture hall, a student activity centre, 112 residential units, a mini hospital and a shopping complex will also be part of the first phase.

Giving a push to research

  • In the first six years of its existence, the IIT-Ropar has given a big push to research in the fields of medicine and agriculture
  • The IIT is also collaborating with the PGI, Chandigarh, for research in various fields
  • Both institutes will work to develop bio-devices for use in cardiology and control system for drug delivery to help in the fields of anaesthesia and intensive care units
  • Development of indigenous Otoacoustic emissions testing for early detection of deafness is also on the agenda.

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Scorching heat no deterrent for devotees
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 17
Even as the mercury continues to soar with each passing day, there has been no let-up in the number of devotees visiting the Golden Temple. The number of pilgrims visiting the shrine is touching the one-lakh mark daily, says the SGPC. Long queues of the pilgrims visiting the shrine from across the country can be witnessed outside the sanctum sanctorum as they wait for their turn to pay obeisance while braving the sweltering heat.

The SGPC has made special arrangements to facilitate the pilgrims in view of harsh summers. A huge “shamiana” has been erected in front of the Darshani Deodhi as most of the times the queue of pilgrims goes up to Akal Takht. Besides, water cooling fans have been put up to provide succour to the devotees. A weather shield is already in place over the causeway leading to the Golden Temple.

The pilgrims are, however, facing a tough time in getting accommodation in this peak season. A number of them can be seen lying either in the waiting area of the inns or the “parikarma” of the Golden Temple.

Bachhitar Singh from Ambala said: “All sarais near the shrine are packed to capacity. Though there are a number of hotels around, we cannot afford it. We will now spend the night in the 'parikarma'.”

Rajkumar from New Delhi said they had to stay put in “parikarma” with their children and elderly as they could not get accommodation in any sarai.

There are many pilgrims who voluntarily opt to stay at “parikarma”. “We usually come as a part of a jatha from our village and prefer to spend night out in the open,” said Kirpal Kaur from Ropar.

Though there are about 150 hotels around the Golden Temple, Walled City Hotel Association Chairman Satnam Singh Kanda said none of these witnessed full occupancy even in the peak season.

“While the pilgrims from Punjab don’t prefer hotels as their stay is short, those on the way to Vaishno Devi don’t want to shell out money for hotel accommodation and wish to board the next available train,” he said.

Kanda said most of the hotels were budget hotels where a non-AC room was available for Rs 400 and an AC room for Rs 800. He said instead of promoting the hotel industry, the state government had burdened it with 8 per cent luxury tax.

The SGPC has eight sarais (inns) in the holy city. These are Shri Guru Ram Das Niwas, Shri Guru Nanak Niwas, Shri Guru Arjan Dev Niwas, Shri Guru Hargobind Niwas, Mata Ganga Ji Niwas, Baba Deep Singh Ji Niwas, Mata Bhag Kaur Ji Niwas and NRI Niwas. These inns have 650 rooms.

Not many pilgrims prefer to stay at Baba Deep Singh Ji Niwas and Mata Bhag Kaur Ji Niwas as these were a little far from the Golden Temple. The SGPC is coming up with another inn at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Named Sargarhi Niwas, the inn will have 238 rooms, besides halls. The 10-storey building will have a capacity to accommodate 2,000 pilgrims.

Peak season woes

  • The pilgrims are facing a tough time in getting accommodation
  • A number of them can be seen lying either in the waiting area of the inns or the “parikarma” of the shrine
  • There are about 150 hotels around the Golden Temple, but most pilgrims cannot afford to stay there
  • The number of pilgrims visiting the shrine is touching the one-lakh mark daily

SGPC facilities

  • A huge “shamiana” has been erected in front of the Darshani Deodhi
  • Water cooling fans have been put up to provide succour to the devotees
  • A weather shield is already in place over the causeway leading to the Golden Temple
  • The SGPC has eight sarais having a total of 650 rooms

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Wrong to ignore PSGPC, says Sarna

Amritsar, June 17
Former DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna today said the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) could not be ignored, and that the Akal Takht must ensure it was kept in loop when any key decision concerning the Sikh community was made.

