Thursday, March 25, 1999
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Thursday, March 25, 1999 |
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HC directs release of 150
undertrials PATIALA, March 24 — In a benevolent gesture aimed at undertrials languishing in Central Jail here due to the slow pace of trial, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the release of 150 inmates. The cases were heard in two special courts held on March 16 and 19 on the jail premises here by Mr V.K. Bali, Senior Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court.
‘Fund-starved’ board
fills 100 posts |
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  The Finance Minister, Punjab, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, presenting the Budget in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan. Economic scenario dismal |
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Accept demands, teachers
urge govt Dental
colleges' teachers to boycott exams 9
city fathers walk out of meeting Mayor
justifies octroi hike Notice
to Excise Dept on auction Five
booked for assaulting farmer Delay
in release of pay scales flayed Notification
brings parity Plea
to save fasting teachers' lives |
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HC directs release of 150 PATIALA, March 24 — In a benevolent gesture aimed at undertrials languishing in Central Jail here due to the slow pace of trial, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the release of 150 inmates. The cases were heard in two special courts held on March 16 and 19 on the jail premises here by Mr V.K. Bali, Senior Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court. Besides him, the District and Sessions Judge here, Mr K.S. Grewal, along with other judges of the district courts were also present. After the receipt of release orders by the jail authorities today and yesterday, 70 undertrials have either been freed or released on bail in accordance with the directives given.The release of others is in process. Significant among the released were many persons who had spent much more time behind bars than their possible sentence could have been. Prominent among those who were released today were two foreign nationals. One was from Kazakhstan. He was put behind bars for travelling without a passport. He had been languishing in jail for the past more than six months even though the possible sentence was of three months only. The high court has directed him to be handed over to the Kazakhstan Embassy for deportation to his country. Talking to this correspondent, the jubilant Kazakh said he had lost hope of securing freedom as there was no one here to fight his case. Another peculiar case was that of a Kenyan national caught under the NDPS Act. He was still in jail even though he had got bail orders almost nine months back. For want of surety from someone of this district, as the law demands, the Kenyan had been languishing in jail. Most of others released or let off on bail were jailed for committing a robbery or on account of family and property disputes. An interesting case worth mentioning here, which gave the judges a hard time was that of Nanak Chand. He was in Central Jail here for the past more than three and a half years. Talking to this correspondent, Nanak Chand said he did not want to go out as life was easy in jail here. While outside he would have had to work hard to earn his livelihood, in jail he was a "state guest" having nothing else to do than eat and sleep. Under the jail rules only the convicts are supposed to work in the jail factory or in the fields while undertrials cannot be employed for such works. The judges, lawyers and jail officials had a hard time in persuading Nanak Chand to agree on being released. Ultimately, to the relief of every one present Nanak Chand pleaded guilty to the charge of swindling money. He was sentenced for three and a half years which he had already spent in the jail. According to Mr K.S Sidhu and Capt S.P. Singh, Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of the jail here, respectively, the orders have come as a relief for them as the jail was packed with undertrials, putting a lot of administrative and financial burden on the jails. They said the undertrials are jubilant at the move of the high court to set up special courts. There was a lot of hue and cry by jail inmates, human rights organisations and the press that due to the delay in justice, undertrials were languishing in jails. At Central Jail here the
number of actual inmates was more than 1300 while the
actuals capacity was nearly 1000. |
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Police should not use
‘cats’: Badal LUDHIANA, March 24 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today expressed the view that 'cats' should no longer be used by the police in its fight against crime. Talking to newspersons here after speaking at the bhog ceremony of an Akali activist, Mr Balraj Singh Gill, who was shot dead here last week, the Chief Minister pointed out that the 'cat' system under which militants captured by the police were used by the security forces to neutralise other militants came into being during militancy in Punjab. Now that there was peace in Punjab, he did not see any reason why they should be used by the police. Answering a question, he declined to say whether he was in favour of disbanding the system. Mr Badal, however, said the DIG and SSP of Ludhiana were personally investigating all aspects of the murder of Mr Balraj Singh Gill in view of the allegations that he was shot dead by a police 'cat' who later surrendered in a judicial court. Two police officers had already been transferred in the case. Speaking at the bhog ceremony, Mr Badal described Mr Gill as a close associate and an active Akali Dal worker. Earlier, Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia, senior vice-president of the Akali Dal (Urban) said that he and Mr Gill had travelled together in the same car on that fateful day. The killer was a militant who had later turned a police cat and, therefore, enjoyed police protection. He wanted the Chief Minister to disband the system of police 'cats'. Others who spoke included
