|
|
|
|
|
SAD groups clash during CM’s Sangat Darshan
Khalistani militant held in Guwahati
|
|
|
Mittal, Dhindsa spar over denial of package
11 days after FIR, no action against absconding IG
Mayawati reappoints Karimpuri as state BSP chief
Maluka's advice to Dhillon
SGPC sends 25,000 food packets for J&K flood-hit
Rain-affected in Malwa region await govt help
Residents of Panniwala village wade through an inundated street on Friday. A Tribune photograph
Farm subsidy to continue: Tota Singh
High returns lift spirits of cotton, basmati farmers
Convicted for killing wife, man ends life
missing persons
Man dies in custody, relatives block highway
SIT to probe recovery of carcasses
Phoolka seeks memorial to victims of ’84 riots
‘Removal’ of Bar association president sparks controversy
Don’t demolish 100-yr-old hermitage, plead heritage lovers
Holy book row: Sikh bodies to continue stir
Now, Sangrur to have 27 wards
Court puts Centre on notice over agri pricing policy
HC calls for proof on Jha being Ashutosh Maharaj’s son
Illegal construction along highway
Explain delay in sewerage project: HC tells state
|
SAD groups clash during CM’s Sangat Darshan
Mirjeana (Bathinda), September 12 The warring groups were reprimanded by Badal’s security guards and the police. More than 12 workers reportedly suffered minor injuries. Led by sarpanch Kulwinder Singh, villagers thronged the Singo police post, demanding action against a particular group. The sarpanch alleged that this group had created a ruckus at the Chief Minister’s function only to ensure that no grant was announced for the village. The two groups had earlier clashed on August 25 after the result of the Talwandi Sabo byelection was announced. A case of attempt to murder was registered against a former sarpanch and a few others. The rival groups had raised separate tents in support of the SAD candidate during the recent byelection, claimed village resident Paramjit. At the Sangat Darshan today, the Chief Minister was accompanied by Talwandi Sabo legislator Jeetmohinder Sidhu. Aware of intense infighting, Sidhu began his speech with a call for unity among party workers. Talwandi Sabo Station House Officer Gursher Singh said they had not received any complaint so far. “We are aware that an argument took place on the issue of constructing a drain. We will keep a watch on members of the warring groups,” he said. Special Principal Secretary KJS Cheema accompanied the Chief minister during his Sangat Darshan programmes at Manuana, Mirjeana, Kaureana, Kalalwala, Fatta Balu and Gohlewala villages.
Villagers seek better medical facilities n Residents of Bathinda, Muktsar and Mansa villages thronged the CM’s Sangat Darshan function
n
They complained against unsafe roads & poor medical and educational facilities n
The CM said he would ask the Centre to reconsider tax incentives to neighbouring states as these were hurting the industry in Punjab n
n
|
|
Khalistani militant held in Guwahati
Guwahati, September 12 “Dilbahg Singh may have arrived in the state 10 or 15 days ago. We suspect that he was looking for sources to procure arms. He has been sent to jail and the Jammu and Kashmir Police will be here soon to take him into its custody,” the police officer said. He said the KZF was one of three main Khalistani groups, the other two being the Khalistan Commando Force and the Babbar
Khalsa. Security sources said anti-national elements often visited the state to explore the possibility of procuring arms from Naga and Mizo militants. These militants procured arms from Chinese dealers. The latter sneaked in weapons to India through the porous frontier with Myanmar. Sources said Dimapur in Nagaland had become a hub of clandestine arms dealers where most militant groups from Assam and Meghalaya (Garo Hills) shopped for weapons.
