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CM to Centre: Hike relief for farmers hit by waterlogging
VB clean chit to Cheema on charges by ‘conman’, his wife
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Heroin worth Rs 65 cr seized from Pak train
SGPC sends 50,000 more food packets to J&K flood-hit
Controversy mars MCI poll, again
Bandh over recovery of carcasses
Policemen take undertrial to relative’s house, arrested
Army observes 49th anniversary of Asal Uttar battle
Vocational scheme in 500 schools soon, says Cheema
Held during drug drive, 3,700 addicts all set to walk free
Two killed, 27 hurt as tourist bus, truck collide in Bathinda
38 STPs to be functional by June 15, HC told
De-addiction centre not set up, HC pulls up state
AISSF turns 70, ex-chief says will revamp outfit
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CM to Centre: Hike relief for farmers hit by waterlogging
Muktsar, September 13 Terming this year’s loss due to waterlogging as unprecedented, he said, “An amount of Rs 3,500 per acre being given by the Centre to farmers facing crop loss is too less when compared with the high cost of agricultural inputs.” The Chief Minister today visited waterlogged areas here. He said, “I raised the demand to enhance relief for waterlogging-hit farmers with the previous UPA Government several times, but to no avail. Now with the change in government at the Centre, the hopes for adequate compensation have been renewed.” Badal said the state government was aware of the hardships of the flood victims and wanted to help them through adequate financial assistance, “but the riders imposed by the Centre stopped them from doing so”. The Chief Minister also stressed the need for “micro planning” at the village level to combat waterlogging. He directed the district administration to evaluate the losses so that the affected people could be duly compensated. He said the Cooperative Department had been directed to postpone the recovery of loans from farmers in the wake of rain fury. He visited Panniwala, Midda, Bodiwala, Ratta Khera, Aalamwala, Aspaal, Pakki Tibbi, Kattianwali, Sarawan Bodla, Bhagwanpura and Kolianwali villages. Badal called upon the people to support the government in tackling waterlogging. He cited the example of French hero Napoleon, who took inspiration from an ant to overcome failures to achieve his target.
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VB clean chit to Cheema on charges by ‘conman’, his wife
Chandigarh, September 13 Instead, the Vigilance has come down heavily on Gill and the women complainants terming their charge an “afterthought” since it was made four months after the alleged incident took place. The probe report said it was a tactic to stall investigation and buy time for Gill and his associates. It termed Gill as “master of deception who got caught in his own deceptive ways”. The report stated: “It was possible that Gill might try to further stall the investigation. Since there are police officers who have rightly or wrongly invested money in his projects, the state police will always be defensive in investigating the case.” The probe, conducted by Inspector General (Vigilance) AS Rai, stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Gill, Sumedh and their another accomplice Vicky Verma were “victims of machination” by senior police officers who got them “falsely implicated” in these cases (after Gill failed to develop the Sky Heights project or return their money). The 20-page report read: "It is evident that the complaint was made after registration of criminal cases against Gill and his two associates. Till then, there was no complaint against Cheema or Chaudhry.” The inquiry officer stated: “If they (complainants) are successful in their attempt to hold on to the money of a large number of officers, they would send a message to other investors that it doesn't pay to report a fraud.” The report is based on mobile phone locations, documents of sale and purchase and travel tickets of the complainants and the accused. It notes that Gill and Kricpy had booked air tickets and stayed happily at their destination whereas they had claimed that they were forced to travel outside Punjab. It also mentioned about documentary evidence regarding a .99mm pistol allegedly used in the kidnapping of Gill on February 26. Inquiries revealed that the same weapon was transferred by Gill to Chaudhry on March 21, a month after the alleged kidnapping. “It is interesting that a person is transferring a weapon to his own kidnapper,” the report notes. The inquiry has recommended the formation of a special investigation team under Additional Director General of Police (Crime) for further inquiry. What Vigilance report says