Mr Amrik Singh Aliwal, MP, Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, MLA
and Mr Kulwant Singh Dhukia, an Akali leader. |
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Punjab economic scenario dismal CHANDIGARH, March 24 — The economic survey presented in the Punjab Assembly today shows a dismal picture of the state's economy. There are only a few areas in which the economy is looking up. Compared to 1996-97, the economy of Punjab in the year 1997-98 remained subdued. The gross state domestic products (GSDP) at a constant (1980-81) prices has slightly risen to Rs 11494 crores from Rs 11,279 crore in 1996-97, exhibiting a growth rate of only 1.91 per cent in 1997-98 as compared to the growth rate of 7.51 per cent in 1996-97. This was mainly due to a fall of 10.01 per cent of production in the agriculture sector in 1997-98. An overall growth rate of 5.10 per cent per annum has been recorded in the state economy during the Eighth Plan period (1992-97). The GSDP from the primary sector, which comprises agriculture and allied sector, has gone up from Rs 4601 crore in 1995-96 to Rs 5020 crore in 1996-97 but it has come down substantially to Rs 4807 crore in 1997-98, registering a negative growth rate of 4.25 per cent. The GSDP from the secondary sectors which covers manufacturing, construction and electricity sectors has increased from Rs 2907 crore in 1995-96 to Rs 3701 crore in 1996-97, showing an increase of 5.64 per cent during this period. It further increased to Rs 3321 crore in 1997-98, showing a growth rate of 8.14 per cent. The manufacturing sector which accounts for more than 75 per cent of the secondary sector has grown by 9.05 per cent per annum during the Eighth Plan period. The per capital income at constant (1980-81) prices has been estimated at Rs 4412 during 1996 as against Rs 4176 in 1995-96, registering an increase of 5.65 per cent. But it has marginally increased to Rs 4416 in 1997-98. The per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs 19,500 in 1997-98. The structural composition of the state's economy has witnessed marginal changes since 1980-81. The share of the farm sector has declined from 33.76 per cent in 1980-81 to 25.21 per cent in 1997-98. The contribution from livestock sector has improved from 14.44 per cent in 1980-81 to 16.01 per cent in 1997-98. However, the combined share of agriculture and livestock has come down to 41.22 per cent in the total economy in 1997-98 in the state. Agriculture production in 1997-98 showed a decline over the previous year despite a net increase in the area under different crops. The total foodgrain production has declined from 215.65 lakh tonnes in 1996-97 to 211.61 lakh tonnes, registering a fall of 1.87 per cent in 1997-98. In case of oilseeds and sugarcane there was a sharp fall in production to the tune of 57 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. There is an increase in the number of small, medium and large-scale industries. In the energy sector an increase of 12.3 per cent has been estimated in the installed capacity i.e. from 3538 MW in 1997-98 to 3973 MW by the end of 1998-99. Unemployment continues to cause serious concern despite the 6.33 per cent decrease in the number of job-seekers through employment exchanges. The survey says that the
government continues to face financial crisis due to slow
growth of tax revenue, large rise in non-Plan expenditure
and implementation of the recommendations of the state's
Fourth Pay Commission. Besides the state liability of
interest payment is also on the increase. |
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‘Fund-starved’ board fills
100 posts PATIALA, March 24 — Even as the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has abolished 14 posts, including that of the Public Relations Officer, citing a resource crunch, it has recently filled around 100 posts and filling of another 100 posts is in the pipeline. Moreover, the board has recommended the creation of four posts which has been sent for approval. It also has nearly Rs 20 crore in fixed deposits in various banks and is in the process of establishing its own colonies in Ludhiana and Mohali for which Rs 3.10 crore have been approved in next year's budget. The board has also bought four Ambassador cars and 10 Tata Sumo vehicles this year besides keeping Rs 40 lakh for buying more cars in the next financial year. "All these are essential expenditures," says Board Member Secretary G.S. Bains in the absence of the board Chairman when asked to justify the resource crunch facing the board due to which 14 posts, including that of Public Relations Officer held by Mr G.S. Bahia, a close confidant of former SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra were abolished on March 19. When asked what burden the post of Public Relations Officer who drew an annual