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Bajwa in Jalandhar, Cong divided
Private sugar mills set terms to start crushing
MCI rejects Faridkot college’s demand for more PG seats
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Jathedar wants expert panel to resolve calendar row
Municipal poll: BJP may go it alone in Gurdaspur dist
Dalit votes on mind, PPCC to highlight ‘unkept’ promises
106 health centres to come up under central scheme
Start work on PGI centre in Ferozepur, says BJP
Police step up vigil at Ashutosh’s Nurmahal dera
Takht : Efforts on for release of Sikh detainees
student-police clash at Pbi varsity
PAU seeks regulatory status
Poor fiscal mgmt hits varsity working
Sacha Sauda Dera head’s movie in Dec, police wary
Surewal villagers stage dharna against illegal sand mining
Govt to wind up all 4 farm councils
Aide alleges CPS backed sand mafia
Canadian province for boosting ties with Punjab
SHO among 5 suspended as accused flees
Residents seek land for graveyard
Check fog mishaps, officials told
Chemists allege police harassment, hold dharna
Attari blast
No agricultural loan sans moneylender’s
licence: HC
Moga police book 26 under NDPS Act
11 booked for fraud
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Bajwa in Jalandhar, Cong divided
Jalandhar, November 21 After the recent outbursts and campaign against him in Ludhiana, leaders in the Jalandhar Congress unit have started openly venting their ire against Bajwa. They claimed “they were not even being invited for Bajwa’s programmes and were being totally ignored and sidelined by him”. As Bajwa came to Shahkot today as part of his ongoing ‘Jan Sampark’ programme, there reportedly was no invite either for MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh or District Congress Committee (Rural) president and former MLA Jagbir Brar. The show was solely managed by former Finance Minister Balwant Singh’s son Rajanbir Singh and none of the local leaders, including PPCC vice-president constituency in charge Col CD Singh Kamboj, former Home Minister Brij Bhupinder Singh Lally and former PPCC secretary Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, attended the event. Most of the leaders were vocal about the issue and complained that though “they accepted Bajwa as the party president, he was not acting as team leader and had chosen not to take them along”. Both Chaudhary and Brar said, “We should have been at least consulted and asked if we were available for the event. He should have discussed the local issues with us and planned his visit accordingly.” Chaudhary has been away to Delhi for the past three days while Brar was in Chandigarh today. Even when the PPCC chief was in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, most of the local leaders had a grudge that they received no invitation about Bajwa’s tour. It was primarily former minister Avtar Henry, District Congress Committee (Urban) president Rajinder Beri and a few area councillors who went around with him. About today’s visit, Col Kamboj said, “If Bajwa is the president, I am the state vice-president and also the constituency in charge. He came here on the invitation of an outsider (referring to Rajanbir) and forgot to even invite me for the event. The visit has left us disappointed.” Sherowalia said, “It was so embarrassing when I got to know about the programme from someone else. I have been a loyal worker associated with the party since long, but now I am being sidelined... It is unacceptable.” Airing dissent If Bajwa is the president, I am the vice-president of the party, and also the constituency in charge… He came here just on the invitation of an outsider and forgot to even invite me for the event. His visit has left us
disappointed It was so embarrassing when I got to know about the programme from somebody else. I have been a loyal worker associated with the party since long, but now I am being treated
shabbily
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Private sugar mills set terms to start crushing
Chandigarh, November 21 The mills have expressed their inability to pay farmers Rs 295 per quintal, as announced by the Punjab government. The crushing was to begin yesterday. But private mill owners have decided against it.They are demanding that the state government should first decide on a subsidy of Rs 45 per quintal on the new SAP and on doing away with the purchase tax and sugarcane cess imposed over and above the SAP. The mill owners say if this is not done, private sugar mills will be forced to shift to either Maharashtra or Uttar Pradesh. The seven private sugar mills in the state crush 70 per cent of the cane ( 367 lakh quintals) and the nine cooperative mills 30 per cent (130 lakh quintals). This year, one lakh hectares