Row over post abolition
PATIALA, March 21 — The move of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to abolish the post of Public Relations Officer held by Mr Gurdarshan Singh Bahia, a Tohra loyalist, has sparked a row.

Project to check waterlogging
GURDASPUR, March 21 — A Rs 1.83 crore project will be launched in the district shortly to end the problem of waterlogging in the Kahnuwan Bet area. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, said 194.74 km length of drains had been identified for fresh digging, widening and desilting.

One arrested in suicide case
PATIALA, March 21 — The police today arrested a Superintendent of the Railways here on the charges of creating circumstances that forced Mr Rajesh Anand, a clerk in the same department, to commit suicide.

Chetna rally to conclude today
JALANDHAR, March 21 — The Netaji Subhas Chander Bose chetna rally from Jammu to Delhi, led by Mr Anil Mukherji, Deputy Speaker, West Bengal Assembly, was accorded a civic reception here today by the National Martyrs Memorial Committee, Punjab and freedom fighters at the new grain market.

Awardee teacher dies in mishap

Sack of Rabri govt sought

Permanent Lok Adalat

Teachers reject notification

Punjab Budget live on TV

Substandard wheat supply

Liquor vends fetch lower revenue

Dhaliwal elected PPS body chief

Aided school teachers freed
By Sarbjit Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — The Punjab Government today released 1281 teachers, who were arrested in connection with the "jail bharo" agitation started by the Punjab State Aided School Teachers and other Employees Union.

According to information available here, 1017 teachers were released from Burail Jail and 264 from Central Jail, Ludhiana. Sources said the release orders were issued late last evening and conveyed to the jail authorities through union leaders.

The released orders were issued following an agreement between the Punjab Government and the agitating teachers.

Mr Manohar Lal Chopra, General Secretary of the union, told TNS today that the Punjab Government had agreed to give pay scales recommended by the Fourth Pay Commission with effect from January 1, 1996. Earlier, the Punjab Government had decided to give these scales from April 1, 1999. The teachers had rejected the offer and started a "jail bharo" agitation to press the government to give the pay scales from January 1, 1996, as had been done in case of government employees.

Mr Chopra said the Chief Secretary, Mr R.S. Mann, who negotiated with the union leaders and played a crucial role in getting their demands accepted, would get a notification issued within a day or so with regard to the acceptance of the demands. Arrears would be given to teachers in six instalments and its modalities would be finalised soon.

He said the benefit of revised pay scales and arrears, etc, would also go to pensioners. Mr Chopra said the house rent and medical allowances would be given to employees working in aided schools on the pattern of government employees.

The aided schools will get 95 per cent grant and there would be no cut in it. The Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) and drawing teachers, who were given pay scales recommended by the Third Pay Commission from December 23, 1992, would now be given these scales from January 1, 1986. This was one of the major demands of the union.

The aided schools would resume their academic activities from tomorrow. Mr Chopra said all teachers had been directed to conduct the examinations on a war footing and declare the results at the earliest.

The teachers had been told to put in extra effort as far as conducting the annual examinations was concerned. In aided schools, examinations were not conducted due to the agitation of teachers. Only those examinations were held which had to be conducted by the Punjab School Education Board.

About 10,000 teachers and other employees of 484 aided schools remained on stay-in strike for about a month. The first group of the agitating teachers was led by Mr Teja Singh, President of the union, on February 24.

Mr Chopra said that to compensate the loss of studies to students, teachers had been asked to take extra periods from the next academic session and also shorten their summer break. During summer vacation, aided schools would try to hold classes of those students who had to appear in the board examinations next year.

One of the agitating teachers, Mr Romesh Chander Kohli, had died in Burail Jail.

History conference concludes
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, March 21 — Most of the Indians who lived abroad but endeavoured for attaining country's freedom from the British rule have not been given due importance by historians and the government.

Stating this in his paper "Punjab's unacknowledged freedom fighters abroad" presented at the concluding day of three-day Punjab History Conference Dr Shiv Kumar Gupta, Head of the Department of History, Punjabi University, said there was urgent need for further research in to the contribution of these freedom fighters in winning Independence, whose feats have hitherto remained buried under the debris of time-unacknowledged, unhonoured and unsung — even after 50 years of Independence.

Presenting a particular case in study Mr Gupta read out his research on the role of Giani Pritam Singh in founding the Indian Independence League in Bangkok and formation of the Indian National Army in 1941.

