Kulbhushan Jadhav. File photo

New Delhi, May 9

The International Court of Justice today stayed the hanging of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “spying”.The order by the Hague-based International Court of Justice came a day after India approached it against the death sentence handed down to Jadhav by Pakistan’s Field General Court Martial last month.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)India, in its appeal to the ICJ, accused Pakistan of “egregious” violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and asserted that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy but Pakistan claimed to have arrested him from Balochistan on March 3, 2016. Following the appeal, the ICJ stayed his hanging.  — PTI

Indo-Pak politics plays out in UK elections

Theresa May campaigns in York

Ashis Ray in London

Twenty-four out of 650 constituencies in the House of Commons have 10-50% of overseas citizens of India or non-resident Indians. In effect, people of Indian origin have between a significant to a decisive say on who wins these seats.Virendra Sharma is the sitting MP for Ealing Southall, who attracted 65% of votes cast in the last general election in 2015. In a veiled reference to an undercurrent of subcontinental politics in his constituency, which has Sikhs and Hindus from India, Pakistanis and Afghans, he told a rally: “This is a British election and we should be debating British values, not old community conflicts, ancient arguments and squabbles from half a world away and half a century ago.”(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)A section of Pakistani constituents had objected to his stout defence of India in a debate on Kashmir in the Commons. Without directly referring to this, he affirmed: “I will represent every religion, every culture and those unsure of where they belong.”Regardless of his being a rock solid seat for his Labour party, Sharma is taking no chances. Accompanied by activists, he is going door-to-door to canvass for support. One hundred and twenty-five years after the first Indian was elected to the British House of Commons, a turbaned Sikh is likely to make a maiden appearance in this chamber when results of the mid-term general election—unexpectedly summoned by Prime Minister Theresa May to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations with the European Union—are declared on June 9 next.Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, 38, has been selected by the opposition Labour party to fight in the constituency of Slough, 33 km to the west of London. He replaces Fiona Mactaggart, who stood down after being its MP for 20 years. In the last election, she won by a margin of 15.2% in a seat considered to be a relatively safe for Labour. “If elected, I will work tirelessly for the people of Slough,” he vowed to the Slough Express.Dhesi will be the third Sikh to enter the Commons after Piara Singh Khabra, who represented nearby Ealing Southall, and Marsha Singh, who stood from the Pakistan-dominated area of Bradford West. Both, though, were radical left-wingers who dispensed with long hair and beard as well as their turbans.Dadabhai Naoroji, a Liberal, entered the Commons from Finsbury Central constituency in London in 1892 and remained a member until 1895. He was followed by Sir Mancherjee Bhownagree, a Conservative, who won from Bethnal Green North East, also in London. He served as a lawmaker from 1895 to 1906.Then came the intriguing Shapurji Saklatvala, a former Tata employee and a cousin of the third chairman of the Group, Nowroji Saklatvala. In 1922, he stood for election on behalf of the Communist Party of Great Britain and won from Battersea North in the British capital. He lost the next year, only to be returned for a full five-year term in the Commons in 1924.Fifty-eight years elapsed before another politician of Asian extraction was ushered in to the Commons. Keith Vaz, born in Aden and of Goan descent, ended the drought by getting elected in 1987 for the Labour party from Leicester East, a constituency he has represented ever since.Others who earned the right to warm the gleaming green leather seats were Dr Ashok Kumar, Labour who won from Langbaurgh and Middlesborough South and East Cleveland, Parmjit Dhanda, Labour from Gloucester, Parmjit Gill, Liberal Democrat from Leicester South and Paul Uppal Conservative from Wolverhampton South West. The first mentioned died prematurely. The other three lost their seats, although Uppal is now back in the fray.The maternal grandfather of Sebastian Coe, a double Olympic gold medallist, was Punjabi. He was elected in 1992 from Falmouth and Camborne as a Conservative, before losing in 1997.  Vaz’s sister, Valerie Vaz, Labour from Walsall South—who celebrated Baisakhi in the Houses of Parliament before the house prorogued—Seema Malhotra (who is up and coming and has served as shadow chief secretary to the treasury), Labour from Feltham and Heston, Lisa Nandy (who father was a Bengali doctor), Labour from Wigan, Shailesh Vara, Conservative from Cambridgeshire North West, Priti Patel, Conservative from Witham, Alok Sharma (a second generation Tory), Conservative from Reading West, hedge fund millionaire Rishi Sunak, Conservative from Richmond, Yorkshire, and son-in-law of NR Narayana Murthy of Infosys, and Suella Fernandes, Conservative from Fareham, are again in the running. Last year, Keith Vaz was forced to resign as chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee—having performed creditably at this post since 2007—after an expose on his private life by the Sunday Mirror. It will be interesting to see how—if at all—his constituency of pre-dominantly orthodox Gujarati Hindus reacts to the episode. He met trustees of the Brahma Samaj over the weekend. In 2015, he ensnared 61% of votes.Indian-origin people still punch below their weight in terms of the contingent of MPs. They are 3.3% of the population, but occupy only 1.5% of the seats. But if the outgoing MPs are re-elected and Dhesi and Uppal are returned, the number of lawmakers of Indian descent would rise in the next Commons. Navin Shah in Harrow East, Resham Kotecha in Coventry North West and Ameet Jogia in Brent North are among those who’ve thrown their hat into the ring.   With Patel enjoying cabinet rank and Alok Sharma a junior minister, Indian extraction politicians have in recent years enhanced their presence in Whitehall. 