|
||
|
Mittal, Dhindsa spar over denial of package
Chandigarh, September 12 After Industry Minister Madan Mohan Mittal (BJP) said the case “was not presented well”, Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa (Akali Dal) today said his colleague was “free to approach his party’s ministers in Delhi and secure the package for Punjab”. Dhindsa had led the delegation that had pleaded Punjab’s case before the Centre. This is not the first time that fissures in the Akali-BJP alliance have surfaced. Immediately after the party stormed to power at the Centre, the BJP leaders in Punjab started becoming assertive. They did not shy away from criticising the state government (dominated by the Akali Dal) on various policy issues like imposition of property tax, poor availability of sand and gravel and high Value Added Tax. All these issues are related to the urban voters, which is the BJP vote bank. The weaning away of urban voters from the party in the General Election has probably forced the BJP leaders to speak up against these issues. Yesterday, Mittal had said in Jalandhar that the case for seeking a special package was not presented well. He had said the result would have been different had Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal presented the case. Confirming that he made this statement, Mittal told The Tribune that he was not casting any aspersions on the capability of his Cabinet colleague, but that in his opinion, “the delegation failed to present the case by highlighting the actual ground realities, which led to denial of special assistance”. Dhindsa, on the other hand, said after the BJP-led government came to power, Badal met Jaitley in May-end and presented Punjab’s case. “I was just following up on the issue. During my interaction with the Union Finance Minister, I realised that Jaitley was fully conversant with the ground realities as he had contested the election from Punjab. He is an intelligent man and he could understand the reasons why Punjab was seeking assistance,” he said. Dhindsa said if Mittal felt that he could do a better job than him, he was free to present the state’s case again and secure the package. “I will request the Chief Minister to ask him (Mittal) to approach the Centre and get Punjab its due,” he said.
|
||
|
11 days after FIR, no action against absconding IG
Chandigarh, September 12 This is despite the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeals) Rules suggesting that a government employee should be chargesheeted in case he remains absent from duty without approval. The rules also say an employee should be suspended if he remains in police or judicial custody for 48 hours. However, no such action has been taken against Cheema so far. The IPS officer has not reported for work since September 1 when the Mohali police booked him for allegedly abducting Sumedh Gulati, a proclaimed offender. Sumedh was an associate of alleged conman and realtor Devinder Gill, who “fleeced” several persons, including top-rung police officials. The duo was booked in Mohali for cheating one of their investors, Yashpal Gupta. When contacted by The Tribune, no official agreed to speak on record about the matter. Officials at the state police headquarters here and the Home Department said the government had not recommended any action against Cheema so far. “Cheema is absconding and any action over his absenteeism can only be initiated on the recommendation of his seniors… No action can be taken for the registration of a case. He can be suspended only if he is arrested and remains behind bars for 48 hours,” said an official in the Home Department. For their part, officials in the police said only the Home Department or the Chief Minister’s Office could take action as the matter related to an IPS officer. The unholy nexus between Cheema, some other police officials and the conman (Devinder) had also featured in a Vigilance inquiry report. Sources said the government was pondering over what action could be taken on the basis of the report. The government had initially asked the Vigilance to probe if the Inspector General and his accomplices and some senior policemen allegedly kidnapped Devinder to extract money from him, and whether the latter’s wife, Krispy Khaira, too had been “molested” by Cheema. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is also learnt to have asked the Vigilance to probe the alleged relations between the police and the conman. Sources said the Vigilance report had found that the molestation complaint was lodged about four months after the alleged incident, a period during which the complainant and the police official met several times. The sources said the report had put on record facts about the relationship of Cheema and other police officials with the complainants. The report suggested that a larger inquiry could probe the matter further as it was not possible to conclude the sequence of events, as had been alleged by the complainants.
What rules suggest
n
The Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeals) Rules say a government employee should be chargesheeted if he remains absent from duty without approval n
The rules say an employee should be suspended if he remains in police or judicial custody for 48 hours n
But officials have ruled out suspension in Inspector General Gautam Cheema’s case as he is yet to be arrested n
The IPS officer has not reported for work from September 1, the day the Mohali police booked him for allegedly abducting a proclaimed offender from police station
|
||
Mayawati reappoints Karimpuri as state BSP chief
Chandigarh, September 12 He replaces Parkash Singh Jandali, who become president in November, 2012. A member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, Karimpuri belongs to Nawanshahr district. Sources said party chief Mayawati convened a meeting of district presidents at Lucknow where she announced that she was handing over the reins of the party in Punjab to Karimpuri. The latter is a postgraduate in human rights. — TNS
|
|
SGPC sends 25,000 food packets for J&K flood-hit
Amritsar, September 12 Raman Banotra of Amritsar, who returned with his wife Anita and child, said: “We saw a group of people looting an apple orchard. The Army is running a chopper service but it is proving inadequate in view of the large number of affected people.” Banotra said the state government and its agencies had vanished and it was the locals who were helping those stranded. Dr Javed from Srinagar claimed the defence forces alone were rescuing the people. A group of construction labourers hailing from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh were among those who landed here. Vinod, who has been working in the Kashmir Valley for the past 14 years, said the floods had caught them unawares. Maninder Singh said he and his friends had gone to the Valley for sightseeing and were stuck in the floods. Aman Singh Bhatia said scores of buildings in the Valley were submerged. “It was a nightmare. With no cooked food available, we had to depend on packaged eatables like biscuits in order to survive,” he said. Amandeep Singh, who belongs to Jalandhar, said that facing hunger, local people had turned hostile. Akal Takht's appeal Akal Takht chief Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has appealed to the Sikhs to come forward to help the flood-hit in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the help could be in cash or kind.