were under cane cultivation because of the government’s efforts to wean away farmers from the wheat and paddy cycle and diversify to other crops, such as sugarcane. Talking to The Tribune today, Inderbir Singh Rana, managing director, Rana Sugars, said there was a huge disparity in the prices of cane in Punjab and those in major cane-producing states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. “The Punjab government should not have raised the SAP by Rs 5 per quintal this year, especially when the sugar prices are on the decline. Till 2012, the cane price was Rs 250 per quintal, which was raised to Rs 290 per quintal last year. “The sugar price is now Rs 2,850 per quintal. But in Punjab, we will buy sugarcane at Rs 3,050 per quintal. “After taking into account the cost of production and taxes, the cost of sugar in the state will be Rs 3,200 per quintal. But because of high sugar production globally, the prices will continue to be low and we will incur a loss of Rs 300 per quintal,” he argued. Punjab is a minor sugar-producing state and sugar prices are determined by major sugar-producing states. Since the SAP in Uttar Pradesh is Rs 280 per quintal (with the state government offering Rs 30 per quintal as subsidy to private sugar mills) and Rs 220 per quintal in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the sugar mills in these states can afford to sell sugar at the current price of Rs 2,850 per quintal. The demand for sugar is much higher in Punjab (60 lakh tonnes) than the sugar produced (45 lakh tonnes). But sugar produced from outside the state determine the sugar prices in Punjab,” explained Jarnail Singh Wahid, president, Punjab Private Sugar Millers Association. The association has given an ultimatum to the state government. “The state government is already giving a subsidy of Rs 112 per quintal. Private millers should be given at least Rs 45 per quintal as subsidy to make crushing viable,” Wahid said. The bitter pill
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MCI rejects Faridkot college’s demand for more PG seats
Faridkot, November 21 The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) and the state Medical Education Department had proposed to increase postgraduate seats in ENT, anaesthesiology, TB and chest departments and starting postgraduate course in obstetrics and gynecology at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot. The Postgraduate Medical Education Committee (PMEC) of the MCI reported that against the requirement of five years’ experience as assistant professor for promotion as associate professor, many doctors in obstetrics and gynecology departments were given undue favour. These doctors also had no research publication to their credit. Besides, facilities in several departments are not up to the mark as was reported by an MCI team during an inspection of the college in September. The team reported that the daily average of major operations in the medical college was just 1.5. There was no separate obstetric ICU in the college. In TB and chest department, no new books were purchased in the preceding three years for the department library. There was no publication in any indexed medical journals in the last three years and many ineligible doctors were promoted. In the ENT department, the operation theatre functioned twice a week and audio vestibular clinic did not have the facility for vestibular assessment. Dr DS Sidhu, registrar, BFUHS, denied violation of rules in promotions. “We are sending our case again to the MCI for reconsideration,” he said. Facilities lacking too
No rules violated, says Registrar Dr DS Sidhu, registrar, BFUHS, denied violation of rules in promotions. "We are sending our case again to the MCI for reconsideration," he said.
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Jathedar wants expert panel to resolve calendar row
Amritsar, November 21 Noted Sikh scholar Ashok Singh Bagrian said, “The Akal Takht must step in and issue directions to the SGPC to decide whether it wishes to adopt a calendar that is based on solar charts or lunar charts. They can’t have a mix of the two. The current scenario is tarnishing our image world over and making Sikhs a laughing stock. There is an urgent need to address the situation.” Dal Khalsa spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh took exception over the manner in which the Akal Takht Jathedar and Makkar were passing the buck. “Both are equally responsible for the present mess,” he said. The spokesman said Giani Gurbachan Singh and Makkar “succumbed to the diktat of their political masters and appointing authorities and killed the letter and spirit” of the original Nanakshahi Calendar, which was manifestation of the separate identity of the Sikhs.
