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YEARENDER
PUNJAB
Akalis complete full five-year
term
Chandigarh
As one punches the computer keys
to capsule the key events of 2001, one is reminded that this is the
last year of the SAD-BJP combine’s five-year term. Therefore, it
will be appropriate to have a quick run of its five-year rule,
recapitulating what stands out and what is outstanding.
A year of “Captains” and Badungar
Patiala, December 28
The year 2001 belonged to the “Captains” of this district. Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh started the year on a happier note. He later started concentrating on his constituency in the wake of internal wrangling in the party, the other captain, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh, consolidated his hold over the party with the blessings of the party high command.
Assembly staff taken unawares
Chandigarh, December 28
The decision to convene a
special session on December 31 to meet a constitutional requirement
has caught the Punjab Vidhan Sabha staff unawares. So much so that
most of the members of the Watch and Ward staff are on leave to
exhaust their quota of leave. There are some who are availing
themselves of the Leave Travel Concession.
TRIBUNE FOLLOWUP
Finance
Dept told to withdraw order
Ropar, December 28
The Chief Minister, Mr Prakash
Singh Badal, has asked the Finance Department to withdraw its
directive aimed at recalling states employees from the Bhakra Beas
Management Board. Sources told TNS that after the publication of news
item regarding the issue in The Tribune, Mr Badal directed the Chief
Secretary to withdraw the said directive of the Finance Ministry.
Punjab
Cong
poll panel meeting today
New Delhi, December 28
The screening committee of the
Congress for Punjab, which is to decide the party’s candidates for
the forthcoming assembly poll, will meet here tomorrow. AICC Treasurer
Motilal Vora, who is in charge of Punjab, said at tomorrow’s meeting
the committee members would talk to all members of the Punjab Congress
Election Committee over the choice of candidates.
BJP to focus on
‘Punjabi ekta’
Chandigarh, December 28
The BJP national secretary, Mr O.
P. Kohli, in charge Punjab affairs, has held prolonged
election-related discussions with the state president, Mr Brij Lal
Rinwa, ministers, Balramji Das Tandon and Madan Mohan Mittal and
general-secretary (organisation), Mr Avinash Jaiswal, here in the past
two days. He has also reviewed the strategy on the sharing of seats
with the SAD.
Election
scene hots up
Bathinda, December 28
The election scene in the
district has started warming up with the announcement of dates for the
coming Assembly elections by the Chief Election Commissioner late last
evening.
Panthic
Morcha to contest all seats
Ludhiana, December 28
The Panthic Morcha has decided to
contest all 117 seats in Punjab. A crucial meeting of the morcha was
held today at Mansooran, near here, under the chairmanship of its
convener, Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi.
Mann
warning
on war
Ludhiana, December 28
The Shiromani Akali Dal
(Amritsar) chief, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, today warned the government
against war with Pakistan, saying it would shatter the country’s
economy and lead to disaster. He criticised the BJP for “creating
war hysteria for its vested partisan interests”.
SAD
rebel Kangar to contest against Maluka
Rampuraphul, December 28
Rebellion formally raised its
head in the Shiromani Akali Dal today when a senior leader of the
Youth Akali Dal and a former member of the zila parishad, Mr Gurpreet
Singh Kangar opened his election offices at three places in this
Assembly segment after publically declaring that he would contest the
coming Assembly elections against the state Power Minister, Mr
Sikander Singh Maluka, who has been renominated by the party from this
seat.
CEC’s
directives hasty: YAD
Phagwara, December 28
Mr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, newly
appointed president of the Youth Akali Dal, today declared that the
executive of the youth wing of the SAD would be constituted within 10
days after getting a directive from Chief Minister and SAD President
Parkash Singh Badal. Talking to newspersons, he said every section
would be given due representation in the executive.
Pasla
to field candidates
Jalandhar, December 28
Expelled CPM member Mangat Ram
Pasla today decided to field his candidates in the February 13 Punjab
Vidhan Sabha elections. In a statement Mr Pasla alleged that CPM
General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, who desired a Congress
victory in the elections, was trying for an alliance with it.
