Sangrur, November 3
Under the banner of the Punjab Mulazam Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, employees of various government departments today burnt copies of a press note of the government in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner here. The press note was issued on October 27, on the implementation of some demands of government employees, including grant of interim relief, promotional scale after four, nine and 14 years of service in the form of assured career progression (ACP) scheme, and hike in the medical allowance of the employees.

The protesters termed the implementation of demands by the government a betrayal with employees saying the government had not given them promotional scale after four, nine and 14 years of service from January 1, 1996 as it had announced.

They also said the government had given five per cent interim relief with certain conditions. They termed the hike of Rs 100 (from Rs 250 to Rs 350) in medical allowance as a meagre, as the employees were demanding Rs 500 per month as medical allowance. They said by doing so the government had rubbed salt into the wounds of the employees.

They also asked the state government to regularise services of 15000 daily wage employees, ad hoc employees and work charged with immediate effect. They criticised the government for abolishing 95,000 posts, introduction of privatisation in the government institutions, like rural dispensaries, I.T.Is, schools. They asked the government to accept their all demands in right perspective to remove resentment, among lakhs of government employees. They said the government should grant medical allowance as Rs 500, 20 per cent interim relief of the salary from January 1, 2006, bonus for the past eight years and promotional scale after four, nine and 14 years of service from January 1, 1996.

Mr Swarnjit Singh, a leader of the committee and general secretary of the Punjab State Pharmacists Association, said the government had attempted to make false propaganda to befool the people of the state by saying that it had given financial benefits of Rs 755 crore to the employees. He said the employees would organise a protest on November 8 at Anandpur Sahib.

After that flag marches would be organised in various constituencies from November 9 to November 16. Later, on November 17 a big rally and demonstration would be organised at Bathinda, the Assembly constituency of Punjab Finance Minister, Surinder Singla.

Chandigarh, November 3
By dropping the move to increase the retirement age from 58 years to 60 of its remaining employees, the Punjab Government, it appears, has landed itself in a difficult situation.

Various categories of officers and other employees have joined hands to press the government to reopen this issue.

Under the banner of the Federation of Punjab Government Engineers, Doctors and Officers, representatives of various associations of staff members held a meeting here today. They resolved to lodge their protest against the government's decision not to enhance the retirement age.

Mr A.S. Dullet, general secretary of the federation, said that all members of the federation would perform their duty during the lunch break in protest for a week starting from Monday. If the government did not concede the demand to enhance the age, another meeting would be held to plan another method of protest, he added.

At today's meeting, a representative of the Punjab Police Service was also present.

Mr Roshan Lal Goel, president of the federation, said that it was a case of discrimination that an officer of the Central services working at the same post in the state should retire at the age of 60 years and officers of state cadre at 58 .

Officers said that they were not heard on the issue of enhancing of the retirement age. " We had the impression that the government was already on the job of raising the retirement age and because of that reason we did not lobby on this matter", said a senior federation leader. 

Bathinda, November 3
Students taking CA exams at the local Rajendra College were shocked to find foreign particles and ants in the packaged drinking water served to them during the past couple of days.

Sources said the local distributor of Good Day packaged drinking water had supplied 17 boxes of packed water glasses for the CA students appearing in the exam at the college. They said a number of students found suspended matter and ants on opening their packed water glasses. They immediately brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned.

The district health department was also intimated in this connection. The District Health Officer, Dr Kasturi Lal, said they had already collected the samples of water and sent them for testing in a local laboratory. He said the sample result was expected in seven days.

Amritsar, November 2
Expressing dissatisfaction and displeasure over the working of their president, three senior vice-presidents and a joint secretary of the Sikh Students Federation (Mehta) today resigned from their posts. They presented their resignations to patron and former president of the federation Rajinder Singh Mehta.

Addressing a press conference here today, the three senior vice-presidents: Major Singh Ludhiana, Surinder Singh Sultanwind and Kulwant Singh Dhot, and joint secretary Amarbir Singh said they were forced to take this decision as the federation had gone astray from its mission and ideology.

Major Singh alleged that the present president, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, was using the federation for his own vested political interests.