salary of Rs 1.30 lakh would had on the board since no one had been appointed on the other 13 posts which had also been abolished, he said the board felt it could avoid this expenditure. Mr Bains said moreover it was the opinion of the board that it could do without a Public Relations Officer. The Member Secretary while talking about the posts filled and others to be filled shortly, said essential posts had to be filled. He said it was essential to fill posts of field staff, including scientific assistants and junior engineers. He said a proposal had been made to create four posts, including three Senior Environment Engineers and one Senior Scientific Officer as they were urgently required. Meanwhile former Public Relations Officer Mr G.S. Bahia, while alleging that he had been victimised due to his proximity with the former SGPC chief, has said the Air and Water Act under which the board had been created clearly stated that the board would create awareness regarding environment pollution through the mass media. "Is not a Public Relations Officer essential for this" he added. Mr Bahia claimed that the
board had approved a total budget of Rs 12.89 crore for
the next year out of which the burden of his post was
only Rs 1.30 lakh as calculated by the board. "As
much as Rs 2 lakh have been sanctioned in the budget for
entertainment alone" , he said while alleging the
board had created the bogie of a financial crunch with
the sole intention of ousting him from service.
"They could not oust me in any other manner as I
have received an excellent ACR and even been commended
for my services by the board Member Secretary," he
added. |
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Accept demands, teachers urge
govt AMRITSAR, March 24 — The Khalsa College Managing Committee today made an appeal to the Punjab Government to accept the genuine demands of the striking teachers of non-government colleges. The Honorary Secretary of the college, Mr Charanjit Singh Chadha, in a press note issued here today said the government should resolve the matter relating to their revised pay scales which would help to improve the tense situation. The management condemned the excesses committed by the police at Chandigarh during their peaceful demonstration. LUDHIANA: The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) launched an anti-government campaign by observing Wednesday as "save education day". As part of this campaign, posters and leaflets highlighting the role of private colleges in the field of education and condemning the anti-education policies of the state government would be distributed among the general public. This was stated by Prof Kanwaljit Singh, President, District Council, Ludhiana. Meanwhile, a meeting of managements' federation and principals' federation is slated to be held here on Thursday to chalk out the course of action regarding the boycott of the university examinations. JALANDHAR: Hunger strike by teachers of non-government aided colleges of the district entered its third day on Wednesday. Eleven teachers of the local DAV College sat on a hunger strike. The universities have repeatedly postponed various examinations due to the boycott of examination related work. PATIALA: The privately managed colleges of the district observed "education bandh day" here on Wednesday. Teachers of the privately managed colleges, Samana, PMN College Rajpura, Modi College and Khalsa College, Patiala held a dharna in front of the office of the Principal, M.M. Modi College here. The teachers criticised "casual and callous" attitude of the Punjab Government towards their demands. Teachers of Punjabi University here also held a dharna in front of the Vice-Chancellor's office to protest against the "negative and divisive" attitude of the Punjab government and to impress upon for the immediate release of the pending clauses of UGC notification. PHAGWARA: The Private College Teachers and Non-Teaching Staff of six non-government colleges here, including Guru Nanak College, GNBL Ramgarhia College for Women, GNNB, Narur Panshat, SBDS Memorial Khalsa College, Domeli, Ramgarhia Arts College, Ramgarhia College of Education, held a protest march on Wednesday from the local bus stand to the SDM's court complex. They wore black badges, carried anti-government and pro-demands banners and placards and shouted slogans against the Badal government. A rally was also held in front of the SDM's office. The protestors later
presented a memorandum to the local SDM for forwarding it
to the Chief Minister. |
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Dental colleges' teachers to
boycott exams AMRITSAR, March 24 — The executive of the Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association PSMDTA in an emergency meeting held here today has decided to boycott teaching at all medical and dental colleges in the state due to the alleged indifferent attitude of the state government towards its genuine demands. These included the implementation of the new pay scales as agreed upon by the high-powered committee chaired by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, on November 6 last year. In a jointly written press note issued by Dr Manmohar Singh and Dr Baljit Singh Dhillon, state President and General Secretary of the association, respectively, announced that all members of the association would boycott the university examinations commencing from May, this year. Members expressed concern that the medical teachers were getting lower pay scales than their own students, including