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Twin power crises hit Punjab Chandigarh, July 4 Those into political power play and are intent on retaining power , have plugged-in at New Delhi. Those into arranging more power (electricity) and are keen to distribute it are in Punjab, where the real crisis of power persists. Thus, given the magnitude of the crisis of power, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Chairman, Mr Y S Ratra, has called an emergency meeting of the board at Patiala tomorrow. In the past few days, his efforts to get additional power almost failed, thanks to certain power-brokers in operation at New Delhi, while Punjab politicians were engaged
in a power struggle. While the absence of political power seekers has made little or no difference to life of the common man in Punjab, the shortage of power and the gap between demand and availability have changed the very life of the common man in urban and rural Punjab, right from home to shop, school to office, factories to farms. There have also been engineered agitations and assaults on offices and officials of the PSEB in the past weeks. For these politically-instigated attacks, the blame is being apportioned to a faction of the BKU—Bharti Kisan Union, demanding ''free'' power. The ground reality was that since the withdrawal of ''free'' power in October, 2002, the PSEB had regularly collected power bills from 97 per cent farmers. Only 3 per cent farmers were refusing to pay up, including some BKU leaders, now instigating others to defy payment of electricity bills and thus creating fear-psychosis in PSEB staff. Today, due to short-circuit in nature's own system, rains are delayed and the PSEB is at the receiving end. And now no one would be praying as hard as PSEB for the rains. It is partly due to the failure of the rains that fault-lines have a delayed schedule of supplying 24-hour electricity supply to all villages by June 30. What, if the monsoon has skipped a date with
Punjab, the PSEB's resolve has not burnt out, as critics, including BKU defaulters or media would have us believe. As of today, the water level in the Gobind Sagar at Bhakhra is down by 102 feet against the level on the corresponding Sunday, 2003, and the power generation is down by 50 per cent from 110 lakh units per day to 54 lakh units per day. The situation is no better at Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein), where hydel-power generation today is down from 98 lakh units per day to 55 lakh units per day, compared to the generation on the corresponding Sunday last year. Meanwhile, the demand for power is up by at least 12 per cent, which means 55 lakh consumers and nine lakh tube wells require 150 lakh additional units compared to last year. There was a crisis of power in 2002-paddy season as well that the government, then just few months in office, had successfully overcome and not allowed paddy production to dip, though it had involved heavy financial outgo! Therefore, there is hope that the situation would improve when it begins to rain. The PSEB is conscious of the hardship faced by the people in this hot, humid and sultry weather due to either scheduled power cuts or unscheduled
trippings. Though the PSEB has been forced to introduce regulatory mechanism, there is hope that efforts to tie-up power purchase from the East or West, West Bengal or Goa, Uttaranchal or Rajasthan will ease the availability by tomorrow—Monday. Punjab is expecting 300 MW power in the next couple of days to save paddy as also mitigate suffering of the people. Besides, it is shopping for 200 lakh units per day from the Central pool, as well. PSEB officials told TNS today that power supply to tube wells was being enhanced to eight hours from six hours at present. In fact, between mid-night of July 3 and July 4, with cuts, the PSEB was able to give its consumers 1,145 lakh units against 1,083 lakh units last year on the corresponding dates; an additional 61 lakh units. There are three thermal plants in the state. Ropar has 6 units of 110 MW each, Lehra Mohabat 2 units of 210 MW each and Bathinda 4 units of 110 MW each. Crisis of power persists despite full steam generation at these plants. Except for one unit at Bathinda, which is shut down for renovation and modernisation, the remaining units are in operation at all three thermal plants. |
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Incomplete Shahpur Kandi dam costs Punjab Gurdaspur, July 4 The state government is delaying the Shahpur Kandi Dam project which when completed could solve the states power problem, especially during peak hours. Sources said by not completing the Shahpur Kandi project the state was losing 600 MW of hydel power and suffering a loss of Rs 1,000 crore per year. The Shahpur Kandi dam planned near Pathankot was a part of the basic plan of the Ranjit Sagar project. As the basic plan the Ranjit Sagar Dam was conceived to bail the state out during peak hours. It was planned that during peak hours all four turbines of the Ranjit Sagar Dam would be operated to generate 600 MW power. Nearly 25,000 cusecs of water that was to be released from the turbines of Ranjit Sagar Dam at full capacity would have been stored in balancing reservoir of the Shahpur Kandi Dam where again 168 MW power would have been generated from the same water before it was released in Upper Bari Doab (UBD) canal system. However, as the Punjab Government could not complete the Shapur Kandi Dam the optimum generation capacity of the Ranjit Sagar Dam was not being made use of present just two of the four turbines of the Ranjit Sagar Dam are generating just 200 to 300 MW power against the installed capacity of 600 MW. Other turbines are not run even during peak hours as there was 40 reservoir to absorb the water released by running all turbines. The storage capacity of Madhopur headworks has been finished due deposit of silt. Now the power is generated at the Ranjit Sagar Dam keeping in view the water carrying capacity of the UBD canal system rather than installed or conceived capacity. Besides the 300 MW power generation loss at Ranjit Sagar Dam the state was also losing 168 MW that would have been generated at the Shahpur Kandi Dam and 132 MW under the UBDC extension scheme. The sources said the Union Ministry of Water Resources had approved the Shahpur Kandi dam project for central loan assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). Under the scheme Rs 162 crore grant was planned of which Rs 108 crore was to be provided by the Centre and Rs 54 crore by the state. The Centre released the first instalment of Rs 29.85 crore to the state in 2001-2002. The state gave Rs 13.69 crore out of the Central grant for the project while the rest of the amount was utilised elsewhere. Due to it the centre did not give further grant for the project. At present 8500 workers of the Shahpur Kandi project are idle. The state government has been paying them salary for doing nothing. Besides, heavy machinery worth crores has also been rusting. The state is not starting the project on the plea that it did not have Rs 1,300 crore required for the project. Experts are of the view that if the state raises loan for the project the amount spent on the project could be recovered within years of the completion of project. Besides, the state would also save crores by taking work from the employees getting salary for sitting idle. |