indian-origin people the deciding factor

• 24out of 650 constituencies in House of Commons have 10% to 50% of overseas citizens of India or NRIs

Sikh connection

• Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, 38, has been selected by opposition Labour party to fight in the constituency of Slough
• If elected, Dhesi will be third Sikh to enter the Commons after Piara Singh Khabra, who represented nearby Ealing Southall
• He, however, will be first turbaned Sikh to make a appearance in this chamber when poll results are declared on June 9
• The second was Marsha Singh, who stood from the Pakistan-dominated area of Bradford West
• Both Piara and Marsha, though, were radical left-wingers who dispensed with long hair and beard as well as their turbans

2 pvt producers got Rs 900 cr for no generation of power

Ruchika M. Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 8

Two private power producers in Punjab were paid an estimated Rs 900 crore during 2016-17 as fixed charges and not for generating electricity, a technical audit has revealed.Twelve other power-generation plants — owned by the National Thermal Power Corporation and National Hydro Power Corporation — got Rs 600 crore as fixed charges for non-purchase of power during the time these were ready to generate at optimum capacity.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The fixed charges paid to the 14 companies form the basis of the technical audit of all power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed by the cash-strapped Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on behalf of the Punjab Government.Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh, after assuming office, had said that he wanted to review all power purchase agreements by the previous SAD-BJP government. The Capt Amarinder government said the review should be carried out within four months.A preliminary examination of PPAs revealed that the fixed cost paid to Nabha Power Limited was Rs 1.44 per unit of power not bought by the state, and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited Rs 1.20. In comparison, most public sector plants supplying power to Punjab were getting 50 paise to Re 1 per unit as fixed cost, barring one or two, where the fixed cost was as high as Rs 1.46 (from the gas-based plant).The penalty clause in these PPAs will also be examined in the audit.

No jeans, tops for women teachers in Punjab

Order says bright suits, fashionable dresses ‘excite’ school kids; regular checks mus

maninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 8

Diktats on what to eat or wear, especially in case of women, may sound medieval. But the Punjab Education Department, incidentally headed by a woman Cabinet minister, has done just that by issuing an order stating “jeans, tops, bhadkeela pehrawa (bright suits) and fashionable dresses” worn by women teachers in government schools “excite” students and have a bad influence on them.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Laced with vocabulary reflecting patriarchal mindset and “specifically” addressing dressing culture of women employees, who constitute more than half of the employment base of the department, the order directs all district officials to conduct regular checks in schools to ensure no woman teacher wears such clothes.“We are receiving complaints that teachers in government schools, especially female teachers, are delivering their duties while sporting bhadkeela pehrawa. Some lady teachers wear jeans, tops and other many more exciting fashionable dresses during their duty hours. This affects students,” reads the circular issued to all Circle Education Officers and District Education Officers of the state.Teachers termed it a “Talibani farmaan” (Taliban decree) that was “reactionary” and “immature” in nature.A report on whether the dress code is being followed in schools or not is to be regularly submitted to the office of Director, Education (Senior Secondary).“As it affects students, dress code should be implemented. Regular checks should be conducted to ensure it is being followed,” reads the order.

Will withdraw letter: GovtLetter has been issued without my nod and knowledge. We will withdraw it —SS Kahlon, Director Public Instructions Such vocabulary should not be used. This letter’s been issued with reference to old order of 2012. We’ve summoned officials who issued letter. —TPS Sidhu, Joint Secy, Education Reactionary, immature: TeachersNot only unnecessary and immature, this order is reactionary in nature and reflects patriarchal mindset of those sitting in high offices. It reflects authorities’ immaturity pertaining to gender issues— Surjeet Singh of Government Teachers’ Union, Punjab

SGPC honours Capt at Golden Temple

Sikh body had denied him siropa in 2002 during his previous tenure as Chief Minister

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is flanked by state Congress president Sunil Jakhar and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu at the Golden Temple on Monday.

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 8

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) honoured Capt Amarinder Singh here today during his maiden visit to the Golden Temple after taking charge as the Chief Minister, 15 years after it had denied him a siropa (robe of honour) during his previous tenure as the CM.Kirpal Singh Badungar was heading the Sikh body in 2002 as well. Former SGPC presidents Bibi Jagir Kaur and Gurcharan Singh Tohra had condemned the then management for snubbing the CM.Badungar was not present today due to health reasons, according to SGPC chief secretary Harcharan Singh. The SGPC chief had recently said that Capt Amarinder would be welcomed at the shrine.The CM reached the Golden Temple at 7.15 am. Despite his foot injury, he completed a round of the parikrama and offered prayers at the sanctum sanctorum.He was honoured with a siropa by the shrine’s head priest, Jagtar Singh. Thereafter, he was presented with a siropa, a shawl, Golden Temple’s framed picture and a set of religious books by the shrine’s manager, Sulakhan Singh, in the presence of Harcharan Singh and SGPC secretary Dr Roop Singh.Later, the CM paid tributes to the martyrs at Jallianwala Bagh. He was accompanied by PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar; Cabinet ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Badal and Rana Gurjit Singh; local MP Gurjit Singh Aujla; Congress MLAs Sunil Dutti and Inderbir Singh Bolaria; and party leaders Jasbir Dimpa and Dinesh Bassi.He also paid obeisance at the Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirath Sthal before leaving for Hoshiarpur.Khalsa College suicide: CM promises justiceAmritsar: Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday met Khalsa College students who had locked horns with the management over the suicide by a student, Harpreet Singh. The CM directed Principal Secretary (Higher Education) Anurag Verma to probe the incident and ascertain the management’s role. He assured Harpreet’s father Yadwinder Singh that anyone found guilty of abetment to suicide would be punished. The CM said the police had formed an SIT to investigate the case. In a letter to the CM, Yadwinder sought Rs 50-lakh compensation and a job for his younger son. The letter was also signed by gram panchayat members and residents of Harpreet’s village, Gumti Kalan. An FIR has already been filed against the college principal, registrar and head of its agriculture department. Harpreet’s attendance at college had been low as he was attending coaching classes with the aim of getting admission in the MSc course in another institution. TNS