|
|
|
Rain-affected in Malwa region await govt help
Muktsar, September 12 Bind Singh, also from Panniwala, said the administration had failed to drain out the rainwater and provide relief to the affected people. He said some residents had shifted to the grain market. Jagsir Singh of Raniwala village said: “The water in our fields has begun to stink. It is becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. But the administration has not started fogging operations.” Ranjit Singh of Midda village accused the state government of making half-hearted attempts to help those affected by waterlogging. “Our fields and homes are flooded. Nobody has lent us a helping hand.” The district administration today remained busy making preparations for the CM’s two-day visit beginning tomorrow. The rain-hit farmers want a compensation of more than Rs Rs 20,000 per acre for the loss to their crops. Breach in Fazilka drain A 13-feet-wide breach has occurred in a drain carrying Fazilka sullage near the Aspal seepage drain. As a result, sewage has merged with the Aspal drain water, posing a threat to ecology. Residents of the adjoining Awa, Amarpura, Thagni, Alamshah, Kabulshah, Karni Khera, Mohammad Pira, Salemshah, Mumbeki and Mauzam villages had reportedly brought the matter to the notice of the officials concerned.
|
|
|
Farm subsidy to continue: Tota Singh
Ludhiana, September 12 The Centre had advised Punjab to regulate its subsidy burden so as to improve the health of its ailing economy. 4 farmers honoured Four progressive farmers of Punjab were honoured at the Kisan Mela. Hardeep Singh of Karmuwala village (Ferozepur) was awarded with Dalip Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award, Nirbhay Singh Sidhu of Sema village (Bathinda) got the Parwasi Bharti Award, Jaswant Singh of Rode village in Jalewala (Ferozepur) bagged the
|
|
|
High returns lift spirits of cotton, basmati farmers
Chandigarh, September 12 The opening price of cotton was far less last year. However, at the end of the cotton season in January, cotton fetched a price in the range of Rs 5,000 per quintal. “Untimely rain has affected the arrival of cotton in various markets of the state. The arrivals will pick up in days to come as the weather turns sunny”, said Paramjit Singh of Narinder Pura. As the cotton crop has been damaged in parts of the Malwa region because of heavy rain, its production is expected to come down. Farmers apprehend that the prices may fall in days to come with the government reportedly placing an order to import 20 lakh bales of cotton. “With enough cotton to meet the domestic requirement, where is the need to import cotton,” asked Balwinder Singh, a farmer from Bathinda district. He said the Centre should ask the authorities to cancel the import order. Basmati is fetching anything between Rs 2,800 and Rs 3,100 per quintal, depending on its quality. It has started arriving in the Batala, Amritsar and other markets of the Majha region as well as in Fazilka and Mansa markets of Malwa. “The early maturing variety (1509) has started arriving in the markets whereas variety 1121 will start arriving in a few weeks,” said Krishan Chand, commission agent. Under its diversification programme, the state government had encouraged the farmers to grow basmati over a larger area this year. “Basmati was grown on 8.5 lakh hectares compared to 5.6 lakh hectares last year,” said an official. Basmati takes less water and time to mature.
|
|
|
Convicted for killing wife, man ends life
Ludhiana, September 12 Out on bail, he was immediately taken into custody thereafter. He requested the police that he be taken to the wash room. When he came out, his condition began to deteriorate. He was taken to a hospital where he died. A case against Gurmeet Singh was registered on Feburary 7, 2009, on his wife’s statement. She had accused her husband of pouring turpentine oil on her and setting her ablaze. The Women’s Commission had conducted an inquiry and concluded that the accused was innocent. The police filed a plea in court for cancelling the FIR in the case, but the court turned down the plea.
