Saturday, January 9, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Saturday, January 9, 1999 |
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MLA fails
to get payment Has
Government acted correctly? |
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Punish
those criticising edict: Bhaur DCC
for suspension of Mohindra Ad
hoc staff left high & dry Sena
activists allege police torture Appeal
to Clinton on visa denial |
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Allowances bill CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — It is now the turn of the MLAs to feel the pinch of financial stringency being faced by the Punjab Government. The High Court has issued a notice on pay stoppage to the Union of India and the State Government after treating a news item in these columns as a public interest litigation. On the other hand, the Principal Secretary, Finance, Mr Rajan Kashyap, has described the news as "baseless", claiming "at no time has any decision been taken by the Finance Department to stop salaries and pensions". But what the CPI MLA, Mr Hardev Arshi, experienced here on Thursday is quite contrary to the picture being presented by the Finance Department. Talking to TNS today the MLA said that he was informed by the Vidhan Sabha secretariat that bills pertaining to allowances etc could not be sanctioned in view of paucity of money. He could avail of his compensatory and constituency allowances. Mr Arshi also learnt that the Vidhan Sabha had sought Rs 52 lakh from the department to tide over the financial crunch. Thereupon he agreed to accept just the plain allowances bill as suggested. Thereafter, he went to the treasury in Chandigarh where the same was not accepted for payment on the premise that instructions were to "go slow" on payments. To be doubly sure that such instructions was there to the treasuries, he enquired with a senior functionary, who also confirmed the same. "This shows how serious the financial crisis is since it has cast a shadow even on the Vidhan Sabha", said Mr Arshi. He wondered where the money had gone. The Government must come out with a "White Paper" on its financial position. The Finance Department continues to maintain that non-Plan expenditure had increased manifold. The need was to curtail the same. The non-Plan revenue expenditure, as per a government document, in respect of Vidhan Sabha, had gone up by 588 per cent between 1984 and 1999. Mr Kashyap says there is
"no cause for anxiety in respect of the financial
position in the state". Why has Punjab been in and
out of "overdraft" at least 127 times between
January and November, 1998? The cash balance continues to
fall and mismatch between receipts and expenditure
continues to persist, resulting in unsystematic releases
of money and withholding of sanctioned payments. This
results in "poor credibility" of the
government. |
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‘Payments stopped on govt
orders’ BATHINDA, Jan 8 — Mr Gurdial Singh, a resident of Dhansukh Khana village was refused payment of pension by the local treasury office on January 6. He told TNS when he asked the officials of the treasury reasons for the refusal he was told that the higher authorities had ordered that all payments of pension be stopped. Mr Mukhtiar Singh, another pensioner, was also refused his monthly pension that day. Mr Ashok Kumar Sharma, District Treasury Officer, when contacted, today said payments of salaries and pensions were being made to all who visited the treasury office. He, however, refused to disclose the reasons for stopping payment of salaries and pensions on January 6. He simply said he was not authorised to speak on the issue. The People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), in a press note issued here today, claimed that inquiries by the panel had revealed that the Punjab Government had stopped all payments via an order. Dr Vineeta Gupta, member, National Council, PUCL, alleged that due to wasteful expenditure the state had been plunged into a deep financial crises. She said the PUCL was concerned at the plight of hundreds of thousands of government employees, pensioners and small contractors who had not been paid their dues by the government. She wanted the state government to take immediate measures to stop all wasteful and non-productive expenses. An official of the local treasury, on the condition of anonymity, said all types of government payments were stopped on January 6 on orders of the higher authorities till January 7 afternoon. JALANDHAR: The All-India Central Government Pensioners Association, North India Region, has urged the Punjab and Haryana High Court to make the association a party in the case against Punjab State and the Union of India. In a message to the Chief
Justice, its general secretary, Mr VS Jolly, has said
lakhs of pensioners and their families have been deprived
of their fundamental right to receive pension on time. |
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Gurdwara
Judicial
commission CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — Has the Punjab Government acted without jurisdiction in sacking the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission and gone beyond its powers in appointing new members of the commission? The answer is a clear yes; according to some senior lawyers here, the Punjab government has no powers under the all-India Gurdwara Act to suspend or remove or appoint new members to the commission. The situation had changed after the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966. Now the commission has jurisdiction over the gurdwaras and disputes arising from the main act in the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, besides Punjab. It became a central corporate body like Panjab University which became a central university after the reorganisation of states. According to some senior lawyers, including Mr Gurdarshan Singh Grewal, a former Advocate-General of Punjab, Section 72 sub-section 3 of the reorganisation Act, the powers to appoint chairman and other members of the commission or to remove them now vested in the Central Government. "Punjab has absolutely no jurisdiction," Mr Grewal opined. Also, in 1967, a full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had decided in a writ petition filed by the SGPC against the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Lachhman Singh Gill, that the State of Punjab has ceased to have any powers