Tuesday, July 6, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Tuesday, July 6, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Wave of
happiness in border dist |
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Aid for
martyrs’ kin pours in Bureaucrats look up to political
bosses BSP plans seminars to mobilise
cadre Computerised centres to check ST
evasion Coop society secretary awarded
jail term Tohra defection will affect SAD:
Barnala Traffic restored after 24 hours Decision on loan cases in 15 days |
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Wave of happiness in border
dist GATTIRAJOKE (Ferozepore), July 5 — A wave of happiness seems to have been generated among residents of villages of Ferozepore district bordering Pakistan after the recapture of Tiger Hill in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian Army from the Pakistan backed infiltrators. The residents came out from their dwellings to congratulate each other when the news spread regarding recapturing of Tiger Hill by the Indian Army from the Pakistan backed infiltrators on their radio sets. A group of residents of this village greeted the state Food and Supplies Minister, Mr Chiranji Lak Garg, with congratulations over the success of the Indian Army for snatching Tiger Hill from the infiltrators when he toured the border area today. "It is a proud moment for the country as we have succeeded in putting the Indian Tricolour on the top of Tiger Hill", said Mr Sukhdev Singh Balwa of Faruwala village on the Indo-Pak border. The morale of the residents was so high that they had offered their services and vehicles for the assistance of the Army and the BSF. They hoped that within a few days the Indian territory would be cleared of the Pakistan-backed infiltrators. Said Hukam Singh of Kamalbalelka village, where the border observation post of the BSF is also located, "No Pakistan-backed infiltrator should go back unhurt. Let them taste the Indian bullet. India always wants peace but if some one tries to undermine its territorial integrity then the Indian Army will never forgive anyone". The residents of these border villages, who have braved two wars, do not bother about the movement of Pakistan's Army across the border and carry on their daily chores normally. Said Amrik Singh of Midha village, "No doubt there can be escalation of conflict on this border any time but how can we leave our motherland which gives us enough so that we can live with dignity and honour". Another resident, Sher
Singh of Faruwala village, said now the residents of the
border villages wanted to cultivate Pakistan's land. He
added that this time if there was a war the residents
would expand their land holdings certainly. |
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March held for Kargil heroes HOSHIARPUR, July 5 — To salute the brave jawans who are fighting for the defence of our country in Jammu and Kashmir, a march was organised by the Indian Ex-Services League Unit, Hoshiarpur, here today in which thousands of ex-servicemen from all over the district participated. The march was led by Lieut Col A.S. Gill, president of the league. The march started from Shaheed Udham Singh Park and passed through the main bazars of the city. The participants shouted slogans "Kargil shaheed amar rahen" and "Bharat Mata ki jai". A rally was also staged at the Deputy Commissioner's office. Paying rich tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives while flushing out the Pak-backed intruders from the Kargil and Dras sectors, Sq Ldr Kamal Chaudhry, said the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had agreed to raise a war memorial at Hoshiarpur. Wing Comdr Joginder Singh Saini, Lieut Comdr Ram Kishan Singh Saini, Capt Vikram Singh, Lieut Col Raj Dadwal, and many others offered their services to fight against the intruders and urged the Prime Minister to allow the Army to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to settle the issue with Pakistan forever. They condemned the Pakistan action and its inhuman treatment given to Sq Ldr Ajay Ahuja, and Lieut Saruab Kalia, who died while fighting intruders. They demanded that the financial help should be increased to Rs 10 lakh to the family of each martyr and Rs 2 to 5 lakh to those soldiers who lost a limb. Colonel Gill said the
league would give Rs 11,000 to each family of the martyrs
in Hoshiarpur district. He also announced that
ex-servicemen would contribute one day's pension to the
Prime Minister's Relief Fund. A two-minute silence was
observed as a mark of respect to the departed soldiers.
