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Central schemes hit, state delays disbursal of funds
Cong common enemy of BJP, SAD, says Badal
663 NRIs on list of ‘wanted’, mostly for sham marriages
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Excise Dept detects Rs 770 crore billing scam
Litigation
over Delay in Six-laning of Panipat-Amritsar national
highway
Contempt proceedings against DGP dropped
BSP leaders told to work for J&K, Haryana poll
BJP MLA hits back at Bajwa
Farmers’ body seeks better deal, demands loans waived
Yet-to-be released film available on Net
Attari ICP goes hi-tech for managing data
Donors accuse blood banks of bungling funds
Normalcy returns to Tapa after clash
Kidnapping case: Raids on to nab IG Cheema
Farmers protest shortage of water
Protest over Congress worker’s murder
Efforts to raise storage capacity suffer setback
Minister pays tributes to martyrs
Fazilka residents seek heritage status
for building
SAD leader threatens to quit post over illegal mining
Teachers demand PUTA poll
Woman deserts twin daughters Book on Abohar’s history released
Age controversy
Forest Dept to move court against marriage palace
7 of robbers’ gang held
Driver ends life after killing wife, son
Suicide by former panch
Man detained near border
Three held with drugs
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Central schemes hit, state delays disbursal of funds
Chandigarh, September 1 Last year, the National Development Council had recommended that the transfer of funds to the states be done directly in their consolidated fund rather than releasing these specifically for each scheme to the department concerned. This was done because various states, including Punjab, had argued that the central assistance to them had been on the decline. With the money now going directly to the consolidated fund of Punjab, many schemes, especially those related to the agriculture sector, are suffering. Sources in the Agriculture Department said of the total money received for various schemes for the farm sector, only one-fourth of the amount had been released to them by the Finance Department. As a result, hundreds of farmers and horticulturists were yet to get subsidy due to them under schemes such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Horticulture Mission and the National Food Security Act. The sources said the state government was to receive Rs 662 crore under various schemes. Of this amount, 35 per cent is to be spent under the RKVY, 35 per cent for infrastructure management and extension, 20 per cent for site specific security (programmes for oilseed and pulses cultivation) and 10 per cent of the component is kept flexible, which can be used by the state in any scheme it wants. The government has so far received Rs 200 crore under various schemes for agriculture. Of this amount, Rs 127.175 crore is to be spent under the RKVY (which also includes National Mission for Protein Supplements) and for crop diversification. However, the Agriculture Department has received only Rs 50 crore under all schemes. Though officials in the Finance Department deny that the money received for schemes under the farm sector has been diverted to pay for the state’s committed liabilities, they admit that as of date there is no additional money in the government treasury. Till two days ago, the state was in overdraft, but with the revenue receipts coming in, it now has a revenue surplus of around Rs 20 crore. “The money under schemes such as RKVY was received in August. We will disburse it to the Agriculture Department soon,” said a Finance Department official.
Change in norms
The implications
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Cong common enemy of BJP, SAD, says Badal
Jeewan Singhwala (Bathinda), September 1 Asked if there was any displeasure within the BJP over the SAD supporting the INLD, Badal said he did not think so. “I had a word with the BJP leaders who did not raise any objection. Moreover, our joint fight is against the Congress… I too will campaign in Haryana,” Badal said. The Chief Minister was in Talwandi Sabo. His three-day thanksgiving tour after the Akali Dal’s victory in Talwandi Sabo byelection concluded today. He disbursed grants worth Rs 3 crore in 16 villages. The SAD-BJP leaders who were assigned poll duty in the constituency remained present in their areas concerned for release of grants during the Chief Minister’s Sangat Darshan. Cabinet Minister Sikander Singh Maluka was present with Badal at Rama Mandi whereas Sharanjit Dhillon, another minister, was present during the Chief Minister’s tour in rural areas. Badal today visited Jeewan Singhwala, Kot Bakhtu, Bangi Deepa, Bangi Nihal Singhwala, Bangi Ruldu Singhwala and Naseebpura villages. At Jeewan Singhwala, the villagers were a divided lot over the construction of a water outlet in a canal. The matter was resolved with the intervention of the Chief Minister, who asked the Chief Engineer to sort out the issue with the help of newly elected Talwandi Sabo MLA Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu.