under the Act. The Bench consisted of the Chief Justice, Mr Mehar Singh, Mr Justice D.K. Mahajan and Mr Justice R.S. Narula." The government was clearly ill-advised by its legal experts. It has acted without jurisdiction, "Mr Grewal told The Tribune. But officials of the Advocate-General's office here did not agree with this contention. "The SGPC has the authority to make recommendations within 90 days of its constitution. It can send up to seven names and the government selects two names. The Punjab Government has the jurisdiction and it has appointed two such persons from that list and added one on its own. This is perfectly legal," an advocate with the Advocate-Generals office, who did not wish to be quoted, said. But Mr Grewal insisted that the celebrated Judges had declared that since it was an inter- state matter, the Central Government had the authority. "The Punjab Government's notification as per the judgement is arbitrary, without any principle and without any policy. This body corporate can be constituted or disbanded by the Centre, "Mr Grewal insisted. It is also learnt that some lawyers are planning to challenge this order in the High Court. The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, in order to gain an upper hand over his arch rival, the SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, has got the Chairman and two members removed. The Governor issued a notification two days back. The order said that the Governor had removed Mr Kasmir Singh, Chairman, Mr Dara Singh and Mr Raghbir Singh as members of the Judicial Commission in exercise of the powers under Section 71 of the all-India Sikh Gurdwara Act. In their places, the Governor ordered the appointment of Mr Manmohan Singh, Mr Amrik Singh Randhawa and Mr Ajwant Singh Mann. Mr Kashmir Singh as Chairman is a staunch supporter of Mr Tohra and Mr Raghbir Singh and Mr Dara Singh are considered close to rebel Akali MLA, Mr Prem Singh Lalpura, who had refused to take oath as Lok Sabha member from Tarn Taran. Earlier also, during the rein of the late Chief Minister, Mr Darbara Singh, two members, including the then Chairman, Mr Hardev Singh, and a member, Mr Dara Singh were removed. But the Punjab and Haryana High Court had struck down that order. The Government later withdrew the notification. The new members are close
to the Badal camp. This jurisdiction of the commission,
which is a statutory body, includes hearing petitions
against any member of the SGPC or its office-bearers on
the charges of malfunctioning and can also take up
disputes pertaining to gurdwaras covered by the 1925 Act.
Hence the present move. |
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Planning process ‘needs
change’ CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — Punjab is today caught in a political snarl. The process of elimination and assimilation within the SAD and the SGPC has entangled the administration as well. This has slowed down decision-making on important matters with the political executive paying divided attention to administrative issues. One such issue is in respect of managing the finances, which seemingly have gone haywire. The reasons why this has happened are fairly well known. So are the possible consequences. Even the way out of the crisis stands defined. What is, however, awaited is the much-flaunted "action plan" of fiscal reforms. The report of the secretaries concerned was considered by the Chief Minister and his colleagues on December 9. Even the 11 points suggesting specific measures have been discussed. The Cabinet sub-committee of which Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal was a member has met a few times without having reached any decisive conclusion. Mr Grewal has since resigned as minister. The Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, says any "action plan" which is presented to the Council of Ministers has to be acceptable to all and practicable too. He promises the "action plan" will be finalised shortly. But he has his other priorities as well. These have arisen out of the stark realities which govern any such "action plan". A strong political will is one. Capt Kanwaljit Singh tells TNS that a beginning has to be made "at the top" so that the message goes down the line that the government means business. At the same time, it has to view the field realities. These, he identified as (1) unstoppable non-Plan expenditure in terms of pay, pension and allowances; (2) heavy outgo of money with financial inflow only in driblets; (3) mismatch between the inflow and outflow; (4) allround recession affecting the business, trade and industry which makes levy of taxes a ticklish task; and (5) difficulties in realisation of taxes etc. What engages his attention is absence of proper planning in Punjab.He admits that since February, 1997, when the SAD-BJP Government took office, the reconstituted State Planning Board has not met even once. "I propose to convene a meeting of it shortly". Though, the state has had two Annual Plans implemented in the intervening period. There have also been shortfalls in these Plans. That is a different story. Given the grim financial scenario, and available possible measures to make corrections in policy planning, the Finance Minister is keen on "restructuring" the state's economy. This can be done only if there is a proper plan, he says. The present process is lopsided. He says all plan schemes have to be "reviewed". Most of them have been continuing for years consuming large sums of money despite being useless and redundant. Capt Kanwaljit Singh wants the budget allocation for Plan schemes to be tailored in a manner that it will also attract private investment. The respective Plan schemes have to be "need-based". The government at the Centre has been repeatedly told of the "defunct" schemes by the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister, who have sought the same be scrapped. He favours transfer of some schemes to districts as well involving panchayats and local bodies. It is estimated that at least 30 per cent of the Plan outlay can be saved and re-utilised if the planning process is reversed and revitalised by pruning the deadwood. Unless there emerges a "collective thought and a collective political will" and a clear direction is given to the administration, planning will remain only a paper exercise. "Therefore for the next Budget I will have to take into consideration the constraints of economy as these exist and the paying capacity of the people. A state can progress only if its economy is strong and viable", he adds. Capt Kanwaljit Singh