‘Non-VIP’ minister

• Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal stood in the queue for ordinary devotees before entering the sanctum sanctorum, whereas the CM and his other Cabinet colleagues preferred to take the VVIP passage to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple.

Denied honour in 2002, Amarinder given ‘siropa’ inside Golden Temple CM promises fair real estate policy

It was Capt’s first visit to the shrine after becoming Punjab CM

SAYS WILL ALSO EXAMINE WHAT STEPS CAN BE ‘LEGALLY’ TAKEN TO HELP HOTELIERS HIT BY SUPREME COURT’S LIQUOR BAN ALONG HIGHWAYS

AMRITSAR : Contrary to its 2002 stand, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday honoured Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh with a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour) at the Golden Temple here on Monday.

HT PHOTOChief minister Capt Amarinder Singh also visited Durgiana Temple in Amritsar on Monday.

The chief minister, who reached the Golden Temple early in the morning, did a ‘parikrama’ of the holy shrine before offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum, where head granthi Giani Jagtar Singh presented him the ‘siropa’. Later, the SGPC executive members and office-bearers also honoured him inside the information office.

However, SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar remained absent due to health issues, said the sources. SGPC chief secretary Harcharan Singh was though present throughout.

Amarinder was denied the ‘siropa’ during his visit to the shrine after becoming the chief minister in 2002, which had evoked a sharp reaction. Though the SGPC honoured him with the ‘siropa’ in 2004, but it was not inside the sanctum sanctorum. This time, when Amarinder became the chief minister, SGPC chief Kirpal Badungar had announced beforehand that the CM will be given ‘siropa’ when he visits the Golden Temple.

CM SEEKS BLESSINGS

From the Golden Temple, Amarinder went to Jallianwala Bagh and then to the Durgiana Mandir. The CM and his colleagues later visited Sri Ram Tirath Sthal to offer prayers before leaving for Hoshiarpur, to inaugurate a new tractor manufacturing facility.

In statement, Amarinder said it was a gratifying experience for him to visit the holy shrines, “which are a fountainhead of peace for millions of people from around the world”.

He said he and his colleagues wished to express their gratitude to God for their victory in the recent Punjab assembly elections. He said they had come to these temples to pray for the state, and its peace and development.

Among those who accompanied him were the newly appointed state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, cabinet ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Rana Gurjit Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharmsot. MLAs of Amritsar district and Jalandhar Cantt legislator Pargat Singh were also present. HOSHIARPUR: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said the new real estate policy in the state would be made in consultation with all stakeholders, promising a fair play to hotel associations and property dealers here.

The CM was presented a memorandum by the two associations on Monday in which they kept their demands regarding the formulation of new real estate policy. Amarinder said he would examine what steps his government could “legally” take to help the hotel industry recover from the “adverse impact” of the Supreme Court ban on sale of liquor along the highways.

INAUGURATES TRACTOR PRODUCTION FACILITY

The CM also inaugurated a new state-of-the-art tractor production facility of International Tractors Limited (ITL), describing it as a major asset for the state’s progress. Rolling out the first tractor, the CM termed the new plant as a major achievement for Punjab, which was heavily dependent on agriculture for its growth and development. The ITL claimed that the new facility was world’s largest integrated tractor plant, with a total capacity of 3 lakh tractors annually.

Inspecting the plant, the CM said that the high-end tractors being manufactured at the plant under the brand name of Sonalika would be beneficial to the state’s farmers, who needed modern equipment to improve their crop yield and quality.

The inaugural event was attended by the top management of the company, including chairman LD Mittal, vice-chairman Amrit Sagar Mittal and managing director Deepak Mittal.

On the occasion, the management presented a cheque for ₹1.01 crore for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. They also presented a tractor to the CM who gifted the same to Citrus Estate in Chhauni village, which he had visited earlier in the day.

To mark the CM’s visit, ITL announced the adoption of Chhauni Kalan to transform in a world-class village.