Talking to mediapersons on his return from Pakistan here, Sarna said, “Unlike the SGPC, which manages gurdwaras in Punjab, the PSGPC along with the Evacuee Trust Property Board shoulders the responsibility of the upkeep of gurdwaras in entire Pakistan. Even though the number of Sikhs living in Pakistan is less, they should not be cold-shouldered while taking decisions on key Panthic issues.”

Sarna said the Sikhs in Pakistan were dejected over the Nanakshahi calendar controversy, and they only recognised the original Nanakshahi Calendar. — TNS

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Education Dept to launch web portal, toll-free service
Tribune News Service

Mohali, June 17
To help people register their complaints, make suggestions and to know about the status of their application, the state Education Department will launch its web portal and a toll-free service soon.

Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Education Minister, chaired a high-level meeting of senior functionaries of the department here today. He said: “The portal and toll-free service aims to encourage public participation in the decision-making mechanism of the department. We will try to formulate policies on the suggestions of the people.” He said that instructions had been issued to launch the service within a month.

Also, a review committee had been set up to ensure timely disposal of court cases and the welfare of the department employees.

Dr Cheema emphasised the need for speedy implementation of scholarship schemes at the grassroots level. The minister asked the officials concerned to submit their reports in this regard every three months.

Among the senior functionaries who attended the meeting were Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, Rahul Bhandari, Secretary, Gurdeep Singh, Special Secrtary, Dr Kamal Garg, DPI (Secondary Education), Darshan Kaur, DPI (Elementary Education) and all deputy directors, circle education officers and district education officers.

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Deceased Vidhu Jain’s family shifts to Ludhiana
Sushil Goyal
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, June 17
The family of 12-year-old Vidhu Jain, who was burnt alive on September 30, 2013, has shifted to Ludhiana. "My son's killers are roaming free in Malerkotla and may also harm my younger son Naman," says Navneet Jain, who sold his ancestral house in Malerkotla about three months ago.

He says the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing his son's death has yet to approach him or any other family member. Talking to The Tribune today, Navneet said they were residing in a rented accommodation in Ludhiana. "Vidhu's last wish was that his killers be given exemplary punishment. Till this is done, we will not sit quiet. The interest on the money (Rs 25 lakh) given to us by the Punjab Government as compensation is being spent on the welfare of poor persons," said Navneet.

His elder brother Prem Jain said they too were thinking of shifting to Ludhiana. He pointed out that the CBI was yet to visit Malerkotla in search of Vidhu's killers more than five months the central agency was handed over the case.

"But in the recent Badaun rape and murder case, the CBI reached the crime site the very next day," he said, adding that they felt let down by the law-enforcing agencies.

The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Malerkotla, William Jeji, said the police would provide security to Navneet and his family if they so demanded. "Arms licences have been issued to Navneet Jain and his nephew," he added.

Seeking justice

Vidhu's relatives held a demonstration against the state government in Malerkotla on Tuesday. Prem Jain said the family had no faith in the state government as it had failed to identify and nab Vidhu's killers. He said the Chief Minister had announced that Vidhu would be accorded the status of a martyr but this had not been done so far. The protesters were led by Vidhu's paternal uncles Prem and Vinod, cousins Amit, Sachin, Pyush and Ishu and aunts Kiran and Ranjana.

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De-addiction centres to come up in Badal village, Bathinda
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 17
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has decided to open a de-addiction centre at his native village Badal to provide succour to addicts. The 10-bed centre will function under Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot. The Chief Minister today sanctioned a Rs 30 lakh grant to the university for this centre.

The state government has also decided to hand over the supervision of a 25-bed de-addiction centre in Bathinda to the university.

Though Bathinda already has two de-addiction centres, these are in a deplorable condition. For the Bathinda centre, the state government will pay the medical university Rs 1.90 crore annually. It has already sanctioned a grant of Rs 96.96 lakh, university sources said.

The government plans to establish an ultra-modern superspecialty de-addiction centre in Bathinda on the pattern of the Faridkot centre. Work on this 50-bed centre will start soon, said Dr Satish Thapar, head of the university’s psychiatry department.

He said with the help of senior psychiatrists Dr Ajit Avasthi and Dr Debasish Basu from the PGI, Chandigarh, the university had started work on these new de-addiction centres.