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Municipal poll: BJP may go it alone in Gurdaspur dist
Gurdaspur, November 21 In Fatehgarh Churian, the home turf of former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, controversy erupted on Wednesday when the latter addressed a public meeting without inviting Surinder Kumar Shindi, a BJP leader and former president of the municipal committee. Shindi boycotted the meeting when he learnt that they were not invited. "In the past too, the SAD leaders had not invited us. If the Akalis keep on cold shouldering us, we will be left with no option but to contest the MC elections alone," he said. Ravi Karan Kahlon, son of NS Kahlon, halqa in charge of Fatehgarh Churian, refuted Shindi's claim saying they had invited the BJP leaders. "It was due to a communication gap that Shindi got offended. The SAD and BJP are a team and the question of the latter contesting the elections on its own does not arise," he said. In Batala where the BJP has a good base, its senior leaders are trying to convince a former SAD minister to join the BJP promising him a prominent post. If this happens, SAD halqa in charge LS Lodhinangal will be crossing swords with his former colleague. The former minister has, however, denied any such move. In Dinanagar, rift between the two parties is widening with each passing day. In Gurdaspur, the saffron party is trying to pull to its side a senior Congress leader who is a staunch supporter of PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa. A senior leader said: "The Congressman is a Jat sikh and the BJP is trying to win him over to counter the influence of Gurdaspur SAD MLA Gurbachan Babbehali." Growing differences between alliance partners
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Dalit votes on mind, PPCC to highlight ‘unkept’ promises
Bathinda, November 21 Sources said the party would apprise the community of “false promises” being made by the ruling alliance to win their support. Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar said: “We have always been with the poor sections of society. They are fed up with the ruling alliance which keeps on announcing welfare schemes but not implementing these. Most of the schemes which are implemented were framed during the UPA regime.” Jakhar alleged welfare funds meant for SCs, women and children were misappropriated. “More than eight lakh SC families have not got their due under the MGNREGA scheme for the past more than six months. Similarly, more than two lakh poor children were not given scholarship money. Shagun scheme beneficiaries too have not been paid,” he claimed. He said of 10,91,948 job cards, as many as 8,16,570 pertained to the SCs. “The outstanding amount stands at Rs 226.15 crore for 2013-14 and Rs 155.71 crore for 2014-15,” he said. Jakhar said even in Bathinda, the Chief Minister’s home district, thousands of beneficiaries had not been paid under the rural job scheme. The CLP leader said it was unfortunate that backward classes were not being given their due and the money meant for them was being diverted for other purposes.
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106 health centres to come up under central scheme
Ludhiana, November 21 Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani today formally launched the scheme from Ludhiana by inaugurating an ‘Urban Kiosk’ and a primary health centre. “Six community health centres will be built in Ludhiana city next year. The entire project will cover 41 cities, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. An amount of Rs 101 crore will be spent in Punjab under the scheme. Apart from opening new hospitals, the existing ones will be modernised,” said Jyani. The Minister inaugurated the kiosk in Sanjay Gandhi Colony near Sector 32, Chandigarh Road, where the residents of slum areas can get round-the-clock treatment. A primary health centre was also opened at Bhagwan Nagar near Dholewal. “All the cities with a population of 50,000 and above will be covered under the centrally sponsored scheme,” said Jyani. He said 78.83 lakh people, including 35.96 lakh slum dwellers and other vulnerable groups like rag pickers, rickshaw pullers, homeless and street children, would benefit across the state. Jyani said for slums with a population of around 1,500 to 2,000 people, one Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker would be deputed; for every 10,000 people in cities, one Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) would be appointed. A primary health centre would be set up to cater to every 50,000 people and a community health centre would be set up for every 2.5 lakh people in cities. Dose for better cure
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Start work on PGI centre in Ferozepur, says BJP
Chandigarh, November 21 A party spokesperson said Sharma met Nadda in Jammu during an election meeting and submitted a memorandum to lay the foundation stone of the hospital in Ferozepur at the earliest. Sharma said a delegation of local leaders met previous Union Health Minister Dr Harshwardhan a few months ago to press for their demand. The Union Ministry had sent a delegation led by Dr JS Thakur for the survey. The team recommended the setting up of the centre in
Ferozepur.
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Police step up vigil at Ashutosh’s Nurmahal dera
Jalandhar, November 21 With the Haryana police recovering a large quantity of arms at the Satlok Ashram of Baba Rampal in Barwala, the Punjab cops have become cautious. “We intend to obtain a copy of the ashram building plan in case we need to enter the dera,” said a senior police functionary. The Punjab Police has provided ‘Z’ security to the clinically dead Ashutosh Maharaj, which has been challenged in the court. The dera premises have been under police surveillance for nearly 10 months now. Despite the doctors at Apollo Hospital, Ludhiana, declaring Ashutosh dead on January 29, the dera authorities insist that he is in deep meditation (samadhi). Narinder Bhargav, SSP (Rural), refused to comment, saying the matter was before the court.