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Heroin worth Rs 65 cr seized from Pak train
Amritsar, September 13 The contraband is estimated to be around Rs 65 crore in the international market. The seizure was made following intelligence inputs. Sources said the train arrived at the rail cargo from Attari railway station around 8 pm. The raiding DRI team waited till 5 am to arrest the smuggler red-handed while retrieving the drug consignment. But it seemed they might have got to know about the DRI team and, therefore, nobody turned up to collect the consignment, said sources. The contraband was wrapped in 1/2kg packet each. The DRI recovered 26 such packets, concealed in cavities of three bogies. Earlier too, there were instances of seizure of heroin and arms concealed in goods train. On February 11, the Customs officials, in a joint operation with railway protection force, recovered 13 kg of heroin, besides 34 live cartridges and 150 gm opium, from a goods train wagon. On February 25, the Customs officials seized 10 kg of heroin, which was recovered during the rummaging of the goods train. On December 14 last year, the Customs officials found 20 kg of heroin from a goods train, besides a Pakistani mobile SIM card. The year 2012 had witnessed a spate of seizures of contraband smuggled from Pakistan through the goods train. In October 2012, the Customs and DRI made seizures of 105 kg and 23 kg of heroin. The regular seizures of heroin and arms in 2012 had hit the cross-border trade, especially cement import.
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SGPC sends 50,000 more food packets to J&K flood-hit
Amritsar, September 13 Manjeet Singh, secretary, SGPC, said: “We have prepared 50,000 food packets each containing four paranthas, dry vegetable and pickle. These have been sent to Srinagar by air this morning. We will send 50,000 more food packets to Kashmir tomorrow.” Kulwinder Singh, publicity in charge, SGPC, said the Indian Air Force had deployed four aircraft at Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport to transport food packets and other relief material to the valley. He said they were also taking services of private airlines to send relief material to Srinagar. He said the SGPC had roped in extra staff for preparing langar while devotees were also volunteering in large numbers. The SGPC officials said they made sure that the langar was cooked in a manner that it did not get stale quickly. In another development, the SGPC brought back 47 persons from Srinagar by air. The SGPC had rescued 30 persons yesterday. Ravi Bhagat, Deputy Commissioner, said they dispatched 1.2 lakh food packets, 2,700 blankets and 35 quintal ration in two Indian Air Force aircraft today. He said these food packets were contributed by the SGPC and other organisations based in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Tarn Taran. He said they were also sending 40 quintals of rice to the state. IAS officers give a day's pay
Chandigarh: All IAS officers of the state have decided to donate one day's salary for Jammu and Kashmir flood relief fund. Suresh Kumar, president, Punjab IAS Officers Association, said the IAS officers had decided to express their solidarity with the flood-affected people of J&K by donating money. Gurkirat Singh, general secretary, has requested Vikas Partap, Secretary, Personnel, to issue instructions to drawing and disbursing officers to deduct a day's salary from the September pay of IAS officers. More relief for J&K
Fatehgarh Sahib: Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri on Saturday flagged off vehicles carrying 20,000 food packets and blankets for the flood-hit residents of J&K. Sekhri said they had set up relief-collection counters at SDM offices in the district.
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Controversy mars MCI poll, again
Chandigarh, September 13 The protesting candidates, Dr Rajesh Maheshwari, Dr Kulwant Singh and Dr Parminder Singh Brar, boycotted the counting at the office of the Director, Research and Medical Education-cum-Returning Officer. They alleged the ballot papers did not reach the voters. They claimed of the 5,500 votes received through post, about 3,300 were received the same day, “which appeared unusual”. The candidates said the elections took place in April 2014, but the counting was delayed. They said they had then asked the MCI to re-conduct the elections. The candidates said the ballot papers were supposed to be sent by registered or speed post, “but these were sent by ordinary post”. In a memorandum to the MCI, the candidates have sought re-election, saying the members had sent hundreds of complaints through e-mail and post that they did not receive the ballot papers. They alleged it seemed someone else signed on behalf of the voters on the ballot papers.