assures that the "action plan" will
"partly" and the next Budget "fully"
present a "blueprint of what has to be done and how. |
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"Too much intervention" of
Takht AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — "Akali Raj Laina Jande Han, Par Karna Nahin Jande" (Akalis know the art of coming to power but they do not know how to retain it). This is evident from the chequered history of the Akali Dal. There are glaring examples of Akali stalwarts toppling their own government without the aspirations of the 'Panth'. This is the opinion of the Punjabis TNS talked to in the ongoing feud between Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the role of the Sikh clergy, the current crisis and performance of the state government. A cross section of Punjab society feels the Akalis often give a united fight to the rivals when out of power. However, when they get the power, they start squabbling over petty issues which normally paves the way for other parties to form the government. Though the Sikhs consider Akal Takht as the supreme temporal seat yet they are worried about too much of its intervention in sorting out petty issues like forging unity between two leaders etc.. "Akal Takht should intervene rarely, when the 'Panth' is actually in danger. The 'hukamnamas' (edicts) should not become an everyday affair. Hailing from Guru Ki Wadali village, Mr Baljit Singh, a farmer, said the authority of Akal Takht should not be misused by anybody. He said Akal Takht was the supreme temporal seat for Sikhs all over the world and hence its authority should not be eroded by issuing hukamnamas (edicts) to sort out 'petty issues' of Akali leaders. Mr Baljit Singh alleged that Mr Tohra was mainly responsible for the current crisis of the Akali Dal. Instead of criticising the governance of the Badal government and SAD, he should have raised this point at the party level. The Badal camp too acted in a hasty manner by accepting the resignations of five ministers and launching an organised onslaught on Mr Tohra after his statement against Mr Badal. The current feud between Mr Badal and Mr Tohra could pave the way for the Congress to form its Government, he said. On the performance of the Badal Government, Mr Baljit Singh said it had failed to come up to the expectations of the farming community. A number of farmers had committed suicide during his two-year regime. The farmers never demanded that power supply should be given to them free of cost. What they had been urging the government was uninterrupted power supply to villages. Ms Jagjit Kaur, a lecturer in the local DAV College (for Women) is of the view that the genesis of the current crisis of the Akali Dal was two-fold. One: Though Mr Tohra has been president of the SGPC for a quarter of a century, yet he nurtures political ambitions. He himself became a Rajya Sabha member instead of confining himself to promoting religion, being president of the Shiromani Committee. He wanted to get his own men adjusted in the Union Ministry and the state Ministry. Mr Badal had been promoting his family members instead of adjusting senior Akali workers and leaders. Had Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, a protege of Mr Tohra been inducted into the Union Ministry in place of Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, there would have been no crisis in the Panth. Both Mr Badal and Mr Tohra were answerable to the Panth for promoting their families at the cost of the 'Panth. Two, Ms Jagir Kaur said, instead of meddling in Akali affairs, the Jathedar of Akal Takht should make use of the services of the SGPC to sort out matters relating to 'Anand karj' and 'Langar' etc. Only if the situation goes out of control should Akal Takht intervene, she said. In such cases, the authority of Akal Takht could not be challenged. Dr Parmjeet Singh, who is doing MD in Government Guru Nanak Hospital, Amritsar, said the Akalis must do some introspection as to why they start quarrelling soon after coming to power. Both Mr Badal and Mr Tohra were responsible for the present crisis in the Shiromani Akali Dal. There was unrest among students, office-goers and general people as the Akalis had started squabbling in less than two years of governance. He also opposed the issuance of hukamnamas "on alternate day". The impact of the hukamnama on general public had eroded due to too much intervention of Akal Takht. The imposition of 'ban' by the Takht on daily life of a Sikh would discourage spread of Sikhism, he said. Mr Jagdish Sachdeva, a
playwright, said corruption in Badal government had
surpassed all previous records. As Mr Badal was an
experienced politician he was expected to act in a better
way to streamline the government. On the current Akali
feud, Mr Sachdeva said though Mr Tohra had been heading a
religious body for the past 25 years yet he always wanted
to replace Mr Badal as Chief Minister. He said Mr Tohra
should resign as SGPC chief so that some purely religious
person could take over. He, however, said the
intervention of Akal Takht in guiding the community was
justifiable, but to some extent. The Jathedar of Akal
Takht should be a man of few words and should not rush to
the Press like a politician. Before the intervention of
Akal Takht , seminars and debates should be organised by
the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to evolve a
consensus on certain subjects. After the consensus, Akal
Takht should intervene. In this way, nobody would dare to
challenge the 'hukamnama' as is being done these days, he
said. |
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Punish those criticising edict:
Bhaur AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — The animosity between the Badal and Tohra camps today took a fresh turn when Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, acting president of the SGPC and staunch supporter of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, urged Bhai Ranjit Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, to take action against those violating the "hukamnama" on the Akali feud by raising 'ifs and buts' on the edict. This, he said, was must for upholding the sanctity of Akal Takht. In a press note issued here today, Mr Bhaur took exception to the statement issued by Mr Balbir Singh Pannu, general secretary, SGPC (supporter of Mr Badal), urging Bhai Ranjit Singh to review the "hukamnama", stalling action against Mr Tohra till April 15. Mr Bhaur alleged that Mr Pannu had openly "challenged the hukamnama", despite the fact he was general secretary of the SGPC. It was the duty of every SGPC member to propagate Sikh tenets and traditions. He said Akali ministers,