|
|
|
missing persons
Faridkot, September 12 The situation remained tense as clashes among protesters and the police were reported from some areas. The police rounded up around 40 members of some voluntary organisations when they objected to the police move of stopping them from organising a peaceful protest. Yesterday evening, the Faridkot police booked three persons, including a rickshaw puller, to allegedly foil the Faridkot bandh call given by the joint action committee on missing persons. Rakesh Rani, 50, mother of missing youth Manoj Kumar, is on an indefinite fast since Thursday. Manoj has been missing for over three months. His relatives and members of some voluntary organisations are staging a dharna in front of the Faridkot police station for the past 109 days. "We are completely ruined. Our protest in front of the city police station has entered 109th day. We want to know the whereabouts of our son, dead or alive. But the police have now started suppressing our protest by booking joint action committee members," Rakesh Rani said. In the morning, the police did not allow members of joint action committees in Faridkot, Jaitu and Kotkapura to hold protest rallies. The police allegedly used force and manhandled protesters. Sixteen persons were reportedly rounded up from Kotkapura, six from Jaitu and about 15 from Faridkot. The police tried its best to convince traders to open their shops, but to no avail. In Kotkapura, hundreds of traders came out in support of the joint action committee members and demanded their release. Faridkot SSP Sukhdev Singh Kahlon, however, said the police did not use any force against protesters.
|
|
|
Man dies in custody, relatives block highway
Pathankot, September 12 Pathankot SSP Rakesh Kaushal monitored the situation and the blockade was lifted only after SDM Amit Mahajan gave a written assurance to the kin of the deceased that an inquiry would be conducted into the sequence of events leading to the death of Gurmeet Singh. The traffic remained blocked from 10 am to 2 pm. Police sources said Gurmeet was picked up by the CIA staff of the Faridkot police a few days ago and was booked under the NDPS Act.
|
|
|
SIT to probe recovery of carcasses
Sangrur, September 12 The Malerkotla police have already registered a case against unidentified persons under Sections 4-A, 4-B (8) of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. However, no arrest has been made so far. Tension continued to prevail in Malerkotla even today as protests were held demanding closure of slaughterhouses and arrest of those responsible for the slaughtering of cows. Protesters staged a dharna at truck union chowk for about eight hours. Some traders kept their shops closed. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sangrur, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said SP (Detective) Paramjit Singh Goraya would head the SIT. The team would also investigate some other such cases that were registered earlier. However, no time limit had been fixed to complete the investigation, Sidhu said. Security has been tightened in the area to check any untoward incident. Sangrur DC Gurloveleen Singh Sidhu, Sangrur SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu, Patiala zone's IG Paramjit Singh Gill and DIG SK Verma also camped in Malerkotla today. These officers held talks with leaders of the RSS, the BJP, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal and the Sanatan Dharam Sabha to sort out the matter.
|
|
|
Phoolka seeks memorial to victims of ’84 riots
New Delhi, September 12 In a letter written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Phoolka said the memorial should be built either at the site of bungalow number 3, Mahadev Road, where Akali Dal MP Jagdev Singh Talwandi used to live, or at bungalow number 12, Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, where Ram Bilas Paswan lived in 1984. Both bungalows were set ablaze by the mob. Ram Bilas's bungalow was set ablaze because he had given shelter to a Sikh. This memorial would be nation's homage to the innocent victims, the letter said.
|
|
|
‘Removal’ of Bar association president sparks controversy
Gurdaspur, September 12 On Tuesday, a handful of officer-bearers allegedly removed Kaler from his post and “appointed” vice-president Baljinder Kaur Bajwa as the new president. The officer-bearers had passed a resolution, stating that Kaler was “sacked” because he breached the protocol and got the newly constructed chambers of the GDBA members inaugurated by Chief Parliamentary Secretary and local MLA GS Babbehali. These members had also alleged that Kaler had not spent the grant of Rs 15 lakh, awarded to the GDBA by Rajya Sabha Member Parliament Ashwani Kumar. Kaler has claimed that a handful of members had no power to remove him as the GDBA president. Kaler called an emergency meeting yesterday in which a majority of the bar association members reposed faith in him. The members also passed a resolution, terming the decision to remove Kaler from his post as illegal. “I am still the president. The rules state that a two-third majority is needed to remove an elected president. During the elections held in April, I garnered 201 votes as compared to the 141 bagged by my rival. There are a total of 438 members in the GDBA House and I can be removed only if 292 members vote against me. I am going to complain to the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association,” he said. Kaler further claimed he had done no wrong by getting the GDBA chambers inaugurated by the MLA. “The Rs 15 lakh grant will be spent at an opportune time. Each and every penny will be accounted for,” he said.
