Wednesday, August 4, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Wednesday, August 4, 1999 |
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Bhai
Ranjit made sacrifice, admits Puran Singh Rally organisers undeterred |
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Forced to
canvass, says Jathedar Chottepur to contest Gurdaspur
seat Tohra group accused of embezzling
funds Book on Punjab's 20th century
released Row over MBA test harms students 'No interference by Cooperation
Minister' Consider IAS officer’s plea
on cadre change Punjab set deadline on cases
against UMPs Inter-state gang of cheats busted Widen city roads, Seva Bharti Yet another martyr from Bathinda Three hepatitis-B cases reported Councillor held School, road named after martyr |
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Bhai Ranjit made sacrifice,
admits AMRITSAR, Aug 3 — Giani Puran Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, has said that some political leaders wanted to take benefit out of the high sacrifice of Bhai Ranjit Singh for vested and political interests. Without mentioning the names of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, President of the newly-formed Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal, Giani Puran Singh, in a written press statement issued here today, alleged that "they" wanted to disrupt the hard earned peace in the state due to their political "misadventures". The statement says that "I am pained to know the designs of such leaders". It further alleged that these "anti-Panthic" forces had earlier denigrated the institution of Akal Takht for vested interests. He warned the Sikh Panth against moves of these forces which wanted to divide the community for political ends. He advised the Sikh community to beware of the "nefarious designs"of such political leaders so that the peace and tranquillity of the state could be maintained. He also urged the Sikh community not to heed to "anti-Panthic" slogans of the vested interests. Commenting on the statement of Giani Puran Singh, the sacked Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh, said he was pleased to hear that the former had recognised his (Bhai Ranjit Singh’s) sacrifice for the sake of the Panth. "If the statement was given in true spirit, I shall pat him for the courage he had shown," he said. He, however, urged Giani Puran Singh not to support those who were hankering after power. Instead, he should support him (Bhai Ranjit Singh) who had launched crusade against Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his coterie for maintaining the sanctity of Akal Takht. Interestingly, Giani
Puran Singh did not touch serious charges levelled by
Bhai Ranjit Singh against him yesterday. It may be
mentioned here that the sacked Jathedar had alleged that
Giani Puran Singh was involved in
"land-grabbing". |
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Rally organisers undeterred LUDHIANA, Aug 3 — Following the remarks of Chief Election Commissioner, Dr M S Gill on the damage to the cricket pitches at S. D. Government College here during preparations for an election rally of the Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on August 7, organisers of the rally have become panicky. They are pressurising Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) functionaries not to make it an issue and let the rally go. Lala Lajpat Rai, a senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha Member and convener of the rally, has held a number of meetings with the LDCA functionaries during the past two days and appealed to them not to raise objections to the rally venue and promised to repair the ground after the rally. It is learnt that the organisers are asking the LDCA men to give in writing that no damage has been done to the pitches so that they can make alternative arrangement for the ensuing cricket matches scheduled to start from September 10. When this correspondent visited the ground today, more than 100 persons, including policemen and PWD staff were busy digging the ground and erecting barricades. The field was full of pits. Heavy vehicles ferrying material for the rally have created depressions. The LDCA has decided to write to the Punjab Cricket Association that the forthcoming cricket tournament cannot be conducted at the college since it will take three to four months to restore the ground to its original shape. The sports fraternity here has expressed anguish at the gross "misuse" of the sports ground. Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, General Secretary, Punjab Basketball Association, Mr Balraj Sharma, Vice-President, Swimming Federation of India, and Mr Raj Kumar, Secretary-General, Volleyball Federation of India, have criticised all political parties which stage public meetings at playgrounds. They say sports activities come to a halt as a result of such rallies. Mr Dhaliwal said he would file a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the use of playgrounds and public places as venues for political meetings which put players out of bounds weeks before such rallies. Meanwhile, young
promising local cricketers like Ranji player Rakesh
Saini, Devinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh members of the
Punjab under-19 team, Mohit Khanna (under-16 team), and
Tarun Kanish, member of the Indian Schoolboys team which
toured England last year, have urged the LDCA to provide
them with a playground as the cricket season was about to
begin early next month. |
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War widows await govt