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663 NRIs on list of ‘wanted’, mostly for sham marriages
Jalandhar, September 1
Patiala, Pathankot and Fazilka districts had no wanted NRIs whereas the count stood below five in Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Mansa districts, said Assistant Inspector General (NRI wing) Charanjit Singh. He said some of the NRIs had been evading arrest for the past over a decade. Since the NRI wing of the Punjab Police was established in 2004, the state now has 15 NRI police stations, which have 123 POs. Also, the process is on to declare 33 more NRIs as proclaimed offenders. A list of wanted NRIs (The Tribune has a copy) shows that most of them have been hiding in countries like the US, the UK, Canada, Italy, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Canada has the maximum 44 POs, followed by the US (27), the UK (16), Italy (13) and Australia (8). The remaining countries have less than five POs. Gurpreet Deo, Inspector General (NRI wing), said directions had been issued to the heads of all NRI police stations to speed up the process of attaching the properties of the POs. “The properties of some NRIs who solemnised sham marriages were attached recently. The police are already in the process of attaching the properties of the remaining POs,” she said. About the extradition of wanted NRIs, she said it was a complex procedure. “To arrest an NRI, we mostly rely on look out circular. We are alerted whenever a proclaimed offender lands at any airport in India,” she said. Deo said not all complaints against NRIs turned out to be true. “The names of two NRIs were recently struck off the list of proclaimed offenders. At times complaints are filed only to harass them. We always conduct a thorough investigation and give due hearing to the NRIs too,” she said.
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Excise Dept detects Rs 770 crore billing scam
Patiala, September 1 At least 50 firms in Punjab are under scanner for accepting consignments without paying full tax. Official sources said the scam came to light a few days ago when a vehicle loaded with ceramic tiles was intercepted on the Barnala-Raikot road. They said the vehicle was carrying tiles worth Rs 3 lakh from Metro City Tiles Pvt Ltd, Morbi, Gujarat, to Gupta Sanitary and Hardware Store in Chandigarh. The vehicle was being escorted by a “passer” (tax smuggler) in a car. “On checking, it was found that the passer was carrying a parallel set of documents, issued by H&R Johnson India Ltd, Mumbai, in favour of Maa Mahakali Traders, Jalandhar, for Rs 7.56 lakh. The driver and the passer stated that the tiles were to be delivered to the dealer in Jalandhar, but to evade tax, forged transit documents were prepared in favour of a Chandigarh dealer,” said Anurag Verma, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab. When summoned, the Jalandhar dealer denied having bought the tiles. He said the department had decided to approach the supplier, H&R Johnson India Ltd, to access correct set of documents. A couple of days later two more vehicles were impounded in which similar modus operandi of tax evasion was adopted, Verma said. Verma said a penalty of Rs.11.87 lakh was imposed, but so far no one had come forward to claim the goods. He said they had asked Gujarat officials to give detailed information about ceramic tiles purchased by Punjab dealers from Gujarat. "Once the data is obtained, the tax returns of Punjab dealers will be assessed to detect tax evasion," he added.
Modus operandi
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Litigation
over Delay in Six-laning of Panipat-Amritsar national
highway
Jalandhar, September 1 With the Supreme Court having set a deadline of March 2015 for the contractor, Soma Enterprises, the company has a huge target to construct the remaining 70 of the total 179 structures, including flyovers and underpasses, as part of the nearly Rs 4,500 crore project in the next seven months. The company has prioritised work by beginning with all nine bridges and underpasses which are nearing completion. These are at Sharifgarh in Shahbad, Tawaodi and Grain Market in Karnal, Rajpura and Ludhiana bypass, near Lovely Professional University in Phagwara and Chogitti Chowk in Jalandhar. Manvi Bhatia, company spokesperson, claimed that all these works would be completed in a month’s time. She said major maintenance and safety works were being carried out between Panipat-Karnal, Rajpura-Sirhind and Phagwara-Jalandhar stretches. The NHAI in consultation with the company is also in the process of changing the structural designs of some stretches. Earlier, a flyover was being planned at PAP Chowk in Jalandhar. But the Vajra Corps has increased its demand from Rs 73 crore already deposited by the NHAI to Rs 190 crore for the acquisition of military land. The authorities have now proposed to construct an elevated road for which no acquisition would be required. Vipin Kumar, project director, NHAI, confirmed that a change of plan was on the anvil. He said the pace of work was slow in Ludhiana because of traffic congestion, inter-linked roads and the pending sewerage work. While the initial cost of the project was being estimated at Rs 2,700 crore, it is likely to cross Rs 4,500 crore owing to the delay. There is an underpass after every 2 km. In the carriageway between Phillaur and Kartarpur of Jalandhar district, there are 34 existing and new bridges. In Jalandhar city alone, a total of 17 bridges have been planned.