The allegations
n
A few officer-bearers alleged GDBA president Joginder Singh Kaler breached the protocol
n They said he got the newly constructed chambers of the GDBA members inaugurated by CPS and local MLA GS Babbehali
n They also alleged that Kaler had not spent a grant of
Rs 15 lakh
The rebuttal
|
|
|
Don’t demolish 100-yr-old hermitage, plead heritage lovers
Sangrur, September 12 This heritage building with a covered area of 20,000 square feet was constructed a century ago by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of the erstwhile Jind State. For about 40 years, it was used by the Maharaja as his winter palace. His son Maharaja Rajbir Singh donated the building (on 41 acres) to the Punjab Health Department in 1957 that used it as a TB hospital till 2004. The roof of the building is now in a poor shape. Windows (Belgium glass) in almost all rooms are broken. Some rooms don’t have doors. The floor, made with Italian tiles, has been damaged with the passage of time. The arched roofs were constructed with girders. The walls are about 2-ft wide. A langar hall The chairman of the Sangrur Heritage Preservation Society, Karanvir Singh Sibia, recently wrote to the Director, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Chandigarh, urging him to restore the building. “ The 300-bed PGI Satellite Centre on the premises of the hermitage must not cause any damage to the building,” he said.
|
|
|
Holy book row: Sikh bodies to continue stir
Abohar, September 12 At a meeting in Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh on Thursday evening, the representatives of the organisations demanded that those who burnt the complex on August 20 and abandoned the holy book at another gurdwara should be identified and arrested. Last month, a holy book had gone missing in the fire at the complex. The gurdwara is located in the complex that also houses a peer's
mazaars. A case had been registered on the complaint of Arjun Singh, a devotee.
|
|
|
Now, Sangrur to have 27 wards
Sangrur, September 12 The meeting was attended by Sangrur MLA Parkash Chand Garg, SAD leader Iqbaljit Singh Punia, BJP leader Jogi Ram Sahni, Deputy Director (Local Government), local Sub-Divisional Magistrate and local Executive Officer of the MC. Iqbaljit Singh Punia, a member of the Delimitation Board, said the Department of Local Government, Punjab, had sent the draft to the Delimitation Board for approval. The Board members found various discrepancies in the draft and disapproved it.
|
|
Court puts Centre on notice over agri pricing policy
Chandigarh, September 12 The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashutosh Mohunta and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu also fixed September 22 as the next date of hearing in the case. In their petition against the Union of India and other respondents, Gurnam Singh and others respondents had prayed for a direction to implement the pricing policy “in order to ensure the minimum support price of various agricultural products by the government”. Directions for compensating the farmers for huge losses “running into thousands of crores” have also been sought in the petition filed in public interest. The petitioners contended that the losses had been caused “by deliberately avoiding to purchase agriculture commodity against the minimum support price”. Referring to farmer suicides in the state, the petitioners quoted the example of maize among other things. They contended that the loss to the farmers in the sale of maize in Punjab in 22 markets was Rs 61.54 crore during 2012-13 and Rs 39.35 crore in 2013-14. The petitioners said in both the states of Punjab and Haryana, the farmers had been told to understand that they should diversify due to the falling water table. They were, in fact, advised to resort to the sowing of maize instead of paddy, etc. An assurance was also given of purchase at minimum support price. But, the assurance was not adhered to.