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Takht : Efforts on for release of Sikh detainees
Amritsar, November 21 The Jathedar said he had taken up the matter with the state government, which would soon approach the Union Government on the issue as most of the cases of Sikh detainees came under its purview. He said he had also forwarded the representation given by Gurbaksh Singh to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who had taken a sympathetic view of the matter. The AISSF has extended its support to Gurbaksh Singh while appealing other organisations as well to come out in his support.
Condition worsening
The health of Gurbaksh Singh has been deteriorating as his fast entered the eight day today. When contacted, he was not in a position to talk on phone. His spokesperson Amritpal Singh said they were yet to receive any response from the Akal Takht Jathedar whom Khalsa had met on October 19 regarding the issue of Sikh detainees. He also lamented that they were not provided any space in Punjab to stage their protest, which forced them to hold it at Gurdwara Lakhnaur Sahib in Ambala. He claimed they were also receiving threats from certain people who did not want their protest to continue. He said they had received support from political parties like the BJP and the SAD (Amritsar), though nobody from the SAD (Badal) came to them. — TNS
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student-police clash at Pbi varsity
Rakhra/Patiala, November 21 He has instructed the SSP to “ensure justice for all.” There was uneasy calm on the university campus today with agitating students shifting their protest from the main gate to outside the Vice Chancellor’s office. They have begun a relay fast against the “police brutality” and the university’s failure to address their grievances. Meanwhile, the police, instead of initiating action against the erring officials who “slapped, abused and canecharged the protesting students,” have booked several agitating students. The functioning of the university and Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh is also under the scanner. The VC did not make any efforts to restore peace on the campus. Neither did he visit the injured students. The university has postponed the theory exams for under-graduate classes that were to begin on November 26. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister, who visited minister SS Rakhra’s native village to pay homage to Jathedar Kartar Singh, tried to duck media queries on the campus clash. He said the district administration was looking into the matter. When pressed to comment on the FIR lodged against the students as well as the police lathicharge, he instructed SSP Hardyal Mann and DC Varun Roojam to submit a “fact-finding report”. Sources claim that the police had used force on the students without waiting for the SDM’s orders. “The police have registered a case against us though it was the DSP on duty who first slapped a student leader,” claimed Arshdeep Kaur. She is one of those named in the FIR. She alleged that the district administration was hand in glove with the police. The Democratic Teachers’ Front condemned the police lathicharge on the students. It blamed the “callous, arbitrary and non-committal attitude of the university officials” for the campus violence. Patiala Member of Parliament Dr Dharamvira Gandhi said the Chief Minister should get the matter probed by an independent committee as the district administration had booked the students “without taking action against the erring policemen”. Congress MLAs Brahm Mohindra and Preneet Kaur also condemned the incident. Preneet demanded action against the police for the “brutal use of force” against the students. Muktsar: Decribing the clash between students and the police at Punjabi University as unfortunate, Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema has appealed to the students to remain calm.
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PAU seeks regulatory status
Ludhiana, November 21 A large number of agriculture colleges and deemed universities have been offering BSc (agriculture) and other such courses. The PAU authorities claimed most of such colleges lacked basic infrastructure to offer agricultural courses. Dr Baldev Singh, Vice-Chancellor, PAU said, "We are concerned over the quality of education in the discipline of agriculture in the state. It is not only to get the status of an affiliated authority, but we feel a body on the lines of the Veterinary Council of India should be there to accord affiliation to agricultural colleges. We have written to the state government to take appropriate steps."
