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CM seeks Rs 1 lakh crore debt waiver
Farmers worried as prices of basmati variety fall
Flood fury: Crops under 3-ft sand in Ajnala
Action against Cong supporters behind
MLA-SDM quarrel?
Mahila Cong leaders threaten to quit
ZP supdt reinstated
Illegal detention: Amritsar SSP suspended
22 rehab centres on anvil
SIT to probe cases against suspended IG Cheema
Strike hits trade at Attari border
Panel against safai karamcharis on contract
Seven IPS, PPS officers shifted
Unable to repay auto loan, villager commits suicide
Dalits resent delay in auction of panchayat land
Patiala farmers up in arms against land acquisition
Kisan Sabha activists on fast in Sangrur
Protest against delay in release of relief amount
Woman hammered to death
Abohar lad strikes gold in para games
High tension wire kills man
No sanction needed to prosecute
ASIs: HC
Dera head’s case: HC seeks additional proof
Ex-sarpanch, 5 others held with Rs 36 cr heroin
Mining official held in bribery case
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Mid-term review of SAD-BJP govt: Power
Jalandhar, September 22 So far, of the six thermal plants, only the 1,400 MW Rajpura plant, the 540-MW Goindwal Sahib plant and the 1,980 MW Talwandi Sabo plant have been commissioned so far. The Goindwal Sahib and Talwandi Sabo plants are not fully operational because of poor availability of coal. Work has yet to begin on the 1,320 MW Gobindpura plant, the 2,640 MW Gidderbaha plant and the 1,320 MW Kot Shamir plant. If the three private plants at Rajpura, Goindwal Sahib and Talwandi Sabo become fully operational, 11,623 MW of power will be available in Punjab. The power demand recorded during the peak summer period in 2012 stood at 11,520 MW. Poor fiscal health The power corporation continues to face a fund crunch. When the Punjab State Electricity Baord was unbundled, the debt stood at Rs 13,011 crore. This has risen to Rs 19,769 crore (as on March 31, 2014). All losses were taken over by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), affecting its borrowing limit in the market. The PSPCL decision to collect advance consumption deposit from the consumers reflects its poor monetary condition. A weak monsoon coupled with coal scarcity affected power supply this summer, explained PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director KD Chaudhri. On the fiscal front, he said the power utility had started showing profits. “We have been able to reduce transmission and distribution losses besides strengthening the transmission network,” he said. Minister Speak Punjab is, indeed, a power-surplus state. We have augmented the power generation capacity considerably. All thermal plants have not been operational because of the coal crisis in the country. In a month or so, Punjab will be selling 3,000 MW of power to other
states. Power supply during the Congress regime was far better than it has been during the SAD-BJP tenure. We purchased power from outside but did not pass on the burden to consumers. Not only has this government failed to provide adequate power, but has raised tariff
too. What experts say There is no thrust on increasing generation capacity, thereby burdening the PSPCL with long-term power purchase at high rates. The debt is increasing and so is the interest. Financial restructuring alone will improve
matters. Setting up thermal projects through private players has proved detrimental. The PSPCL has to buy costly power from private plants. Punjab must construct at least two thermal plants in the state
sector. A weak monsoon coupled with the problem of coal scarcity affected power supply this
summer. Unkept promises *
Making Punjab power surplus with all categories of consumers getting power round-the-clock supply Thermal plants have been set up at Rajpura, Goindwal Sahib and Talwandi Sabo. However, the proposed Gobindpura, Gidderbaha and Kot Shamir plants are unlikely to come up. Punjab is yet to provide uninterrupted power supply to consumers *Once power surplus, power tariff will be slashed Power tariff continues to be hiked. In addition to the bi-monthly bill, advance consumption deposit on all categories of consumers levied *A 1,320-MW thermal power plant in the state sector promised at Mukerian in Hoshiarpur Despite the announcement, nothing concrete has been done in the past two years in this direction *Steps to improve the fiscal health of the cash-strapped state power corporation Financial restructuring not undertaken. Debt burden has increased from Rs 13,011 crore to Rs 19,769 crore *A minimum of eight-hour power supply to farmersduring the peak paddy season Farmers supplied power for only 5-6 hours every day Rising debt On March 31, 2011
Rs 18,606 cr Tardy turnabout 2010-11
Rs 1,639 cr (deficit)
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CM seeks Rs 1 lakh crore debt waiver
New Delhi, September 22 Stating that Punjab was being "penalised for fighting a battle against militancy", Badal impressed upon the Prime Minister to grant a liberal financial package to the state. The Badals sought the waiver of outstanding debt of Rs 1.02 lakh crore taken during the period of militancy (between 1981 and 1992). They met Modi after they were reportedly snubbed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley, in a letter to Badal, had said Punjab could not be given more funds. He had also advised the state to rationalise power subsidy. The letter, apart from listing the occasions when Punjab had received funds from the Central Government over the past decade, also stated that the power subsidy being given by the state exceeded its revenue deficit. Punjab had earlier made a representation before the Centre seeking a special package for its financial