Tough task ahead
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Contempt proceedings against DGP dropped
The case is important as the Mohali police have booked Punjab Inspector-General of Police Gautam Cheema and three others on the allegations of kidnapping, trespassing, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy for allegedly taking away a proclaimed offender, Sumedh Gulati, from the Phase 1 police station on August 26. Gulati is Davinder Singh's business partner. Davinder's wife Krispy Khaira, owner of Sky Heights company, has alleged that Cheema got false cases registered against her husband, his family and friends following a dispute over sharing profits in the joint business. Davinder Singh told the court through counsel Ranjan Lakhanpal that he had filed an application for protection of life and liberty. The petition was disposed of with a direction to the Director-General of Police to verify the allegations concerning threat to the petitioner's life and liberty and take appropriate action to provide protection, if required. Davinder Singh told the court that the order passed was not complied with. In response, a reply was filed on Saini's behalf averring that an Additional Director-General of Police had issued directions to the Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police for providing appropriate number of security personnel to Davinder Singh's wife Krispy Khaira, Maninderpreet Gulati and Amarpreet Verma, as they had expressed security concerns. All three women were provided with one personal security officer each. Taking up the matter, Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain asserted: "Counsel for the respondent has submitted that the Director-General of Police has issued directions to the Inspector-General of Police, Patiala, to verify the nature and gravity of the threat to the petitioner and his family by associating the petitioner, his wife Krispy Khaira and other persons concerned and send a report to his office at the earliest so that their protection can be ensured in terms of the order passed by this court and in the meantime, security has already been provided to the family of the petitioner…. "Counsel for the respondent has also submitted that the order passed by this court shall be complied with, if it is found that there is a threat perception to the life and liberty of the petitioner, by providing adequate security. In view thereof, the present contempt petition is disposed of and the rule issued is discharged".
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BSP leaders told to work for J&K, Haryana poll
Jalandhar, September 1 Kashyap said till the time the elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana were over, political activities of the BSP in Punjab would remain suspended. He also warned the party leaders against indulging in indiscipline. “For the past sometime, it has come to notice that some leaders are indulging in indiscipline. The erring leaders must desist from any such activity that affects the party adversely,” he said.
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Farmers’ body seeks better deal, demands loans waived
Chandigarh, September 1 The AIKF has sought social security for farmers by way of pension and adequate education and health facilities for their wards. Speakers at the conference demanded that farmers’ loans be waived and due compensation paid to families of farmers who had committed suicide in the past 10 years. At the outset, Gopi Kishan, general secretary, All-India Center of Trade Union (AICTU), said that a worker-peasant alliance could bring about radical transformation in agriculture as well as the Indian society. Activists from all over Punjab participated in the inaugural session of the conference. Kuldip Singh advocated a movement against the “anti-peasant” policies of the central and state governments. He spoke about the contribution of the peasantry and farm workers to democracy and socialism. He gave a call for a fight against imperialist forces. Former chairman of the Economics Department of Panjab University, Dr Gurmail Singh, in his keynote address spoke about the crisis in the agrarian sector owing to declining capital investment, increase in the cost of agriculture production and denial of remunerative prices to farmers. The central and state governments were not keen to implement the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission, he said. He blamed the ruling class for the neglect of the farm sector because of which its contribution to the GDP had declined to just 13 per cent. Among others to have addressed the conference were MV Reddy, Jyotish, Prem Singh Bhangu and Gopi Kishan.