He said the latest techniques would be used for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the patients.

Sources said after the SAD’s poor showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the state government was keen on an effective de-addiction initiative in Bathinda. The Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency is represented by Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The Lambi segment, which is represented by the CM, is a part of the Bathinda constituency.

Reliable sources said since the construction of the super-specialty de-addiction centre in Faridkot was almost complete, the government had handed over the supervision of the Bathinda and Badal village centres to the university.

A de-addiction centre that was set up in Bathinda in 2002 (a joint venture of the Civil Hospital and the Red Cross) gets financial aid from Guru Gobind Singh Refinery.

Succour for addicts

  • Both centres will function under Baba Farid university
  • Rs 30 lakh has been sanctioned for the 10-bed centre at Badal village
  • For the Bathinda centre, the state government will pay Rs 1.90 crore to the medical university annually
  • The government also plans to establish an ultra-modern superspecialty de-addiction centre in Bathinda

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Govt to create land banks for new projects
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 17
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal to create a land bank of at least 3,000 acres along the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway to cater to the needs of investors for setting up new ventures.

Reviewing the status of new projects and functioning of the Punjab Investment Promotion Board, the Deputy Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to create a land bank near Dera Bassi with four or six-lane roads and other amenities.

He said Punjab would create adequate land banks across the state to facilitate investors.

Sukhbir told the meeting that the government was contemplating setting up regional offices to promote investment.

He said the government planned to set up such offices in key cities such as Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Bathinda.

He said prior to hosting the second investment promotion summit, there would be a feedback session to learn about the problems being faced by the investors. He said the next summit would showcase the achievements of Punjab’s “investment vision”.

Later presiding over a meeting of senior officials of the Excise and Taxation and Finance Departments here, Sukhbir instructed the Excise Commissioner to take a feedback on the apprehensions of traders before framing a policy to simplify tax collection.

Taking up the issue of rationalising the licence fee for marriage palaces, the Deputy Chief Minister told the officials to make a list of all marriage palaces, legal or illegal, in the state.

He said besides a mapping exercise by July 1, the Excise Department should create a data on top 50 marriage palaces in the state.

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Counselling cancelled, chaos prevails at Adesh University
Nikhila Pant Dhawan
Tribune news Service

Bathinda, June 17
Chaos prevailed on the campus of Adesh University in Bathinda today after the students and their parents, who had reached there for counselling, were intimated by the management around 9.30 am that the counselling had been cancelled following orders from the state government.

The university was barred from holding separate counselling to fill MBBS seats after a high-level meeting was convened yesterday to look into the allegations that the university was charging around Rs 40 lakh for the five-year course from every student.

Although the news about the cancellation of counselling had been circulating, varsity officials feigned ignorance about it and went ahead with announcing the merit list and even put it up on the notice board.

It was only after a letter notifying the government decision was delivered to university officials that they made an announcement about the cancellation of counselling. Parents of students accused the varsity management of keeping them in the dark and jeopardising the future of their children.

Usha Rani, who had come from Patiala to get her son Harjot Singh admitted to the university, said since they didn't know about the cancellation of counselling, Harjot ended up wasting crucial time that he could have utilised to prepare for the veterinary sciences examination scheduled to be held on Thursday. Pathankot residents Anjana Rani and her daughter Aanchal also rued the wastage of time and money.

Harvir Singh, who accompanied his cousin from Ludhiana, said they had brought with them a demand draft for Rs 6.6 lakh as per instructions from the university authorities for payment of fee for the first year.

VC’s stand

It has been notified by the Punjab Government that all autonomous and private colleges can decide their fee structure and admission process. We will challenge the order of the state government in the HC. Dr HS Gill, university VC

The fee controversy

The university has 150 MBBS seats. Claiming to admit students on merit, the university charges Rs 6.6 lakh as tuition fee, which is almost equal to the fee for a management quota seat. This goes against the government directive to all medical colleges to fill at least half the seats on merit and charge Rs 2.2 lakh as fee for the first year. The government had also directed that the fee would be subject to an increase of 10 per cent every year. At this rate, every students studying at Adesh University would have to shell out around Rs 40 lakh for the five-year course.