Valmiki
Samaj to back SAD-BJP
Chandigarh, December 28
Valmikis, led by Mr Vijay Danav,
president Valmiki Samaj, thronged the Chief Minister's residence and
committed their firm support to Mr Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday
night vowing to defeat the Congress in the ensuing Assembly elections.
NCP to
contest 32 seats
Bathinda, December 28
The Nationalist Congress Party
will field its candidates from 32 constituencies in the Punjab
Assembly elections. Mr Anil Gupta, NCP spokesperson and president of
the city unit, said in a press note issued here today that the
decision in this regard was taken by the Political Affairs Committee
at a meeting last week.
SCs remain homeless
despite assurance
Jalandhar, December 28
Even as the Punjab Chief Minister
has instructed the authorities to implement all welfare schemes for
Scheduled Castes at the grassroots level, the district administration
has failed to provide grants to them for the construction of their
houses in the past two years.
Terrorist victims' long wait
Chandigarh, December 28
It has been a long wait for victims of terrorist violence in Punjab. There are 1,500-odd such young boys and girls whose fathers were killed during the rule of the gun. Though promised a government job, the wait for one continues despite interviews and selections by various departments.
HC
quashes clerks’ appointment
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 28
The future of the 53 clerks,
working at present in the Deputy Commissioner’s office here, whose
services have been quashed by the high court under Article 226 of the
Constitution has become dismal. The high court has ordered that all
those who had applied for the posts vide an advertisement published in
newspapers on July 14, 1992, will be given another chance.
Bank employees
hold protest
Patiala, December 28
On a call given by the Cooperative Bank Employees Federation, Punjab, employees of the Patiala Central Cooperative Bank today held a demonstration in front of the bank’s headquarters and observed a two-hour pen-down strike.
Panel to frame
foodgrain policy
Jalandhar, December 28
The Union Minister for Consumer
Affairs, Food and Civil Supplies, Mr Shanta Kumar, today said the
Central Government had constituted a committee of experts to frame a
new foodgrain policy. Talking to reporters at Circuit House here
today, Mr Shanta Kumar said the committee, headed by Prof Abhijit Sen,
would submit its report to the Union Government next month.
17
BKU
(Ekta) activists detained
Kotda Korianwali (Bhathinda),
December 28
As many as 17 activists of the
BKU (Ekta), including two women, were taken into preventive custody in
this village when they allegedly tried to disrupt a religious function
organised by the village panchayat, which was being presided over by
the Punjab Power Minister, Mr Sikandar Singh Malooka.
EC bans release of
development funds
Bathinda, December 28
The Election Commission of India
has banned the fresh release of funds for any development work under
the Member of Parliament Local Area Development scheme at all places
going to poll in February.
Car thief arrested
Amritsar, December 28
The police has arrested Ranjit
Singh, who allegedly used to steal cars from other states and sell
these in Punjab. This was stated by Mr Rajesh Jaiswal SP (city), at a
press conference held here today.
2
proclaimed offenders held
Include teachers’
demands in manifestos: Sodhi
Phagwara, December 28
Punjab and Chandigarh College
Teachers’ Union, an apex body of 7,000 non-government college
teachers, today asked various political parties to include its
10-point charter of demands in their respective poll manifestos for
the coming Assembly elections slated for February 13 next. Prof K.B.S.
Sodhi, PCCTU, President, had written letters to Presidents of the
state Congress, SAD, BJP, SHSAD, CPI, CPM, about it stating this here
today.
FEAR
allegations baseless: dept head
Patiala, December 28
The Punjabi University today
claimed that the Forum of Education And Reform had levelled baseless
allegations against the Department of Correspondence Courses and its
management and stated that all purchases made from the grant received
from the Distance Education Council had been made strictly according
to procedural norms and conditions prescribed by the DEC.
Delink distance
education: expert
Patiala, December 28
Dr H.S. Singhar, Director of Distance Education, Sagar University, Madhya Pradesh, today stressed on the need to delink distance education from the conventional.
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