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SAD to support govt on SYL issue: Badal Faridkot, July 4 While describing the SYL canal as a ticklish issue under the prevailing conditions, he alleged that had the successive Congress governments been sincere to the matter, it could had been sorted out much earlier. He also lambasted the state and Central governments for adopting dual policy in solving the problem by handing over the construction of the SYL canal to the CPWD by the Union Government and by filing a review petition in the Supreme Court yesterday by the Punjab Government. Mr Badal urged both the governments not to play with the sentiments of the people by such methods. Expressing doubts over the statement of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, at the conference on minority welfare and education at New Delhi yesterday for establishing a national commission for the upliftment of the minorities in education and jobs, Mr Badal said it was the habit of the Congress for making tall promises and claims for the development of the people but never completed the projects. Mr Badal described the firing incident at Kharar as unfortunate in which two persons died and three injured. Replying to a question
regarding the decision of the BJP during its executive party meeting at Mumbai on June 23 last to maintain the ideology of Hindutva, Mr Badal clarified that his party supported the joint policies initiated by the NDA for the welfare of the country. While addressing the gathering, he termed senior leaders of the rival Akali factions, particularly Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Mr Ravi Inder Singh and Mr Inderjit Singh Zira, as agents of the Congress. Mr Badal cautioned the Sikh voters not to be misled by their false propaganda and give them a crushing defeat in the forthcoming SGPC poll. Other prominent speakers included Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, senior vice-president of the SAD, Mr Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, MLA, Faridkot, and Mr Mohinder Singh Ramana. |
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Honour SC verdict on SYL, pleads Tarlochan Singh
Amritsar, July 4 He said Punjab and Haryana were like brothers and they should solve their problems amicably with mutual understanding. He said communal harmony in the country was the need of the hour. Answering to queries of mediapersons about his objectives as a Rajya Sabha Member, he said he would raise his voice for the implementation of provisions like freedom of educational institutions of minorities, providing education in mother tongue, non interference of government in these institutions etc, which are given to minorities in the Indian Constitution. He said it was the demand of all minorities to implement the provisions given in the Constitution. He said he had already taken these issues with the Prime Minister and other concerned authorities. He favoured formation of an international Sikh body having Sikhs from all over the world, including Pakistan, for the maintenance of Gurdwaras situated in Pakistan which were in dilapidated state and need immediate repair. He said it was the need of Pakistan for the maintaining Sikh pilgrimage places there, as these boost tourism industry. On the formation of the PSGPC, he said Pakistan was a sovereign country and have the authority to form any committee for gurdwaras. When asked to
comment on the turban issue he said he had taken up the matter with the French Foreign Minister, who is now Home Minister of France and hoped that his suggestions would be accepted by the French Government. |
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Kang’s wife seeks lodging of FIR against SHO Mohali, July 4 Kiranbir Singh Kang was booked by the Punjab police for murder of an Akali worker at a public rally in Kharar on July 2. Himself injured in the cross-fire, Kang was admitted to the PGI from where he escaped when it became known that he along with his rival Akali leader Rajbir Singh Padiala have been booked for murder. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the DGP, Punjab, Neena Kang has stated that she along with her family has had to leave her house in Mohali due to the constant harassment by the police. She added that most of the friends of the family, relatives and all her servants have been picked up by the police and any one who goes near her house (House Number 8, Sector 69, Mohali) is harassed by the policemen sitting there who threaten them with dire consequences. When contacted, the SSP, Ropar, Mr S.P. Singh, said two relatives of Kang had been arrested for questioning. ‘‘Kang’s brother-in-law, Gurjit Singh and his maternal uncle Ravinder Singh have been arrested from Amritsar to find out about Kang’s whereabouts. ‘‘We will arrest the whole family if needed, or till the time Kang surrenders,’’ said Mr S.P. Singh. When asked if his men had raided Kang’s house in Mohali without search warrants, SP Singh said, the ‘‘police itself is the warrant. We do not need a warrant to enter a place where we think a criminal is hiding’’. Neena Kang has further stated in her letter that her children and aged in-laws were suffering due to the unjust behavior of these ‘‘criminals in uniform’’. She added that her children’s school was opening tomorrow and their books and clothes were lying in the house which they could not enter. ‘‘I feel threatened for my life and the life of my children and in-laws. My house is now in the hands of the police as all those who were left at the house to look after the house have been picked up by the police,’’ she wrote. Mrs Kang also mentioned that their car, a Black Lancer (PB65 B 6565), is with the police along with its papers. ‘‘I apprehend that they may misuse articles and documents stolen from my house against my family and me,’’ she wrote. Meanwhile, the Kharar police raided various places in Mohali and nearby villages to apprehend Kiranbir Singh Kang and Rajbir Singh Padiala. The Chandigarh police too raided places in Mohali looking for Kang. The Chandigarh police had booked Kang for escaping from police custody and attempt to murder. |