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Bandh over recovery of carcasses
Sangrur, September 13 The activists of the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other religious organisations also blocked the Delhi-Moga Shatabadi Express for about eight minutes at the railway station here. Similar protests were held in Mandi Ahmedgarh and Moga. — TNS
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Policemen take undertrial to relative’s house, arrested
Gurdaspur, September 13 Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor supervised the operation. Batala SSP was informed about the matter when the operation was over. The jail officials are also likely to come under the scanner since the undertrial had Rs 16,000 in his possession. The jail manual rules state that inmates are not allowed to carry money even if they are to be shifted to a hospital. The undertrial, Neeraj Masih of Isa Nagar, Batala, was arrested under the NDPS Act for possessing nearly 2 kg of narcotic powder. Two days ago, Masih was shifted to the Trial Ward in the Civil Hospital, when he complained of restlessness. He was discharged today, and instead of taking him back to the jail, the two policemen took him to the relative's house in Dhariwal. The "erring" policemen have been identified as Gurmeet Masih and Satnam Singh. On a tip-off, the Special Branch raided the house in Dhariwal and nabbed the three. Toor said action would be taken against the two policemen. The Batala SSP could not be contacted.
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Army observes 49th anniversary of Asal Uttar battle
Chandigarh, September 13 Asal Uttar near Tarn Taran was witness to one of the largest tank battles fought during the India-Pakistan War of 1965. The 3 Cavalry Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour Asal Uttar for its actions, with CQMH Abdul Hamid being decorated with Paramvir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry award, for knocking out three enemy tanks single handedly with a recoilless gun. Brig Thomas Theograi, the Indian Brigade Commander at Asal Uttar, had played a crucial role in the Indian victory over Pakistan in which the enemy’s First Armoured Division was annihilated despite a numerical and technical superiority of 7 to 1. The battle ended in a decisive Indian victory. Tributes were also paid to Abdul Hamid at a solemn ceremony organised under the aegis of the Golden Arrow Division at the Abdul Hamid Memorial near Asal Uttar village. Wreaths were laid at the memorial by military as well as civilian dignitaries, with a ceremonial guard reversing arms and buglers sounding the Last Post as a mark of respect to the martyrs.
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Vocational scheme in 500 schools soon, says Cheema
Ropar, September 13 At a function at Rupnagar Press Club, he said that the scheme had been started in 100 schools this year. He was hopeful that the scheme would benefit students. Cheema said he had got the course books translated from English to Punjabi for the convenience of students. He said that efforts were being made to improve the standard of education in the state with added focus on rural areas. He said the Education Department would take concrete steps to check the menace of copying in school examinations.
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Held during drug drive, 3,700 addicts all set to walk free
Chandigarh, September 13 The government would facilitate the release by invoking various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The addicts would then be attached to specific drug de-addiction centres, which would try and rehabilitate them. Those released would have to report to these centres on assigned dates for treatment, failing which they would be liable for action. The issue has been discussed at length recently during a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Sources said the two sections of the NDPS Act, 1985, being invoked to go ahead with the release were Section 30 and 64-A. Section 64-A states that addicts charged with consumption of drugs or with offences involving small quantities will be immune from prosecution if they volunteer for de-addiction. This immunity may be withdrawn if the addict does not undergo complete treatment. The Section 30 states that if any person makes preparation to do or omits to do anything which constitutes an offence punishable under any of the provisions of the NDPS Act, but had been prevented by circumstances independent of his will, he shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term that shall not be less than one-half of the minimum term. The term may extend to one-half of the maximum term of imprisonment with which he would have been punishable in the event of his having committed such offence. Most of the addicts were arrested during the government’s drive to curb drug menace, an issue that had taken centrestage during the Lok Sabha elections. Though the police arrested addicts and peddlers, no kingpin was nabbed during the drive. Top officials in the government said the decision to release the addicts was in accordance with the law. It would not serve any purpose to keep them in jails, said an official. Freedom with a rider