MPs, MLAs and activists of the SAD must baptise
themselves on the occasion of the tercentenary of the
Khalsa Panth. |
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DCC for suspension of Mohindra PATIALA, Jan 8 — The Patiala District Congress Committee (Urban) today recommended to the disciplinary action committee of the Pradesh Congress to suspend former Minister Brahm Mohindra from primary membership of the party and forward his case for expulsion from the party to the All-India Congress Committee (AICC). Stating this here today, DCC (Urban) president Ved Prakash Gupta said a resolution to this effect had been passed at the DCC (Urban) meeting here. Mr Mohindra was a primary member of the district unit. The meeting, which was attended by more than 100 members saw speakers bitterly criticising Mr Mohindra for "trying to create a division between Hindus and Sikhs". A resolution passed at the meeting (Pradesh Congress organising secretary Sanjeev Garg was present as an observer) condemned Mr Mohindra for questioning the holding of a religious march by the Pradesh Congress as part of the tercentenary celebration of the birth of the Khalsa. The resolution said Mr Mohindra had chosen to ignore the fact that it was the earnest desire of AICC president Sonia Gandhi to celebrate the occasion all over the country in a befitting manner. It said Mr Mohindra was present at the meeting of the PCC executive held on December 12 when the programme for the "deg, teg fateh yatra" was discussed and approved. He had not raised any objection at that time. The resolution said if Mr
Mohindra had any objection, he could have discussed the
matter with the PCC president or with the AICC president
instead of going to the press. It said his irresponsible
statement to the press had damaged the secular
credentials of the party. |
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Ad hoc staff left high &
dry PATIALA: Yograj, Rakesh Kumar, Sarabjinder Singh and Dr Lakhwinder Singh — all ad hoc teachers relieved by Punjabi University — are sailing in the same boat. They are left with no source of livelihood to take care of their family. These are among the 39 ad hoc lecturers relieved by the university. There is also the example of a woman ad hoc lecturer who is no longer able to look after her two children after being relieved from service as her husband is not working. However, even more pitiable is the state of more than 200 non-teaching staff employees relieved from service. This section, which includes drivers, laboratory assistants and production assistants, have been the worst hit as most of them have no other source of livelihood. Talking to TNS, Mr Sarabjinder Singh, who had been working in the Department of Guru Granth Sahib Studies before being relieved, said most youngsters like him had married in the hope of being regularised one day. "Instead of being regularised, we find ourselves on the road with the additional responsibility of supporting children," he said. Mr Sarabjinder Singh, who is an M.Phil and Ph.D said he had joined the university on a part-time basis in 1990 and worked till 1995. He got employment in a college for a year after that following which he joined the university again as an ad hoc lecturer. While he has worked in the university for six years, there are others like Yograj, a lecturer of Punjabi in the Correspondence Department, who has been working on an ad hoc basis for the past 10 years. The Correspondence Studies Department accounts for the largest chunk of ad hoc lecturers. Mr Rakesh Kumar and Dr Lakhwinder Singh, both of whose wives are not working, are also teaching in the Correspondence Courses Department, while Mr Rakesh Kumar has been teaching economics since 1994. Dr Lakhwinder Singh is a lecturer in Political Science. The ad hoc lecturers contest the claim of the university that there was a need to rationalise their services. Mr Sarabjinder Singh said all the teachers in his department would retire in 2000 and the university had already advertised for three posts in the department. Mr Rakesh Kumar disclosed that two posts for lecturers in economics had been advertised in his department. Similarly, Ms Harinder Kaur, who was working in the Correspondence Courses Department as a sociology lecturer, said she was the only sociology lecturer in the department and her services should not have been dispensed with. They said all the six teachers working in the Education Department were working on an ad hoc basis and there was no rationale in doing away with them as teaching would be severely affected. The ad hoc lecturers suspected a political motive saying though they had met the Chief Minister twice to press their case but nothing had come out of it. As the latter was under the influence of teachers opposed to the Vice-Chancellor. "This is why the sub-committee did not take any decision of rationalising our posts despite meeting twice," they said. Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA) president S.S. Khera, when contacted on the issue, said the Vice-Chancellor was trying to "misuse" the services of the ad hoc lecturers by urging them to make a representation to lift the ban on recruitment in the university. Mr Khera said if the Vice-Chancellor was a well-wisher of the lecturers, he would have cleared at least half of the cases according to the work-load in his capacity as chairman of the sub-committee. He also said the services of regular teachers in over-staffed departments could be used in the Correspondence Courses Department. Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor
Joginder Singh Puar said the sub-committee might meet on
January 7 to take up the issue of rationalisation of
posts according to the work-load. The committee would try
to give extension wherever there was a need, but would
not give extensions to ad hoc lecturers working in
over-staffed departments. |
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30 ad hoc lecturers get
