The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

PAU gets Rs 100-cr bail-out package
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
The cash-starved Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) got a new lease of life as the Punjab Government has approved a grant of Rs 100 crore to the university and immediately released Rs 25 crore as first installment to run the various research projects in the university.

The amount will be deposited by the university as a corpus fund and the interest hence generated will be used for research in various fields of agriculture. Jubilant at the grant, Vice-Chancellor K. S. Aulakh told Ludhiana Tribune that the efforts of the university in convincing the government about the urgent need of establishing such a fund have finally borne fruit.

The Punjab Government has already released 25 per cent of the promised grant and the rest will be released within the next two years in installments. The amount of Rs 25 crore has been given by the Infrastructure Development Board.

The grant brings a ray of hope for the various research projects of the university as the financial condition of the PAU was worsening day by day. The university is facing a deficit of Rs 22 crore in the current fiscal year. The university has not even deposited the provident fund of the employees since April onwards.

It is a well known fact that the PAU is facing the deficit under the salary head as it is receiving an amount of Rs 6 crore every month for it while the requirement is of Rs 9 crore. The university is even facing difficulty in paying the carry home salary to the employees. Sources added the university is in a soup as it is losing monthly interest over the amount, that was deposited in the banks, but will have to pay the interest to the employees.

Dr Aulakh said the corpus fund would generate an amount of Rs 10 crore every year which will be used for various research projects. The university was facing the financial crisis very badly as 83 per cent of the total amount released to the university every year was being spent on the salaries of the employees. He said that the situation was very grim as only 17 percent of the finances were left with the university for the research activities in the university.

Consensus sought on POTO
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 9
The Union Minister of State in the PMO, Mr Vijay Goyal, today pleaded for a consensus on the issue of POTO, which was a crucial legislation for the security and integrity of the country.

Talking to mediapersons here, he expressed the hope that major political parties would come round to the view that POTO would prove effective in the nation’s ongoing war against terrorism and in the interest of the country, they would extend their support to the legislation. He was of the view that national issues should not be politicised and some common ground should be reached by all political parties.

Replying to questions on the poll prospects of the BJP in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Mr Goyal observed that contrary to the impression that was sought to be created by vested interests, the party had not lost support in these states. He said the SAD-BJP coalition in Punjab was on a strong footing.

The minister termed the allegations of “saffronisation” of education as politically motivated. “There is absolutely no substance in the hue and cry over certain changes effected in the text books and all propaganda is motivated, aimed at drawing political mileage.”

Mr Goyal, who represents the Chandni Chowk constitutnecy in the Lok Sabha and was instrumental in the abolition of lotteries in the national Capital, said he would take up the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for the imposition of a ban on state lottery in the state as a large number of poor people fell victim to this social evil.

Mr Pradeep Mittal, president, Akhil Bhartiya Aggarwal Sammelan, recalled the contribution of “vaish” community in all walks of life. He demanded adequate representation for the community in Parliament and the state legislatures. “The matter has been discussed with Mr Badal and the BJP leadership at the highest level and the response had been positive,” he maintained.

In his welcome address, Mr Amrit Lal Aggarwal mentioned that almost 1,000 non-Sikhs, including businessmen, professionals and industrialists from the community, had joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) in the presence of the Chief Minister during two separate functions at Aggar Nagar here. A campaign, he added, had been launched to bring the non-Sikh segment of the population in the fold of the SAD-B, which had evoked good response.

‘Tantriks’ exploiting superstitious people
Time for police to take action
D.B. Chopra

Ludhiana, December 9
Case I: About two decades ago in Ropar, a three-year-old child was allured by a childless woman while he was playing with his mates at the end of the street near his house. News about the missing child spread like fire. Next day, the body of the child was found near the canal bank and the police, for once, was quick to nab the woman who confessed before newsmen that a particular priest had advised her that if she sacrificed a male child and performed a certain ritual thereafter, she would be blessed by a male child. She was to strangulate the child, then smear certain parts of her body with the blood of the sacrificed child. She was to do all this well before sunrise and take a dip in the water at the end of it all. The desperate wish to have a child landed the woman in jail. But the priest involved went scot-free.

Case II: About a year ago, a similar distraught migrant woman living near Sahnewal put an end to the life of a four-year-old male child in the hope that she would be able to conceive after that. But she also fell into the police dragnet and confessed to her crime. In this case too, the ‘tantrik’ who suggested the extreme measure, remained unharmed by the law.