Mr Gupta said the credit for putting the Indian Independence movement in East Asia on a sound footing and for the initial formation of the INA went to Giani Pritam Singh, Mohan Singh and Major Fujiwara who was the head of Japanese Intelligence Agency. While the work of the latter too was acknowledged in Indian freedom movement the role of Giani Pritam Singh had been ignored.

Even Gen- Mohan Singh has been quoted in a news report published in Bombay News Chronicle, 1946, as saying that Giani Pritam Singh was a founder and father of the Indian Independence League Bangkok. It was he who practically single handedly went all around Malaya and set-up league branches and remained head of the league till his untimely death in an air crash in 1942, in Japan.

Even a British intelligence report particularly mentions that a man called Giani Pritam Singh had come to some understanding with the Japanese Embassy at Bangkok that the Indian civilians should not be treated as enemy subjects and that Indian soldiers employed with the British Army should also not be treated as enemies.

His unique method, according to the British report, was to send Indians right up to the frontline in the battlefield and then shut to the Indian soldiers in the opposing army not to fire at their own countrymen.

However, after Pritam Singh's death, differences arose between Mr Rash Bihari Bose, founder of the league and Gen Mohan Singh over the true motive of the Japanese in helping Indians against the British. In this dispute Mr Bose sided with the Japanese, saying that they had no ulterior motive as alleged by Gen Mohan Singh.

Making of a Budget — II
New financial challenges
By P.P.S. Gill
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — Budget is the buzz word these days in Punjab. The March 31 syndrome has set in motion, which mean "exhausting" the money, may it be through "wasteful purchases" or "adjustment".

There has not been any serious thinking at any level as to how to change the system of annual budgeting and introduce something more relevant, realistic and economising.

Punjab, which solely depends on bureaucracy for running the political executive and administration has to take a hard look at the future prospects and brace itself to meet new financial challenges and competition. Otherwise one day there will be difficulty in even paying salaries; not that are things are any better at present.

Oft-repeated talk of "downsizing" the establishment or "disciplining" the public sector undertakings or "folding up" white-elephant boards and corporations operating without accountability and public utility, is meaningless. No political executive or babus will allow that to happen.

The performance of earning departments, namely, excise and taxation, transport and revenue is often questioned. The ways of expenditure by certain departments, where cuts and commission rule the roost are seldom touched. Therefore, peep into what Punjab is in for in the next year Budget.

Hopes have again been pinned on the Excise and Taxation Department, which is expected to yield at least Rs 2,500 crore next year against Rs 1,500 crore (?) expected to be achieved in the current year.

Tax reforms on the anvil waiting approval of the Council of Ministers are said to contain guidelines issued by the high court, which had framed the same on the basis of 18 points submitted to it by the CBI in a public interest litigation. The effort is to see there is " no political interference " at the any level in taxation matters and the department conducts its business with "firmness".

The department is aware of the existing "loopholes" in the system and which need to be plugged. In fact, as agreed among the administrative secretaries, Mr Y.S. Ratra was asked to submit a detailed note on the department's galvanisation. He made radical suggestions. Will political executive allow dismantling of the citadels of vested interest built by department officials in key places? The department is conscious that excise revenue has reached a plateau and much could not be expected.

The transport is another key sector for revenue. A new transport policy is on the anvil, which envisages greater role of private sector and deals with enhancing licence fees and special road tax and tapping other sources of revenue. Enquiries reveal that "free travel" allowed to a large categories and existing fleet of "ageing buses" contribute to losses in transport sector.

The government is firm that Punjab Roadways will retain its present share in passenger transport and operate as an independent profit centre. It should not expect any budgetary support for buses, repayment of loans (past or future) and the government will not be giving any guarantee to raise money.

There is a proposal to make available lump sum amount to replace "free travel" to the departments concerned for payment as travelling allowance to the beneficiaries. Such allowances will be available per month and henceforth, the beneficiaries would purchase tickets for any travel in buses.

The Transport Department is hopeful of a minimum increase of Rs 90 crore in revenue; raising it from Rs 260 crore (1998-99) to Rs 350 crore next year. Among several proposals is one called "amnesty scheme", which envisages waiving of penalty and interest in respect of arrears of special road tax and road tax for all vehicles except buses, which account for 60 per cent of the revenue earned by the government.

From the eight proposals considered by the government, as initiated by the Transport Department aimed at generating Rs 82 crore, the additional revenue expected to be generated as per the approved proposals is Rs 26 crore in 1999-2000.

