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Dera row Centre given three days to file reply Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 25 The praise came when the court was hearing a couple of petitions relating to the Dera issue in which petitioners had sought protection of the life and property of dera followers in particular and other citizens in general. “We appreciate the steps taken by the Punjab and Haryana governments in protecting the life, liberty and property of their citizens,” the Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Mahesh Grover, said. The Punjab government filed an affidavit stating that “necessary steps and measures to control law and order and to maintain peace had been taken”. It was emphasised that the Bathinda police had been told to take immediate action and adequate steps to protect the life and property of dera followers. The affidavit highlighted the fact that during the Punjab bandh, no untoward incident had been allowed to take place and paramilitary forces had been deployed at sensitive places. A similar affidavit was filed by the Haryana government stating that the government showed no laxity in handling the situation and companies of paramilitary forces were requisitioned from the Centre to maintain law and order. The Union of India’s counsel, Daya Chaudhary, sought two days to file reply but the court in its order allowed her three days to do the same. The case has been fixed for hearing on May 31. The much-awaited moment came when the UT Administration’s counsel, Anupam Gupta, whose submissions during the previous hearing had left the court fuming and fretting, stood up to address the Division Bench. Gupta filed his personal affidavit which was ordered to be taken on record by the court But the court asked him to file another affidavit of the UT Administration, saying: “We never addressed you in your personal capacity. We referred to you as the senior standing counsel for the Chandigarh Administration”.
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80 families leave sect
Sangrur, May 25 As per information, about 50 families (150 followers) snapped their ties with the Sacha Sauda sect in a gurdwara at Mangwal village, about 2 km from here, and another 25 families (160 followers) followed suit in a gurdwara at Chathe Sekhwan village, at a distance of 6 km from here. Meanwhile, seven families (18 followers) also left the faction at Kammomajra village, about 3 km from here. All dera followers, who today left the Sacha Sauda sect, were presented with ‘siropas’. These dera followers had left the sect by stating that dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had insulted Sri Guru Gobind Singh by imitating. A large number of families from Cheema Mandi, Beer Kalan village, Sheron village, Jakhepal village and Sunam had earlier snapped their ties with the dera.
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We can handle: Sukhbir
Chandigarh, May 25 Talking to The Tribune after his brief stay abroad, the acting president of the Shiromani Akali Dal is hopeful that the dera controversy will be resolved amicably. “We have learnt our lessons after paying a huge cost through the loss of lives, property and dignity and slackness of the development process.” He says the centre should intervene to bring about a settlement of the dera row as it is a matter of national interest. “I was in constant touch with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and senior functionaries of the state administration and briefed the investors I met in London during my six-day stay there. Though I had planned a 30-day tour to woo non-resident Punjabis to come and invest in Punjab to accelerate the pace of development here, I had to return because of the dera row. Coming to the dera controversy, Sukhbir Badal says that the Shiromani Akali Dal believes that no religious sect should try to hurt the sentiments of the followers of other religions and sects. “In fact, there is a constitutional protection against such violations. A hukamnama from Akal Takht is a moral edict to ensure that the rights of the Sikhs are protected against any religious misadventure prompted by vested political interests.” Regarding the dera controversy, he said the appeal issued by the political wing of the dera was violative of the secular and democratic ethos of the country. He says the SAD has never shown any intolerance towards any sect. The present situation is “not our creation”. It is the endeavour of the Akali Dal to provide peaceful and conducive conditions in the state for people belonging to all sects, religions and castes.
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Suit filed against dera chief
Barnala, May 25 The court has fixed June 12 as the next hearing of other evidence in this regard. Jatinder Singh, through his counsel, has complained in his suit that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has hurt the religious sentiments of the people. A resident of the nearby Dhanual Kurd, he had earlier gone to the Handiaya police station to get a case registered against the dera head, but the police refused to do so, advising him to knock the door of the court for the same.