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MGnrega scam
Raids on to arrest panchayat officials
Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 17
The Patiala police today conducted raids at various places to nab the two suspended Block Development and Panchayat Officers (BDPOs), Malwinder Singh and Dinesh Vashisht, for allegedly embezzling MGNREGA scheme funds. The police have summoned the original record of all purchases made under the scheme.

Two FIRs were registered at Samana and Patran against these officials on June 15. They are accused of bypassing village panchayats and the technical wing of the Rural Development Department for purchasing bricks, which were never delivered.

Meanwhile, Patiala ADC (Development) Rajesh Tripathi has ordered a survey of all villages to tally the material received with the bills raised. Tripathi said it was his duty to ensure that payments had been made only against genuine purchases.

After the two officials were booked by the police, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Sikander Singh Maluka had suspended both of them and announced a probe into the scam. The probe team is also examining the possible role of other officers in  the scam.

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Dalits on dharna at DC office
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, June 17
Members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community from Balad Kalan village (Bhawanigarh) started an indefinite dharna at the district administrative complex here today. They are organising the protest under the banner of Zamin Prapati Sangharsh Committee.

They virtually gheraoed the office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) by staging the dharna in front of the main gate of the office. They have been demanding panchayat land, reserved for SCs in Balad Kalan village, at low rate during auction by officials of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat.

Mukesh Malaud, a leader of the Sangharsh committee, said the administration did not want to give the panchayat land, reserved for SCs in Balad Kalan village, at low rate to the Dalits. They would intensify their agitation if that was not done, he said.

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Heat wave claims 2 lives in Jalandhar
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 17
With the extreme heat claiming two more lives, the toll has reached six in the city in a week. Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakhwinder Singh said the police was informed by some residents that an unidentified person was lying unconscious on an empty plot in Nurpur village.

The victim was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Aged around 35 years, the victim’s body has been kept at the mortuary of the Civil Hospital for identification.

The other person who died was identified as Amrit Lal (45) of Fatehgarh Sahib. The police said the victim was heading to Beas (from Fatehgarh Sahib) in a train. His health started deteriorating near Suranasi railway station and he suddenly fell off the train. He was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

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DIASPORA
 

'Toothless' NRI wing
Lawyer seeks HC intervention
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 17
Alleging that the NRI wing of the Punjab Police was virtually lying defunct, a Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate has sought judicial and political intervention for making it effective to prevent the feeling of alienation among the NRI community.

In a communication to Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, advocate Ashok Sharma Nabhewala has asserted that most of the NRIs he interacted with during his visit to the US were sore over non-redressal of their grievances.

They were dissatisfied with the complaint redressal mechanism and were of the view that the NRI wing of the Punjab Police was not serious in handling their cases. The wing usually tried to put off the issues and sidetrack the matters.

“Due to political pressure, the matters are not resolved as per law and as such issues remain pending for long without tangible reasons,” he alleged.

Nabhewala claimed most NRIs complained that the wing had miserably failed to redress their grievances pertaining to matrimonial quarrels, land disputes and “false” cases registered against them. The procedure adopted by the NRI cell was long and dilly-dallying tactics were adopted by investigating officers. 

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CRIME
 

15 vehicles recovered, one arrested

Fazilka, June 17
The district police claimed to have recovered 15 stolen two-wheelers from a resident of Chack Mannewala village in Fazilka district. In another case, the police recovered 2 kg of opium from a drug peddler.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Fazilka, Swapan Sharma said on a tip-off, a police team intercepted two persons on a motorcycle near Gobindgarh village and nabbed Parmjit Singh of Chack Mannewala village on June 14. Parmjit’s companion Surjit Singh managed to flee.

During the interrogation, Parmjit reportedly confessed that they were going to Malout to sell the stolen motorcycle.

The police have recovered 13 more motorcycles and a scooter hidden by the accused at different places in Fazilka district.

The SSP said the accused had stolen the vehicles from Dabwali, Bathinda and Moga districts. He said Parmjit had already been booked in eight criminal cases in different police stations of Fazilka district. A hunt is on to nab Surjit.

In another case, the police seized 2 kg of opium from Vicky alias Sawan. He was nabbed near Kandhwala village. He has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. — OC

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