restructuring. The Chief Minister said the state should not be penalised anymore as it had fought "a national battle against militancy". He said Punjab was a revenue-surplus state till 1982, but it started facing troubles due to the debt burden. Besides, industrial concessions given to the neighbouring states had restricted fresh investments in the state which further put strain on government's finances, he said. "This accentuated our woes and pushed the state into the debt trap," Badal said. He urged Modi to grant industrial concessions on a par with those given to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier this month, Badal had exuded confidence that the Centre would bail the state out of the financial stringency in the near future. The CM also pleaded for a special term loan waiver and refund of Rs 2,694 crore returned by the state. Badal said the Centre had given special term loan of Rs 5,800 crore for militancy related expenditure, out of which Punjab returned Rs 2,694 crore. He said Rs 5,029 crore was outstanding when the Centre announced a complete waiver of the loan. Thus, Rs 2,694 crore already paid by the state needed to be returned as this was part of the waiver, he claimed. Badal said the 13th Finance Commission had already placed Punjab, Kerala and West Bengal in the category of revenue-deficit states and urged the Centre to find out ways and means to bail out these states from financial stress. On the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Chief Minister told Modi that the successive Congress governments had "failed" to provide justice to the victims. He urged Modi to set up a commission of inquiry, headed by a Supreme Court judge, for probing the riot cases. Govt’s argument
On revenue-deficit states The 13th Finance Commission has already placed Punjab, Kerala and West Bengal in the category of revenue-deficit states. The Centre should find out ways and means to bail out these states from financial
stress.
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Farmers worried as prices of basmati variety fall
Fazilka, September 22 Official sources said the Pusa 1509 variety was sold at the rate of Rs 3,225 per quintal on August 29 this year. The price came down to Rs 2,811 per quintal on September 15. Today, the prices slashed down to Rs 2,325-Rs 2,491 per quintal. “A heap of 60 quintals of my produce was sold at the rate of Rs 2,405 per quintal. We were expecting a rise in the prices but they have come down considerably, which is a matter of concern for farmers,” said Pragat Singh of Shahtirwala village in Fazilka district. Pusa 1509, a variety which consumes less water and attains maturity in only 90 days, has replaced the traditional parimal variety in the district. The quality of Pusa 1509 is considered lower than that of Pusa 1121 variety of basmati and is reportedly mixed with the latter by some private traders in a bid to earn more. “Global recession in the rice market and excess crop were the main reasons for the dip in prices,” said Dina Nath Sachdeva, president, Pakka Arhtiya Association, Fazilka. “We are left at the mercy of private traders as they are bulk buyers of the basmati variety. They exploit farmers in the absence of any government policy. Hence, the government should declare the minimum support price of basmati rice on the pattern of the parimal variety,” said Gurmeet Singh, a farmer. The plunge
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Flood fury: Crops under 3-ft sand in Ajnala
Amritsar, September 22 During a visit to the affected area, it was found that there was hardly any trace of crop in fields as a huge quantity of sand had accumulated there. One could only see the tip of the crop and that too at a few spots. The flow of water was such that it washed away a huge chunk of soil of the agricultural fields in some pockets. Major Manmohan Singh Sarkaria, a progressive farmer owning around 50 acres of land across the Ravi, said he had grown poplar trees on 35 acres and paddy in the remaining 15 acres. “Paddy has been badly damaged as there is sand all around. The poplar trees have also been affected,” he said. Apart from increase in the water level in the Ravi, he blamed a breach in Pakistan’s Basantar drain for the flooding. He said the rainfall had caused damage last year too, but then only their fields were inundated. “This is possibly the first time that sand has spelled doom for our crops,” he said. He demanded that the state government should help the farmers in getting their fields cleared of sand. He claimed once the government had undertaken the exercise in similar circumstances in Kapurthala. Resham Singh, another farmer, said crops spread over hundreds of acres at Kasowal, Saharan, Kasowal Rajian and Saharan Rajian villages had been destroyed. “Had it been water, we would have initiated measures to drain it out. But we are helpless in front of sand. We neither have means nor resources to clear it,” he lamented. Gurkirat Singh of Kasowal village said while the fields in lower areas bore the maximum brunt, the crop in upper areas was somewhat safe. He said the rise in the river level had caused damage in the past too, and that the farmers had lost 30 to 35 acres of their land to the riverbed earlier. Sahdev Singh, who also owns land there, said, “It is not easy to cultivate crops here as we need to cross the Ravi on the lone boat daily to attend to our fields. We had cultivated our crop with great difficulty, but the nature’s fury has buried all our hopes of reaping a rich harvest.” He said they would not be able to cultivate their land till it was cleared of sand. Farmer leader Satnam Singh Ajnala said the government should announce a compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre for the farmers.