Diversification plan
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Daduwal made to sign on blank paper, allege kin
Faridkot, September 1 His supporters alleged that the police had tortured Baba Daduwal and obtained his signatures on blank papers to announce his resignation from the HSGMC. Gurmeet Singh, Baba Daduwal’s father-in-law, claimed that he was not in good health as he was not getting proper treatment inside the jail. On the ‘resignation’ row, he said he had spoken to his son-in-law but would not say anything till the latter was released on bail. Harinder Singh, HSGMC member, was among those who visited Baba Daduwal today. He alleged that the police had pressured the Baba into signing on blank papers. “The HSGMC has yet to receive his resignation letter,” he claimed. “It is all a drama by the Punjab government and the SGPC to weaken the HSGMC. Besides slapping fresh criminal cases on Daduwal and opening closed cases, the police have wrested the control of Gurdwara Jandialisar in Bathinda to weaken the Baba’s support base and demoralise him,” he alleged.
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Yet-to-be released film available on Net
Jalandhar, September 1 The film was scheduled to be released on August 22. However, its release was stopped following separate demands by Punjab units of the Congress and the BJP. The film was issued “A” certificate by a committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) a few weeks ago. In January 2014, the CBFC had refused to issue any certificate to the film. Film producer Satish Katyal said the ban on the release of the film had caused him a loss of more than Rs 1 crore. He said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was responsible for it. "The film release was stopped by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the ground of maintaining law and order in the state. They believed the film might trigger communal tension among Hindus and Sikhs. Meanwhile, the pirated version of the film has been released and many people have already watched it. I have not seen any communal tension in the state so far," Satish said. He said steps had been initiated to remove the pirated version of the film from the Internet. The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) had been approached to get the film released. Hopefully it would hit the cinemas in a few days, he said. The Punjab Youth Congress had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while BJP leader Lakshmi Kanta Chawla had sent a letter to Union Home Minister Raj Nath Singh asking them to stop the release of the film. Nirupama Kotru, Director (Films), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said she was not authorised to speak to
the media on the issue. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Raghvendra Singh was also not available on the phone for comments.
Piracy to blame
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Attari ICP goes hi-tech for managing data
Amritsar, September 1
Also called ICES (Indian Customs EDI System), the procedure would mean a win-win situation for both the sides. It would be a step ahead in promoting round-the-clock trade at the Attari-Wagah border. The system would help bring down the transaction costs of import during the clearance of cargo. It would also help in curbing the practice of counterfeit challans, thus, ensuring transparency. The trading community would no longer have to travel physically to the Customs House for submitting documents except at the last stage for physical examination of goods, and for taking delivery. Assistant Commissioner (Customs) Amanjeet Singh said just like the online exporting procedure,
this automation system would allow an importer to file documents at the click of a button while sitting anywhere. The user would have to download remote EDI software to have an access to the system. Thereupon, an Import Export
Code (IEC) would be issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, the details of which would be transmitted online to ICES on a daily basis. The ICES automatically registers the IEC after confirming its validity to enable the user to file the
bill of import or export electronically. The entire procedure is monitored at various levels and the importer would know about the stage of his consignment. The ICES ensures security at all levels and keeps track of any transaction carried out by the user. “It is a 24X7 facility, which can be accessed while sitting at home or anywhere in the world. It’s a service for faster clearance of goods in a paperless office. It will curtail the transaction costs and reduce the chances of frauds. It is such a transparent channel that even the number of documents cleared at each stage can be monitored. The controlling officers can monitor the progress of the customs officers while processing the documents and can even help them,” said Amanjeet.
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Govt lethargy: Muktsar-Kotkapura road widening at a snail’s pace
Muktsar, September 1 The work on this 30-km-long highway began in May after a delay of about one and a half years. It was planned to be completed within the same period. However, neither the land has been acquired for two bridges on the twin Rajasthan and Sirhind Feeder canals nor for the toll plaza to come up near Warring village. At present, only the roadside digging work is going on and that too at a snail’s pace, which is proving to be a major hurdle for the commuters. The existing 7-m-wide highway has to be widened to 10 m by digging both sides of the road under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme. Sources said the design of the road and bridges was yet to be finalised and approved by the departments concerned. The traffic volume remains high on this road, which links Muktsar to Kotkapura, Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and some other major towns. A number of fatal accidents have taken place on this highway, especially during the winter season. To make the state government feel “ashamed” for the excessive delay in the widening of this state highway, Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amarinder Singh ‘Raja Warring’ in February this year had performed a “pooja” of the foundation stone laid by Sukhbir Badal in August 2012 outside the Government College here. Angrej Singh, Executive Engineer, PWD (B&R), said, “There has been some delay in the widening of this highway, but the work will be completed in 2015. The road is being widened under the BOT scheme, so the contractor will himself increase the pace of work. The major reason behind the delay is that the work started late in May this year.” About the land acquisition for two bridges and a toll plaza, he said, “The process is on to acquire the land for bridges but some private property is required for that purpose, which is delaying the work. The toll plaza land would also be acquired shortly.” The estimated expenditure on the project is about Rs 70 crore.