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Kharar incident: police ‘acting’ under pressure Mohali, July 4 He alleged that the incident went out of hand due to police mismanagement as the rally site was supposed to be weapon free in wake of Mr. Parkash Singh Badal’s visit. He accused the police of acting under the pressure of the Cong govt. He alleged that youth Akali Dal. Kiranbir Singh Kang was facing a threat to his life from the Punjab police as indicated by him in a petition to the President of India. He added that the authorities were trying to extract political mileage out of the tragic incident. |
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Cops seek arms details from Akalis Mohali, July 4 Sources said the police was approaching Akali leaders and asking for the details of the weapons they held. The licences of the weapons were checked and a complete list of ammunition was made. Meanwhile, the police has recovered the silver Zen used by Kiranbir Singh Kang to escape from the PGI. The police has refused to give details of where the car was recovered from. Kiranbir Singh Kang and Rajbir Singh Padiala are facing murder charges for firing at a party worker at an SGPC rally at Kharar on July 2. Both are absconding. |
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SGPC poll to impact state politics Ludhiana: Since 1956 Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections have always had a bearing on politics in Punjab. The last SGPC elections were held in October 1996 after 14 years. From 1925 to 1947, the elections were held every five years. But after 1947, these have never been held on time. Each time they became a political issue. And this time is no different. The present elections have become interesting as well as hotly contested Interesting because politicians are harping on religious issues and trying to project themselves as devout religious persons. Hot because several sections among Sikhs are coming together to fight against the “hegemony” of Shiromani Akali Dal President Parkash Singh Badal. But there is more to it than meets the eye. It should be noted that children of militants who died during militancy are also participating and active militants have come out in the open and are trying to make themselves relevant in Sikh affairs. Even in the Lok Sabha elections, a son of Beant Singh, assassin of Indira Gandhi, fought the election from the Bathinda seat. The Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Panchayat, Shiromani Khalsa Dal headed by Mr Daljit
Bittu of the SSF (Sohan Singh Panthic Committee) and former Patiala MP and militant Atinderpal Singh of the International Akali Dal are actively participating in the SGPC elections. Mr Simranjit Singh Mann of the
SAD (A) remains relevant because he has consistently withstood the traditional Akalis led by Mr Badal. Besides, he has also remained in the forefront while projecting Sikh issues at national as well as international levels. All these segments have chosen to come together and formed the Panthic Morcha to give a religious complexion to their outfit. In the election campaign, they are openly talking of the harm that has allegedly been done to the SGPC because of politicisation. Both the main contestants — the SAD led by Mr Badal and the Panthic Morcha — have issued their election manifestos. The one issued by Mr Badal seeks credit for all achievements of more than a quarter century during which the SGPC was led by Gurcharan Singh Tohra. For the future, it has promised to set up more institutions, but has not given any assurance that the SGPC would not be used for political purposes. However, the manifesto has claimed that the Shiromani Akali Dal is the real servant of the Khalsa. The manifesto released by the Panthic Morcha projects Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi, president of the Gurmat Sidhant Parcharak Sant Samaj, and Bhai Ranjit Singh, former
Jathedar of Akal Takht. The thrust of the manifesto is religious reforms. It also says that in the religion-political relationship outlined by the Gurus, religion remains supreme and politicisation of institutions like the SGPC is injurious to the interests of the Khalsa Panth. The morcha lays stress on the fact that it will de-politicise the SGPC. It also points out that malpractices have crept into the SGPC administration and promises that far-reaching administrative reforms will be brought about to make the committee more purposeful. The style of campaigning of the main contestants makes it clear that Mr Badal has been put on the defensive and people are not impressed by his evocations of Panthic loyalty. The style of campaign adopted by Bhai Ranjit Singh is aggressive and Baba Bedi remains religious to the core. How much damage the combination of five outfits can do to the SAD remains to be seen, tall claims by Panthic Morcha leaders notwithstanding. |
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SGPC poll: Badal wants rebels expelled Tarn Taran, July 4 Mr Badal made this announcement yesterday at border township Patti while addressing a rally in support of Mr Chhattarpal Singh Dubbly (Patti candidate), Mr Hardial Singh (candidate from
Bhikiwind), Mr Raj Singh Gill (candidate from Valtoha General) and Mr Balbir Singh Sursing (candidate from Valtoha reserve). Mr Badal said the state government had done nothing except withdrawing the facilities given to different sections of the society by his government. Mr Badal called on Sikhs to vote for SAD candidates. Mr Ranjit Singh
Brahampura, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala MP, Mr Guljar Singh Ranike, Mr Adeshpartap Singh Kairon, Mr Harmeet Singh Sandhu (all MLAs) and Mr Virsa Singh Valtoha were among the speakers. |
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Bhai Ranjit Singh seeks account of Rs 100 cr Mohali, July 4 Two persons were killed and as many seriously injured in firing by rival groups in the SAD on July 2. Bhai Ranjit Singh was addressing a rally at Sohana yesterday in favour of former SGPC member Hardeep Singh. Mr Hardeep Singh is standing as an independent candidate from Mohali in the SGPC elections. Bhai Ranjit Singh alleged that Prakash Singh Badal and his coterie had branded their opponents as Congress agents. Bhai Ranjit Singh alleged that Mr Badal had always patronised ‘’goonda elements’’ in his party. ‘’Mr Badal is now more worried about the setback to his party’s prospects in the SGPC elections following yesterday’s clash than the loss of two lives,’’ he claimed. Showing the audience literature being published by the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an offshoot of the RSS, Bhai Ranjit Singh said all this was being done to undermine Sikh history. Bhai Ranjit Singh demanded a complete account of how Rs 100 crore given by the Central Government for the centenary celebrations were spent. ‘‘If only Rs 19 crore had been spent where have Rs 81 crore gone?’’ he asked. He said Mr Badal must ensure that party leaders like SGPC president, Alwinder Singh, Sewan Singh Shekwan and Sucha Singh Langah should deposit the money they owed to the SGPC. The Sohana village panchayat headed by sarpanch Surjit Kaur presented a saropa to Mr Hardeep Singh. |