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Poor fiscal mgmt hits varsity working
Patiala, November 21 The university is struggling to pay salaries and pensions to its employees. It has twice delayed salaries to the teaching as well as the non-teaching staff this year. The shrinking government grant is much to blame for the sorry state of affairs. The university budget for 2013-14 was Rs 360
crore. It was Rs 290 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 264 crore in 2011-12. The university has only two sources of income, government grant and tuition fee. Because of the hike in DA installments and annual increments, the university expenses mounted to Rs 36 crore this year. The university had earlier raised the admission fee for all courses and the examination fee by 10 per cent. After student protests, the university rolled back the admission fee and raised the examination fee by 5 per cent. Now, the students want the excess fee refunded. Also, while applications for admission to regular and professional courses are increasing every year, there are few takers for certain courses on which the university had spent crores in terms of infrastructure development. There are few applications for a diploma in health fitness trainer, tourism management, Sikh studies and linguistics. Despite raising the fee for almost all courses, the university is unable to cover its expenses. A senior university functionary said: “The university authorities need to spend the government grant wisely and curtail unnecessary expenditure.” University Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh could not be contacted despite several attempts. Manpreet
Badal, PPP chief, condemned the police lathicharge on students, calling it “unprovoked.” He said the basic issue was that of fee hike. He said the university was turning sick and the burden was being shifted to the students, which was unfair. Students’ demand
Students want the hike in tuition fee and the examination fee be rolled back. They also want that stipend be paid to research scholars.
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Sacha Sauda Dera head’s movie in Dec, police wary
Ferozepore, November 21 Resolutions are being passed during "naam charcha" and zone meetings for mandatory viewing of the movie, which is scheduled to be released in December. The enthusiasm has made the police and intelligence agencies edgy. They fear there might be a law and order problem when the movie is released as dera followers are likely to throng cinema halls in large numbers. Already, there is a surge in organising "naam charcha" meetings in rural areas. Police sources said three to five such meetings were being held in one or the other zone in the district every week. Ferozepur, for instance, has seven zones besides a block comprising 38 villages. The police have to make elaborate arrangements for security where "naam charcha" is held. Last Sunday, over 12 persons were injured in a clash among "premis" (dera followers) and certain Sikh groups, including the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj, near Jogewala village in Makhu. The Sikh groups were opposing "naam charcha", which led to violence. The police had to fire gunshots in the air to bring the enraged crowd under control. "We are on tenterhooks. Any dera-related activity is a potent law and order problem. The dera already has a history of confrontation with the Sikh clergy," said a police official. The enthusiasm over the release of the movie is a concern already. "We are in contact with representatives of the Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikh organisations to avert any trouble," a police official said. Kulwant Singh, who has been entrusted with the responsibility to look after dera activities in the district, confirmed that they had been given targets to bring audience to the cinemas where the movie was likely to be screened. Claiming that the movie was aimed at fostering brotherhood and peace, Kulwant said certain groups were, however, opposing the release of the movie. This was not justified, he said. "In this border district which is divided in seven zones, we have been asked to ensure at least 70,000 viewers (followers of the dera)," he said. Sham Lal Gandhi, who heads the Fazilka zone, said, "We are eagerly awaiting the movie. It will clear all misgivings about the sect. Our sect believes we all are humans. We have vowed to watch the movie."
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Surewal villagers stage dharna against illegal sand mining
Nangal, November 21 The protesters alleged the contractors had dug up the area more than the permissible limit. A large number of tippers that passed through their village everyday had damaged the roads. They also posed a threat to the lives of villagers, they alleged. The protesters gathered in front of DAV School in the morning and raised slogans against the state government and the mining department. Surewal sarpanch Harjinder Singh said numerous tippers loaded with sand passed through the village every day due to which the roads there had been damaged completely. Another resident Ram Kumar said all roads and streets in the village were littered with sand and long queues of tippers could be seen on the roads, causing inconvenience to the residents. RTI activist and advocate Dinesh Chadha said the mining department did not strictly enforce the rules at the mining sites near Surewal village. According to rules, a demarcation of mining site was to be made by putting flags along the boundary of the quarry. In the absence of such a demarcation, the contractors often conducted mining beyond the permissible limits, he added. Nangal Tehsildar Ram Kishen assured to look into the matter.