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Shaheed Bhagat Singh replaces baba’s photos
Bathinda, May 25 Shops and other commercial establishments being run by dera followers have begun displaying the photographs of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, replacing those of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The reason behind this move could not be known. However, information gathered by TNS revealed that most of the dera followers had done so to avoid any kind of harassment by members of various Sikh organisations. Interestingly, some of the Hindu families, which were having ‘unflinching loyalty’ towards Dera Sacha Sauda sect, are accepting siropas to join their respective religious fold. So far about 400 families of Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar and Sangrur districts have shunned their ties with the dera. Pawan Kumar, a spokesperson of the dera said these followers were never ever part of the sect. He added that they had never asked its followers to shun their parent religion.
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Tough days ahead, DGP tells officers
Jalandhar, May 25 The DGP also made it clear to all DSPs and SHOs that they would be directly held responsible in case any unsavoury development erupts in their respective areas of operation in days to come. Aulakh, who along with IG (Jalandhar zone) Sanjiv Kalra, met the DIG (Jalandhar range), four SSPs of the Doaba region, DSPs and SHOs, came to Jalandhar in a chopper. After the hurriedly convened meeting, Aulakh and Kalra flew to Ludhiana to undertake a similar exercise there.
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Probe sought into dera row
Patiala, May 25 He said it was necessary to rule out the conspiracy if any, in view of public outcry by responsible persons of the state, alleging conspiracy behind enactment of the incident of “blasphemy”, which had too many similarities to that enacted by the Nirankari sect in 1978 in Amritsar, which played havoc with peace in the state.
— TNS
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Sadbhavna rallies by Left
Sangrur, May 25 A similar rally was also taken out by the Left parties and other organisations at Sherpur. It was attended by Barri, CPI leader Sadhu Singh, leader of anganwari workers Surinder Kaur and leader of teachers Faqir Singh among others.
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Badal launches projects aided by World Bank
Chandigarh, May 25 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal launched the two projects that are collectively worth Rs 2,780 crore. These are the Rs 1280 crore Punjab water supply and sanitation project to augment potable water supply to over 3000 villages of the state and the one which involves rehabilitation and widening of 1300 km of road at a cost of Rs 1500 crore. Badal launched these projects at a ceremony at the CII here in the presence of operations advisor, World Bank, Rachid Benmesaoud, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa. Badal assured that his government would improve infrastructure. The water supply and sanitation project was one of the most ambitious projects that will provide potable water to over 3000 villages, sewerage facility to over 100 villages and take care of village ponds in 1000 villages. With the completion of this project in the next five years, Punjab will become the first state with 100 per cent coverage of water supply to all 12,267 villages and habitations in all the 20 districts of the state. Speaking about the road project, the Chief Minister said it would involve rehabilitation and upgradation and the loan component alone would be Rs 1100 crore. It was the largest-ever road sector project being undertaken in Punjab. The state government had set up a dedicated road maintenance fund to ensure adequate funding for the maintenance of roads. Badal said his government had given the nod to new resettlement and rehabilitation policy to take care of those people whose land or structures get acquired in the implementation of this road project. The minister for water supply and sanitation Bikram Singh Majithia claimed he had created a special counter-intelligence cell in the purview of this project to keep an eye on all financial transactions. He would get a feedback from all panches and sarpanches regarding quality of material being used in the project. The minister said his major concern was that every penny spent on this project should be well spent. He also requested the World Bank authorities to increase the scope of this project to meet the increasing demand by villages that are seeking inclusion in this project. On the project road, Dhindsa said Punjab Roads and Bridges Development Board (PRBDB) would be the overall implementing authority of this project. He said in the first phase which was under execution, about 150 km would be widened. About 200 km of road would be get a facelift and another 350 km of road would be maintained. In the second phase, 500 km of roads would be upgraded. World Bank Operations Advisor Rachid Benmesaoud said the bank was committed to helping all infrastructure-related projects especially those impacting the life of the maximum population.
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Airport security issue taken up
Amritsar, May 25 Replying to his question about the security arrangements after bomb blasts in the Samjhauta Express on February 19 this year, the aviation committee assured him that adequate security measures were in place at the airport. Tarlochan Singh said the committee had, in its reply, informed him that comprehensive security instructions and measures were in force to preclude the possibility of any unlawful interference, including sabotage and hijacking. On his suggestion to start daily flights of the Air India Express from Amritsar to Dubai, the committee said the frequency of the flights had already been increased from three to five and there were plans to make it a daily service in the coming months, provided it continued to get a good number of passengers. The second phase of expansion of the airport has been planned as a time-bound project. Two parking bays have already been completed. Work on the main building was awarded on November 24, 2006, and is in progress. It is likely to be completed by March 2008, informed the committee.