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Amritsar lad secures
2nd position in AIIMS Amritsar, July 4 Talking to this correspondent at his house, here today, he said untill I saw my result on the Internet, I did not believe it. I was thrilled after I was selected in such a tough competition and could not react to it. He said his parents, who were also doctors and ran a private hospital and a nursing home, were his source of inspiration. Sajan’s father, Dr Amarjeet Singh Nagpal, is a medical practitioner while his mother, Dr Balwinder Kaur, is a gynaecologist. He said biology was his favourite subject. Sajan also got the third position in India in the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, and the 12th rank in the Manipal Academy of Higher Education PMT. He has also received a call for an interview from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, and has been selected in the CBSE PMT. He gave all the credit for his success to his parents, family and teachers. He said his parents had played a very supportive role during the past two years. They always tried to make the atmosphere conducive for study. Elated over their son’s achievement, Dr Nagpal and Dr Balwinder Kaur said they were hopeful about Sajan’s success in the examination. “However, we did not expect the second rank,” they added. They said they were getting congratulatory calls from their relatives and friends. They said this was the happiest moment of their lives. When asked about his future plans, Sajan said he would do postgraduation and would also consider going abroad for higher studies after completing his graduation at AIIMS. |
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Friends make Jalandhar proud Jalandhar, July 4 Harkeerat Singh and Ribhav Pasricha made Jalandhar proud by securing seventh and ninth ranks respectively, in the AIIMS entrance examination, the results which were declared yesterday. “Hard work and blessings of the God is the secret of my success,” was the first reaction of Harkeerat Singh, a student of Apeejay School here. “Though I am sure to clear the examination in the first attempt, but getting seventh rank was really a delightful moment in my life. I dedicate my success to my parents, who always motivated me from the very beginning to become a doctor,” he said. “I and Ribhav studied together and prepared for the examination rigorously and the result is before you. Our teachers, Mr S.C. Kakkar, Mr P.P. Singh and Mr Satish Sharma, are the main guiding force, which led to clearance of the exam with best ranking throughout India,” he added. Dr Harpreet Kaur, mother of Harkeerat, said the entire family was delighted over his success as they were flooded with congratulations from their family friends and relatives. Ribhav Pasricha of Swami Sant Dass Public School, who was jubilant after attaining ninth rank, maintains, “Though I belong to a medico family, my father Dr Rajesh Pasricha is a neurologist and mother Dr Kumud Pasricha is a gynaecologist, but I had initially dreamt of becoming an astronaut. Later, I realised that I should adopt medical profession to serve humanity at the grassroot level.” “Then, both of us, joined heads to secure top rankings in this prestigious exam and finally we did it,” he said. |
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Face-blackening incident: victim receives Kuttianwali (Muktsar), July 4 Stating this to The Tribune team, the victim further alleged that the Sarpanch’s husband had also threatened to kill him if he did not withdraw the complaint and reach a compromise. Jangir Singh said the accused, when he was released on bail, came to his sister Pasho’s house where he (the victim) had been living and threatened him that if he did not reach a compromise, he would be eliminated. Corroborating his statement, Jangir Singh’s sister,
Pasho, and her daughter, Raji, further said that the accused not only threatened to eliminate Jangir Singh but also used derogatory and abusive language. When The Tribune team went to Pasho’s house, the Sarpanch of the village, Ms Narinder Kaur, also reached there and started putting pressure on them to persuade Jangir Singh to reach a compromise. However, Ms Narinder Kaur denied that she and her family had issued any threats to the victim and his relatives. Admitting that Jangir Singh was paraded in the village after blackening his face, she said the decision to parade Jangir Singh had been taken unanimously by the panchayat as he had ‘teased’ an aged woman,
Guro, of the village. However, when The Tribune team contacted Santokh Singh
Sokha, son of 90-year-old Guro, he termed the accusation levelled by the Sarpanch’s family as baseless. He said the Sarpanch’s family had tried to defame them by levelling this accusation as they had opposed them in the election. At present, Jangir Singh is not living at her sister’s house as he is scared due to the threats allegedly issued by the Sarpanch’s family. He has been given shelter by Lakhwinder Singh, a local preacher of Sikhism, in his house in the village. It was Lakhwinder Singh and some of his companions who rescued Jangir Singh from Gurcharan Singh’s clutches on June 8 when Jangir Singh was paraded for an hour in the village. Lakhwinder Singh is also pursuing his case as the victim has no money to do so. Lakhwinder Singh told The Tribune team that he had also been issued indirect threats by the accused for taking up Jangir Singh’s cause. Meanwhile, Muktsar SP (HQ) Kishore Chand said the victim had, so far, lodged no complaint with the police regarding any threats. However if any complaint was made, action would be taken against the accused after verification, he added. Lakhwinder Singh said he along with some other persons had accompanied the victim to the police station after the incident but no FIR was lodged against the accused due to their influence. Meanwhile, they appeared before a high court judge who was visiting Muktsar courts that day. The Judge marked their complaint to SP (HQ) Kishore Chand, who directed DSP, Malout, Hargobind Singh to lodge an FIR against the accused. |