Later, he presented a memorandum to the President through
the Deputy Commissioner, Hoshiarpur in this
regard. |
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SE volunteers for Army CHANDIGARH, July 5 — A Superintending Engineer of the Punjab Public Works Department (Buildings and Roads), Maj B.D. Gupta, has volunteered his services for the Army in the Kargil sector. In a letter written to the Secretary, PWD, Major Gupta, who is posted as S.E., Traffic Engineering Cell, Chandigarh, has said that before he joined the Public Works Department, he worked with the Army for about eight years. He remained posted mostly in field areas and had been decorated with three medals. He urged the State
Government to convey to the Ministry of Defence about his
desire to serve in Kargil so that he could contribute his
mite to the defence of the motherland. |
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Polishing shoes for Kargil heroes HOSHIARPUR, July 5 — Mr Abinash Khanna, Secretary of the state unit of the BJP along with Mr Bhajan Singh, president , BJP unit Garhshanker and other workers of the party today polished shoes of passengers at the general bus stand at Garhshanker, 40 km from here, for two hours in the morning and collected Rs 5000 for the families of Kargil martyrs. Mr Bhagwant Kishore,
general secretary of BJP district unit, Hoshiarpur, said
in a press note that there was great enthusiasm among the
passengers and public to donate to the relief funds for
soldiers. |
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Aid for martyrs’ kin
pours in LUDHIANA, July 5 — The local Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association has decided to send a cheque for Rs 2,51,000 to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. This information was given by the chairman of the association, Mr M.L. Bagga, and its president, Mr Gajinder Singh, here today. BATALA: A large number of persons assembled at Gurdwara in urban estate here to pay homage to Kargil martyrs. Mr Jagdish Sawhney, local BJP MLA, Mr A.K.Sinha, SDM and Mr Lok Nath Angra, Chief of Batala police were also present at the function. Mr Piara Singh Ghuman of SAD (Badal) handed over Rs 1 lakh to the SDM Batala, on behalf of urban estate communities for Prime Minister's Relief Fund. PATIALA: The Council of Junior Engineers, PSEB, resolved to donate their one-day salary for the welfare of the families of defence personnel fighting the enemy in Kargil sector. Er Sukhdev Singh and Er P.K. Alipuria, president and general secretary respectively, of the council said more than 5,500 Junior Engineers; AAES, of the PSEB shall donate one-day salary for the above cause and contribution would be deposited in Chief Minister's was Memorial Hero Fund. MALERKOTLA: The
employees of Shreyans Industries Limited, Ahmedgarh, in
Malerkotla Subdivision have contributed their one-day
salary to the Punjab War Heroes Family Welfare Fund.
According to Mr Anil Kumar, Executive Director of the
mill, the company has also contributed Rs 1.25 lakh for
the welfare of the families of soldiers, who have laid
down their lives in Kargil and Dras. He said a draft of
Rs 2,05,821 had been handed over to Mr Anirudh Tiwari,
Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur. |
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Bureaucrats look up to political
bosses CHANDIGARH, July 5 — Top bureaucracy in Punjab feels austerity measures in the administration should begin at the top. Specific guidelines on curbing wasteful expenditure in the administration which were outlined, for the first time, by the finance minister in the Vidhan Sabha on March 24 last, have been observed more in breach. This became evident at the meeting the Chief Secretary held with the administrative secretaries here today. The Finance Minister in his Budget speech had announced that the non-plan expenditure of all departments had been reduced by 5 per cent in 1999-2000 compared to the figures of 1998-99. It was revealed today that in the very first quarter, April-June, all departments had overshot their budget. The IAS officers gathered at the meeting said they were one with economy and austerity measures as detailed by the Department of Finance, but felt the political executive and the police ought to be roped in. The common refrain, sources said, was that due to absence of "political will" Punjab was bleeding. If correctives were not taken even payment of salaries will become difficult. The state, it transpired, was falling into a debt trap. To extricate itself from it the state shall have to resort to borrowings to pay back the debt and also salaries to its staff. This vicious circle will strangulate the socio-economic development. Though the development budget for the current financial year is higher by 7.2 per cent over that of last year, even by spending less for administration it is doubtful if the state will be able to enhance the flow of funds for development. The occasional roll back