extension PATIALA, Jan 8 — The sub-committee constituted by the Punjabi University Syndicate has decided to grant extension till the end of the academic session to 30 of the 52 ad hoc lecturers relieved by it with effect from December 31. Stating this here today, Registrar Ranbir Singh Sarao said the sub-committee, at its meeting held yesterday, decided to retain ad hoc lecturers in the Departments of Law, Commerce, Fine Arts, Chemistry and Computer Science and Engineering. Besides, those appointed on self-financing projects in the Correspondence Courses Department, those associated with development of Punjabi language and ad hoc lecturers posted at the Regional Centres at Damdama Sahib and Bathinda had also been given extension. Mr Sarao said all five members of the panel, including Vice-Chancellor Dr J.S. Puar, Secretary, Education G.P.S. Sahi, DPI (Colleges) Kashmira Singh, Languages Department Director, Dr M.L. Hasija and Dean Academics, Dr B.S. Bhatia, were present at the meeting. The Registrar said the sub-committee felt that if the ad hoc staff was not allowed to continue in departments where there was a shortage of teachers, work would be severely affected and some courses, specially self-financing ones, would have to be scrapped. He said the sub-committee also decided that posts in which ad hoc lecturers had been retained should be advertised immediately and the recruitment process started by the end of the current session. Mr Sarao said only the issue of giving extension to ad hoc lecturers had been debated at the meeting. Other issues like re-employment and transfer of posts had not been taken up. The Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA) secretary, Dr N.S. Atri, welcoming the extension to 30 ad hoc lecturers, said others should also be given extension immediately. He said the university sub-committee should not have followed a policy of pick and choose. "All ad hoc lecturers were appointed on posts where there was a serious need of the same and there was no logic in giving extension to some of them by invoking the clause of workload". He said the PUTA would
approach the Chancellor and the state government on the
matter. |
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Sena
activists
allege police torture PATIALA, Jan 8 — "Fire struck our house the same day Shiv Sena activists disrupted the screening of the film by the same name at the Rakhra Theatre on January 3, say two brothers of the manner in which they were allegedly picked up and later tortured in custody for being relatives of a Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) activist wanted by the police. "The police barged into our house in Gurbux Colony, at midnight, misbehaved with our women folk, hurled us into a waiting gypsy and took us to the CIA police station" they claimed . "While we were kicked and abused on the way, we were later tortured at the CIA police station. Even the 14 year-old Vijay Kumar, our brother who is a Shiv Sena activist, was taken with us and beaten up", the brothers Ram Chand and Prem Chand alleged. All the three victims were paraded before newsmen by Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) President, Pawan Kumar Gupta today. While Ram Chand had a severe injury on his ankle, Prem Chand had an injury on his head. The brothers said the police while taking them forcibly from their house repeatedly asked them about the whereabouts of their brother Vijay. "The more we expressed ignorance about his whereabouts the more we were abused and beaten up", they said. They tortured us for the entire night and only let us off on the night of January 4", they added. However, Superintendent of Police (city) Gurpreet Singh Gill while describing the allegations as totally false, questioned why Mr Gupt had not got medical examination of the so-called tortured persons done after they were freed on January 4. He said this issue was being raised as the police was raiding Sena hideouts in connection with the registration of cases against them for ransacking the cinema house. Talking to newsmen, the Shiv Sena chief demanded that a judicial probe should be conducted into the illegal detention and torture of the three persons who were not even primary members of the Shiv Sena. Mr Gupta said he was sending the case to the National Human Rights Commission while demanding the immediate suspension of policemen associated with the case. He said one of the victims of the police torture was being admitted to the Government Rajindra Hospital today for treatment. The Shiv Sena chief also alleged that the Sena activists had been targeted in such an inhuman way as the cinema owner which had been screening "Fire" was politically well connected. He said he had appealed to the public to boycott the cinema to protest against the police action against Sena activists. Mr Gupta criticising the
government for withdrawing his security without assigning
any reason, said Shiv Sena MPs would visit Patiala on
January 14 to inquire about the health of the
"tortured" activists. |
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Appeal to Clinton on visa denial AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — The Akal Takht Sahib Support Committee here has appealed to US President Bill Clinton to annul US Embassy's hasty order which revoked the multi-entry US visa of Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh, head of the Supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, has also decided to hold demonstration in front of White House in case the visa was not granted to him. Talking to the Tribune, from America on phone today Support Committee member, Shamsher Singh said that they would hold demonstrations in front of White House till The President Bill Clinton intervened into the matter and helped in granting the visa to Jathedar. "We will make all-out efforts so that visa is granted to Jathedar, it is a great insult to the entire Sikh community that our religious head is not granted visa. We will force them to change their decision but will not stop fighting for the right", he added. He added that the committee had launched an international media campaign against the Embassy's decision. It has been started with an open letter to the President, which has appeared on the Oped page of Washington Times. He further said that the US Embassy's decision to cancel the visa at a time when Jathedar was scheduled to visit five lakh strong Sikh/American community was particularly hurtful and offensive. Mr Shamsher Singh said
that, we know about the Indian intelligence agencies,
which make up the "Rope" of India's government.