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Action against Cong supporters behind
MLA-SDM quarrel?
Chandigarh/Fatehgarh Sahib, September 22 Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljeet Singh Nagra had lodged this complaint that only the non-Akali Dal-BJP shopkeepers were targeted during the anti-encroachment drive. A spot visit by The Tribune found out that encroachments in the market were blatant, but the administration “preferred to ignore some”, including that by a hospital and a jeweller, among others. It was this market that led to an alleged ugly spat between the MLA and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Pooja Syal Grewal. The spat has assumed political contours with the Congress MLAs scheduled to meet Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal with a complaint of “breach of protocol” against the SDM tomorrow. Inquiries found out that the issue of encroachments in the market cropped up as the market passageway had shrunk considerably. The traders on both the sides had illegally expanded beyond their limits. A team of the Municipal Council had removed the encroachments last week, but allegedly spared those having perched flags of the SAD or the BJP atop their establishments. This reportedly angered a section of the shopkeepers owing allegiance to the Congress. After Nagra reached the spot, it was then decided that the matter be discussed during a meeting with the SDM on September 15. The sequence of events after this is subject to inquiry as the MLA and the SDM have been making contradictory claims. Nagra claimed he was invited for the meeting and had a copy of the time and venue schedule. He said the meeting was to be held at 10:30 am at the SDM’s office. He said as per the protocol, an MLA was above the Chief Secretary level and a government official needed to come out of his/her office to receive the elected representative. He alleged the first breach of protocol was that the SDM was not outside her office to receive him. “I waited for some time, but then chose to go inside the office. I was shocked that she was not even there. The chairs were not assembled for the meeting. As per the protocol, an official has to ensure proper seating for an MLA. The executive officer of the Municipal Council claimed the meeting was off. I objected as I was not informed. When the SDM did not arrive, I rang up the Deputy Commissioner at 11 am,” he said. Nagra alleged the SDM came fuming at 11:22 am. “Asked why she was late, she said she had cancelled the meeting. When I said I needed to be informed, she said she was not bound to do so. Then she asked the shopkeepers accompanying me that they should have come directly to her instead of going here and there if they had any grievance. I objected to this saying she was insulting the Constitution as the public can complain to the MLA. She said she was not bothered. At this, I walked out of the meeting,” he said. The SDM refused a comment stating the ball was now in the court of her senior officials. She, however, said being a public servant, she had asked the shopkeepers to come directly to her if they had any complaint. Defending her, senior officials said the council meeting had been fixed for 10.30 am. They said but the SDM got free from another meeting convened by senior officials at 11.05 am and reached the venue at 11.08 am. They said the meeting was convened with various market associations regarding the anti-encroachment drive, and that Nagra was “not formally” invited and only informed through a copy about the time and venue. They claimed the MLA did not confirm his participation and, hence, “there was no breach of protocol”.