For the Revenue Department, a target of Rs 350 crore from stamp duty and registration fee was fixed for the next year, while the government is keen to do something about " surplus" government land. The Deputy Commissioners are to prepare an inventory of the same.

Small savings scheme has made a big contribution. In Punjab it is like a peoples' movement. The net deposits have risen sharply: Rs 243 crore in 1993-94; Rs 999 crore in 1996-97; Rs 1,400 crore in 1997-98; and expected in 1998-99 are Rs 2,000 crore. The next year target is Rs 2,300 crore.

The state gets an amount equal to 75 per cent of the net deposits from the Centre by way of "soft" loan. Though this adds to the debt burden, it is, nevertheless, worth it because it lends a substantive support to the main Budget.

Therefore, it remains to be seen how the Finance Minister overcomes "internal political resistance" to his proposals, based as these are on the dissection done by a committee of officers constituted on financial management, and balances his Budget given the ground realities and market forces influencing the economy.

Woman, paramour beaten to death
From Our Correspondent

ABOHAR, March 21 — A widow, Revti Devi (40), and her paramour, Satnarain, were allegedly beaten to death at her residence at Krishnawali Dhaani in Vijaynagar town in Sriganganagar area on Friday. The police was informed of the incident yesterday.

According to the police, Revti Devi's husband had died last year and two of her sons were living with their grandfather. Two brothers of her husband had reportedly objected to the visits of Satnarain, a resident of the same village to Revti's residence. Satnarain had served life sentence for killing his wife in 1985.

Revti's brothers-in-law Birbal and Leeladhar noticed Satnarain entering her residence at night. They later entered the house forcibly and beaten the two to death. The police was informed by the assailants' brother, Banwari Lal, in the morning. The culprits had absconded by then.

In another case, a police party from Delhi reached Vijaynagar yesterday to solve the mystery behind the murder of an unidentified 22-year-old pregnant girl. Her body was found in Guest house in Daryaganj in Delhi last week. The room was booked in the name of Vinod Sharma, a resident of RCP Colony in Vijaynagar. Staff at the guest house had reportedly seen three persons in the room on the night receding the murder. The body of the girl was found on breaking open the door of the room.

Khatkar Kalan school project approved
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — The Punjab Government has approved a prestigious project for setting up a co-educational school at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district. A memorandum of understanding for starting the school has been signed by the government with the Peel District Board of Education of Canada.

The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, will lay the foundation stone of the school building at Khatkar Kalan on March 23, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh.

The board will provide assistance in the preparation of curriculum and instructional practices based on critical employability skills for the 21st century, make recommendations for technology support, help hire trained and qualified staff, assess and evaluate results achieved, arrange for leadership development programmes, promote students and staff exchange programmes and donate surplus computer equipment.

The Punjab Government has given 23 acres of panchayat land for the school.

The new institution will provide board and lodging facilities for nearly 1,000 students.

For students of three villages, namely , Khatkar Kalan, Bhuttan and Thandian that have provided land, 10 per cent of the seats are reserved.

Row over post abolition
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, March 21 — The move of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to abolish the post of Public Relations Officer held by Mr Gurdarshan Singh Bahia, a Tohra loyalist, has sparked a row.

Mr Bhai said here yesterday that the decision to abolish this as well as 13 other posts amounted to political victimisation.

He said the board was not justified in abolishing the post as the expenses had already been cleared in the next financial year's budget of the board.

Mr Bahia maintained that he had not been appointed due to any political links but because he had cleared all levels of scrutiny.

Moreover, during his 15-month-long service he had not been served with any warning of explanation. He claimed that his annual confidential report had also been excellent.

He had received a letter of appreciation from the member-secretary of the board on March 9, he claimed.

However Mr F.L. Kansal Chairman of the board when contacted, termed the allegations as baseless.

He said the board was facing a financial crunch and the abolition of posts was a step in that direction. Moreover, not only one but 14 posts had been abolished.

Mr Kansal also made it clear that the board had nothing against Mr Bahia.

Project to check waterlogging
From Our Correspondent

GURDASPUR, March 21 — A Rs 1.83 crore project will be launched in the district shortly to end the problem of waterlogging in the Kahnuwan Bet area. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, said 194.74 km length of drains had been identified for fresh digging, widening and desilting.