and the "populist" measures already operative
have had a negative cascading effect on the economy of
the state. Debt servicing and salaries consume a major
percentage of the revenue earned by the state; nearly 90
per cent. In fact even the meeting of the Deputy
Commissioners last week with the Chief Minister was
"lacklustre" with no participant showing any
zeal in the absence of money which moves the levers of
development, a Secretary told TNS. |
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Towards a green Ludhiana LUDHIANA: There is lush greenery all along the roads, central verges and parks in the 160-sq-km-area of this industrial town. This dream could well be turned into a reality by the end of this monsoon, provided the large-scale afforestation and beautification drive launched by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation is carried on with as much fervour and zeal. Six months back, the corporation had engaged the services of a senior horticulturist, Mr H.S. Johal, who has prepared a master plan for the landscaping and horticulture of the town. As part of the plan, to be implemented at a cost of Rs 2 crore, the corporation plans to plant 56,000 trees in 295 acres under its Horticulture Department. The area includes 505 parks, green belts, road sides and central verges of the roads. The Horticulture Department has already purchased 40,000 trees like alstonia, neem and peepal. A proposal has also been mooted to buy additional equipment — four diesel-operated land mowers, two tractors and four water tankers. The Executive Engineer, Horticulture, Mr J.S. Bilga, says, "By the end of July, we will have planted all trees. The rains will ensure proper watering to them. We have chosen tall trees for plantation as these are not only fast-growing, but also have a long-lasting effect on the environment." He informs that 1,800 trees will be planted in MC Zones A, B and C and 13,500 trees in Zone D as marked by the municipal corporation (MC). The Horticulture Department plans to go ahead with the afforestation programme at Jalandhar bypass green belt, near the Multipurpose Parking Complex, Chandigarh Road, Focal Point, G.T. Road leading towards Ambala, Gill Road, Link Road from Samrala Chowk to Bharat Nagar Chowk, Ferozepore Road, the green belt near the Lodhi Club, Humbran Road, Leisure Valley, Rakh Bagh, Rose Garden, Feroze Gandhi Market, near the slaughter house and Dairy Complex. Besides this, the corporation has also kept aside Rs 2 crore for developing the green belts from Jagraon Bridge to Dholewal Chowk. The Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Mr S.S. Sandhu says, "We plan to construct service lanes before the shops here, to be followed by parking lots and then green belts. The main roads would be running right alongside these green belts". The Commissioner says in order to invoke a public response and their participation, they have decided to contract out parks at the rate of 50 paise per sq metre per month to private contractors or Mohalla Sudhar Committees for the maintenance of the parks. Already 10 parks at Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar have been given to private contractors. "anyone interested in this project is given the contract after some formalities have been made and the removal of encroachments and other civil work is done by us", says Mr Sandhu. While the project is yet to take off, parks and green belts in the city continue to be in a dilapidated condition. Encroachers find these an easy site for constructing jhuggis and running their business and as a grazing ground for stray animals. Although very few parks have boundary walls around them, lack of stringent action on the part of the MC ensures these areas as an abode for slum-dwellers for many years to come. Like the park near Cheema Chowk should have been a haven for residents of this densely populated area. This part is anything but a retreat for morning and late evening walkers as jhuggis have been built along its boundary for almost five years now and the slum-dwellers use it as an open urinal and garbage dump. Even in the posh areas of the city like in Civil Lines and Sarabha Nagar, parks are being encroached upon and used as grazing grounds for stray cattle. Officials at the MC agree that nothing has been done in the past to remove the encroachments, but hope that things will soon take a turn for the better. Mr Bilga says "we have already removed all encroachments from the green belt near the Jalandhar bypass and the Lodhi Club. Immediately after demolishing the encroachments, we levelled the ground and made it fit for planting trees. Physical barriers like grills have also been fixed to keep encroachers at bay". Cynics believe that the efforts of the MC have been thwarted in the past because of the shortage of staff for the aftercare of the new plantations in the parks and green belts. The Municipal Commissioner, however, says there is no shortage of staff and that the MC has some 600 gardeners and other technical hands for the maintenance of parks at its payrolls. Big designs and big