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Mahila Cong leaders threaten to quit
Jalandhar, September 22 Harsimarjit Kaur, vice-president of the Punjab Mahila Congress, said Grewal's appointment had come as a bolt from the blue for most workers. “The party has chosen to hand over the post to a Grewal who stood against the party candidate from Adampur, Satnam Kainth, during the Assembly elections”, she said. More than 12 office-bearers of the Mahila Congress, including Krishna Mittu, Pinki Bhatia, Asha Garg, Shashi Sood and Sushma Gautam, said the party's decision was shocking.
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5 Punjabi youths detained in Italy
Tarn Taran, September 22 Gurminder Singh Rataul, sabha member, raised the issue while stating that 22-year-old Prabhjit Singh of Rataul village in Tarn Taran, a crew member, had written to his family. In his letter dated August 30, Prabhjit has revealed that the ship, owned by Russian Shipping Service, had left Morocco for Libya about a month ago and the ship’s captain had told them that it was loaded with consignment of dates. He said the ship was, however, taken to Italy where the security agencies carried out a check and seized huge quantity of contraband worth hundreds of crores. He disclosed that they were in the custody of Italian agencies for the last one month. He said there were five Punjabi youth in the crew, but didn’t share more details about them. He said one of the youths belonged to Andhra Pradesh and was the son of a political leader. Prabhjit claimed the ship’s captain had admitted before the Italian agencies that he had not told anybody else about the consignment of contraband in the ship. He said though they were getting proper food, they were not allowed to use mobile phones. His father Balwinder Singh said his son had done his schooling from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Goindwal Sahib. He had worked with a Dubai-based firm and a Malaysian firm. He had joined the Russian company eight months ago. The members of the NRI Sabha have now demanded that the matter be raised with the Union Ministry of External Affairs. Prabhjit’s parents have also urged the state government to intervene and ensure the safe release of the ship’s crew.
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ZP supdt reinstated
Muktsar, September 22 Suspended in July, she was told to mark her attendance at the office of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Zila Parishad, Amritsar. The Director of Rural Development Department reinstated her services last week. This has raised many an eyebrow. Some ZP officials and a PCS officer are co-accused in the case, but the probe has reportedly been delayed due to political pressure. On September 24, 2012, one Amrik Singh had lodged a complaint with then Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh, alleging government funds meant for purchasing stationery items under the MGNREGA scheme had been misappropriated.
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Illegal detention: Amritsar SSP suspended
Chandigarh, September 22 The policemen had allegedly misbehaved with a warrant officer appointed by the court. The directions came on a habeas corpus petition filed by Rajwant Kaur, alleging illegal detention of her husband Karnail Singh. The Tribune was the first to report the matter. As the case came up for resumed hearing, the state told the court that the services of five more police officers have been placed under suspension, in addition to an Assistant Sub Inspector. Justice TPS Mann was, on a previous date of hearing, told that the warrant officer appointed by the court in the detention case was misbehaved with. Justice Mann was told that the warrant officer found Karnail Singh at a police station in Amritsar. At that time, the entry of his detention was missing in the records. Justice Mann was also told that SSP (D) Rajeshwar Singh reached the police station while the warrant officer was still there. It was then the warrant officer was misbehaved with.
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22 rehab centres on anvil
Chandigarh, September 22 The department has already appointed as many as 15 counsellors. They are undergoing an advance course in dealing with drug addicts. They are being imparted training by experts of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi. The upcoming rehabilitation centres would start functioning within six months. The state already has 30 drug de-addiction centres. Besides, the department is coming up with five tertiary care centres to be run under the supervision of government medical colleges. Vikas Garg, Special Secretary, Health, said: "The work on rehabilitation centres is going on at a fast pace. There is a dire need to take care of addicts who have undergone the detoxification process at de-addiction centres." Sohan Singh Thandal, Jails Minister, who today reviewed the progress of drug de-addiction centres in jails, asked Jagjit Singh, Inspector General, Jails, to prepare a consolidated report on the matter.