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BSP workers back expelled leaders Nawanshahr, July 4 The BSP high command had recently expelled the leaders allegedly at the behest of Mr Narinder Kashayap and Mr Avtar Singh Karimpuri, national secretary and state president of the party, respectively. Bibi Bishan Kaur, mother of BSP supremo Kanshi Ram, and his brothers, Mr Dalbara Singh and Mr Harbans Singh, also attended the meeting. Blaming Mr Kashayap and Mr Karimpuri of harming the interests of the party by sidelining dedicated party workers and deviating from the ideology of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Mr Kanshi Ram, Dr S.K. Sukhi, president of the district unit of the party, and Mr P.D. Shant, state executive member, announced resignation from their posts. Mr Kainth said the resentment among BSP workers would transform into a mass movement. A “workers’ sammelan” would be held at Desh Bhagat Yadhgar Bhavan, Jalandhar, on July 18 and district-level meetings were being organised to “expose” Mr Kashayap and Mr Karimpuri, he added. He said the expelled BSP leaders would struggle to get BSP supremo Kanshi Ram released from the “captivity” of party national president Mayawati. Mr Sahungra, former MLA, said he was proud that he had been expelled from the party on the “allegations” of helping the family of Mr Kanshi Ram. He said Ms Mayawati had been “selling” the Dalit vote bank to the BJP and Congress for furthering self-interests. He also accused Mr Karimpuri and Mr Kashayap of taking money from SAD president Parkash Singh Badal for fielding BSP candidates for all 13 parliamentary constituencies. He dared Mr Karimpuri to contest from the Garhshankar assembly segment in the coming byelection. Mr Mangat Rai Bansal, BSP nominee from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, exhorted the party workers to march to New Delhi to get Mr Kashi Ram released from the “captivity” of Ms Mayawati. |
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Mittal condemns Governors’ removal Phillaur, July 4 Mr Mittal alleged that the Congress-led government was adopting vindictive attitude as it was being run by the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, by proxy, while the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, was seemed to be playing in the hands of the Gandhi family. Mr Mittal said the BJP would not tolerate this undemocratic decision to remove the Governors. Commenting upon the power cuts in the state, Mr Mittal alleged that the Chief Minister spent most of his time in New Delhi to save his own ministry and he had no time to solve the problems of the
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Samta Samaj Party not to merge with Lok Janshakti Jalandhar, July 4 In a press note here yesterday, Mr Jethumajara said at a meeting of senior party leaders here it was decided not to merge the party with the Lok Janshakti Party. The meeting criticised BSP chief and former UP Chief Minister for taking Mr Kanshi Ram to some undisclosed place from Batra Hospital, Delhi. Though a case regarding the treatment of Mr Kanshi Ram was pending before the Delhi High court, yet Ms Mayawati had forcibly shifted the former to some undisclosed place, he added. |
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Unique training programme for women sarpanches Patiala, July 4 “The best thing about the visit has been the directive that husbands and relatives will not be allowed to attend the training programme along with their partners,” says Paramjit when speaking about the two-day training course being organised in Panchayat Bhavan for sarpanches and panches of the district. The programme is covering all the blocks in the district with the elected members being coached about their duties and responsibilities by the faculty of the State Institute of Rural Development in batches of 75 each. “Out here we feel we are truly on our own and we are understanding how to participate in the Panchayati Raj process”, says Rajinder Kaur, sarpanch of Sheikhpura
Kamboj. Rajinder says she has tried to work herself but is usually accompanied by her husband as he knows more about public dealing. “The course has, however, given me confidence and I will definitely try to run the panchayat more on my own,” she adds. Surprisingly the course is leading to a quiet revolution, says Block Development Officer Gagandeep Singh Virk. More and more women are telling us that they will ensure that only eligible candidates are able to get pension in their village under various schemes. “It is only now that we have come to know that verification of eligible candidates has become our responsibility and we are determined to carry it through honestly,” says Amarjit Kaur of Tarora Khurd. Amarjit has never participated in a panchayat meeting till now but feels she should be more active in panchayat affairs. The panchayat members are being taught not only about their present duties but also the coming responsibilities which will fall upon them once the government transfers all powers regarding running pensions, public health, primary education and other departments to them. While determining and grant of pension has become clear to almost all members as they can ratify the age of pensioners and also their income levels, there were a lot of questions as to how panchayats could run the public works systems and even primary schools. These were answered by the faculty of the State Rural Development Institute. The panchayat members are also being taught about the need to create self-help groups in their villages with the women members being encouraged to take up khadi weaving, embroidery and even soap and detergent making. The women were told how the self-help groups could be instituted and how they could be put into operation. Mr Virk said the Social Welfare Department was having problems in starting self-help groups in the state mainly due to individual nature of the people as well as the fact that the women usually wanted to start dairy business-related self-help groups. “We are, however, encouraging them, especially women belonging to the economic weaker sections, to go in for khadi weaving and embroidery related self-help groups for which the department also gives interest-free loans,” he added. So is it all work and no play at the training course. |