promises. Whether or not the citizens actually get to see
a green and clean Ludhiana, only time will tell. |
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BSP plans seminars to
mobilise cadre NAWANSHAHR, July 5 — The state unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with a view to mobilising its workers and strengthening its organisational wing up to the grassroots level, has started organising district level 'bahujan samaj banao' seminars. The first seminar in this connection was organised here at Swarnkar Bhavan yesterday. The seminar was addressed among others by Mr Harbhajan Lakha, a former MP, Mr Avtar Singh Karimpuri, General Secretary of the station unit of the BSP, Mr Mata Ram Dhiman, president of the Chandigarh unit of the party, Mr Hargopal Singh, a former MLA, Mr Darshan Lal Jethumazara, Secretary, BSP, Ms Gurdev Kaur Shant and Ms Ramesh Kaur, President and Vice-President, respectively of the mahila wing of the BSP, Punjab, Mr Gurmail Singh Saini, district president , Mr S. L. Virdi. The speakers stressed the need of bringing all those castes which had suffered due to the caste system into the party fold to enable the working class to capture 'political power'. Earlier, addressing a press meeting, Mr Karimpuri, said the party had set a target of constituting party's units in all villages of the state up to August 15 and the district presidents had been asked to maintain block-wise registers to show their progress. He said the BSP would contest the ensuing Lok Sabha poll in alliance with the All-India Shiromani Akali Dal, headed by the former SGPC chief Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, with a view to defeating the Congress and the SAD-BJP combine. People in the state, who had earlier rejected the Congress, were now fed-up with the working of the Badal government and were looking for the third alternative. A joint rally by the BSP and the All India Shiromani Akali Dal would be organised on July 17 at Patiala to highlight the failure of the Badal government. Atrocities against the Dalits had touched new heights during the Badal regime, Mr Karimpuri alleged, while citing the example of the incidents in Jethumazara (Nawanshahr) and Panger Khera (Abohar) village. He also accused the Badal government of not implementing the Mandal Commission report. Regarding the Kargil crisis, Mr Karimpuri said though the BSP did not want to politicise it, yet the intrusion by Pakistan had put a question mark on the BJP government's claim of strengthening its defence after conducting nuclear explosions last year. However,, the party stood by the nation and the defence forces in this hour of crisis. Mr Hargopal Singh, a former MLA, while addressing mediapersons criticised the Badal government's policy to empower panchayats to appoint teachers on contract basis in primary schools and said when there was a long list of unemployed trained teachers then why the government, instead of filling the vacant posts, was directing the panchayats to appoint teachers with minimum qualification of plus two in the schools. The panchayats, with no sources of income, could not afford to appoint teachers, he said. Mr Harbhajan Lakha, a
former MP, said political instability was in the interest
of the poor as now the political parties and leaders had
started, thinking of doing something for them for their
survival. |
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Computerised centres to check ST
evasion LUDHIANA, July 5 —The Department of Excise and Taxation has proposed to set up computerised trade information centres at 26 entry and exit places on main touts in Punjab during the current financial year to check evasion of sales tax. The Excise and Taxation Commissioner of Punjab, Mr Sudhir Mittal, told mediapersons here today that there were 44 entry and exit points in Punjab and mobile checking will be done at 18 points. Mr Mittal conceded that Section 14-B under the Sales Tax Act, which deals with transit checking, was being misused and traders were often harassed under this Section. "We have already initiated disciplinary proceedings against four officers for harassing traders," he said. The Punjab sales tax registered an increase in revenue by 14 per cent during April and May this year and an increase of 15 per cent is expected by the end of June. The target for the revenue collection for 1999-2000 set by the State Government is Rs 2000 crore. He advocated the policy of filing purchase returns by traders to curb tax evasion. The Commissioner, who