Mr Sandhu said these drains would require extensive clearance periodically, to enable the farmers to sow their crops. About four machines would be pressed into service to execute the project before June 30.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has approved the proposal of the Drainage Department to construct three spurs on river Beas from Fattu Kulla in the Kahnuwan Bet area and construct new Dhusi bandh on the river from Bahadarpur Rajoa to Fattu Kulla at a cost about Rs 1.32 crore.

Mr Bikramjeet Singh, Principal secretary (Irrigation and Power) and Mr S.K. Sandhu from the Drainage Department, were told by residents that 1000 acre of fertile land in Fattu Kulla had been washed away due to diversion of the Beas river and if it was not checked, the land of neighbouring Bahadarpur Rajoa village was also likely to be washed away.

One arrested in suicide case
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, March 21 — The police today arrested a Superintendent of the Railways here on the charges of creating circumstances that forced Mr Rajesh Anand, a clerk in the same department, to commit suicide.

The SSP said Vipin Pal Mina was arrested by the Civil Lines police after the recovery of a diary from the clerk's place in which he had named Vipin as responsible for his decision to end his life.

According to the FIR the body of Rajesh Anand was found hanging from a hook at his house in the railway colony here yesterday and was spotted by a relative who informed the police. The clerk's family was away to Panchkula.

A personal diary was found near the body in which Rajesh had explained the reasons for taking such an extreme step. He wrote that he had collected nearly Rs 3 lakh from a number of aspirants for some posts in the Railways and had given the money to Vipin Pal Mina who had promised to secure jobs for all. However, when some months passed and the Superintendent did not keep his promise Rajesh demanded his money back as the aspirants for the job were making his life miserable. According to the diary the Superintendent then refused to pay back any money.

The police has registered a case under Section 306 taking into consideration the details given in the diary.

Chetna rally to conclude today
From Our Correspondent

JALANDHAR, March 21 — The Netaji Subhas Chander Bose chetna rally from Jammu to Delhi, led by Mr Anil Mukherji, Deputy Speaker, West Bengal Assembly, was accorded a civic reception here today by the National Martyrs Memorial Committee, Punjab and freedom fighters at the new grain market.

They also paid tributes to Netaji.

The rally will pass through Pathankot, Batala, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Khatkar Kalan (birth place of Shaheed-e-Azam, Bhagat Singh), Ropar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Panipat before terminating at Delhi tomorrow.

Federations to boycott university exams
From Our Correspondent

JALANDHAR, March 21 — The Principals Federation and the Managements Federation of all three universities of Punjab have decided to boycott the forthcoming university examinations in the state.

A joint meeting of the federations was held at DAV College here today against the indifferent attitude of the Punjab Government towards its demands. Mr Ashwani Kumar Sharma, Secretary of the Managements Federation, said the Registrars of the three universities had been informed that Principals would neither act as Controllers of Examination centres of the colleges nor the managing committee would allow to utilise their college premises for the examinations.

However, both teaching and non-teaching employees of the colleges have already given a call to boycott the forthcoming examinations.

Finance company director held
From Our Correspondent

JALANDHAR, March 21 — The anti-fraud squad of the Jalandhar Police has arrested Pardeep Kumar Malhotra, a director of the Ludhiana-based Sarvotam Forest Finance Company on a charge of duping hundreds of persons.

Action has been taken on the basis of a complaint made to the police by a large number of persons in Jalandhar that the company was paying neither interest nor the principal amount. The office of the company situated in 22, Green Park in Jalandhar was closed and its officials have disappeared.

According to the police the officials of the company including its chairman-cum-managing director Nayab Singh Dillon, from Ludhiana, Parminder Singh, Tarlochan Singh and Saudagar have also disappeared.

Awardee teacher dies in mishap
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, March 21 — Sudesh Sayal, who was recently awarded the national award for teaching music, died in a tragic road accident near Channo village this afternoon.

Family sources said that she was returning from Bathinda when her car collided with a jeep. While she was declared dead at Rajindra Hospital here, her co-passengers, Mr Rajinder Singh (brother) and Dr Ms Devinder Kaur (music teacher), received injuries. They are reportedly out of danger.

Sudesh was working as a music teacher at the local Victoria Girls School.

Punjab Budget live on TV
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, March 21 — The Entire proceedings of the Punjab Budget to be tabled on March 24 in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha would be telecast live on Jalandhar Doordarshan from 11 a.m. onwards.

Stating this in a statement issued here today, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, said it was for the first time that the Budget proceedings of the state were being telecast live on television.

He added that with the live telecast of the Budget presentation the exact policies, plans and welfare schemes of the government would reach directly to the masses.