junior doctors and postgraduate students. The association had resolved to intensify the protests by stopping teaching work from March 29. The members took a strong exception to the alleged vindictive attitude of the government in which 10 senior medical and dental teachers were either suspended or transferred to far off places without assigning any valid reason by the then Minister for Medical Education. Ultimately the Chief Minister had to intervene and an agreement with the PSMDTA was reached on November 6 for withdrawing the suspension orders. In the next meeting the association will announce about the boycotting of all university examinations. Earlier the association had suspended their agitation in October, 1998 keeping in view the career of hundreds of undergraduates and postgraduates who were due to appear in their final exam in November, 1998. The medical and dental teachers reiterated that only their category had not been given the revised pay scales or 40 per cent rise in the basic pay as per Punjab Government orders for all in the general fitment chart. They had not been given any rise in DA, house rent, NPA, since 1996 and they continue to draw salary which they were drawing in 1996. They further added that a
senior professor had already resigned and all others had
decided for reversion to the parent cadre. This would
result in the derecognition of all five state medical or
dental colleges. |
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9
city
fathers walk out of meeting BATHINDA, March 24 — As many as nine municipal councillors, including seven of the Congress and one of the CPI, today walked out of the general house meeting of municipal councillors in protest against the refusal of the president, Mr Balwinder Singh Bhuller, to count the votes cast on the resolution regarding the confirmation of privatisation of octroi posts. These municipal councillors also walked out of the meeting in protest against the alleged threat of not carrying out any development work in their respective wards held out to them by Mr Bhuller. On the other hand, activists of the Punjab Pardesh Beopar Mandal, the Bathinda Beopar Mandal and the Punjab Yuva Beopar Mandal staged a dharna in front of the municipal committee office when the meeting of the municipal councillors was going on in protest against giving octroi posts to private persons on contract for the next financial year. Mr Jagjit Singh Joga, municipal councillor of the CPI group, while talking to TNS alleged the nine municipal councillors also protested as the meeting's proceedings were not conducted in a fair manner. Mr Kewal Krishan Aggarwal,
general secretary of the DCC, and Mr Anil Bhola,
president of the city unit of the Congress, condemned the
alleged threat held out by Mr Bhuller of not carrying out
development work in the wards of certain municipal
councillors. |
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Mayor justifies octroi hike AMRITSAR, March 24 — The Mayor, Mr Subhash Chander Sharma, has justified the hike in the octroi charges to meet the requirements of the city in view of paucity of funds for development works. Mr Sharma in a press note issued here yesterday said the recommendation of revised pay scale under the Fourth Pay Commission had upset the financial conditions of both the central and state governments. This had added severe constraint on the availability of liberal funds. The Mayor also refuted the allegation of corruption levelled by Congressmen against him and added that such charges were totally baseless. He pointed that the civic authorities continued to work on various development schemes in the city for providing better amenities. Mr Namritsar Lal Jain, president of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, in a press statement alleged the Punjab Government through a notification on the recommendations of the Mayor of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation had increased the rates of octroi on hundreds of items ranging from 100 per cent to 500 per cent. Even items of daily necessity used by the common man were not spared from this steep hike. This hike was only in Amritsar out of all four corporations of the state i.e. Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Amritsar. A meeting of 32 trade associations of the city was held here in which it was unanimously decided to protest against this octroi hike. Traders will boycott the Mayor and other councillors for 15 days. This irrational step had paralysed the trade and industry of the city by putting traders at a disadvantage. The pradesh beopar mandal requested the state government to immediately withdraw the notification. Besides octroi, the
corporation had also raised trade licence fee from 100
per cent to 200 per cent. |
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Notice to Excise Dept on auction CHANDIGARH, March 24 — Mangat Rai and Company today filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court contesting the action of the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department in not accepting 10 per cent of their bid offered for group Nos 1 to 3 of the Faridkot Excise Circle. The auction of liquor vends was held on March 21. Mr Justice J.L. Gupta and Mr Justice N.K. Agrawal, before whom the petition came up for hearing, issued notice to the respondents for March 26. The Judges held: "The petitioner has given bank drafts for Rs 1.20 crore to his counsel. The drafts bear dates prior to March 21. Counsel submits that this amount of Rs 1.20 crore was offered to Mr A.K. Sharma, Collector-cum-Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Faridkot. He added that the respondents are wanting to give the licence to a person for an amount less than Rs 12 crore." The Judges also issued notice to the respondents for March 26 on the stay of the allotment of excise vends to any other person. The petitioner alleged