‘benevolence’ PATIALA, Aug 3 — Even as the country is providing every possible assistance to the families of the Kargil martyrs, the war widows of the 1962, 1965 and 1971 war seem to be a forgotten lot as many of them are living in abject poverty still waiting for the state government to honour its commitment to allot them 10 acres each of agricultural land. While some of the widows have still to be allotted the promised 10 acres, many of them are involved in litigation as custodian land has been allotted them which they are unable to get vacated. Further, like Kargil, in the earlier wars also most of the causalities were from the Sikh Light Infantry. Majority of soldiers in the Sikh Light were from Dalit families which had been the main reason why their women folk had not been able to pursue their cases actively. Many were also hampered by the fact that their in-laws felt they should be the real benefactors and not the soldier’s wife. Bant Kaur of Daladi village in Nabha subdivision is one such case. Locating her house is easy as people know of the woman whose husband Piara Singh died in the Kashmir sector in 1971. "I have bought a small piece of land after years of hard labour" says Bant Kaur. I could not pursue the case to get land allotted to me as I was a young widow of 18 when my husband expired, Moreover, I had to take on my own father-in-law who wanted the relief being given by the Army and the civil authorities for himself. Bant Kaur says even though her husband’s younger brother married her and they had six children, she shuttled between her parents and in-laws house in Daladi for nearly 20 years before the village panchayat brokered a peace and she started living separately from her father-in-law in the same village. She says she hoped to get her piece of land as she saw some others getting it. She said she was told to find out available land and give its information to the authorities which she could not do. However, she did receive a communication from the Sainik Welfare Board that her application had been forwarded to the government. Her hope receded in recent years as the invitations to Army functions where she was able to get a blanket or some token cash amount also dwindled. Her three boys are her main worry. Only one has studied till matric, while one is polio-ridden and the other a school drop-out. However Gursewak, a strapping six-foot boy who has studied till matric, is afraid to go into the Army and would rather do hard labour. I cannot force him to join the Army after what happened to my husband, she says, adding only allotment of land was the answer to her sorrows. While Gursewak will not join the Army, Sukhwinder, son of another war widow Surjit Kaur of Lahoran Khurd in Nabha block, is not being taken by it as his registered date of birth shows him older than he is. Surjit has identical problems like Bant Kaur, belonging to a Dalit family with two sons, both of whom are daily wagers. Moreover her late husband’s brother, whom she married after her husband’s death, also expired six years back. Surjit Kaur said after her late husband’s body was recovered from the Chinese in 1962 she had been promised 10 acres of agricultural land but nothing came of it. She said some time back she had been told that her case had been taken up with the government but to no avail. Among the other war widows Pritam Kaur, widow of Kesar Singh who was in the Bombay Engineers and died in the 1965 war, resides in Rampur Sainia in Dera Bassi block of the district waiting forlornly for the government to fulfil its promise. Surinder Kaur, wife of Guardsman Nauran Singh of Baspa Tepa in Rajpura block, is among those who were allotted land but could not take possession of it. She was allotted 80 bighas of land in the Bet area of Ropar district and is presently fighting to get possession of it in a Ropar court. The Patiala Sainik
Welfare Board Deputy Director Capt Manjit Singh Dhindsa
said there were cases in other districts also where was
widows had not been able to get land. He said in many
cases widows had not been able to get land. He said in
many cases widows could not take possession of the land
allotted to them as they had been given custodian land
which was invariably in the possession of influential
persons. He, however, said in cases where widows had not
been allotted land till now, his office had been
forwarding their cases to the government from time to
time. |
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Forced to canvass, says
Jathedar AMRITSAR, Aug 3 — The sacked Akal Takht Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh, has announced that he will actively campaign for all three candidates fielded by the BSP from Ferozepore, Hoshiarpur and Phillaur. Apart from this, he will actively campaign for Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President, SAD (Amritsar), in Sangrur and Mr Kuldip Singh Wadala, President, SAD (Democratic), in Jalandhar. Addressing newsmen at his residence here today, Bhai Ranjit Singh said he would support Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra in Patiala constituency and Bibi Balbir Kaur Khalsa in Ropar. Bhai Ranjit Singh, who claimed that he was still Jathedar of Akal Takht, evaded a reply when asked "how a Jathedar of Akal Takht could actively campaign for political candidates". He, however, hastened to add that he was "forced" to campaign for the the candidates of the BSP, SAD (Amritsar), SAD (Democratic) and SAD (Panthic) due to the ‘unprecedented’ situation prevailing in the state. He alleged that Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, and his supporters had denigrated the institution of Akal Takht to an extent unparalleled in Sikh history. Bhai Ranjit Singh also coined an election slogan, "Badal Bhajao Akal Takht Bachao" (oust Badal and safeguard Akal Takht). He said the forthcoming election would be fought on the issue of Akal Takht. The sacked Jathedar, however, made it clear that there was no chance of seat adjustment with the CPI and CPM. "I can not campaign for the anti-Panthic candidates", he said. He said he had decided to campaign for the BSP following series of meetings with its supremo, Mr Kanshi Ram. The BSP was a party of "have-nots" and hence it was his duty to get its candidates elected. The candidates of the third front for Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Ludhiana would be finalised in a day or so. He, however, made it clear that he won’t campaign for any candidate if the third front fielded two candidates in a particular constituency. "The main aim of my