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Virsa Vihar fails to take off due to paucity of funds Kapurthala, July 4 Even though the civil work of the building is complete for quite sometime, the project has been withheld owing to lack of funds required for its furnishing. An auditorium with a capacity to accommodate a gathering of 400 persons has been constructed. However, the administration is left with hardly any amount to arrange for auditorium seats, stage, lights, sound system and other fittings, leaving it incomplete to be opened for any programme. A 15-room duplex building meant for training youth in various traditional art forms such as classical dance, folk music, instrumental music, sculptor-making, painting, embroidery, craft work and stitching is also ready but there are no funds for arranging equipment for training the students for such works. A hall has also been
constructed with the purpose of setting up a museum for exhibiting various artifacts associated with Punjabi culture and heritage but it is currently lying empty, awaiting for some donations in the form of art pieces. Besides, a seminar room and a conference hall are also ready but sans any furniture. An amount of Rs 1.5 crore has already been spent on the construction of the building and the administration is in a quandary as to how to utilise the pending grant of Rs 16 lakh in an efficient manner so that the centre somehow becomes functional. As per the estimate made
by Markfed, the construction agency, a grant of Rs 40 lakh is required to completely furnish the building. Some corpus amount would also be required for maintenance of the building once it started functioning. While earlier the grant for raising the building had come from Mr Kartar Singh Duggal, former MP, but after completion of his tenure there seems to be little hope of availability of any more grants. The administration had demanded some grants for furnishing of the building from the Chief Minister who had promised Rs 40 lakh but had released only Rs 16 lakh. It is now being planned that the work in the auditorium be completed on a priority basis so that it could be given out on rent, thus generating income for further development. Some temporary seating arrangement would be made for the time being as auditorium chairs alone would cost around Rs 12 lakh. The building is currently being utilised by Nehru Yuva Kendra that is running a youth club for training the rural youth in vocational activities like art and craft, beauty treatment and make-up, judo, karate, bhangra and making leather products. Young boys and girls from nearby villages ,including Lodhipur, Saiflabari, Shergarh mohalla, Tajpuri, Shekhupura, Bhawanipuri and Bhulanapuri are taking training in such courses. The kendra is also planning to start cookery courses. Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Deputy Commissioner, said that arranging funds was the main problem in the project at this stage. He said that he was planning to hold a meeting with various socio-cultural organisations in the district so as to plan the utilisation of the building and generation of funds for further development. |
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‘Laughter best therapy to check heart attacks’ Jalandhar, July 4 Talking to The Tribune here today, Dr
Moulick, who is an alumni of the University of California, Los Angeles, maintained that the stress led to reduction in generation of nitric oxide in cells of coronary arteries, thus, increasing the chances of heart-related diseases among people. “You see, the change in lifestyle of Indians in general and Punjabis in particular during the past one decade and they, being part of a continuing race to achieve big successes in life, has virtually resulted in excessive stress on individuals. Besides, the growing tendency among people regarding less physical activity in their daily life for being work alcoholic, results in collection of extra cholesterol in the cardiac arteries, which led to various types of heart ailments,” He said, adding that the excessive level of pesticides in food products was another factor which led to this disease. Dr
Moulick, who was credited with the first cardiac surgeon to introduce re-do and restore heart surgeries in India, was of the opinion that the more a person is happy in his life, he is at lesser risk of having cardiac-related diseases. “In fact, laughter is the best therapy available to keep this deadly disease at bay for a human being on this globe. Besides, regular adherence to yoga also keeps a person physically and mentally fit in the present competitive world where a race is going on to gain the maximum in life,” he added. Expressing concern over the alarming rise in cardiac diseases among the persons between the age group of 30 to 50 years, he said that there was need to create awareness among the people regarding preventive measures in this regard. |
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200 dental surgeons attend certificate course Moga, July 4 Dr Puneet Girdhar, state secretary, IDA, Punjab, and Dr Navdeep Dhillon, honorary secretary, IDA, Moga, said, Dr Sharat Shetty from Mumbai discussed new technologies, latest gadgets and developments with state-of-the-art equipment like LCD projectors, laptop etc. Dr J.S. Gill, president, IDA, Moga, emphasised interactive scientific sessions, upgrading of knowledge and fellowship among dental graduates. He said the IDA, Moga, would launch a School of Dental Health Programme under “IDA-Colgate National Oral Health Programme-2004” on July 24 at Guru Nanak Public School, Moga. Dr Bhagwant Singh, President-elect, IDA (Head Office), said several projects were being planned for the uplift of the profession. Dr Shetty, speaker and course coordinator, shared his clinical experience and skills in the field of dentistry. He talked about problems and solutions in daily practice related to artificial teeth and dentures. He demonstrated and discussed practical solutions and management options for problems of treating patients with edentulousness (state of absence of teeth). |
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Bachchans, Ambanis visit Golden Temple Amritsar, July 4 Film actor Abhishek Bachchan along with his mother Jaya, former actress Tina Ambani accompanied by her husband Mr Anil Ambani visited the shrine. Ms Parmeshwar Godrej and her husband Mr Adi Godrej were also present, according to reports. The Bachchan family had pledged to hold a path of Guru Granth Sahib and the bhog of it was performed at the Golden Temple complex. Even as mediapersons tried to talk to them, they were denied comments. While Abhishek wrote in the visitors’ book that the Golden Temple was a ‘wonderful place’, Mr Anil Ambani wrote, “I felt nice”. |
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Saini Mahasabha threatens