that the conduct of the department by not accepting 10
per cent of the bid money at the fall of the hammer was
illegal. The petitioner further alleged that the
officials were not accepting the amount under pressure of
the Chief Minister, who had directed them that these
vends should be allotted to Mr Deep Malhotra, even if he
did not happen to be the highest bidder. |
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Five booked for assaulting
farmer BATHINDA, March 24 — The Sangat police has booked Teja Singh, a former sarpanch of Nandgarh village, Janta Singh, Kika Singh, Sohan Singh and Kaka Singh under Sections 365, 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC for allegedly beating up and putting some chemical into the eyes of Gurmail Singh, a farmer. Police sources said Gurmail Singh in his statement had denied the involvement of an SGPC member in the incident. The condition of Gurmail Singh who had been hospitalised after the incident, was improving. No arrest had been made so far in this regard, the police sources added. Mr Jagjit Singh Joga, Member, state council, CPI, addressing a press conference here today alleged that crime against common people by influential persons were on the rise since the installation of the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab. He demanded that the
Punjab Government should provide fool-proof security to
Gurmail Singh and make arrangements for the treatment of
his eyes. |
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Delay in release of pay scales
flayed GARHSHANKAR, March 24 — The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has condemned the state government for the delay in issuing the notification regarding the grant of conveyance, academic, ESI and higher qualification allowances as per the revised grades to the doctors here as recommended by the Fourth Punjab Pay Commission. Dr D.C. Sharma, General Secretary, Dr Ajay Bagga, Press Secretary of the PCMSA and Dr M.L. Puri, President, Punjab PCMS Welfare Association in a joint press note issued here today said the state government had already accepted the recommendations of the pay commission regarding the grant of above said allowances but was deliberately not issuing the notification. The state government had first issued confusing guidelines for the grant of three assured career progressions (ACPs) after 4.9 and 14 years of service and later on with hold the said orders, they added. They said there was resentment among the senior doctors in the PCMS cadre as the pay scale of the medical officers, senior medical officers, civil surgeons was practically the same. The PCMSA has sought the pay-scale of 18,400-22,400 for doctors with 18 years of service and the SMOs functioning on regular posts and assistant directors. The PCMSA said for the better functioning of health services in the state a new post of Director-General, Health Services, Punjab, be created on the pattern of the central government health, services. They added that in the present set up there were three directors for various wings i.e. health, family welfare and ESI. They urged the Chief
Minister and Health Minister, Punjab, to redress their
grievances and appoint a Director-General, Health
Services. |
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Notification brings parity CHANDIGARH, March 24 — The Punjab Government today issued a notification by which it put the teaching staff of government aided private colleges on a par with the teaching staff of government colleges and universities in respect of pay scales and allowances etc. The notification was issued this afternoon according to Mr Charanjit Chawla, a spokesman of the Punjab and Chandigarh Government Aided College Teachers' Union. As per the notification the teaching staff of aided colleges will get all these benefits with effect from January 1, 1996. The Union had threatened
that it would boycott examination if teaching staff were
not treated on a par with their counterparts in
government colleges and universities in case of pay
scales and allowances. |
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Plea to save fasting teachers'
lives PATIALA, March 24 — Punjab Pradesh Congress General Secretary Bir Devinder Singh, expressing shock at the callous attitude of the Punjab Government towards the ongoing agitation by teachers, has sought the intervention of the state Governor to save the lives of the teachers who were on a fast-unto-death, dharna. In a statement here yesterday he said urgent action was required to save the life of Tejinder Kaur, Ritu Joshi, Jaspal Singh and Gurcharan Singh who were sitting on an indefinite fast at present. Condemning the Punjab Government, he said though thousands of posts of teachers were lying vacant, yet the qualified teachers, who had been duly selected by selection committees, were being deprived of job opportunities. While expressing
solidarity with the agitating "relieved"
teachers, he appealed to the government to immediately
redress the genuine grievances of the teachers as it was
causing disquiet amongst the teaching community. |
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