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Ensure security of Sikhs in US, CM tells Centre

Chandigarh, May 8

Concerned over the spurt in attacks on Indians, including Sikhs, abroad, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has urged the Centre to ensure their protection and take up such issues in “right earnest”.Amarinder had raised concern over the recent killing of a Kapurthala man, Jagjeet Singh (32), in the US in a suspected hate crime case.He was stabbed to death by an unidentified person allegedly over cigarettes outside a grocery store in California.In response to the CM’s tweet, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she had spoken to the Indian Ambassador in Washington, Navtej Singh Sarna, on the issue.Raveen Thukral, media adviser to CM, said Amarinder was concerned over the recent spurt in hate crimes against Indians, mainly Sikhs, in the US and other parts of the world.The CM has said the US alone had witnessed several such attacks on Sikhs, who have been at the receiving end of the growing bigotry in the country and demanded immediate steps to ensure their protection. The Centre, he said, needed to adopt a more proactive stance to put pressure on the US to crack down on racist elements and provide fool-proof protection to the Sikh community. — PTI

Need-based changes in Cong unit on cards

Sunil Jakhar

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 8

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar today hinted at rationalising the state body, wherever required.He will formally take over as the state Congress chief at the PPCC office here on May 10. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab affairs in-charge Asha Kumari and Congress secretary Harish Chaudhary would be present.A former Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader and three-time MLA from Abohar, Jakhar will replace Capt Amarinder as the PPCC chief. Capt Amarinder had resigned from the post during a meeting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on April 12.Jakhar said the present PPCC team appointed by Capt Amarinder had done extremely well. “As some of the leaders have been become ministers or have been given other responsibilities in the government, some changes may be required.”On his agenda would be to share information on the foodgrain scam, scam in setting up of private thermal plants and other matters raised by him in the run-up to the Assembly elections. “The government is already on the job and I will be sharing the information as and when required,” Jakhar added.

Chandigarh-based doctor adopts martyr’s daughter

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 8

MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla along with Dr Gurmohan Singh (a Chandigarh-based nephrologist) and Jaspal Singh Sandhu, a local businessman, and others visited the family of Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh, who was killed by the Pakistani army along the Line of Control in the Poonch Sector.Motivated by Aujla, Dr Gurmohan has adopted the martyr’s elder daughter, Simrandeep Kaur, and offered to bear the expenditure of her education and marriage.The Deputy Commissioner of Kullu and his wife have already adopted the younger daughter, Khushdeep Kaur. Talking about his inspiration, Dr Gurmohan Singh said he had seen a dream 33 years ago in 1984 that he should adopt the families of soldiers and policemen who were in killed in trains and at the railway station, but it didn’t materialise due to lack of funds and other issues. He had earlier adopted a Dalit girl in Chandigarh. He offered to sponsor the study of Simrandeep Kaur in the best school in Chandigarh, Amritsar or any other school of the family’s choice. He also proposed to open a bank account in the name of Simarndeep and deposit the first instalment to meet her expenses.Speaking on the occasion, Aujla said that Paramjit would be remembered alongwith those who laid down their lives for the country and it is an honour for them to do something for the family. He said the bravehearts of their nation were standing shoulder to shoulder with the armed personnel of India.Dr Gurmohan Singh said Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh laid down his life for the nation and it was their duty to help his dependents.

70 yrs on, holy city holds on to its British legacy

HOUGH RECHRISTENED AFTER INDEPENDENCE, MANY ROADS, OTHER PLACES STILL KNOWN BY THEIR COLONIAL NAMES

AMRITSAR: Even as the British rulers left the country around 70 years ago, their legacy still survives, especially in the holy city.HTHall Gate, built in 1873 and named after the then deputy commissioner CH Hall, was renamed Gandhi Gate after Independence. In view of the original name’s popularity, the Punjab tourism department has mentioned it on signboards on both sides of the gate.

Although various places, predominantly roads, were given Indian names by the administration subsequently, these remain only on paper. In practice, the original names given by the British rulers remain popular among locals and tourists alike.

On entering the walled city from the west side, there is a famous gate that was constructed in 1873. The gurbani slogan ‘Amritsar Sifti Da Ghar’ (Amritsar is a home of values) is installed atop it. The gate is famous as Hall Gate after the then deputy commissioner CH Hall. Even as it was rechristened Gandhi Gate after independence and the new name can be seen written on it, the old name persists.

In view of its popularity, the Punjab tourism department has in fact mentioned the old name on boards on both its sides. Even the famous market situated along the stretch between this gate and the historic Town Hall building is popular as Hall Bazaar.

The Civil Lines, one of the posh localities of the city, was developed by the British officers on the north side of the old city. Lawrence Road constructed near the historic Ram Bagh garden in 1870 was named after the British official John Lawrence. The officers used this road to commute, and Indians were not allowed to reside near it. However, the legendary Punjabi poet Bhai Vir Singh, who belonged to an affluent family, managed to build his house on this road. In view of his contributions, the civic body renamed this road after him, but only on paper. The signboards still call it Lawrence Road.

The road connecting the Sadar police station to the cantonment area was named after the then finance commissioner FC Mcleod in 1853. Although the administration renamed it after Pundit Lal Chand Changotra, people are oblivious to this fact. The same has been the fate of Queens Road and Cooper Road (both between Bhandari Bridge and the district courts), Mall Road (Novelty Chowk to Court Chowk), Taylor Road (connecting Mall Road to Court Road), and Albert Road (between the railway station and Mall Road).

QUEEN VICTORIA TRUMPS MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH

The Ram Bagh garden, developed by Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the memory of Guru Ram Das, founder of the holy city, was renamed Company Bagh by the British administration. Even today, this new name remains popular.