was here to address a function organised by the
ministerial staff of the department, conceded that the
shortage of ministerial staff was behind inefficient
functioning of the department. |
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Coop society secretary
awarded jail term CHANDIGARH, July 5 — Mr Justice J S Khehar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today sentenced Shiv Kumar, former Secretary, Sariana Cooperative Agricultural Service Society Ltd, Sariana, Hoshiarpur, to three months simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000 for contempt of court. The case against the accused was that after the expiry of the term of the management of the said society, as he was not allegedly approving the election programme, a revision petition was filed before the Additional Secretary, Cooperative Societies, Punjab, on which a direction was issued to produce the election record of the society which he did not produce. Again the Joint Secretary directed the respondent to produce the record but he failed to do so. On a contempt petition, Mr Justice N K Sodhi of the high court directed the administrator of the society to prepare the election programme and submit the same before the respondent and directed the secretary to produce the record as per the undertaking. A direction was also given to hold the election as per the programme but the respondent evaded complying with the order. Mr Gurnam Singh, Assistant Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, filed the contempt petition. While convicting Shiv
Kumar under the Contempt of Court Act, the Judge observed
that it was indeed a glaring example of intentional and
deliberate disrespect to the order of this court.
"In the aforesaid view of the matter I am of the
opinion that he deserves to be punished and am further of
the opinion that mere imposition of fine will not meet
the ends of justice", the Judge observed. He,
however, suspended the punishment imposed, for one month
to enable the contemner to file an appeal if he so
desired. |
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Tohra defection will affect
SAD: Barnala SANGRUR, July 5 — Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, Union Minister for Fertilisers and Chemicals while talking to mediapersons here last evening agreed that defection by the faction led by former SGPC Chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra would have an adverse effect on the SAD (Badal) candidates during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mr Barnala admitted that political differences existed between him and the Secretary General of the SAD (Badal), Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, but added that efforts were on to resolve the differences. Mr Barnala rejected the idea of the convening Rajya Sabha session to discuss the Kargil issue, as discussion could be detrimental to the defence and security of the country. He said the Kargil issue should not be made an election issue by any political party. Mr Barnala expressed the
hope that the SAD (Badal) would repeat its performance,
in the last elections, by winning all 13 Lok Sabha seats
in the forthcoming elections. |
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Traffic restored after 24 hours FATEHGARH SAHIB, July 5 — Traffic was restored on the G.T. Road between Sirhind and Rajpura after 24 hours today. An LPG Gas tanker had overturned on the highway at Sadhugarh and the traffic had to be diverted Despite the best efforts of the district administration the traffic could not be restored due to the non-availability of heavy duty cranes. The tanker was removed from the site today after a crane was brought from Ludhiana. The teams of experts from Lalru and Jalandhar, camping on the tanker was sent to Lalru Gas bottling plant. Mr V.K. Janjua, Deputy
Commissioner, while talking to mediapersons on the site
said he would write to the authorities to establish a
centre point equipped with heavy duty cranes and fire
brigade on the national highway after every 100 km. |
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Decision on loan cases in 15 days CHANDIGARH, July 5 (PTI) — Agricultural Development Bank branches in Punjab would dispose of loan cases of farmers within 15 days from the date of receipt of applications. The step has been taken to simplify loaning procedure for the benefit of farmers. Punjab Cooperation Minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said today. Managers of all bank
branches in the state have been advised to either dispose
of loan cases within 15 days or if it is rejected due to
some defects it should be immediately returned to the
concerned loanee, he said. |
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