They are the ones whose sources in India suggested, have
brainwashed the US diplomats in Delhi who revoked
Jathedar's visa. |
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Visa cancellation: Tohra sees
plot AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, SGPC president, had alleged that the visa of Bhai Ranjit Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, had been cancelled under a "deep-rooted" conspiracy. In a written press note issued here today, Mr Tohra alleged that the lobby in the USA which had been working against the "hukamnama" (edict) on "langar" did not want Bhai Ranjit Singh to visit the country. Mr Tohra demanded that the
visa should be re-issued to Bhai Ranjit Singh at the
earliest. |
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Eight
arrested
for looting truck JALANDHAR, Jan 8 — Three persons have been arrested and arms and ammunition recovered from them. Mr Gaurav Yadav, SSP, said here yesterday, that, one pistol, .25 bore make P.Walther, one country made pistol 7.26 bore, seven live cartridges, one scooter and a knife have been recovered from the arrested---Shashi Parkash Sharma S/o Sant Parkash, R/O 285 Makhdoompura, Kulwant Singh, alias Kanta S/o Gurmej Singh .... r/o Miqlani, police station Verowal and Surinder Pal s/o Piar Lal Mehra r/o Kaki pind. While Kulwant Singh is an Army deserter Surinder Pal is a hard core criminal wanted in a case of dacoity, since July last year. He had looted Rs 50,000 from a businessman near Kothar village. The SSP added that Kartarpur SHO arrested five persons, from whom one pistol 9 mm with three live cartridges, one country made pistol, 12 bore with 4 cartridges, and one country made pistol 303 bore with three cartridges and two kirpans have been recovered. The arrested are Kuldeep Singh s/o Mohan Singh Kamboj, Kalkiat Singh s/o Mohinder Singh, Jagtar Singh s/o Mohinder Singh Majhbi and Narinder Singh s/o Surjan Singh Majhbi. Accordingly an FIR No 5 dated January 6, under the arms act has been registered against them in the Kartarpur police station. During interrogation, these accused confessed that they had stolen a truck No HYA-4585 from Chandigarh, one scooter No PB-09-B-7616 from Chinar Hotel Kartarpur and pressure cookers from a factory in Kapurthala. In a special campaign against anti-social elements in previous week 18 cases had been registered under the Excise Act, and recovered 49960 mili liters illicit liquor and 12050 ml of rum. Under the arms act 12
cases have been registered, 16 persons arrested and seven
pistols, two revolvers, one magazine, 27 cartridges and
five knives recovered. |
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Retired BBMB staff demand bonus NANGAL, Jan 8 — The higher management of BBMB has misled the Centre on the issue of bonus given to the employees on the eve of golden jubilee celebrations. This allegation was levelled by the president, BBMB Retirees Association, Mr Bhim Sen Mehta, in a letter to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mr Sharad Pawar. The disputed bonus was announced by the then Finance Minister, Mr Kumaramangalam on July 12, 1998 at the time of unveiling of the statue of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru at Bhakra. Later, all the 5,000 employees of the BBMB (including officers) got one month salary as bonus, through letter No. 29465-29765/WK/130/96/98/Sub/R-4, costing the government about Rs 6 crore. The retired employees of the BBMB are, however, contesting that this bonus was actually meant to be given, only to class III and Class IV employees. They say that the bonus was their long-standing demand and was to be given to them during the silver jubilee celebrations of the board in 1988 as a token of appreciation for their services at Bhakra from the time of its inception. But due to floods in 1988, followed by the killing of the then BBMB. Chairman and quick changes in government, this proposal couldn't be implemented later, the higher management of the BBMB changed the earlier proposal into bonus for golden jubilee celebrations of Independence to benefit themselves, said Mr Bhim Sen in his letter. The retired employees have alleged that if the Centre was to give any bonus on the golden jubilee year, then why it choose only the BBMB for it and not other Central government departments. Moreover, even if the bonus was to be given according to rules, it could be given to a section workers. In this case, however, even the highest official of the BBMB who draws a salary of Rs 25,000 per month also got the bonus, they added. Mr Bhim Sen told newsmen
that he had contacted the BBMB Chairman, Maj. Gen (Retd.)