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SIT to probe cases against suspended IG Cheema
Chandigarh, September 22 Sumedh Singh Saini, Director-General of Police, has formed the SIT which would be headed by Parampal Singh Gill, IG, Patiala zone. Nilabh Kishore, DIG, who is known for his role in investigating the Arushi murder case, is another member. Inder Mohan Singh, SSP, Mohali, will assist him. Kishore is posted as DIG, State Narcotics Cell. The scope of the SIT would be limited to probing the role of the IPS officer in these two cases only. It can also investigate his links with alleged conman Devinder Gill. Earlier, the Mohali police and the Vigilance Bureau had investigated the cases against the suspended officer, who has been evading arrest since August 30. The Vigilance has already submitted its report on charges against Cheema. Sources said with the state police failing to nab the officer, there were rumours that some politicians were protecting him. The Mohali police had booked the IG for forcibly taking away Sumedh Gulati, a proclaimed offender, from their custody. Gulati along with Gill is an accused in a case of cheating an investor in their failed Sky Heights real estate project. The SIT has been formed following a recommendation by the Vigilance Bureau. The VB, in its report, had stated that the allegation of molestation and kidnapping against Cheema were levelled only after Gill was booked. Tightening noose
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Strike hits trade at Attari border
Amritsar, September 22 Leading exporter Rajdeep Uppal said they had raised the matter with Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ram Vilas Paswan during his ICP visit last week in the presence of Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) and Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) officials. He said the LPAI and the CWC officials did not get back to them to discuss the matter further. Uppal said it was high time that a responsible decision-making team of LPAI and CWC visited the ICP and sorted out their issues. The traders said there was no LPAI official stationed at the ICP. Similarly, the CWC official posted at the ICP didn’t have powers to resolve their issues whereas those having power didn’t visit them, they alleged. Parminder Singh of Attari Border Truck Operators Association said the transporters had not been allotted any proper space inside the ICP where they could manage their affairs. All-India Cement Importers Association president MPS Chatha said proper storage facilities were missing, and that the storage charges too were quite high. The traders have long been demanding expansion of warehousing facility for stocking dry fruits, etc, concrete platform with shed for unloading gypsum, enhancing the trade timings from 7 am to 7 pm and setting up of a high-powered coordination committee comprising LPAI, CWC, Customs and trade representatives for regular interaction and monitoring at the ICP. Rameshwar, CWC manager, said the trade was on at the ICP today, though the strike took a toll on exports. He said 104 trucks arrived from Pakistan whereas only four trucksload of goods were exported from India.
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Panel against safai karamcharis on contract
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 22 He said the grievances of safai karamcharis should be redressed on priority and they should be made entitled to benefits under all government-sponsored schemes. He asked the Deputy Commissioner to take up the issue of contract system with the state government. Talking to mediapersons, he said he was here to review and ensure proper implementation of various government-sponsored schemes. He directed officials of the SC Commission to arrange camps in slums in collaboration with bank to apprise SCs about various welfare schemes and to provide them financial assistance in starting their own ventures. He said the Dalits could not make progress till their children got proper education. He advocated setting up of coaching centres in slums, so that SC children could get coaching and prepare for competitive examinations. He directed officials concerned to ensure regular scholarships for SC students. He also directed municipal council officials to provide gloves, masks, detergent, soap and uniform to all safai karamcharis. Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri apprised him of various SC welfare schemes being implemented in the district and assured to take up all issues on priority.
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Seven IPS, PPS officers shifted
Chandigarh, September 22 Gaurav Yadav, IGP (Counter Intelligence), has been given additional charge of IGP-cum-Director, SSG, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Special Protection Unit. Praveen Kumar Sinha has been posted as IGP (Provisioning), Pramod Ban as IGP (Security) Punjab, Chandigarh, with additional charge of the IGP-cum-Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana; SK Singh as DIG (IRB) Punjab, Patiala; Nilabh Kishore, IPS, as DIG (Investigation and Cyber Crime, (Punjab) at Chandigarh; and Mukhwinder Singh Chhina as DIG (Security) Punjab at Chandigarh.
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Unable to repay auto loan, villager commits suicide
Mansa, September 22 Ram Singh (50) of Bhenibagha village was reeling under debt as he had to spend a lot of money on the treatment of his wife and son who met with an accident around a year ago. A few months ago, he gave up the job of a welder and started driving an auto-rickshaw that he purchased after taking a loan. He, however, failed to repay its monthly instalments following which he committed suicide. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. BKU (Dkaunda) district president Ram Singh Bhenibagha said, "Poverty and debt forced him to take the extreme step. He belonged to my village and was under stress due to debt. His sons Balbir Singh and Babbi Singh work as labourers, while his daughter is a Class X student at a government school. The government should provide compensation to the family and clear his debt."