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Donors accuse blood banks of bungling funds
Jalandhar, September 1 Ravinder Singh, who recently donated blood at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital, said he was neither given any refreshment nor the blood donor registration certificate. “The staff said since it is a holiday, they cannot issue me any certificate or refreshment. When the blood bank is working 24x7 why can’t the donors get the facilities made mandatory by NACO,” he asked. Similarly, Aman, who donated blood at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital, alleged he was given a refreshment coupon for a pack of 200 ml juice and biscuits to be collected from the hospital canteen. Sukhwinder Singh, who donated blood at the Amritsar Civil Hospital, was also given a refreshment coupon worth Rs 20. The hospital authorities claimed they had been told to give refreshment of up to Rs 50 and not worth Rs 50. “As the Punjab State AIDS Control Society (PSACS) does not pay separate money for organising blood donation camps, we have to spend money on camps from refreshment grant,” said Dr Gagandeep Singh. Blood Transfusion Officer, Jalandhar. When showed a letter by the PSACS directing the hospital authorities to provide refreshments at the rate of Rs 50 per donor, he called it a typing error saying the PSACS had directed them to provide refreshment according to the need of the donor. “If the donor does not want to have refreshment, we cannot force him,” he said. Sukhwinder Singh, Joint Director, Blood Safety and Quality Assurance, PSACS, expressed ignorance on the matter. He said: “How can the hospitals cut down the refreshment expenses? We have been releasing funds at the rate of Rs 50 per donor. Besides, for every
75 donors, we release a separate grant of Rs 5,000 to organise blood donation camps. I will
seek an explanation from the blood transfusion officers concerned.” He, however, said for the last one year, the PSACS had not released any refreshment grant to the blood banks. “Earlier, NACO had been releasing the grant directly to the PSACS. But since last year when NACO decided to release the funds through the state government, we have not received any money so far,” said Sukhwinder Singh. Vitin Puri, President, Hindustan Welfare Blood Donors Club, Phagwara, said: “For each donor, the PSACS has to contribute Rs 25 for refreshment to the funds it gets from NACO. The state government also has to contribute the same share. But the money is being embezzled.”
Foul play
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Normalcy returns to Tapa after clash
Barnala/Sangrur, September 1 A clash took place among safai sewaks and shopkeepers in Tapa Mandi yesterday evening. Though the situation was normal today, the administration deployed a number of policemen on the school road while stagnant water was drained out from in front of the shops there. Sources say more such clashes may take place among sanitation workers and people in other parts of the state over the worsening sanitary conditions in their areas. People said if the state government failed to resolve the issue relating to demands of safai sewaks, the situation might take an ugly turn. There might either be clashes among safai sewaks and residents or some deadly disease might break out. Meanwhile, the shopkeepers kept their shops closed in the morning in Tapa and opened these only after the stagnant water was drained out from in front of their shops on the school road. Sangrur: The strike by sanitation workers of the municipal council in Sangrur entered the 29th day today. Sanitation workers are also holding a relay fast for the past seven days in support of their demands.
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Kidnapping case: Raids on to nab IG Cheema
Mohali, September 1 “We have dispatched our teams to Delhi and other places in search of the accused,” said Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti, Senior Superintendent of Police. The police have booked Cheema, Chaudhary and two other unidentified accused on the charge of kidnapping, trespassing, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy. Gulati is a co-accused in a land fraud case along with coloniser Davinder Singh Gill. Sack cop: Realtor’s wife Krispy Khaira, Gill’s wife, and Maninderpreet Kaur, Gulati’s wife, today demanded the dismissal of Cheema following the registration of an FIR against him. They said they would start an indefinite strike if the police failed to register a case on Krispy’s molestation charge against Cheema and Chaudhary.