In 1887, the colonial rulers installed a statue of Queen Victoria on the chowk situated on the way to the Golden Temple near the Dharam Singh market. Both the chowk and the market were rechristened after her. Later, the Queen’s statue was removed, and recently the Punjab government installed a huge statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh here. The locals, however, still call it by the colonial name, which as the names of other places has been passed down from one generation to the other since 1947.

 

 

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with the family of JCO Paramjit Singh at their house in Veinpoin village, Tarn Taran, on Sunday. — Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Tarn Taran, May 7

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced a police job for the elder daughter and a reserved a job for the elder son of Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh, who was recently killed during a ceasefire violation by the Pakistani army at LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.The Chief Minister, who visited Paramjit Singh’s family at Vein Poin village here, said his government would soon table before the Cabinet a comprehensive policy standardising compensation for any Punjabi of any force who lays down his life in fighting for the nation.Condoling the death of Paramjit Singh, Captain Amarinder said the jobs for the two elder children, which the family had sought from the government, would be in addition to the compensation already announced for the deceased’s next of kin.

The Captain Amarinder Singh-led government had earlier announced a total compensation of Rs 12 lakh, including Rs 5 lakh for the wife and children of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for his parents and a plot worth Rs 5 lakhs.

In addition, another Rs 1 lakh was announced for renaming the local rest house in the soldier’s name.The Chief Minister on Sunday also announced a school and a stadium in the area in the name of the jawan.Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla had also announced that he would adopt the second daughter of the deceased soldier, whose elder daughter, 16-year-old Simrandeep Kaur, has been adopted by a bureaucrat couple from Himachal Pradesh.Both Simranjit Kaur and son Sahildeep Singh, 12, will be provided government jobs by the state government on completion of their education, the Chief Minister told mediapersons.Asked if the government was not discriminating against the third child of the deceased, he said it was not possible to provide individual compensation to every family member, but he made it clear that all promises made to the family would be fulfilled by his government, which would extent more help to them if needed.

Responding to questions, the Chief Minister said the central government was not doing enough to protect the men manning the country’s borders. Tough steps need to be taken to prevent the recurrence of such brutal killings at the border, he stressed, adding that India should retaliate with thrice the force to any incursions into our territory.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by his cabinet colleagues Rana Gurjit Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, as well as Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar. 

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Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. File photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 1

Reacting strongly to the reported mutilation of two soldiers by Pakistan Army following a ceasefire violation in Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday urged the Central Government to give a free hand to the Army to deal with such atrocities and barbaric acts.He also backed the Indian Army’s warning of “appropriate response” for the “despicable act.”In a similar vein, Amarinder also came down heavily on those criticising the Indian Army’s action of tying a man to a jeep to protect its soldiers from stone-pelters during the recent elections in Kashmir.Coming out in defence of Major Gagoi, under criticism from various quarters over his ‘human shield’ action, Capt Amarinder said the officer was simply doing his duty.In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister further said, “Had I been in the same situation I would have carried out the same action.”

All is apparently not well between the Pakistani military and the civilian administration once again. Reports indicate that tensions rose on Saturday following a public rejection of the civilian government’s findings of Dawn newspaper report probe by the military. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday sacked his Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi and sought action against Principal information officer Rao Tehsin of the Ministry of Information following the Inquiry Committee’s recommendations. In a story published last year, Dawn claimed that the government had told the military to act against militants or face international isolation. The report caused a friction between the civilian administration and the military prompting the government to set up a probe committee. Islamabad had also decided to bar senior journalist Cyril Almeida from leaving his country after writing that exclusive report. Speculation suggests that Islamabad had wanted the story to go public. The aim was to tell the world that Islamabad is doing its part to defang home-grown militancy and embarrass the military establishment. But the use of “non-state” by the Pakistani military establishment has been institutionalised. Some commentators in India have even suggested that the report was part of Islamabad’s strategy to regain some control over national security. But the civilian leadership was seemingly unable to follow through on its gambit. There is speculation that Sharif administration has thrown senior officials and the newspaper under the bus to save itself from the military’s wrath. One can only conclude that the civilian leadership exercises little power, especially in matters of foreign policy and national security. The Panama Papers leak has already rendered Sharif vulnerable. In the past, he has offered little resistance to the military as it has steadily encroached on his authority. How will Sharif react to the military’s latest rebuff? We don’t have the answers yet.

Read more at: http://www.millenniumpost.in/editorial/tensions-rise-in-pak-239309

The award of Commendation Card by the Army Chief to Major Leetul Gogoi has strirred a hornet’s nest. Those looking at rule-book correctness of the means employed need to remember that the rules are framed for normal circumstances. Irregular situations demand bending of those rules

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Major Leetul Gogoi: In eye of a storm