stir against MC Pathankot, July 4 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Saini said the sabha had purchased the land on the Saingarh road in 1992. He alleged that the council had refused to sanction the site plan of the building for the reasons best known to the council authorities. The sabha would resist any move of the council to grab its land, he added. Mr Saini said the sabha would start projects for the uplift of the community and the sabha would construct the building on priority. |
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FM urged to ease tax load Patiala, July 4 |
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Farm worker buried alive Phagwara, July 4 He was loading a tractor-trailer with earth from the bed of the choe when a loose mass of earth fell over him, burying him alive. The body was brought here for a post-mortem. |
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Jamat asks people to unite Sangrur, July 4 |
Jail superintendent, doctor suspended Jalandhar, July 4 Talking to reporters here today, Mr Gupta said that keeping in view the sensitivity of the issue, a two-member inquiry panel comprising Mr Mohinder Pal Gupta, SDM, and Mr Rajinder Singh, DSP (Rural), has been constituted. The panel would probe the allegations of Malkiat Singh, a jail inmate, that Mr Satpal Singh and Dr Chander Parkash had forcibly inscribed the objectionable word on his back just to teach him a lesson for disturbing them at night. Mr Gupta maintained that a strict, action including the registration of a case, would be taken against the erring officials, if found guilty. “The panel has been asked to submit a detailed report within a week,” he added. Earlier, Mr Dutta visited the Central jail and interacted with the prisoners. He met Malkiat Singh to get the first-hand information about the incident. Malkiat Singh reportedly repeated his tale of woes and informed the IG (Prisons) that he was manhandled by a group of jail staff led by Mr Satpal Singh and Dr Chander Parkash. After hearing the arguments of both Malkiat Singh and the jail officials, Mr Dutta suspended both the officials till the completion of the probe. Talking to reporters, Mr Dutta said that an ultra-modern jail was being constructed on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road on 45 acres. “A grant of Rs 11 crore has been received from the Central Government for the improvement of jails in Punjab,” he added. |
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Refresher course for munshis begins Patiala, July 4 The refresher course, the first one of its kind was organised on the initiative of Zonal Inspector-General of Police, Rajinder Singh. Civil Line munshi Vijay Kumar said they faced a lot of problems in disposing of the case properties. He said munshis had to pay from their pocket to get the copies of court judgement in cases. But now the policemen would be given copies of the judgement free of cost. The officials also complained that they had to visit the court again and again in connection with the case properties. “Hearings are often postponed, but if for some reason we are unable to reach the court we face disciplinary action”, they said. Moreover, there was no space in police stations to store case properties. Similarly, the sadar maalkhana which was under the custody of the court also did not have the required space to keep all the case properties. “This causes problems as we are responsible for the safety of the properties”, they added. Speaking on the occasion IG Rajinder Singh said stress should be laid on writing short and precise FIRs. He said it had been observed that many a time an accused was able to take advantage of ambiguities in the FIR. Senior retired police officials interacted with the munshis. Former officer Surjit Singh Bains delivered a lecture on how to maintain record, specially on arms and drugs. Speakers gave lectures on how the munshis should ensure the protection of an accused in the police station premises. |
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ESI to notify private docs, says director Amritsar, July 4 He further said there were only six ESI hospitals and 70 dispensaries in the state. In order to enhance services this scheme would be implemented where more insured persons were registered, and the ESI hospital services were insufficient there . Each such notified medical practioner would be paid Rs 60 per insured beneficiary, he added. In addition to this, the ESI headquarters in Delhi planned to initiate ayurveda, panchkarma and yoga centres in all six hospitals with the initial sanctions for the ESI hospitals at Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. Meanwhile, Mr R.C. Dogra, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, while inaugurating a seminar on assisted reproduction and genetics organised by Dr Gaurav Arora and Dr Radhika Behl, commented that those practicing In-Vitro-fertilization (IVF) should desist from ‘looting’ hapless couples that seek their assistance in having a child by using scientific techniques. He said IVF centres should subsidise their rates for the poor. |
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Raid on medical store Moga, July 4 The operation was conducted in the presence of the Duty Magistrate, Mr Gurmail Singh, and the Drug Inspector, Mr Dinesh Gupta. The police seized about 60 unlabelled syrup bottles and the sacks full of empty bottles. Police sources said, apart from selling drugs to youth, the shop owners had also arranged space for consuming them at the backside of the shop. A door on the first floor of the shop was found broken and the police suspected that something might have been shifted from there, sources added. The police had got issued search warrants on Thursday. However, the operation was stalled as the shop owners had absconded. The police had given them time till Saturday after which it was to break open the locks and carry out a search operation. However, when the police reached the shop yesterday, the father of the shopkeepers himself opened the shop. It may be mentioned here that the police had raided Goyal Medical Stores and its branches last week and had unearthed an illegal drug manufacturing unit, besides seizing huge quantity of drugs from these shops. |