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Farmers protest shortage of water
Abohar, September 1 Hundreds of vehicles were stranded and it was difficult to divert the traffic as link roads were not in a good condition, said commuters. The protesters were from
Gobindgarh, Kundal, Bhagu, Sherewala, Waryamkhera, Kular, Bhagsar,
Shergarh, Dodewala, Rajpura and Bazidpur Bhoma villages. They said the state government was discriminating against farmers of Balluana even thought the segment was represented by SAD legislator Gurtej Singh. None of the villages on the tail-end of the canal system would be in a position to maintain the last year’s cotton produce and the paddy crop would also be badly hit, the protesters said. They raised slogans against the irrigation authorities and criticised the government for not releasing funds to remove silt from the canals and repair the sidewalls. Some protesters said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had last year announced that there would be a sea change in the canal system and grievances of farmers in the tail-end villages would be addressed but they were feeling cheated. Sub-divisional magistrate
(SDM) Rajpal Singh persuaded the protesters to defer agitation and assured that the state government would be briefed about the problems that dot the segment.
Their woes
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Protest over Congress worker’s murder
Kapurthala, September 1 Roshan, a nephew of block Congress president Stephan Kala, was reportedly shot dead by armed persons led by a financier and an Akali worker of Bhogpur village. Khaira alleged that Akali goons led by Kuldip Singh stormed the village in the afternoon to recover a small amount loaned to a villager. When Roshan tried to intervene, he was shot in the presence of scores of terrified villagers. “The assailants then fled the spot, firing shots into the air to disburse the crowd,” he said. Blaming Akali leaders, Khaira said: “Roshan’s brutal killing has once again brought to the fore the highhandedness of the Akalis. Though the police have registered a case of murder, no one has been arrested so far.” Later in the day, the Congress workers lifted the dharna on the intervention of Bholath Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mukesh Kumar. Meanwhile, a report from Fatehgarh Sahib said that former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh has threatened to block the GT Road on September 3 if the police fail to arrest those accused of murdering Congress supporter Abu Ram. Bir Devinder Singh alleged the police were functioning under pressure. The Congress supporter was killed at Nabipur village in the district on August 23 following a clash between two families over a minor issue. The police had registered a case against several persons, but no one has been arrested so far.
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Efforts to raise storage capacity suffer setback
Amritsar, September 1 Rajan Bedi of SSB Warehousing Complex here, claimed that construction work on all three storages in Kapurthala, with a joint capacity of 57,000 tonnes, had come to a standstill. He said that a communiqué by the Ministry of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, dated August 6, had said “that the sanction of subsidy for news projects under the Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure sub-scheme be withheld for the remaining period of 2014-2015.” It said that financing institutions had been told not to sanction subsidy-linked term loan for any new projects under the sub-scheme. Bedi said that “retrospective implementation” of the new policy was bad governance. He pointed out that the state government and the FCI had issued tenders for raising the storage capacity but had found no taker. Subsequently, the bid was cancelled on August 28.
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Minister pays tributes to martyrs
Nawanshahr, September 1 The minister said the Badal government was committed to setting up state-of-the art memorials to honour the sacrifices of martyrs during the freedom struggle. The state government would spend Rs 100 crore on setting up a war memorial in Amritsar and Rs 200 crore on setting up “Jan-e-Azadi Yadhgar” at Kartarpur, the minister said. While lauding the efforts of Babbar Karam Singh Editor Memorial Trust in preserving and promoting the traditions of the martyrs, Thandal assured that the old tunnel associated with the Babbar Akali Movement at Daulatpur village would be preserved by the Archaeology Department. Tunnel preservation Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs Sohan Singh Thandal said the old tunnel associated with the Babbar Akali Movement at Daulatpur village would be preserved by the Archaeology Department.
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Fazilka residents seek heritage status
for building
Fazilka, September 1 Social activist and former Municipal Councillor
Lachhman Dost, who has been leading the campaign, said on the first
day, 11 members, including four women, sat on hunger strike near the
dilapidated building. Residents of nearby areas such as Dhingra
Colony, Nai Abadi Islamabad, Teacher Colony and Chandora Basti have
also been demanding setting up of a government school and a community
centre for the poor across the railway line in the proposed
Improvement Trust Colony. “A postcard campaign will be launched
along with the hunger strike from Tuesday. The girls of these four
colonies will demand setting up of the school and the boys shall seek
a community centre by sending postcards to the authorities,” said
Dost.