election campaign would be to reject Badal, BJP and
Congress", he said. |
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Chottepur to contest Gurdaspur
seat CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal headed by Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra today announced two more candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Gurdeep Singh Deep, president of the Mansa district unit of the party, has been nominated for the Bathinda reserved constituency. Mr Sucha Singh Chottepur, general secretary of the party, and a former minister, has been nominated to contest the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier the party had announced Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra for Patiala, Mrs Balbir Kaur Khalsa for Ropar reserved constituency and Mr Gurdarshan Singh Grewal for Ludhiana as candidates to contest the Lok Sabha poll. Informed party sources said the candidates for Amritsar and Tarn Taran Lok Sabha seats would be announced within a day or two. The party will contest seven seats and support the BSP on three seats — Ferozepore, Phillaur and Hoshiarpur. The remaining seats have been left by the party for other allies. Mr Kuldeep Singh Wadala will be supported by the party for Jalandhar seat. As Justice Kuldip Singh
(retd) has so far not agreed to contest from Tarn Taran
seat, Mr Major Singh Uboke is expected to be nominated
from that seat by the party. |
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Tohra group accused of
embezzling funds PATIALA, Aug 3 — The SAD today accused legislators aligned with the Gurcharan Singh Tohra faction of embezzling funds meant for the development of their areas and said a high-level inquiry would be initiated against them following the elections. These allegations were levelled by the Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh, at rallies in support of the party candidate from Patiala constituency, Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra, which were also addressed by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, at Bahadurgarh and in the city. Capt Kanwaljit Singh also gave the instance of Rs 37 lakh, released from the treasury for digging up the Jhambo choe in Samana subdivision, having "disappeared" without a single penny having been spent on the project. He alleged that the contractor who was to do work on the Jhambo choe was a nephew of senior Congress leader Lal Singh and had been given the contract on the recommendation of Samana legislator Jagtar Singh Rajla. Mr Rajla should explain his actions to the public, the Finance Minister demanded. Later, Mr Badal, dwelling on the dharna launched by Mr Rajla at Samana in protest against the stoppage of construction work on a hospital being built there in the name of his father, Hardyal Singh Rajla, said the legislator was trying to gain political mileage from the issue. The Chief Minister claimed that Rs 1.50 crore had been spent on the hospital and work was proceeding according to schedule. About the problem of floods in Samana subdivision, he said a high-level team had already toured the area and it had been decided to canalise the Ghaggar downstream from Khanauri to Moonak. He later addressed a
gathering at Bahadurgarh. Punjabi University Dean,
Colleges, Dr S.L. Singla, who was appointed to the post
after Dr J.S. Ahluwalia took over as Vice-Chancellor, sat
on the stage with political leaders at the rally. |
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Book on Punjab's 20th century
released CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Punjab not only remains in the news, but even makes news. Geographical disadvantages in several respects notwithstanding, Punjab's contribution to the nation's freedom movement and later its performance on the food as well as war front is by now well acknowledge; so is the indomitable spirit of resilience of Punjabis, who have made history or have been a witness to history and the chequered graph of Punjab, may it be socio-economic or political. Therefore, to know "20th Century Punjab" one does not have to go far. A compendium of the "Integral history" of Punjab is now available in the Punjabi language. Written by a former police officer, Mr Bhagwan Singh Danewalia, and running into closely printed 611 pages, the book was today released at a simple function by a former director of the CBI, Mr J.S. Bawa. Incidentally, the release function coincided with 74th birthday of the author, who has based his book on the unpublished memories of Giani Kartar Singh and other participants in the freedom struggle and on personal interaction with individuals, who either changed the course of events or were influenced by them. Talking about the book, Mr Danewalia told newspersons that "20th Century Punjab" started with a revolutionary agenda arising out of the Colonisation Bill of 1900 with Lala Lajpat Rai of the Bharat Mata Party and Ajit Singh leading with revolutionary inputs from Canada and the USA. The century ends with yet another revolutionary movement, leading to Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple, Amritsar and Operation Woodrose in the state, particularly, in the border districts. Therefore, for Punjab it has been a "revolutionary century throughout". Mr Danewalia has chosen Punjabi as the medium of expression for he wants the message to percolate down to the common Punjabi in every village. From what he told newsmen and looking at some of the chapters it is apparent that Akalis are, by and large, at the receiving end of the author. When he