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Govt to wind up all 4 farm councils
Chandigarh, November 21 The proposal to wind up these councils and take over their debt liability of Rs 58 crore will be put up at a Cabinet meeting next week. Once the Cabinet approves the proposal, these councils, which are already defunct, will be closed down. An official put the cumulative loss by these councils at Rs 150 crore. Over the past nine years, the government has spent Rs 92 crore on these farm councils that need to settle a Rs 58 crore debt with two commercial banks, Oriental Bank of Commerce and State Bank of Patiala. The government will now go in for a one-time settlement with the banks after announcing their closure.
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Aide alleges CPS backed sand mafia
Jalandhar/Chandigarh, November 21 Interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Ceeta reportedly said that Avinash’s and his team of 50 operators dealt in drug supply and sand mining. Sources said Ceeta confessed that they (Avinash and his group) mined sand worth over Rs 60 crore from the Sutlej banks towards the Phillaur township in two-and-a-half years after the SAD-BJP alliance returned to power in 2012. Avinash could not be reached for comment on his alleged role in the sand and drug operations despite repeated attempts as both his mobile phones remained unanswered. His private assistant answered once and gave another number, but that too went unanswered. Ceeta reportedly told the ED that Avinash provided patronage to drug peddlers in his Phillaur constituency and took some monetary share in return. Over 10 of his close aides too are on the ED radar. Avinash has all along been denying his involvement in the Rs 6,000 crore drug racket, which was busted after the arrest of former Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagdish Bhola. Ceeta reportedly told the ED that his commission agent-cum-money changer shop in Phillaur used to be a meeting point where Avinash collected money from his operatives. He claimed Avinash had promised to make him the chairman of Phillaur Market Committee in lieu of his “services”. Sources said Ceeta, in his confessional statement, wrote that Avinash and his operatives in the sand and drug business divided the proceeds in 40:60 ratio. The ED reportedly believes that Ceeta, having a money-transfer unit, may have sent Avinash’s funds abroad. Ceeta even told the ED that owing to illegal mining, the course of the Sutlej had changed, thus affecting the farmers in Phillaur. He said the affected farmers had been raising hue and cry against the illegal mining, but to no avail. Avinash’s name had figured in a diary maintained by Goraya-based businessman Chuni Lal Gaba’s son Gurmesh, who is lodged in the Naba jail in a drugs case. Income Tax officials had seized the diary along with Rs 16 crore cash from Gaba’s Goraya premises. The diary proved a goldmine for the Income Tax and ED officials ad it showed entries of financial transactions towards several bigwigs, including Avinash (Rs 48 lakh), former Punjab Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur (Rs 12 lakh), Jalandhar Congress MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh (Rs 2 lakh) and former NRI Sabha president Kamaljit Singh Hayre (Rs 58 lakh). All these leaders as well as Ceeta have been booked by the ED under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
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Canadian province for boosting ties with Punjab
Chandigarh, November 21 He led a Canadian delegation that called on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal this evening. During an interaction with the Chief Minister, Brad Wall said there was a huge scope of bilateral cooperation in these areas as both Punjab and Saskatchewan had demonstrated their strength and dominance in agriculture and allied activities due to their vast experience and expertise. He said both states were already working closely in the field of veterinary sciences and there was a tremendous potential for mutual cooperation in allied sectors of agriculture and animal husbandry. The visiting Saskatchewan Premier also assured Badal of every technical help in the fields of food technology, food processing, agri-biotechnology, post-harvest management/handling and cold storage. Welcoming the proposal mooted by the Chief Minister for initiating farmer exchange programme, Wall hoped both states would benefit from such experiences. He said Saskatchewan would prefer collaboration with Punjab in different fields. He said the existing arrangements of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) with Saskatchewan University in developing new varieties of oilseeds, especially Cannola, could be extended to cover new areas on the lines of student-exchange programme with Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
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SHO among 5 suspended as accused flees
Jalandhar, November 21 Nawanshahr Superintendent of Police Gagan Ajit Singh said following an inquiry, Banga police station SHO Raj Kumar, ASI Bram Lal, head constable Narinder Pal and constables Yuv Karan and Charandeep had been suspended. He said action had been recommended against three home guards, Resham, Hari Om and Surinder. The student was allegedly kidnapped from outside her college in Banga on Monday. The victim is undergoing treatment and her condition was stated to be critical. She had regained consciousness yesterday and had accused Sonu of raping her. The girl was reportedly beaten up by the accused and dumped in a serious condition in the fields of Moranwali village. The accused was arrested yesterday and kept in a lock-up at Banga police station. Punjab Congress social welfare and education cell chairperson Nimisha Mehta has demanded the suspension of the Nawanshahr SSP for shoddy handling of the case. “The police initially refused to file a case. When they arrested the accused under pressure, he managed to escape a day before he was to be produced in the court. The incident clearly shows involvement of the police,” she said.