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Giri to Kalam: Open Amarnath pilgrimage for month
Hoshiarpur, May 25 In a message faxed to this correspondent here today, Giri stated that lakhs of pilgrims from the country and abroad take part in the annual pilgrimage, but despite terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir proper security cover was not provided to them. He urged the President to instruct the Jammu and Kashmir Governor to get security guards deployed en route from Lakhanpur to the holy shrine.
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11 EOs of civic bodies suspended
Chandigarh, May 25 Kalia alleged that they had not been depositing deductions from employees’ salaries but were diverting the same for other purposes. The suspended EOs had allegedly diverted more than Rs 35 lakh each from pensionary and other benefits of employees of the urban local bodies. The spokesperson said those suspended were Vijay Kumar Sharma— Pathankot; Manjinder Singh — Dinanagar; Manmohan Singh — Gurdaspur; Hardev Singh — Ferozepore; Jagtar Singh — Sujanpur; Aman Kumar — Kapurthala; Devinder Kumar Goel— Talwandi Bhai; Dewan Chand — Abohar; Bhupinder Singh Sra — Giddarbaha; Krishan Chand Sharma — Fazilka; and Krishan Kumar Goel — Rama. Besides, 27 other executive officers were being charge-sheeted for major punishment for dereliction of duty.
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Dist planning board soon: Dhindsa
Barnala, May
25 Punjab PWD
and B and R minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa has already been made the
chairman of the district planning board in addition to the chairman,
district planning board, Nawanshahar. The deputy commissioner informed
that soon after the nomination of six non-official members (five
civilians and one ex-serviceman) on the district planning board, it
would start functioning. He would then convene the board’s meeting as
its member-cum- secretary. He made it clear that the district grievances
panel, too, would be constituted within 15 days’ time to redress the
grievances of public promptly. Ohri further disclosed that the new
district administrative complex would shortly come up at an estimated
cost of Rs 10 crore. He further added that the procees of acquiring the
Improvement Trust’s land would soon start.
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76 ETOs to be recruited
Chandigarh, May 25 To begin with, the recruitment of 76 excise and taxation officers (ETOs) will be referred to the UPSC. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the cabinet subcommittee to discuss ways and means to mobilise additional resources for the state’s development.
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Tribune Impact
Amritsar, May 25 The Civil Lines police has already booked Sandip, posted as assistant commandant , 5 Battalion, Bahadurgarh, and an additional SHO, Civil Lines, Vivinder Kumar, apart from registering a fresh case against Rakesh, who had been arrested in connection with a Rs 100-crore land deal case. Though Sandip had denied his involvement, the local police is likely to send its report on the alleged pressure put on the Civil Lines police to ensure the release of Rakesh from police custody. Since his (Rakesh) brother Sandip was posted here as SP sometime back, the police officials posted in the Civil Lines reportedly succumbed to his pressure and allowed him (Sandip) to take his brother along with him. Meanwhile, the police is likely to tighten its noose around the officials of improvement trust and municipal corporation, who had reportedly connived in the shady deal of the prime land belonging to the improvement trust. The Amritsar police had booked Rakesh on April 17 in the alleged Rs 100 crore fraud deal in which tenants were shown as owners of the controversial piece of land, measuring 10,000 sq yards, belonging to the Amritsar Improvement Trust in the posh Ranjit Avenue locality.
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Probe sought into Boprai’s ‘wrongdoing’
Patiala, May 25 Convener of the JAC Dr Manjit Singh said yesterday despite the protest no matter regarding the victimisation of students, teachers, non-teaching staff and various other demands of students had been addressed so far. He alleged that the vice-chancellor had done several irregularities and favouritism during his term. As the matters regarding his wrongdoings were highlighted, the VC had been acting against the whistleblowers, he added. Orders of suspension, termination and transfers were the common practice to snub those who raised their voice against the VC, a spokesman for the committee said. Dr Manjit Singh has urged the state government to order a vigilance inquiry against the VC. He said they had brought the matter to the notice of all functionaries at higher level, but no action was visible so far. He said the vice-chancellor had been deducting 1 per cent salary of faculty members for the past one year without any authority and there was a lot of resentment among them. He demanded that the deducted amount should be refunded with interest.