was asked about this slant in his book, though based on "authentic versions and views", Mr Danewalia said, one reason was that it is Akalis, alone who claim to represent aspirations (political, religious, social, cultural, economic) of the Sikhs. The Akali leadership throughout the century, by and large, remained of the same stuff as now. No thought-provoking political philosophies ever were enunciated by the Akalis, who based their politics on playing up on the sentiments of the people and getting trapped in non-productive slogans. A new hypothesis has been given by the author, who strongly suggests that if the Sikh were to regain, their lost glory and self-respect and offer penance the only way to do so was to have "Amritsar as capital". He chided the Akalis who failed to get hold of Chandigarh in the past 33 years or so. He even lambasted them for spreading falsehood, that it was the Congress which toppled their governments every time. Chapter 20 of the book discusses the matters of the government after 1966 (when reorganisation took place and Punjabi Suba was conceded, which Akalis claim is incomplete) and goes on to say that in 1968 it was Mr Lachman Singh Gill, who recommended dissolution; in 1971 it was Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who did the same; in 1980 Mr Badal did not defend his majority, sidelined his party men and relied on Zail Singh and failed; the Barnala Government was brought down to a minority by Badal faction and it fell; why did they defect into a separate party and destroy their own government and why did Akalis boycott 1992 elections at all with Badal leading and to let the Congress deal with militants? And the blame for postponement of the 1991 election goes to the Election Commission. One may not agree with
all that Mr Danewalia says, but the book does provide a
readymade material for Punjab watchers to chew and do
introspection and enable Punjab craft its future
carefully to take care of burning economic and employment
issues. |
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Row over MBA test harms
students TALWANDI SABO, Aug 3 — The controversy over the result of the entrance test for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) course at Guru Kashi Institute of Management Studies here has put the reputation of the institution at stake. Hundreds of students who appeared in the entrance test for the MBA course have been forced to seek admissions in other private institutions after paying heavy capitation fee due to the delay in the declaration of the MBA entrance test result. Official sources said that the controversy erupted when the Punjabi University authorities cancelled the MBA selection list prepared on the basis of the entrance test held in June and ordered fresh evaluation of answer books of the entrance test held in February this year. The Punjabi University authorities had taken this step when it was found that the institute authorities did not follow the prescribed norms while preparing the result. According to the prescribed norms, each candidate, to be eligible for admission to the MBA course, has to obtain at least 25 per cent marks in each section and 30 per cent marks in the aggregate of the entrance test. However, the institute authorities waived the condition of 25 per cent marks in each subject without the approval of Punjab University and announced the selection list. The Punjabi University authorities ordered the fresh evaluation of the answer books and preparation of a selection list according to prescribed norms. However, the Punjabi University authorities could not get it done in the past one and half month, causing inconvenience to the candidates. Mr Kewal Krishan Aggarwal, whose daughter was declared successful in the first selection list, while talking to TNS alleged that Punjabi University was deliberately harassing the selected candidates. He added that the delay in the declaration of the revised result was harming the interests of the candidates as the admissions in other institutions would be over shortly and they would lose one year. Dr Prem Kumar, Head of the Management Department, Guru Kashi Institute of Management Studies, said he agreed that the delay in the declaration of the revised result was harming the interests of students. He admitted that the controversy over the earlier result had harmed the reputation of the institution, earned over the past 10 years. He added that he was
trying to get the result declared from the Punjabi
University authorities in a day or so. |
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'No interference by
Cooperation Minister' CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — There is no interference by Punjab's Cooperation Minister in the day-to-day functioning of the Primary Agricultural Development Bank, Mansa, and other PADBs. The Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank Managing Director clarified today the Minister for Cooperation or any departmental/bank officer had no role to play in the disbursement/ advancement of loans. "Loan is sanctioned by the Loan Sanctioning Committee which is also formed out of the managing committee of the PADB concerned," he said in a press note. The MD, however, admitted that the Minister had "advised" the bank to modify its policies for the convenience of farmers and to facilitate easy and quick long-term credit from the PADBs. It was on the advice of the Minister that this bank had enhanced the value of land from Rs 80,000 to Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh per acre, to be taken as security for providing maximum benefit to farmers against lesser security of land etc. The bank had its own
mechanism for checking irregularities. "Based on our
internal reports we have charge-sheeted and punished many
officials. One of the former Managers of PADB, Mansa, has
been removed from service for advancing irregular loans.