Sack of Rabri govt sought
From Our Correspondent

PHILLAUR, March 21 — A former president of the All-India Youth Congress, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, has urged Mrs Rabri Devi to resign as the Chief Minister of Bihar in view of recent killings in the state.

Talking to The Tribune here today morning, Mr Bitta also demanded immediate imposition of President's rule in Bihar and dismissal is of the Rabri Government in case she does not step down on her own.

Substandard wheat supply alleged
Tribune News Service

BATHINDA, March 21 — Mr Jagjit Singh Joga, member of the state council of the CPI, Punjab, yesterday alleged that the Food and Supply Department had supplied substandard wheat to ration depots.

In a press note issued here, he said that on physical verification of wheat procured from one such depot, it was found that it was not fit for consumption.

He said when the state government was charging full rates of wheat from the ration depot holders, why the consumers were being forced to eat black and sour wheat. He said it was even more surprising that such a thing was happening in a district represented by state Food and Supply Minister Chiranji Lal Garg.

He demanded a high-level inquiry into the supply of substandard wheat and punishment to the guilty.

He said he had also written letters to the Secretary, Health Services, Punjab and the Director, Food and Supplies, to ensure that substandard wheat was not supplied to consumers.

Permanent Lok Adalat inaugurated
From Our Correspondent

GURDASPUR, March 21 — Mr Justice H.S. Brar, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, Punjab Legal Services Authority, inaugurated a permanent Lok Adalat here on Saturday. This adalat will help in solving pending cases in courts which can be resolved amicably between the litigants through mutual consent. It will also help in delivering justice at the door steps.

Earlier Mr Justice Brar lighted a lamp at a function held on the court premises and highlighted the purposes for which these Lok Adalats had been established. Members from Pathankot Gurdaspur and Batala, judicial and civil officers of the district, sarpanches and panches of nearby areas participated. Mr Justice M.L. Singhal, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court presided.

Liquor vends fetch lower revenue
Tribune News Service

BATHINDA, March 21 — The lifting of prohibition in Haryana has affected the excise revenue from the auction of liquor vends here. The auction of 353 vends of country made liquor and 46 vends of English liquor fetched Rs 51.51 crore for the year 1999-2000 as compared to Rs 53.79 crore for 1998-99.

There was a decline of 4.25 per cent in the revenue as bidders showed little interest in the auctions held here today because of the opening of several liquor vends, by contractors belonging to Haryana, near the vends in villages in Mansa and Bathinda districts.

The revenue collection for Mansa district for 1999-2000 also decreased by 5.70 per cent as the auction there fetched only Rs 24.52 crore as compared to Rs 26 crore last year.

On the other hand, the auction of vends in Faridkot district earned Rs 28.61 crore as compared to Rs 21.63 crore collected last year.

Official sources attributed the fall in revenue from the auction of liquor vends to the inflow of liquor from Haryana and Chandigarh, where the different categories of liquor were much cheaper than in Punjab.

Govt College teachers reject notification
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, March 21 — The Punjab Government College Teachers Association (PGCTA) has unanimously rejected the March 12 notification of the Punjab Government as it is not in accordance with the December 24, 1998, notification of the UGC.

The president and general secretary of the association said here today that at a meeting of the executive committee of the association, teachers took a serious note of the non-inclusion of the age of superannuation, counting of past service, feeder grade service and arrears in one instalment in this third notification.

They said the third notification of March 12, 1999, was even contrary to the claims made by the Punjab Government which had promised that terms and conditions of the new pay scales would be strictly in accordance with the December 24, 1998, UGC notification except for the age of superannuation and mode of payment of arrears.

Dhaliwal elected PPS body chief
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — At a meeting today Mr Paramraj Singh Dhaliwal was elected President of the Punjab Police Services ( PPS) Association.

As many as 124 PPS officers of all ranks participated in the meeting. Mr Dhaliwal at present is the Senior Superintendent of Police at Fatehgarh Sahib. Mr Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Mr Inderjit Singh Randhawa,Mr Rakesh Kaushal and Mr Ranbir Singh were elected as Vice Presidents of the Association. Mr Amarjit Singh was elected general secretary Mr Dhaliwal has been authorised to nominate executive committee members of the Association.

After election the association demanded parity in pay scales with the PCS officers, assistance for officers facing court cases, special pay for inspectors posted as DSPs. The Association said that it would look after the interests of all PPS officers and help them in distress.