Case III: The hand of a ‘tantrik’ is suspected to be behind the gory murder of a seven-year-old boy whose body was found near Samrala chowk on December 3. The police has been trying to hunt down the alleged tantrik ever since then but it has not met with any success so far.

In such cases, the tantriks instigate the woman who wishes to conceive. They are the ones who are to be blamed as the real perpetrators of these heinous crimes against children. But a case is registered against those who are directly involved in committing the crime and these tantriks who suggest such gory means to desperate women seeking a child, go scot-free.

It is not that these so-called tantriks suggest only murder, some of them even act as pimps for wealthy businessmen of the city. Recently, a poor woman from Maharashtra had brought out the story of a ‘jyotishi’, who managed to scare her husband away from home and later made her the concubine of a wealthy industrialist. Her dejected husband took away, the 12-year-old daughter with him to an unknown place.

These ‘jyotishis’ and ‘tantriks’, who infest the city like anything, can go to any limits when it comes to making easy money. They operate from localities and some of them even have offices in posh markets of the town. The illiterate and the superstitious among the educated class also hanker after these ‘rogues in saffron’ in the hope that their problem would be solved . Bizarre things such as throwing a certain quantity of coal into the Budha Nullah or the Sutlej are suggested. Some tantriks also sexually exploit the women who are bent upon seeking revenge and settling scores with a jealous neighbour or a relative.

So, it is the time for administration to ponder over the issue and hammer out remedial measures to free society of the menace of these anti-social elements.

CIA busts gang of robbers, murderers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
The Central Investigation Agency (CIA), Ludhiana, today claimed to have busted a kale kachchewala gang of robbers and murderers by arresting three of its key members, while two others fled.

A large number of crime cases, including the sensational murder of a couple at Rani Bhatti village in Jalandhar district, have been solved with their arrest, the police claimed. The gang was mainly involved in robbery and snatching incidents.

According to a press release issued by the police, the arrested gang members have been identified as Raj Kumar, alias Raju, Jeet Ram and Yusuf. Two other members, Amarjit and Vinod Mehra, escaped the police net. The police said the arrests assumed significance as the gang members were wanted in several police districts of the state and even in neighbouring states.

The police release said the accused were planning to commit some robberies in Laddowal when a CIA team swooped on them and caught them red-handed. The police said a number of weapons had been seized from the accused

The accused have confessed of having committed crimes in Adampur Rama Mandi, Kakki Pind, Chaheru, Dhilwan Sidhipur, Lidhra, Lamman Pind, Chowk Buta Mandi, Jandu Singh village and some other places where they committed a number of robberies, murders and even dacoities.

Police sources said it was apprehedned that the accused had links with Jammu and Kashmir terrorist, but no such evidence had come up during investigation so far.

No inquiry into FMD outbreak
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will not hold any inquiry into the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease (FMD) that has infected more than 35 cattle in the dairy farms owned and managed by the university.

The holding of an inquiry has been ruled out by the authorities who are of the opinion that the FMD was a very common disease in the country and it affected animals every year.

While talking to Ludhiana Tribune today, Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, said that there was no human error in the outbreak of the disease. He said that he had called a meeting of the deans and directors of the university in which it was established that as the animals were being vaccinated in routine, responsibility could not be fixed on anyone.

He also said that the animals were yet to be given a booster dose of the FMD vaccine when they developed symptoms of the disease. He said that it was not confirmed as yet whether they were infected by the FMD or not as the results of the samples collected from these animals were yet to come.

The samples obtained from the sick animals were sent to the diagnostic laboratory, Jalandhar.

Couple burn woman to death
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
A woman was allegedly burnt to death by a neighbouring couple in Prabhat Nagar early this morning. The woman was allegedly killed over a minor argument between the neighbours. According to the police, the deceased, Neeru Devi, along with her husband, Brij lal, was one of the tenants of Balbir Singh and had been running a channa-bhatura shop. Their immediate neighbour were Sunita and her husband, Vijay. The neighbours usually had a fight with each other over the issue of some noise made by Neeru and his family in the morning.

The police said this morning, Sunita picked up a fight with Brij Lal accusing him of making too much noise in the morning daily. Neeru intervened on her husband's behalf and the argument took a bitter turn when Sunita and Vijay allegedly poured kerosene on Neeru and put her on fire. The badly burnt Neeru succumbed to her injuries in a city hospital.

The police has registered a case of murder against Sunita and Vijay.

Sekhon mela on January 5
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 9
A meeting was held to celebrate a mela in the memory of Principal Sant Singh Sekhon, under the presidentship of Mr Tejwant Singh Gill at Dakha House, Maharaja Nagar.