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Woman killed by in-laws Jethuke (Bathinda), July 4 Police sources said the murder came to light when it started investigation into the disappearance of Karamjit Kaur on a complaint lodged by her mother, Ms Gurmail Kaur, a resident of Pakho Kalan village. When the police questioned Karamjit Kaur’s husband, Tarsem Singh, and other members of the family, they alleged she was having an illicit relation with someone and had eloped with him. However, they later confessed to the crime and gave information on where the body was dumped. Mr Devinder Attri, Station House Officer (SHO), Rampura, said Karamjit Kaur was married about four years ago. Tarsem Singh and his family used to harass her for dowry. Today, four members of the family, Tarsem Singh his sister-in-law Kuldeep Kaur, brother Gurjeet Singh and father Sukhdev Singh, planned to kill Karamjit Kaur. Kuldeep Kaur allegedly hit Karamjit Kaur on the head with an axe twice and she died on the spot. Mr Attri said the body had been sent to the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, for post-mortem. A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC. Tarsem Singh and Kuldeep Kaur have been arrested. |
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School property damaged Amritsar, July 4 Informing this in a press release here today, Mr Joginder Singh, headmaster of the school, said that complaints had been given to the police and the office of the District Education Officer. Mr Joginder Singh said the accused were led by Surinder Singh, Dilawar Singh Chakkiwala, Inderjit, Hari Lal and Puran Singh. He claimed that they destroyed the watchman’s room, liberary-cum-computer room and toilets. The headmaster claimed that the construction was being held after the permission of Municipal Town Planning Department. He alleged the accused were also threatening him of dire consequences in case he lodged a complaint against them. |
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Three killed in two mishaps Amritsar, July 4 Hardip Singh and Harjit Singh, both residents of the Rajasansi area, who were coming to Amritsar on a motor cycle from Ajnala side, hit by a private bus (PBO2-AG-9919. A case has been registered against the driver of the bus, Subash Kumar, at Rajasansi police station. In another accident, Preetu Lal, a resident of Kathunangal, under Majitha police district, was run over by a car (PBO2-K-3644) when he was standing near Tahli Sahib Peer. A case has been registered. |
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Chemist arrested Pathankot, July 4 SSP Narinder Bhargava said Ranjit Singh, a resident of Khehra Kotli village, who runs a chemist shop at Tung village, was arrested at a special naka near Hayaat Nagar. Mr Bhargava said 70 provodox capsules and 40 packings of intoxicating powder were seized from him. |
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Stress on having positive attitude Fatehgarh Sahib, July 4 Dr Dharminder Singh Ubha, Head Department of Commerce, Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, delivered an address on “Positive and Happy Attitudes”. “Our attitudes dictate our actions and these are the sum total of our expectations, beliefs, assumptions and values. The way we look at the world through our expectations and beliefs about the world and ourselves determines our attitude. Persons with right and positive attitude always lead a happy and successful life,” he said. Dr Ubha said those who were judgmental, who overreacted and and those who gave up too soon were also the people with wrong attitudes. He said persons with right attitude relished the reality with its responsibilities and risks. He further said they enjoyed humour and healthy habits. He suggested that one should live a balanced life and accept responsibilities entrusted upon them. As per one research, an average human being processed 50,000 thoughts during a day and each one of those affected our cells thus affecting our productivity. He cited examples of Abraham Lincoln, Sudha Chandran, John Milton, Ved Mehta, etc who with their positive attitudes lived life to the full even in the worst of circumstances. Mr B.S. Brar, Senior Area Manager, Kribhco, seconded the views expressed by Dr Ubha and said it was impossible to lead a better life without inculcating positive attitude in life. Dr Harchand Singh Sirhindi, a prose writer, shared his experiences of life as a writer with the audience. |
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B.Ed entrance test results today Amritsar, July 4 This results would be accessible on the university website www.gnduonline .org. as per the merit of this test the adimission to the B.Ed course in the educational colleges of Punjab affiliated to Punjabi University, Patiala, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and GNDU, Amritsar, would be made. |
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Last date for submission of forms extended Amritsar, July 4 The spokesman said the students who had passed BA or BSc or any other equivalent examination with minimum 45 per cent marks were eligible for this course. |
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Badungar opposes interference in Amritsar July 4 Meanwhile, another former SGPC President, Bibi Jagir Kaur in a separate press note stated that the admission committee formed by the government had no right to ask the Sikh institutions to define a Sikh. She said the government had recognised the Guru Ram Dass institute as a minority institute years ago. |
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‘Improve’ English by audio activity Patiala, July 4 This programme, which was inaugurated by Ms Anita Kataria, vice principal of the school, attracted about 19 schools from the Patiala and Kurukshetra zone. She highlighted the importance of English in changing scenario and laid stress on the development of E.Q. (Emotional Quotient) and I.Q. (Intelligent Quotient). Mrs Veena Bedi, Head, English Department of the host school laid emphasis on the need of news reading, thought writing and recording of audio cassettes by students. At the same time she requested the delegates to accept faults and avoid excuses to enhance the performance. Mrs Anita Gupta, press secretary of the school, highlighted the importance of listening to comprehension to improve English of the students through audio activity. Mr K.L. Manuja, Regional Director & Principal, S.M. Devgun, thanked the delegates for attending the seminar and express their hope to show tangible results in future. |
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Body of private schools set up Fatehgarh Sahib, July 4 Mr Rai in a press release on Sunday said the association discussed the issue of registering societies of private schools, charging of commercial rates of electricity from schools, promotion of sports and other education-related problems were also discussed. The managements and principals of these schools were motivated to strengthen the association and to come at one platform to get their problems solved as well as to get relief from the Government. A resolution was passed to contact all the heads of private schools in the state. |
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