Oberoi. The chairman had assured them of doing some thing
about the retired employees. |
||
AISSF delegation to meet Ranjit
Singh CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — The All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) said here today that a deputation of the federation would soon call on the Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, to seek action against the 10 members of the SGPC Executive who had opposed the "hukamnama" issued by the Jathedar stalling action against the SGPC chief, Mr G.S. Tohra. Mr Harminder Singh Gill, President of the federation, said that there was no instance of reviewing "hukamnama" in Sikh history. He said that the executive members had done a wrong thing by opposing the "hukamnama". He has urged the Jathedar to call a meeting of various Sikh organisations at Amritsar or Anandpur Sahib in connection with the tercentenary celebrations. Mr Gill said that the
federation was organising "awakening marches"
in various parts of the state. He had condemned the
action of Shiv Sena activists with regard to damaging the
pitch at Ferozeshah Kotla ground. |
||
Employees "not being paid
GPF" CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — Mr Shyam Lal Sharma, President of the Punjab State General Categories Welfare Federation, in a statement issued here today said that the employees were not being paid general provident fund (GPF) by the Punjab Government and due to this reason they were facing problems in carrying out their social obligations like solemnising the marriages of their daughters etc. He has urged the
Government, which is facing a financial crisis, to remove
all those officers who had been re-employed after
retirement. |
||
DGP case hearing on Jan 14 CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 (PTI) — The local Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal today adjourned the hearing on the writ petition challenging the second extension given to Punjab's Director-General of Police P.C. Dogra to January 14 on the request of the counsel of Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Counsel pleaded that the
first Additional Solicitor-General, Mr C.S. Vaidyanathan,
was to appear before the tribunal. But he could not make
it to the city as he was occupied with the swearing-in
ceremony of Supreme Court judges. |
||
Free pollution check for 357
vehicles AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — In order to enhance awareness about traffic rules for better discipline the pollution level of 357 heavy vehicles (buses, trucks and mini buses) had been checked free of cost with government machines provided for the purpose, during the ongoing road safety week. Mr Gurwarayam Singh, District Transport Officer, said in a press note issued here today that as many as 335 tractor-trolleys had been provided fluorescent tape to be pasted on the rear of vehicles. About 200 heavy vehicles
carrying excess load issued a warning. Vehicle drivers
indulging overspeeding and rash and negligent driving
were advised to abide by the traffic rules for their own
safety. Pressure horns were removed from about 150
vehicles operating on the Beas-Amritsar, Amritsar-Tarn
Taran and Amritsar-Batala roads by four teams constituted
for the purpose. |
||
Function held in honour of Ghalib AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — A function to commemorate the bi-centenary of Mirza Ghalib was held here at the Indian Academy of Fine Arts. Among those who dwelt on various aspects of Ghalib's poetry were Dr Inderpal Singh, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr Kulbir Singh Kang, Punjabi critic and Mr S.K. Verma, advocate, and Dr Aziz Abas, poet, Head Department, Persian Language, Guru Nanak Dev University. Mrs Jasmeet Nayyar, Mrs Sarla Babbar, Mrs Sadna and Mr Ravi Kant recited Ghalib's ghazals. The function was organised
by seven Rotary Clubs of Amritsar with Mr Sudarshan
Kapoor, convener of the programme. Mr D.S. Sra,
commissioner, Customs, was the chief guest. Mr
Narinderjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner, also spoke. |
||
Ethiopian delegation visits PAU LUDHIANA, Jan 8 — A
two-member Ethiopian delegation visited the Punjab
Agricultural University today and met the
Vice-Chancellor, Dr G.S. Kalkat, the deans, directors and
other senior scientists of the university. |
||
Patwari
booked
for graft SAMRALA, Jan 8 — Most of the cases of corruption in the last year, were related to employees of the Revenue Department as compared to other departments. Talking to reporters here today Ms Shashi Prabha Dwidi, Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Bureau Ludhiana, disclosed that Revenue Patwari Balwinder Singh of Kohara circle was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 700/- from Jang Singh of Barwala village for issuing a copy of jamabandi. It is first case of 1999. Ms Dwidi added that a case had been registered and the accused was produced in the court of Illaqa Magistrate, Ludhiana. Investigation was in progress, she added. She added that drive
against corruption had been launched. |
||
Citrus fruit show inaugurated HOSHIARPUR, Jan 8 — Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, Agriculture Minister, Punjab, inaugurated a state-level citrus fruit show, organised by the Horticulture Department at indoor stadium here today. As many as 2993 entries were sent by growers from all over the state. Ferozepore district won the over all trophy at the show. The entry sent by Mr Devi Lal of Kandhwala, village in Ferozepore district, was adjudged the best fruit. Dr Kuldip Singh Sandhu, Director Horticulture Punjab said 42,000 hectares of land was under citrus fruit cultivation in the state and the annual production was more than 3 lakh tonnes. He said the department had set up five estates to improve the quality of fruits and to solve the problems being faced by the growers during marketing. A seminar on citrus fruit was also organised on the occasion. Mr Badal also inaugurated
a Rs 28 lakh Mushroom pasteurised compost unit set up by
the Horticulture Department, at Chhowni Kalan. The unit
would supply compost and casing material, prepared
through latest technology, to the Mushroom growers at
reasonable rates. |
||
Conference on Asian languages PATIALA, Jan 8 — The second international conference on south Asian languages is being organised by the Department of Anthropological Linguistics and Punjabi Language of Punjabi University here from January 9 to 11, its head of department Dr Chanchal Singh Kamboj disclosed here yesterday. Dr Kamboj said about 250 linguists from the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Russia and the United States of America would participate in this conference and 180 papers would be presented for discussion in various specialised sessions spread over three days. He said among the notable
participants were Prof Hans Hock, USA, Prof Rajinder
Singh Canada, Prof Boris Zakhyrin, Russia, Prof B.S.