Another manager now under suspension, who had allegedly
exposed the irregularities, was in fact party to the
advancement of such loans. |
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Consider IAS officer’s plea
on cadre change CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The local Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal directed the Union of India to consider the case of Ms Surinder Sidhoo, IAS (Bihar cadre), for a change in her cadre from Bihar to Punjab within two months and ordered that till then the respondents would not revert her to her parent state of Bihar. The applicant, Ms Sidhoo a divorcee and mother of two children, had cited inter-alia, the adverse law and order situation in Bihar where it was unsafe and virtually impossible for her as a single divorced lady to stay. Other reasons given were family and health reasons. But her case for change of cadre was rejected by the Central Government which order she challenged. The state of Punjab had earlier recommended her case for change of cadre in view of "extreme hardship" of the applicant. Even the governments of Bihar and Haryana had recommended her case. But counsel for Union of India took the stand that after 1995 the Centre has not allowed any inter-cadre transfer. The Bench, comprising Mr J S Dhaliwal and Mr V K Majotra observed that the respondents had a definite policy of change of cadre under the rules and there was no bar to considering deserving cases. The applicant had been making representations even before 1995 but the same remained unanswered. The allocation of IAS
officers was made by the Centre to various cadres in
consultation with the state governments and Rule 5(2)
empowered to change the cadre of an IAS officer. But
under this policy cadre transfer was not allowed on
medical or personal grounds. However, it is permitted in
extreme hardship cases, the Bench observed. |
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Punjab set deadline on cases
against UMPs CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Monitoring the action being taken against unregistered medical practitioners, Mr Justice V S Aggarwal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed Punjab’s Senior Deputy Advocate-General to inform the court by August 25 on how many more cases have been registered against unregistered medical practitioners (UMPs) in pursuance of the directions issued by it in a plea filed by Dr Barinder Singh, the then president of the Ludhiana Medical Welfare Association. The direction was given on a contempt petition filed by Dr Inderjit Singh, who now heads the association. A Division Bench had on November 4, 1997 ordered the Director of Health and others to take action against all those practising medicine in allopathy in various districts of Punjab without a medical degree recognised by the Medical Council of India. On July 22, the Chief Secretary had informed the court that 9,465 cases had been sent to SSPs and officers in charge of police stations for filing FIRs against unregistered medical practitioners. The state counsel had undertaken to inform the court what further action had been taken. The court specifically asked the state counsel to inform how many more cases had been registered, what action has been taken and how many FIRs have been registered at Ropar in pursuance of the directions dated September 25, 1998. The court further
directed the Chief Secretary to ensure that the
directions were complied with. |
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Inter-state gang of cheats
busted SANGRUR, Aug 3 — With the arrest of two persons, the police claims to have busted an inter-state gang of cheats, according to Mr Arpit Shukla, district police chief. Mr Raj Bachan Singh Sandhu, DSP, raided the premises of these cheats following secret information and confiscated their records which revealed their plan to dupe innocent persons of the area, stated Mr Shukla at a press conference here today. The five-member gang is led by Balaji, son of Subramaniam, from Tamil Nadu. The other four members of the gang also belong to that state. The two arrested gang members are R. Sahil Rameyan and Ashok Awal both from Tamil Nadu. The gang had duped many persons of over Rs 1.80 lakh within a period of 15 days. The gang was operating under a bogus firm named SB Complex. It promised to give various household goods at half the rate of the market price provided the customer deposited with them the amount for 15 days. The bank account operated by the gang, having a balance of about Rs 30,000 has been frozen. Mr Shukla said a similar
incident had taken place at Abohar where a gang from
Tamil Nadu managed to escape after cheating the residents
and the modus operandi was the same. The possible
connections between these gangs are being investigated. A
case has been registered against the culprits. |