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SAD leader threatens to quit post over illegal mining
Kiratpur Sahib, September 1 He threatened to resign as managing director if the illegal activity was not stopped in the area. Addressing a press conference, Shahpur alleged that sand and gravel was being sold on fake bills on the letterhead of firms in Himachal Pradesh. All this was being done in connivance with local politicians, mining department officials and the police. “Policemen and Mining Department employees at nakas are hand in glove with those involved in illegal mining,” he alleged. The Akali leader said a few days ago he had noticed 15 trucks and trailers carrying sand. Smelling a rat, he had brought the matter to the notice of the Kurali police station, but no action was taken on his complaint. However, District Mining Officer Chaman Lal claimed that there had been no let-up in the government’s drive against illegal mining and that several persons had been booked for the offence in the past few months. — TNS
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Teachers demand PUTA poll
Patiala, September 1 PUTA elections were stayed in 2003 after the teachers working in constituent colleges of the university filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court over its membership. The case was disposed of in 2010 as the court disapproved of voting rights to the teachers of the constituent colleges. The university authorities held the elections in 2012-13 after much pressure from the teaching faculty. However, a controversy over the eligibility of the electorate and non-clarity on the High Court order put the poll result on hold and the elections have not been conducted again since then. Convener of the Democratic Teachers' Front Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar said since PUTA enrolment was done annually, elections had nothing to do with what had happened in previous years. The teachers also demanded fulfilment of their other pending demands.
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Age controversy
Chandigarh, September 1 Taking the report on record, Justice TPS Maan has fixed the case for September 18 for arguments. The High Court had, on the previous date of hearing, directed ossification test of the younger Nooran sister, Jyoti. Facing the music for “marrying” against her family’s wishes, the couple is seeking protection from Jyoti’s parents and sisters. The singer has sought directions to the parents and her sister against interfering in her “married life”. The couple was sent by Justice Mann to a protection home. A test to prove Jyoti’s age will now be carried out at the Sector 16 hospital. The directions on determining her age came after the Bollywood crooner’s family claimed that the girl was a minor. Describing her parents as “very clever and greedy,” Jyoti’s counsel Mohammad Salim had earlier claimed that the singer and her husband Kunal Passi were major and had tied the knot on August 2. But the relevant documents were with the singer’s parents. “To project her as a minor, they have, forged her matriculation certificate and changed her age,” he had said. Salim claimed the singer’s parents wanted to see her married to someone “unsuitable”.
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Forest Dept to move court against marriage palace
Patiala, September 1 The department has decided to move the court and levy a heavy penalty on the owners of the marriage palace who belong to a politically influential family. They allegedly tried to encroach 16,000 square feet of prime forest land. “Instead of reporting the matter to seniors, some junior officials tried their best to hush up the matter,” said a forest official who brought the matter to the notice of the Divisional Forest Officer. Sources said on August 18 and 19, “private persons employed by the marriage palace owners removed sand dunes on the forest land as these blocked the palace view.” The Divisional Forest Officer, said: “We have recommended strict action against the marriage palace owners and have taken back possession of the forest land.” The marriage palace owners maintained that their sole intention was to level the land and not to encroach it.
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Cases filed against 14 passport applicants for giving wrong info
Jalandhar, September 1 Though, the certificates submitted by these people were found to be
originally issued by the Punjab Health Department, the dates mentioned on these were found to be incorrect. "It seems the applicants managed to get wrong dates written on their original certificates in connivance with some health officials in their respective areas," said Harmanbir Singh Gill, Regional Passport Officer, Jalandhar. The MEA has imposed a two-year ban on these applicants for providing wrong details to the passport office. Majority
of such cases are from Gurdaspur. Gill said criminal case could also be filed against officials of the Punjab Health Department
who helped applicants in making alterations in their certificates. Pulling up the Punjab Health Department last week, the state government had told it to issue genuineness certificates pertaining to birth/death to passport applicants within the stipulated period of 72 hours. The decision came following intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs as the state Health Department had been delaying these certificates for months, causing huge backlog at Jalandhar and Amritsar regional passport offices. To meet the deadline set by the state government, it seems, the officials at the Health Department may have issued these certificates without verifying the facts from the original record available at their offices. Vinnie Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, expressed ignorance on the issue. "We have not received
any information so far either from the police authorities or the respective RP offices. However, we will take necessary action against erring officials, if found guilty," Vinnie Mahajan said. Meanwhile, the police in respective districts have begun investigating the matter, but no arrests have been made so far. The RPO has filed nine cases in Gurdaspur, two in Kapurthala and three in Nawanshahr so far.