THE action of Major Gogoi, in tying an unarmed civilian on the bonnet of his jeep last month, aroused both admiration as well as scorn. Social media had a field day. The first to tweet was Omar Abdullah, who termed the action as shocking but his views no longer merit being taken seriously. The veterans were divided, with a majority applauding the officer’s action.The interest in the issue had barely begun to flag, when it hit the headlines again with the award of Commendation Card by the Army Chief to the officer. Both his action and the award merit discussion. Military operations seldom follow a predictable path.  This is even more true in the irregular scenario of counter-militancy operations. There are no chalkboard situations or template solutions. The proverbial fifty-third card invariably shows up. Tackling such situations demands out-of-the-box thinking and an innovative mind. Major Gogoi’s   action needs to be viewed in this light. Even with the sketchy information, one was convinced that Gogoi had displayed a remarkably quick-thinking mind. After he himself addressed the media on May 23, one also saw him as a mature commander possessing high equanimity in the face of adversity. As he explained, his small party was confronted with a nearly 1,200-strong  mob armed with stones, blocking his route. He announced on the hailer that he had come to collect the polling party  and requested for passage. Many in the mob would actually have taken this as a sign of weakness. The most obvious option for a conventional military mind would have been to use force to extricate his heavily outnumbered party.  But that would have caused dozens of deaths among the civilians. His maturity did not allow him to do so. On the spur of the moment, he thought of using one of the stone-pelters  as a deterrent. And that is how Ghulam Ishaq Dar got to travel on the bonnet of his vehicle. The mobsters were too stunned to act. Finding a window of opportunity, Gogoi managed a safe passage for his men. Thus using his wit instead of his weapons, Gogoi accomplished the rescue mission without letting even a drop of blood be shed.How does one view the Major’s action in doing what he did? Those seeped in Army’s conventional ethos and culture decried it. But they miss the point. The prevailing scenario of irregular proxy warfare, calls for an innovative approach. A straitjacket approach, which may work in a conventional setting, has no place in fluid and unpredictable situations that our commanders are encountering  almost daily. Given  the Army’s result-oriented culture and  philosophy, where methodology plays a subordinate role, Gogoi comes out with a high score.Critics who chide him with violation of human rights, are off-track. The most fundamental right of a human being is the right to life. And lives are what Gogoi saved through his unorthodox action. In the end, the result is what matters. Like the ditty goes, “I eat my peas with honey/ I have done it all my life. It may look funny/ but it keeps them on the knife”. Metaphorically, Gogoi kept the peas on the knife. He acted with honest intent. Flexibility should remain the cornerstone of Army’s functioning. Those who are looking for elegance and rule-book correctness of the means employed, need to remember the rules are framed for normal circumstances. Irregular situations demand bending of those rules.  I will say: “Well done, Major Gogoi”. I wish the Indian Army has more of his brand and ilk.The award of a Commendation Card by the Army Chief to Major Gogoi raked up a lot of heat, including by a few politicians from the Valley. Some even went to the extent of calling the Army Chief’s action as an insult to the Kashmiris. Strong words of condemnation were no doubt meant to please the ears of their constituents. One wonders how many of them spoke with conviction. It was even more disconcerting to see the leaders of some mainstream political parties, with high national visibility, speaking critically of the award.  But that is India, where freedom of speech is stretched to extremes. It may be advisable to eschew populist comments on subjects where one has no expertise.To every rational thinking Indian, the award is very well-deserved and timely. It serves a dual purpose. It sends out a clear signal to the Army rank and file to act boldly and that the hierarchy stands solidly behind them in their efforts towards normalising the situation.  Even more importantly, it is a signal to the militants that the Army means business and it is high time they stopped taking law into their own hands. The writer is a  former Deputy Chief of Army Staff

Attorney general defends Major Gogoi

N Biren Singh

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

Imphal, May 25

To end the decades-long insurgency in Manipur, the BJP-led government in Manipur is ready for talks with militants willing to lay down their arms. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, in an interview with The Tribune, said his government was working on surrender and rehabilitation package for armed militants in the state bordering Myanmar.“We are going to invite the insurgents for talks. We have deliberated on the issue in the Cabinet. I have already spoken to Home Minister Rajnath Singh for a package to ensure security, including financial security, to militants who surrender,” he said.Despite emerging the second-largest party in the state Assembly poll, the BJP was able to form a government. The CM, exuding confidence, claimed his government would last full term. “Stability is not a problem. People are with me. The Naga People’s Front is also a part of my government.” Biren Singh, who took over as the state’s first BJP CM on March 15, claimed militancy-related violence had come down.“My biggest challenge is insurgency. I want equal development of hills and plains.” he emphasised.“After their surrender, where will they (insurgents) live? How will they be integrated with the mainstream? We have to work out these things. Anybody surrendering will be taking a big risk. He will be under threat from his group members. The surrendered militants have to be given financial support for rehabilitation,” he maintained.A state with a population of barely three million, Manipur has over 30 militant groups, some demanding independence. As of now, surrendered militants are kept in camps, isolated from their families and society.Biren Singh said he expected a financial package from the Centre. “We have to construct a housing colony for the surrendered militants so that they can live with their families in a safe environment. Schools, banking facilities, everything has to be provided to them and their families. They should feel secure. We have to create that kind of atmosphere,” the CM said.Pointing out that the Centre spent a huge sum on counter-insurgency operations in the northeast, he said: “If we implement a surrender and rehabilitation policy, it will yield better results, both in terms of peace and development.” On the blockades imposed by the United Naga Council, an apex body of Naga insurgent groups, Biren Singh said the 139-day blockade of NH-2 and NH-37, to protest the creation of Sadar Hills and Jiribam districts by the earlier Congress government, was lifted four days after the BJP had formed government. “Besides, the Railway line from Giribam to Imphal will be completet by 2020. It will be very useful during such blockades.”On the demand by certain Naga groups for including Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur to form “Greater Nagaland,” he said: “The territorial integrity of Manipur will remain intact. Even the PM has said so.” He claimed his government was not aware of any talks between Naga insurgent group NSCN (IM) and the Centre in this regard.The Chief Minister, who has been a footballer, said his government wanted to encourage sports and tourism.