He said Grewal neither held a general body meeting during his tenure nor organised any gurmat training camp. He also failed to organise any seminar on students’ rights, he added.

Sultanwind said they would continue to struggle for the cause of federation as true workers.

He said the federation has lot of burning issues before it. He said the alarming increase in apostasy and drug menace among youth were some of the issues which the federation would highlight.

They urged Mehta to select a new leader and strengthen the federation. 

Jalandhar, November 3
Power consumers of the state may face inconvenience as 2500 junior engineers (JEs) of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) will keep their mobile phones switched off for two days from November 6 to protest against non-acceptance of their demands.

The JEs are already boycotting PSEB stores and nearly 28-29 meter laboratories of the board across the state since November 1 in accordance a call of the Council of Junior Engineers of the PSEB.

The council has exhorted the junior engineers to switch off their mobiles for two days (48 hours) in protest.

“Workload of the junior engineers has increased manifold, but, they don’t have facilities to meet growing needs of the people and at the department. The SDOs are entitled for official mobile phones with outgoing facility, but, JEs don’t enjoy any such facility, they cannot serve people. Similarly, extension of 24 hour power supply to all over 12,800 villages of the state on the urban pattern, has increased workload of serving junior engineers. More than 1000 posts of the JE are vacant in the state for past several years. No effort has been made to fill these vacancies. We have been compelled to protest to awaken the government,” said Mr Raj Kumar Chaudhary, finance secretary of the Council of Junior Engineers (PSEB).

According to Mr Chaudhary no recruitment of JEs had been made since 1998, which, has put more burden on them.

The Punjab government has accorded the Class-II gazetted status to its junior engineers, but, this has not been done in the case of the JEs working with the PSEB. Moreover, JEs of adjoining state of Himachal, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh have been given bonus and grants, whereas, PSEB JEs are without any such rewards. They feel betrayed,” said Mr Ajit Raj, Mr S.S. Virdi and Mr Jaswant Rai, all office-bearers of the council.

Tarn Taran, November 3
A case each of rape and kidnapping has been reported in this border district while four masked persons took away a tractor from a brick kiln at Khawaspur village, 18 km from here, last evening after locking the workers of the brick kiln in a room.

A teenage daughter of Ms Paramjit Kaur, head of the local Dera Akal Baba Jagtar Singh at Mohalla Nanaksar, was allegedly kidnapped by Palwinder Singh, a follower of the dera.

The city police has registered a case under Sections 363, 366 of the IPC against Palwinder Singh, his father Sonu and mother Baljit Kaur.

Mr Paramjit Kaur in her complaint to the police alleged that her daughter was carrying Rs 2.17 lakh and 10 tolas gold jewellery when she was kidnapped. Palwinder kidnapped her to marry her.

In another incident, two youths raped a 13-year-old girl of Khara village. The Sarhali police has registered a case under Sections 376, 366, 363 of the IPC against the accused. The accused had been identified as Balwinder Singh and Jindhu.

The father of the victim disclosed to the police in a complaint that her daughter was going to the nearby township of Harike when the accused forcibly took her to a hotel and raped her.

In the third incident, four masked persons drove away a tractor from Aggarwal Brick Kiln at Khawaspur last evening. The masked persons locked all three workers of the brick kiln in a room before fleeing.

A case under Sections 382, 506 of the IPC has been registered. No arrest has been made till now.

Gurdaspur, November 3
Quack couple have been booked by the police allegedly for duping a youth on the pretext of sending him to Italy.

The complainant, Mr Baljinder Singh, a resident of Sohal village alleged that quack couple, Narinderjit Singh and Kuljeet Kaur, who were running a nursing home at Nausehra Majha Singh, offered to send him to Italy. Last year they took Rs 3 lakh from him for the purpose. They also took his passport and promised a decent job in Italy. However, they failed to send him abroad.

He demanded his money back and lodged a complaint. On June 30 this year the couple gave him a cheque for Rs 2 lakh and promised to return the remaining Rs 1 lakh soon.

However, the cheque given to him bounced. Another complaint was registered against the accused. The police has booked the accused couple.