Officials can be booked, too It seems the applicants managed to get wrong dates written on their original certificates in connivance with some health officials in their respective areas. Criminal case can also be filed against officials of the Punjab Health Department who helped applicants in making alterations in their
certificates. — Harmanbir Singh Gill, regional passport officer
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7 of robbers’ gang held
Muktsar, September 1 Superintendent of Police, Malout, Balraj Singh said two pistols, seven cartridges and three iron rods had been seized from their possession. The police said the arrested persons had admitted that they had killed a number of persons after robbing them and had dumped the bodies in a drain.
A case has been registered
Those arrested are Gora Singh, Ranjit Singh, Jarnail Singh, Surjit Singh, Karamjt Singh, Malkit Singh and Paramjit Kaur. Sources said the arrested accused had confessed to have killed a Home Guard and a patwari, besides other murders.
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Driver ends life after killing wife, son
Khamano September 1 The Khamano police have recovered a suicide note wherein the accused had held himself responsible for the deaths. The police said Daljit first murdered his wife and his son with a sharp weapon last night. He then committed suicide by hanging himself with a ceiling fan. The police said Daljit Singh left three copies of suicide notes. He had stated that he was working as a driver of an ambulance van and was upset over the condition of the patients who did not have enough money for their treatment. He had also mentioned that he was depressed over the videos appearing in social media showing the killings of innocent people by militants in Iraq.
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Suicide by former panch
Sangrur, September 1 The police said Jaswant, Jeewan Singh and Gill Singh had set up a firm "Sanjh Enterprises" at Sular Gharat village. They enrolled members to hold lucky draw every month. Over the past 10 months, Jaswant enrolled members and collected lakhs of rupees from them as monthly instalments. He deposited the money with the firm, but Jeewan Singh and Gill Singh refused to either hold the draw or return money to the members. Jaswant was under stress as people had been demanding their money from him, the police said.
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BSF’s 8th Battalion “B” company commandant Jagveer Singh on Monday informed the Sriganganagar district police that an Indian, identified later as Shashank Shekhar Sharma of Bank Colony, Ambala, was nabbed by men on night patrolling about 125 m from the barbed fencing near the Kailash border outpost. He said Shashank was found roaming suspiciously about 7 pm. Inquiries indicated that he was serving as Wing Commander with the Air Force and had recently been posted at the education cell near Chandigarh. He reportedly told the investigation team that he had approached the international border due to some “misunderstanding”. Sources said during his search, a sum of Rs 16,200, nine bank cheques, a passport, an ATM card, an identity card, a smart card and a credit card were found. He has been handed over to the Rajasthan police and is being interrogated by BSF teams and intelligence agencies.
— OC
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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting seems to have failed to uphold the ban on the release of Punjabi film
"Kaum De Heere", which allegedly glorifies the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
A pirated version of the film is available for download on file sharing website Bit Torrent.
Mohali, September 1
Kapurthala, September 1
Residents of
slum areas along the railway track on the Old Abadi Road, while
intensifying their agitation, today started an indefinite hunger
strike seeking heritage status for the 113-year-old Raghuvar Bhawan.
The protesters had been holding dharna for the past few days to press
their demand.
Patiala, September 1
The Jalandhar (rural) police district has the maximum 195 NRIs wanted in various criminal cases, followed by Moga (128), Jalandhar-city (72), Amritsar-city (34), Faridkot (32), Ludhiana-rural (28), Ludhiana-city (22), Khanna (17), Ropar (14) and Hoshiarpur (12). 
Chandigarh, September 1
Abohar, September 1