Kumar, former V.C. Bhagalpur Uni, Prof K.V. Subbarao,
Delhi Uni and Prof Kapil Kapur, JNU, Delhi. |
||
Punjab Karamchari Dal's threat PATIALA, Jan 8 — Punjab State Karamchari Dal's state president Hari Singh Tohra yesterday appealed to the state government to accept government employees demands at the earliest. In a statement here he said, the Chief Minister, Punjab, announced on May 1 last year that 15 per cent house rent would be given to employees of Patiala and that those who had completed 89 days of service would be regularised. Decision was however still to be implemented. He also urged that the
promotion policy should be implemented after four, nine
and 14 years. He said if these demands were not accepted
at the earliest employees would start an agitation next
month. |
||
CBI probe into smuggling
sought AMRITSAR, Jan 8 — Mr Surinder Kumar Billa, president, All-India Hindu Shiv Sena has sought CBI inquiry into the alleged large scale smuggling of smack, heroin and other intoxicants from Pakistan with the alleged connivance of officials concerned. In a letter written to the
President of India, Mr Billa alleged that Pakistan had
started a proxy war by smuggling tonnes of intoxicants
into India. Mr Billa, however, criticised the central
government for issuing licences and permits to import
some inputs which could be used as raw material for
producing intoxicants. |
||
Army
adopts
Kandi area village HOSHIARPUR, Jan 8 — The 155 Medium regiment of the Army adopted Janauri village in the Kandi area of this district for its over all development. This was disclosed by 11th Corps Artillery Brigade commander, Brigadier S.C. Gautam while addressing a gathering at Janauri village 28 km from here yesterday. He said that 70 per cent population of the village belonged to ex-servicemen and due to this reason it was adopted for its allround development by the Army. The entire development of the village would be completed within a year, Brigadier Gautam added. Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Singh Sidhu praised the Army for adopting the village. Mr Sidhu said that Army should adopt more villages of this district. He declared Rs 1 lakh for
the payment of streets and drains, and added that to
provide safe drinking water to the residents of the
village, a water supply scheme worth Rs 48 lakh had
already been prepared. The Deputy Commissioner directed
the Drainage Department to take measures for saving the
playground of the village from floods in the adjoining
area. |
||
Students denounce Insurance Act FEROZEPORE, Jan 8 — Students from different local schools and colleges took out a procession today, under the banner of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The procession was in protest against the Insurance Regulatory Act and Patents Ordinance. The processionists raised slogans against the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank. Later, they staged a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner's office. The dharna was addressed among others by the ABVP National Executive Member, Mr Kamal Sharma, State Vice-President, Mr Yogesh Gupta and District President (Girls' Wing), Ms Tejinder Kaur. Strongly condemning the Insurance Regulatory Act and the Patents Ordinance, the speakers urged the government to withdraw them immediately and refrain from taking such anti-national decisions. The ABVP members also
burnt an effigy of the WTO as a protest. Later, a
memorandum was presented to the district administration. |
||
Johar for Badal govt's
resignation LUDHIANA, Jan 8 — Mr Harnam Dass Johar, former Punjab Minister, yesterday asked the Badal government to resign for its alleged failure to govern the state. Talking to reporters here, Mr Johar said that the stoppage of pension and salaries to government employees proved that the government had miserably failed to control the situation on the financial front with the result that the state had been driven to the brink of bankruptcy. He wanted the Governor to
declare a state of financial emergency in the state. |
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