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Residents seek land for graveyard
Jalandhar, November 21 The protesters raised slogans against the government and demanded that some land for the purpose be made available to them. Otherwise, they would be forced to intensify their agitation, they said. Two months ago, an Alawalpur resident died and people took the body to the graveyard. They were not allowed to bury it there as some persons claimed that the land belonged to them. They did not get any space to bury the body for three days after which they complained to the Naib Tehsildar, the SDM and the DC, Jalandhar, in that regard. Residents said of the around 42 kanal land in Alawalpur, about 30 kanal had been rented out. However, the remaining 12 kanal land was still reserved for a graveyard for Muslims, but they were not being allowed to bury their deceased family members there. "For three days, we did not find any space to bury the body. We complained to the district administration after which the DC sent the tehsildar and the SDM, who ensured a little space for us to bury the dead in the graveyard. However, we were then asked to give in writing that the land was not our and we wouldn't lay claim on it in future. How can we do that when 12 kanal land is reserved for us?" said Mohd Kaleem Azad, president of the Punjab Muslim Front. SDM-I, Jalandhar, Rajat Oberoi said, "This land belongs to the Wakf Board. Twenty years ago, 30 kanal of the land was given to one party and the remaining to another. The party owning the 12 kanal land got a mandatory injunction from the civil court in 2001. When we went for demarcation of the land, they showed us the court order. Meanwhile, for the past 14 years, the Wakf Board hasn't challenged the stay. We have submitted the court order to the district attorney through the DC to check the validity of the stay. Any action on the issue will be initiated only after that."
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Check fog mishaps, officials told
Chandigarh, November 21 He said during winter when the visibility was low, the number of road accidents increased which could be prevented by taking simple measures. Kohar directed district transport officers to ensure that vehicles such as tractor-trailers, rickshaws, cycles etc. had reflectors so that these were visible to motorists from a distance. Accidents could be prevented by affixing reflectors on vehicles, he said. Kohar instructed the PWD to put up signage, informational hoardings and milestones along the roads. He asked the officers concerned to ensure that wherever there was any road repair/construction going on, warning signs must be placed. For bridges that did not have any railings, especially in rural areas and along canals, an iron or concrete fencing must be built on a priority.
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Chemists allege police harassment, hold dharna
Fazilka, November 21 Chemists from
Fazilka, Abohar, Jalalabad, Mandi Roranwali, Seetoguno, Khubban, Balluana and rural areas sat on a dharna at the busy Clock Tower chowk and demanded action against erring police officials. "About 600 chemists of the district would join the strike tomorrow against the highhandedness of the police," said Ashok
Chhabra, president, Chemists Association, Fazilka unit. The district police took about 70 persons, including 15 chemists, into custody for their alleged involvement in drug trade in the past two days. Bittan Kumar, Station House Officer, said they had received a list of suspects from the higher authorities. The chemists were released after questioning, he said, adding that they had not thrashed any of the detainees.
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Attari blast
Amritsar, November 21 The blast was so powerful that parts of the tanker hit the ICP wall 300 metres away. Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat had directed SDM Rohit Gupta to investigate the matter and submit a report, which he did today. Sources said investigations into the case had revealed that the tanker was not meant to carry the chemical. A leakage in the tanker a few hours before the blast was ignored. When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner said they would decide on further safety measures at the ICP on the basis of the report findings.
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Sand prices down in Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur, November 21 The sand, sold directly to the people by the Mandi Board, costs Rs 800 per cubic ft, excluding transportation charges. Mining at Dagana village in Hoshiarpur was started on November 5. Since then, 231 trucks of sand have been sold. The supply has brought down the prices of sand to about half in the area. Earlier, sand was being sold for Rs 1500 for per 100 cubic ft. Deputy Commissioner Amit Dhaka said to speed up the process of lifting sand, one more loading point would be earmarked at Dagana mine.