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Widen city roads, Seva Bharti BATALA, Aug 3 — Mr Naval Aggarwal, General Secretary, and Mr Davinder Pal, Secretary, of the local Seva Bharti, have appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to get the roads of the city widened so that the unauthorised encroachments could be removed for the free flow of traffic. They said bottleneck roads had resulted on traffic hazards. The GT Road passing through the city as per records was supposed to be 100 feet wide, whereas the metalled road was only 22 feet wide with nine feet of unmetalled berms on either side of the road. About two years ago the
Punjab State Electricity Board had installed electric
poles with a view to widen the road to full 100 feet. The
job it seemed had been put on the back burner, they
added. |
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Yet another martyr from
Bathinda BATHINDA, Aug 3 — "I can sacrifice my life for the sake of my country". This promise was made by Sepoy Sandeep Singh of 20 Sikh Regiment to his friend, Mr Gurjant Singh, in a letter on July 11 from his base camp at Poonch. Shopkeepers of Paras Ram Nagar here closed their shops as a mark of respect for the martyr. Hundreds of residents assembled at his residence to console his family members. The body is expected to arrive late tonight. "Though he was the only son and with his death I have suffered a great loss which could not be compensated but I am happy as he died for his country. I also served the Army for five years and fought 1965 Indo-Pak war in the Khemkaran sector", said his father. "Sandeep wanted to join the Army but I wanted to send him to the police. He (Sandeep) used to appear in the Army recruitment Camps frequently without informing his family-members. He told us about his joining the armed forces only after he was selected for it at Kapurthala recruitment camp in 1997", he added. The cremation of the
21-year-old martyr will take place tomorrow. |
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Three hepatitis-B cases
reported BATHINDA, Aug 3 — Three persons suffering from hepatitis-B have been reported at Kotli village in Faridkot district. Hepatitis-B has struck the village for the second time in the past seven months. Earlier, in January 21 cases of the disease were detected by the district health authorities. Sources said patients were identified as Gurjant Singh, Mohan Singh and Tarsem Kumar. These patients are being treated in private hospitals at different places in the district. The detection of these cases of hepatitis-B has created fear among villagers. Dr B.R. Gupta, CMO, when contacted said prevailing weather conditions were conducive for jaundice and gastro-enteritis. He said the detection of the Hepatitis-B cases would be taken seriously and medical team would be sent tomorrow for carrying out necessary immunisation. Sources said cases of
jaundice, gastro-enteritis and hepatitis-B were rising in
the district as the authorities concerned had failed to
provide potable drinking water to the residents. |
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Councillor held MALERKOTLA, Aug 3 — The police has registered a case against Mohammed Ismail, a local Municipal Councillor, under Section 353, 506 and 34, IPC on Monday. Mr Amarjit Singh Sekhon, executive officer of the council told this correspondent that a meeting of the councillors was called on Monday at the request of the opposition group. The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Mr Ajmat Ali Khan council President. He said opposition members abused him while seeking clarification on a issue and member Mohammad Ismail threatened him of dire consequences. They walked out of the meeting. In the meantime Mr Nusrat Ali Khan, local MLA and State Minister Punjab also reached the spot. Slogans were also raised against the minister. Executive officer lodged
a complaint with the police against Mohammad Ismail for
abusing and threatening him. According to reports
Mohammed Ismail have been arrested by the police |
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Ornaments worth Rs 70,000 seized JALANDHAR, Aug 3 — The local police has arrested three miscreants and recovered a Maruti car and gold worth Rs 70,000. Mr Dilbagh Singh, SP (D), said here today that Mangal, alias Ravi, a resident of Bathinda, has been arrested under Sections 454 and 380, IPC and recovered gold ornaments worth Rs 70,000. The another accused, Hira Lal, a resident of Gopal Nagar here, has been arrested and recovered a Maruti which he had allegedly stolen from Aarti Cinema, Ludhiana, recently. The third miscreant,
Amrik Singh, alias Meeka, a resident of Nurmahal, was
held and the police seized poppy husk from his
possession, said Mr Dilbagh Singh. |