Plea for fixing MSP
n
The petitioners had prayed for the implementation of the pricing policy to ensure MSP for various crops
n
Directions for compensating the farmers for huge losses “running into thousands of crores” have also been sought
n
The petitioners contended the losses had been caused “by deliberately avoiding to purchase agriculture commodity against the MSP”
n
They claimed the loss to the farmers in the sale of maize in Punjab in 22 markets was Rs 61.54 crore during 2012-13 and Rs 39.35 crore in 2013-14
|
||
|
HC calls for proof on Jha being Ashutosh Maharaj’s son
Chandigarh, September 12 As the petition filed through counsel SP Soi came up for resumed hearing, the Bench asked for the marriage photographs of Jha’s parents and birth or school certificate carrying details of parenthood. The Bench also posed questions on Jha’s date of birth and marriage between his parents. The case will now come up for further hearing on September 22. The High Court had, on the previous date of hearing, made it clear that the body could not be left without cremation; and the government should not be sitting over the matter. The court had also verbally questioned
the state on how the body could be allowed to stay in a freezer and for how long. The Bench had earlier also asked the Punjab Advocate-General to clarify the state’s stand on the issue of initiating inquest proceedings in case of Ashutosh Maharaja’s mysterious death on April 4. Justice MMS Bedi has already dismissed a habeas corpus petition for Ashutosh Maharaj’s release after asserting: “From the report of the doctors, it is apparently clear that alleged detainee at the time of presentation of the petition was clinically dead.” Justice Bedi had also asserted: “The present habeas corpus petition cannot be used as an instrument for publicity. As far as the legal position is concerned, in my opinion a petition for habeas corpus is not maintainable after the death of the alleged detainee.”
|
||
|
Illegal construction along highway
Chandigarh, September 12 The word of warning by Justice Rajive Bhalla came during the hearing on traffic regulation and road safety. Through an affidavit placed before the Bench, Project Director, National Highway Authority of India, Vipnesh Sharma alleged "Punjab was allowing indiscriminate construction along newly constructed bypasses and stretches of the national highway, in utter disregard to the safety of the travelling public". He pointed out that directions were issued in a civil writ petition in July 2013 requiring the Department of Town and Country Planning and the Forest Department to appoint a nodal officer. He was to "check illegal construction along the highway and take action in case of unauthorised constructions and passages (through forest land). But the state government "has not taken any steps in this regard apart from appointing a nodal officer". Justice Bhalla observed a notice was issued to Punjab on April 25. "But till date, no response is forthcoming either from the State of Punjab or from any of its functionaries". Justice Bhalla added: "It is made clear to the State of Punjab that if a response is not filed on or before the next date of hearing, it shall be presumed that it has violated the order dated July 9, 2013, passed in CWP-4559-2007 and appropriate orders of punishment shall ensue." In July 2013, the High Court took note of assurances given by the counsels for both states (Punjab and Haryana) that in future a strict vigil could be maintained and immediate action taken against persons attempting to raise construction without change of land use certificate or to carve out passage through the notified forest land abutting national highways.
|
||
|
Explain delay in sewerage project: HC tells state
Abohar, September 12 The petitioner Vimal Thatai, a councillor, said he produced before the court some photographs taken in Jain Nagar, Idgah Basti, Rajiv Nagar, Nanak Nagari, Sub-divisional complex, Subhash Nagar and other localities that had been inundated following the Friday downpour. Thatai reportedly submitted that on the directions of the High Court on the PIL, the state government had in January submitted a Rs 72-crore sewerage renovation project to the Centre, the latter approved the same in February. The Punjab Infrastructure Board had okayed the project in May but tenders had not been invited by the executing agencies. This resulted in inundation of 75 per cent of the colonies following the recent rains.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
On the request of the Army, the SGPC today sent 25,000 food packets for those hit by floods in Jammu and Kashmir. It also helped bring back 130 persons stranded in the state. They were received by SGPC officials at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport here this evening.
Raman Banotra of Amritsar, who returned with his wife Anita and child, said: “We saw a group of people looting an apple orchard. The Army is running a chopper service but it is proving inadequate in view of the large number of affected people.”
It has been a week since rains caused a havoc in Muktsar district, inundating a large number of houses. But relief material is yet to reach the needy persons.
“My two-room house may collapse any time. No official has visited us yet. Nor have we been provided help. Not even tarpaulin sheets have been given to us,” said Sarbjit Kaur of Panniwala village.
In the light of the ongoing construction of the PGI Satellite Centre on 25 acres of a hermitage in Ghabdan village, 10 km from
Sangrur, heritage lovers fear that the dilapidated building may be razed any time.
This heritage building with a covered area of 20,000 square feet was constructed a century ago by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of the erstwhile Jind State.