Culture has rarely tired of speaking about the weather. Pastoral poems detail the seasonal variations in weather ad nauseam, while the term “pathetic fallacy” is often taken to refer to a Romantic poet’s wilful translation of external phenomena – sun, rain, snow – into aspects of his own mind. Victorian novels, too, use weather as a device to convey a sense of time, place and mood: the fog in Dickens’s Bleak House (1853), for example, or the wind that sweeps through Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights (1847).

And yet the same old conversations fundamentally changed tense during World War I. Because during the war, weather forecasting turned from a practice based on looking for repeated patterns in the past, to a mathematical model that looked towards an open future.

Needless to say, a lot relied on accurate weather forecasting in wartime: aeronautics, ballistics, the drift of poison gas. But forecasts at this time were in no way reliable. Although meteorology had developed throughout the Victorian era to produce same-day weather maps and daily weather warnings (based on a telegram service that could literally move faster than the wind), the practice of forecasting the weather as it evolved and changed over time remained notoriously inadequate.

Changing the weather

English mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson saw that the pre-War practice of weather forecasting was much too archival in nature, merely matching observable weather phenomena in the present to historical records of previous weather phenomena.

This, he deemed, was a fundamentally unscientific method, as it presupposed that past evolutions of the atmosphere would repeat in the future. For the sake of more accurate prediction, he claimed, it was essential that forecasters felt free to disregard the index of the past.

And so, in 1917, while working in the Friends’ Ambulance Unit on the Western Front, Richardson decided to experiment with the idea of making a numerical forecast – one based on scientific laws rather than past trends. He was able to do so because on May 20, 1910 (also, funnily enough, the date of Edward VII’s funeral in London, the last coming together of Europe’s Royal pedigree before World War I) Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes had simultaneously recorded atmospheric conditions across Western Europe. He had noted temperature, air pressure, air density, cloud cover, wind velocity and the valences of the upper atmosphere.

This data allowed Richardson to model a mathematical weather forecast. Of course, he already knew the weather for the day in question (he had Bjerknes’s record to hand, after all); the challenge was to generate from this record a numerical model which he could then apply to the future. And so he drew up a grid over Europe, each cell incorporating Bjerknes’s weather data, including locational variables such as the extent of open water affecting evaporation, and five vertical divisions in the upper air.

Richardson claimed that it took him six weeks to calculate a six-hour forecast for a single location. Critics have wondered whether even six weeks was enough time. In any case, the first numerical forecast was woefully out of sync with what actually happened. Not only did Richardson’s forecast take longer to calculate than the weather it was calculating took to happen, but it was also a prediction after the fact that remained manifestly wrong.

Yet scientific failures of this magnitude often have important consequences, not least in this case because Richardson’s mathematical approach to weather forecasting was largely vindicated in the 1940s with the invention of the first digital computers, or “probability machines”. These are still the basis for much weather forecasting today. His experiment also contributed to the development of an international field of scientific meteorology.

Literary weather

This “new meteorology”, as it was sometimes called, became culturally pervasive in the years following World War I. Not only did it lift the metaphors of trench warfare and place them in the air (the “weather front” taking its name directly from the battle fronts of the war), it also insisted that to speak of the weather meant to speak of a global system of energies opening, ever anew, onto different futures.

And it was reflected in the literature of the period. Writing in the 1920s, Austrian writer Robert Musil opened his masterpiece The Man Without Qualities (1930-43), a novel whose protagonist is a mathematician, with the scientific language of meteorology. “The isotherms and isotheres were functioning as they should,” we are told. “The water vapor in the air was at its maximal state of tension … It was a fine day in August 1913.”

What is interesting here is not simply that the everyday language of “a fine day” is determined by a set of new-fangled scientific abstractions, but also the fact that a novel written after the war dares to inhabit the virtual outlook of before.

Similarly to Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse (1927), where the pre-war question of whether or not the weather will be “fine” tomorrow takes on a general significance, Musil’s irony depends upon occupying a moment in history when the future was truly exceptional: what was about to happen next was nothing like the past. Musil’s novel – and Woolf’s, too – is in one sense a lament for a failed prediction: why couldn’t the war have been predicted?

Writing in the wake of his own initial failure as a forecaster in 1922, Richardson imagined a time in which all weather might be calculable before it takes place. In a passage of dystopian fantasy, he conjured up an image of what he called a “computing theater”: a huge structure of surveillance through which weather data could be collected and processed, and the future managed.

The disconcerting power of this vision, and of the mathematical model which underlay it, emerged from the idea that weather, encoded as information to be exchanged in advance of its happening, could be finally separable from experience. With the atmosphere of the future mass-managed in this way, we would never again need to feel under the weather.

Today, it has become commonplace to check our phones for the accurate temperature while standing outside in the street, and climate change has forced us to reckon with a meteorological future that we are sure will not be in balance with the past. With this in mind, it is perhaps worth returning once more to the cultural moment of “new meteorology” to contemplate its central paradox: that our demand to know the future in advance goes hand-in-hand with an expectation that the future will be unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Srinagar, May 19

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached here on Friday to quiz separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and three others, alleged to be involved in subversive activities and receiving funds from LeT chief Hafiz Saeed.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The investigating agency has registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) against Geelani and Naeem Khan, who was seen on television during a sting operation purportedly confessing to receiving money from Pakistan-based terror groups, Farooq Ahmed Dar alias ‘Bitta Karate’ and Gazi Javed Baba of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

An NIA spokesperson said the separatists were receiving funds from Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Saeed to carry out subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley, including pelting  stones at security forces, damaging public property and burning schools and other government stablishments.