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School, road named after martyr HOSHIARPUR, Aug 3 — A "shradhanjli smaroh" was organised at Binewal village, 60 km from here, today in memory of Havildar Baldev Raj of 7 Dogra Regiment, who laid down his life while fighting with Pakistani intruders on July 16. Paying rich tributes to Havildar Baldev Singh, Mr Iqbal Singh Sidhu, Deputy Commissioner, said it was a matter of great pride that Hoshiarpur district was leading in Punjab for its contribution towards the Army. He said as many as 17 Army personals, including officers, laid down their lives during Operation Vijay. He announced that Government Senior Secondary School in the village and the Adda Jhugia-Binewal road to be named after his name. He gave a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to Mr Ram Das, father of the deceased. Mr R.P. Mittal, SSP, Hoshiarpur, was also present on the occasion. Lt-Col A.S. Gill, President, Indian Ex-Services League Punjab and Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur branch, also presented a cheque for Rs 11,000 to the father of the martyr on behalf of the league. The DC and the SSP also
participated in the "antim ardas" ceremony of
Grenadier Des Raj of 18 Grenadiers, who lost his life on
July 20 at Tiger Hill, at his native village Rakri and
presented a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the family members. |
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Camp for electronic
engineering students CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — To apprise the engineering students of the latest technological trends, products and methodologies and to make the technical education system more responsive to the requirements of the industry, a three-week camp is under way at the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda. About 500 electronics engineering students of all engineering colleges affiliated to Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, are attending the camp, which was inaugurated by the Technical Education Minister, Dr Upinder Jit Kaur. Representatives from ESSAR Cellphone, the NFL, the SCL, the DoT, Punwire and the GNDTP spoke on their fields of specialisation. The General Manager, VSNL, Jalandhar, delivered a talk on international communications and Internet. Sessions were also held on career counselling and various bank loan schemes for entrepreneurs. The organisers plan to
conduct industrial visits by the students to the NFL and
the Bathinda Thermal Power Plant, according to the camp
coordinator, Mr R K Bansal. |
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LIC employees hold protest JALANDHAR, Aug 3 — On a call given by the SC/ST LIC Welfare Association, a protest was held in front of the LIC divisional office by SC/ST employees, here today. Mr Jiwan Singh, general secretary of the association, says the association demands include change in transfer and posting policy of the LIC and provision of office space to the Divisional Committee as recommended by the National Commission for the Welfare of SC/ST. He also announced that
the association would go on one day fast on August 13. |
||
4 Home Guards held in
embezzlement case LUDHIANA, Aug 3 — The vigilance bureau has arrested four personnel of the Punjab Home Guards for their alleged role in the embezzlement of Rs 20 lakh from the government funds. Mr Charanjit Singh, DSP (Vigilance), said a case under Section 467, 468, 471 and 420 has been registered against the accused Jetha Singh, Surjit Singh, Chaman Lal and Gurmail Singh. In another case, the police arrested Satwant Singh and recovered 200 gm of charas from his possession. The police also arrested Surinder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh from Basti Jodhewal and recovered 20 bottles of illicit liquor from them. The police also arrested a member of a gang involved in stealing belongings of rail and bus commuters after feeding them coffee, tea, biscuits laced with sedatives. Vijay was arrested during a nakabandi. The police also recovered sedatives from his possession. A case under Section
328, 379 of the IPC has been registered against the
accused. |
||
CEC urged to revoke transfer
of officers AMRITSAR, Aug 3 — The Punjab Anti-Corruption Forum, in a communication to the Chief Election Commissioner, has urged him to transfer all officers who managed to get postings in their home districts even after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Hari Singh Thakur,
president of the forum, in his representation to the CEC
has also alleged that the transfer of the officers in
their home districts were ordered at the behest of the
ruling party with a view to get favour during the
elections. |
||
Labour dept staff give a day's
salary CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — On a call given by the Punjab Chief Minister, all officers and officials of Labour and Employment, Punjab, working at the state headquarters and in the field have contributed their one day salary towards the Punjab War heroes' Family Welfare Fund. Mr J R Kundal,
Secretary, Labour and Employment, Punjab, today handed
over a draft for Rs 2,20,681 to the Chief Secretary, Mr
RS Mann. |
||
Amarjit Kaur in Cong fold hailed CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Mr Harcharan Singh Brar, a former Chief Minister of Punjab and his wife Gurbinder Kaur, a former MP, have welcomed Mrs Amarjit Kaur rejoining the Congress. "This would help
strengthen the Congress party and her able guidance will
help the party to do well in the coming Lok Sabha
election", they said. |
||
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