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Two killed, 27 hurt as tourist bus, truck collide in Bathinda
Rampura, September 13 The accident occurred when the truck, loaded with gas cylinders, tried to overtake another vehicle. The bus with around 45 passengers onboard was on its way from Kolkata to Dargah Sharif near Bikaner in Rajasthan. Villagers said both the vehicles were at high speed. Ram Singh, an onlooker, said both the drivers died on the spot as the ambulance failed to reach on time. The injured bus passengers were taken to the Rampura Civil Hospital. It took several hours for the police to clear the road, leading to a traffic jam. Rampura Sadar Station House Officer Gurpyar Singh said, “Our first priority is to provide medical aid to the injured and clear the traffic. The documents and the address of the deceased will be located later.” Two guards killed
Sangrur: Two employees of the Punjab Home Guards were killed in an accident on the Sangrur-Barnala highway at Badrukhan village near here last night. The deceased are Surinder Singh of Kohrian village and Gurjit Singh of Bhai Ke Pishor village. The bodies were handed over to the relatives of the deceased after a post-mortem. Both were posted at Lehragagga (city) police station and were returning from the Police Lines when a truck hit the motorcycle they were on. The truck driver, Sewak Singh of Sangrur, has been booked.
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38 STPs to be functional by June 15, HC told
Chandigarh, September 13 As the petition filed in public interest by advocate HC Arora came up for hearing, an affidavit filed by Special Secretary, Department of Local Government, Priyank Bharti, was placed before the court. In the affidavit, Priyank Bharti gave a schedule for the completion of 38 plants. The affidavit added the water board guidelines permitted withdrawal to the extent of 50 per cent of the groundwater recharge, even in the blocks categorised as "critical areas". Arora, on the other hand, protested that the government was trying to wriggle out of its undertakings and affidavits, wherein it had assured the court that the use of groundwater for construction activity in "notified areas" would not be permitted, and only water treated by sewage treatment plants would be utilised for such construction work.
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De-addiction centre not set up, HC pulls up state
Chandigarh, September 13 Justice Rajive Bhalla has asked them to show cause why they have deviated from their earlier affidavits by now planning to run a rehabilitation centre at Janer. The rap comes at a time when the Punjab Government is making anxious attempts to show that it is hooked to the scheme of eradicating drug menace in the state. The order is significant as Justice Bhalla has asserted that the proposal now mooted by the government was apparently a barren assurance in the absence of infrastructure and manpower. The censure came after Justice Bhalla took on record an affidavit filed by Moga Deputy Commissioner-cum-president of District Red Cross Society Parminder Singh Gill. Justice Bhalla asserted: "Despite repeated undertakings to run a de-addiction centre at Janer, the Punjab Government is trying to backtrack from its statement and has decided to run a rehabilitation centre there. "Apart from the fact that the proposal appears to be an empty promise, devoid of any particulars as to infrastructure and staff to be provided at the rehabilitation centre, the court is of the prima-facie opinion that this affidavit violates earlier undertakings made by the state of Punjab". Justice Bhalla added: "Consequently, before issuing notices to Gill, besides Secretary, Health and Welfare, and Director, Health, they are called upon to show cause why they have deviated from their earlier affidavits."
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AISSF turns 70, ex-chief says will revamp outfit
Chandigarh, September 13 Jaswant Singh Mann, a former president of the AISSF, said at present, various factions of the federation were under control of non-students and certain groups took part in politics. "There is a need to restore the student character of this organisation," said Mann. "We will first establish its units in all colleges and universities and later other educational institutions," he said, adding the AISSF had played a vital role in Akali movements such as the Punjabi Suba Morcha in the 1960s. Some of its leaders joined the political stream and were elected MLAs and even remained ministers. An all-India conference of the AISSF would be held in November, Mann added.
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Amritsar, September 13
Rampura, September 13