The most important decisions taken at the meeting were to organise a play based on the life of Principal Sekhon. A kavi darbar, a kahani darbar, and a seminar will be organised in his memory on January 5. A music competition will also be arranged among the students of various colleges at Baba Bohar. A cultural programme will be held on January 6.

Mr Balraj Singh Sekhon, vice-president, District Congress Committee, also declared that a distinguished person would be honoured every year who did some credible-work according to the principles of Prof Sant Singh Sekhon.

Anniversary celebrations
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
The Sofat Infertility and Women Care Centre celebrated the completion of six years of its inception. The centre, equipped with ultra modern gadgets, has decided to offer 20 per cent discount to the childless couples who register with the centre for treatment till January, 2002. The centre has an eminent team of doctors headed by Dr Sumeet Sofat and Dr Sumita.

The centre, which started as a diagnostic clinic, gradually progressed to become leader in the field of infertility and test-tube baby treatment.

Export processed wheat to Afghanistan: millers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
The Floor Millers Association of India and the Punjab Roller Floor Mills Association at a meeting held here yesterday, has appealed to the Central Government to export only processed wheat to Afghanistan as it would help the revival of sick mills in the state. They said otherwise this wheat would be processed by the mills in Pakistan.

Welcoming the decision of the state government to provide relief in about 9 per cent taxes on the industry, Mr Gopal Bhushan Gupta, senior vice-president, Floor Millers Association of India and president of the Punjab Roller Millers Association, said:‘‘The mills in Punjab are ready to process the wheat to be exported to Afghanistan at the lowest rates. It would help us revive most of the mills, currently lying sick due to non-utilisation of the capacity.’’

He pointed out that due to high taxation in the past, out of total 58 mills in the state, 32 mills were forced to close down due to decline in competitiveness. The other 26 mills were utilising only 35 per cent of their capacity, resulting in heavy losses. In accordance with the policy of the state, the Central Government should also come to their rescue.

The association welcomed the state government's recent decision to exempt the floor mills from paying 4 per cent purchase tax, 2 per cent rural development fund, 2 per cent market committee fee and 1 per cent infrastructural cess on the direct purchase of wheat.

Mr Gupta urged the Centre and Punjab to reimburse the freight charges from the state to the ports to encourage the processed wheat exports from the state and to ensure the wheat exports at Rs 4,750 per tonne price. Since the state was far away from the ports, it was almost impossible for the millers to export at this rate.

He conjectured that the installation of a friendly government in Afghanistan would encourage wheat exports from the state. Secondly, the mills would purchase wheat directly from the farmers, thus saving more than Rs 60 per quintal as the payment of taxes. So they would be able to compete with the millers of the neighbouring states in the domestic and international markets.

The meeting was also attended by Mr Naresh Ghai, general secretary of the association, Mr Ashok Mahajan, Mr Varinder Kumar, Mr Manjit Singh, Mr Ashok Kumar and Mr Mangal Singh.

‘Treat hotels on par with industrial units’
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Punjab in a memorandum submitted to the Chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Board ( PSEB ) has urged to treat the hotels and restaurants on a par with the industrial units as the state government had declared the hotel and tourism as on industry in 1996. It has asked the board to charge industry rates from them rather than the commercial rates.

Mr N.S. Nanda, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Punjab, said,‘‘The hotel and tourism was declared as a full-fledged industry by the Punjab government vide notification dated March 20, 1996, however, despite a lapse of five years, we are still charged under the commercial category, by the PSEB. We are also registered with the Directorate of Industries as a small-scale industrial units and have been issued permanent registration certificates in this regard. So there is no justification in the PSEB’s policy to charge commercial rates.’’

The association has pointed out that the board has recently asked them to club the metres, in case of more than one metre on the same premises. They have been further instructed to install their own transformers, if the load was more than 100 kw after clubbing the metres or with a single meter. Otherwise they would have to pay Rs 750 per kw on the total load, which was quite unjustified, added Mr Nanda.

The hoteliers have demanded that the newly introduced transformer charges should be charged on the extended load and not on the total load. The board was already charging other charges for up to 100 kw load. Further, the board should charge for the utilised load, as compared to the load on the basis of connections on both ACs and geysers were not used simultaneously.

Mr Nanda said if the meter was burnt or damaged, it should be replaced or removed with the consent and in the presence of consumer. If it is to be checked or tested in laboratory, that too should be also done in the presence of consumers.