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No agricultural loan sans moneylender’s licence: HC
Chandigarh, November 21 The judgment by Justice Mehinder Singh Sullar came on a petition filed by Narsi Dass against farmer Surender. In this case, a loan was advanced at the rate of 24 per cent per annum. Referring to the provisions of the Punjab Registration of Moneylenders' Act, Justice Sullar ruled the commission agent was competent to advance agricultural loan only if he had valid licence or a registration certificate. "Having a moneylender's licence is a condition precedent to advance loans to farmers. The advancement of loan by the complainant (commission agent) to the respondent (farmer) without any valid licence is not only illegal, he can at the same time be prosecuted under Section 4 of the Moneylender's Act," Justice Sullar added. Justice Sullar added the complainant used to advance loan to the respondent for agricultural purpose from time to time and he was required to repay the loan along with 24 per cent per annum interest. "Not only that, he has also categorically acknowledged that he used to lend money on credit basis to different persons, but Justice Sullar said Section 4(2) of the Act postulated that no moneylender could carry on with the business of advancing loans unless he got himself registered; and any moneylender who contravened the provision would be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Rs 1,000 for the first offence and Rs 2,000 for a subsequent offence. Justice Sullar further added that a suit by the moneylender for the recovery of the loan or an application by him for the execution of a decree relating to a loan would also be dismissed after the commencement of the Act, unless he was holding a valid
licence.
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Moga police book 26 under NDPS Act
Moga, November 21 They registered criminal cases against 26 persons with various police stations in the district last night. In all the cases the police have yet to make any recovery and none has been arrested so far. The cases have been registered on information provided by informers. A case under Sections 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against 14 persons, all residents of different villages, with the Badhni Kalan police station. Another case has been registered under Sections 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act against 12 persons, all residents of Moga. One of the accused alleged he had been falsely implicated in the case at the behest of a local leader because he was planning to contest the coming municipal elections. “I will file an anticipatory bail in the sessions court and a writ petition in the High Court to expose the politician-police nexus,” he said. All the FIRs read: “This case has been registered on secret information that the accused persons are selling poppy husk, opium, smack, intoxicating drugs/powder and heroin and if raided, heavy quantities of these drugs can be recovered from them.” A few months ago, the local police had booked 200 persons under the NDPS Act without any recoveries and arrests. No lesson learnt
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11 booked for fraud
Hoshiarpur, November 21 In the first case, the police have booked Arushi Sinha and Ashok Tiwari, brokers of Arcade Insurance Company, Vinay Mishra of Gwalior, Anuj Sarasvat of Meerut and Woner of Dream Yatra tour and Travel Company, and Rajinder Kumar. Complainant Charan Kanwal Singh of Dasuya had alleged that the accused prepared fake documents and convinced his father to invest Rs 28 lakh to save his earlier investments. After a probe, the Dasuya police booked the accused under Sections 420, 465, 467, 471, 473, 506 and 120 B of IPC. In another case, the Mahilpur police have booked Mewa Singh and Jagtar Singh of Machhian Khurd in Ludhiana, Mohan Singh of Mahilpur, Kuldeep Singh of Namolian village and Davinder Singh, nambardar of Patti Ladhewal, Mahilpur. Amlkit Singh of Mahilpur had complained that the accused procured a loan of Rs. 18.85 lakh by producing fake land papers. Further investigations are on.
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Jalandhar, November 21
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Fazilka, November 21
Talking to The Tribune here today, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said the SGPC should form a committee of calendar experts, including original Nanakshahi Calendar’s architect Pal Singh Purewal, to find a way out. Karnail Singh Panjoli, SGPC executive member, has advocated the need to revert to the original Nanakshahi Calendar. “I along with SGPC general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur had taken a stand against the amended Nanakshahi Calendar when it came up for discussion in the SGPC executive in 2010. While others signed on the dotted line under pressure from the Akali Dal, I had walked out, saying it is not the calendar of the party but the community and it should be seen in that perspective.” He said his stand was justified and if the original calendar was in force today, there would have been no confusion at all. 