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Theatre repertory makes varsity proud
Patiala, May 25 It has earned Rs 12.42 lakh by staging over 165 shows in more than 100 villages, town and cities of Punjab of its two productions, “Mitti Rudan
Kare” and “Neon Jarh”, based on the scourge of drug abuse and female feticide. While Rs 8.44 lakh have been deposited in the university’s account, the remaining Rs 2.28 lakh have been reserved for the students of Guru Kashi College, Talwandi Sabo, under the Golden Heart Scholarship Scheme. According to Dr Gurcharan Singh, director of the repertory, who has also directed the two plays, the objective of the scripts was based on declining sex ratio in the state and drug addiction among the rural Punjabi youth. He said the shows fetched sponsorships from the state government, NGOs and village panchayats. Given the feedback by the audience, which sometimes crossing 15,000, Dr Gurcharan said, “We have been able to achieve our goal. Professional theatre that we are taking to the Punjab hinterlands works impressively than political speeches and television due to its direct approach”.
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GND varsity to revert to internal evaluation
Amritsar, May 25 The unusual delay by the university in coming out with the result of examinations, some of which were held in December last year, had led to resentment among students. The external system of evaluation was introduced by the university last year. Talking to The Tribune,
B.R. Batra, in charge, examinations, said taking this seriously, the vice-chancellor had decided to go back to the internal evaluation system. Of the 210 courses offered on the university campus, results of around 170 had been declared so far, he said. “The promotion of students from an odd to even semester is automatic and the students can appear for re-evaluations later on. Thankfully, this time around the university was holding examinations for odd-semesters. Had it been the other way round, the delay in results could have led to major problems. The university could not afford such delays for the next semester examinations,” he said. The college admissions, in any case, would be held in June and all results would be out by then. The results of B Com I and II would be out by the end of this month and that of final year by July first week.
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6 pc DA for employees of aided schools
Chandigarh, May 25 Gurcharan Singh, president of the union, said
DPI (secondary schools) Jagtar Singh Khatra had issued a letter increasing the DA from 29 per cent 35 per cent. The employees of aided schools would now get DA on a par with government employees. He said the DPI had ordered to deposit the arrear of DA from January 1 to May 31 in GPF of employees and from the next month they would get the increased DA with salary.
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Patiala: Arundeep Walia of DAV Public School has topped in Patiala city by securing 93.6 per cent marks in Class XII (non-medical) of CBSE examinations.
Rupam Rana of Blossom Senior Secondary School has topped in the school by securing 89 per cent marks in CBSE Class XII (medical stream) examinations. Jashanjot Kaur (88.6 per cent) and Divleen Kaur (87.8 per cent) secured second and third position, respectively. Budha Dal Public School once again maintained high standards of academic excellence in the examination. Sheenam Divedi of the school secured 93.2 per cent marks, Ramanjit 92.8 per cent and Srijna 91.6 per cent marks. Army School too faired well with Satish Kumar Gupta securing 92.8 per cent marks and Isha Malhotra 90.6 per cent marks. Subiraj Singh Bhullar has topped among all three Kendriya Vidyalayas of Patiala by securing 91.6 per cent marks.
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From Schools
Patiala, May 25 Director of the institute Rajesh and president Jaspreet Kaur said one can choose six subjects of their choice for the full course of one month. The subjects are: dance, music, painting,
acting, photograpy, modeling, personality development and general knowledge.
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M.Phil students’ meet at govt college
Patiala, May 25 Dr Satwant Singh Mohi, member, Punjab Public Service Commission, presided over the function. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mohi , who is also a former MLA from Shutrana, called upon the students to inculcate the habits of hard work and discipline. Later, he awarded certificates to the students. Dr Rupa Saini, principal of the college, and Dr Balbir Singh, director, youth welfare and sports of the university, were also present.
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