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Dalits resent delay in auction of panchayat land
Sangrur, September 22 District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) Joginder Kumar today confirmed that no date had been fixed so far for the auction of the panchayat land reserved for SCs in the village. Amrik Singh, Mirza Patti Namol villager and leader of the Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union, said the Dalits were angry with the district administration as the auction of the land had not been held so far. Due to this, they could not start farming jointly for earning their livelihood, he added. Around six acres of land is reserved for SCs in the village. The Dalits of the village have formed a 22-member committee for deciding on the persons who would participate in the auction on behalf of all Dalits to cultivate the land jointly. They have also contributed Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 for depositing the auction amount. State president of the Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union Sanjiv Mintoo said the Dalits had also decided that they would not allow participation of any Dalit on behalf of upper caste people. Sanjiv Mintoo asked the administration to order auction of the land without any further delay. The row
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Patiala farmers up in arms against land acquisition
Patiala, September 22 PUDA will acquire land for these projects in Seona, Jassowal, Sidhuwal, Raungla, Hassanpur and Baran villages. Around 667 acres will be acquired in Seona village alone. While Phase IV of Urban Estate will be set up in around 958 acres, 99 acres will be acquired for the bypass. PUDA had earlier pasted notices at different places in these villages giving details of the farmers whose land would be acquired under the project. Now, they have sought objections from farmers in that regard. Raghbir Singh and Harnek Singh of Sidhuwal village said the state government was taking this illogical step to favour a few. "PUDA added Urban Estate, Phase IV, and bypass in its master plan around a year ago and is now seeking objections from us. It does not make sense. We are not going to give up our land at any cost," they said. Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA Sukhwant Singh Sandhu said the authority had decided to develop Phase IV on the lines of Aerocity in SAS Nagar. Accepting that most of the farmers had objected to land acquisition, he said it would in no way halt the project. "We have given the farmers an opportunity to get their share in profit earned by PUDA by selling plots and the land acquisition collector has already noted down all objections. The final decision pertaining to acquisition will be taken at the government level," Sandhu added. Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi has come out in support of farmers terming the land acquisition move as unjust and against the farming community. He said, "Farmers in Punjab are already in a pitiable condition as it no more remains a profitable profession. Rather than giving better facilities to farmers, the state government is trying to take away their land." The government must reconsider its decision or the Aam Aadmi Party would launch an agitation in support of these farmers, he said. Battle-ground
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Kisan Sabha activists on fast in Sangrur
Sangrur, September 22 The demands include Rs 3,000 per month as pension to all farmers and farm labourers above the age of 60 years, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s report to give remunerative prices for crops, renaming of the Ministry of Agriculture as the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, free life insurance for farmers and farm labourers, no change in the newly enacted Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 12-hour power supply for tube well motors and opening of the Pakistan border for increase in trade. Sambar also asked the Union government not to disband the Food Corporation of India. He flayed the state government for allegedly stopping the All India Kisan Sabha from organising dharnas in Kapurthala and Fazilka. Among others who were present at the dharna site were All India Kisan Sabha state general secretary Baldev Singh Nihalgarh, district general secretary Hardev Singh Bakhshiwala, state secretary of All India Trade Union Congress Sukhdev Sharma. Their demands The demands include Rs
3,000 per month as pension to farmers and farm labourers above 60 years of age and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s report to give remunerative prices for crops and renaming of the Ministry of Agriculture as the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare
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Protest against delay in release of relief amount
Abohar, September 22 Former BJP legislator Radheyshyam’s son Ramesh Rajpal, Zila Parishad member Baldev Singh Brar, Panchayat Samiti chairperson Babaldeep Kaur and Nachhatar Singh Romana of the BJP rural unit were among the key leaders who submitted a memorandum to Additional District Collector Vasudev Malawat. They said Sriganganagar district had a record 224 mm rain in a week, which had rendered hundreds of people homeless, besides damaging crops and other property. However, they said, the administration was yet to distribute the compensation money. The memorandum demanded that the compensation for damaged houses be raised from Rs 70,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. It also sought distribution of wheat free of cost among affected families and waiver of electricity bill for four months. The protest resulted in traffic jam between Maharaja Ganga Singh Chowk and the Jail circle for more than two hours.
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Gurdaspur, September 22 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor said, “The needle of suspicion is on somebody known to the family. I have formed various teams that are exploring all angles. Prima facie, it appears that the accused had gone to the woman’s house with the intention to loot. The murderer managed to flee with Rs 10,000,” said the SSP. The police said Sarabjit Kaur (40), whose husband Harwinder Singh works as a government school teacher in Dhariwal Kichian village on the Gurdaspur-Pandori road, died due to hammer blows on her head when she resisted the criminal’s attempt to loot her gold jewellery. The woman was alone in the house when the incident took place. — TNS
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Abohar lad strikes gold in para games
Abohar, September 22 He was felicitated by Seth Chhabil Dass Doda Charitable Trust, which had been sponsoring his participation in international matches, here today. Trust president Ashok Ahuja said the state government should give him a suitable job under special quota.
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High tension wire kills man
Abohar, September 22 His family and other villagers held a protest against the electricity board and refused to cremate the deseased. The protesters relented in the afternoon after the administration assured that the case file for compensation would be sent to the state government.
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No sanction needed to prosecute ASIs: HC
Chandigarh, September 22 The judgment by Justice Mehinder Singh Sullar came on a petition by ASI Puran Singh. He was accused of not conducting fair investigation in a murder case registered in May 2013 at the Sadar police station in Jalalabad. The complainant in the case alleged that the policeman started harassing them to "help and save the accused after taking hefty bribe from them". Acting on the complaint, the trial Judge framed the charges against him for commission of offences punishable under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code vide impugned order dated June 10. His counsel argued that the petitioner, an ASI in the Punjab Police, could not be prosecuted without proper sanction under Sections 19 of the PC Act or 197 of the CrPC. Justice Sullar asserted: "The Supreme Court in a line of judgments has held that the very object of sanction is to protect the honest and eligible public servant from malicious and vexatious prosecution. Dismissing the petition, Justice Sullar added: "The intention of the legislature is very clear and intended not to protect all categories of government employees but only to protect those public servants who are removable from their office by the state government and not otherwise…”
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Dera head’s case: HC seeks additional proof
Chandigarh, September 22 As the petition came up for resumed hearing, document on Jha’s place of birth and other documents were placed before the Bench. But the High Court made it clear that documentary evidence on the father-son relationship between Ashutosh Maharaj and Jha was required. ] The case will now come up on October 29. The Bench, on a previous date of hearing, had 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 High Court had 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.
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Ex-sarpanch, 5 others held with Rs 36 cr heroin
Amritsar, September 22 Among those arrested are the former sarpanch of Kaunke village, Jagir Singh, his son Lakhwinder, Lovejit Singh alias Lovely, Ranjit Singh and Sukhwinder Singh of Bagrian village and Pawandeep Singh of Bhusse village, all in Amritsar (rural) police district. They were arrested at a naka near Mahal bypass police post. Jagir had remained the sarpanch for 10 years. The police have also impounded a car (PB-02-CH-6301). A case has been registered under the NDPS Act. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh claimed it was the biggest haul in Amritsar since the commissionerate system came into being. He said with the arrest of the six accused, the police had busted a top group of smugglers. He said the police had inputs that the accused were involved in cross-border drug trafficking. The police claimed the accused used to smuggle drugs through Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir border and then pushed these into the national or international markets. Aulakh said property details of the arrested smugglers were being verified, which would be confiscated in due course of time under the provisions of the NDPS Act.
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Mining official held in bribery case
Moga, September 22 Deputy Superintendent of Police, VB, Surinder Kumar, said deputy manager Ranjodh Singh had demanded a sum of Rs 50,000 from Major Singh, a farmer of Kaila village in Dharamkot sub-division. The farmer was booked on August 3 at the Dharamkot police station for illegal mining. Ranjodh threatened to impose a heavy penalty on him. He demanded Rs 50,000 initially but the deal was struck at Rs 10,000. The farmer approached the Vigilance Bureau, which laid a trap to nab the officer. A sum of Rs 5,000 had already been paid a few days ago. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the official. He would be produced before a local court tomorrow, said the
DSP.
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Power consumers in the state are still waiting for a round-the-clock power supply. Though the state government is yet to fulfill it’s promise of turning Punjab into a power-surplus
state.
New Delhi, September 22
Fazilka, September 22
Amritsar, September 22
Sangrur, September 22