The NIA has also taken cognisance of a news item related to the recording of conversations between a TV reporter and leaders of separatist groups operating in the Kashmir Valley in this regard, he said. — PTI

High bidding, sand prices set to soar

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19

In Punjab, building a house will get a lot more expensive. For, the Punjab Government today made over Rs 200 crore from the auction of 51 sand and gravel quarries across six districts. With the bidding prices hitting the roof, the prices of sand and gravel are bound to rise manifold.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The reverse bidding (where the lowest bidder is successful) in 2014-15 had yielded Rs 45 crore. The progressive bidding of the 51 quarries today (51 more will be auctioned on Saturday) is expected to yield Rs 350 crore (including today’s bids). With the sites going at such high rates, the bidders would have to sell the extracted minor minerals (sand and gravel) at higher rates to cut even.The sand mining business in Punjab is cartelised. The auction today saw a rather lukewarm participation from the two main sand mining cartels, both dominated by Congress and SAD politicians. One lobby, led by a close relative of a Congress MLA from Majha and the son of a Congress MLA from Malwa, won bids for just four quarries – two in Jalandhar and one each in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. The second lobby, comprising Akali politicians, won bids for one quarry in Jalandhar and the other in Amritsar. The remaining 45 quarries seem to have been taken by new bidders.The bids were allotted through e-auction, with a retired High Court judge monitoring the process.In the past six years, the then SAD-BJP government had gone for reverse bidding to keep the prices of sand and gravel under check. In the re-introduced progressive bidding, the cash-strapped Punjab Government would earn over Rs 350 crore by selling 2 croretonnes of sand and gravel — which is the annual extractable quantity from the 102 quarries being auctioned.The 20-odd quarries went for anything between 20-34 times higher than the reserve price. This has made these bids economically unviable. Their is speculation that many bidders could forfeit their deposits. The 51 quarries auctioned today are in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Jalandhar. The highest bid received was for Rs 17.22 crore for the Chaharpur quarry in Amritsar, made against a reserve price of Rs 38.26 lakh. Officials in the Directorate of Mining, Department of Industries, said they saw no reason for the bidder backing off. Butt in case he forfeits his deposit, there would be a re-action within 15 days. “Though initially the prices may go up, but as supply meets demand, we expect correction in prices of sand and gravel,” said a senior officer.

Punjab auctions 51 quarries

• Already the prices of sand and gravel have shot up since the Cong govt put the brakes on illegal mining
• The price of sand has increased from Rs 14,000 per 800 cubic ft (in March) to Rs 19,000 per 800 cubic ft
• The price of gravel has zoomed from Rs 15,000 per 800 cubic ft to Rs 20,000 per 800 cubic ft

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh ropes in RIL tax adviser with minister’s rank

Ex-IRS officer will be CM’s financial adviser

Former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer V K Garg, who worked as adviser to Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited as head of its indirect taxes division, is set to join as financial adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Faced with fiscal problems and debt burden, the Amarinder government has decided to appoint 1983-batch officer having a vast experience in financial matters as financial advisor to the Chief Minister. Garg will be accorded a state minister’s rank. He will be the sixth adviser to be appointed with CM.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal said Garg’s expertise in GST and other financial matters would be very beneficial to Punjab. The list of advisers already working with Amarinder includes Lt Gen T S Shergill (retd), who is senior adviser to CM and enjoys Cabinet minister’s rank, Bharat Inder Singh Chahal who is adviser in State minister’s rank and Khubi Ram who is CM’s security adviser, besides Lt Gen B S Dhaliwal (retd), technical advisor to former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal who has been retained by the Amarinder government.

Garg, an MBA in finance from Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and a law graduate, served as joint secretary in tax research unit of Union government when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister in UPA-II government. Garg, who served as Commissioner of Central Excise in Ludhiana from 2004 to 2007, told The Indian Express on Tuesday that he was ready to join and was awaiting formal orders.

Sidhu marks probe into Rs 40-lakh scam

Addl Chief Secretary summons Abohar Municipal Council record

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, May 19

The Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) has summoned the record of the Municipal Council as officials did not respond to directions issued by the Finance and Local Bodies Departments in 2015 in the Rs 40.49 lakh scam.Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had marked the complaint to the ACS. Abohar MC Executive Officer has been told to reach Chandigarh with the record on Saturday.The Examiner, Local Funds, had asked the department on August 28, 2015, that the Inspector General of Police had through letters dated August 16, 1984, and February 23, 1987, opined that FIRs should be registered as per the Punjab Municipal Account Fund code if embezzlements were detected in such funds.The Deputy Director, Local Bodies, Ferozepur, and Regional Director (Audit), Bathinda, had conducted preliminary investigations and informed Chandigarh that the allegations levelled in the complaints by the Retired Employees’ Welfare Association were found substantial.The association had alleged that the MC staff had tampered with the conditions laid in the auction of the MC commercial property on Nai Sadak held on August 20, 2010, by allegedly forging the signatures of former MC president Shivraj Goyal (BJP) and former EO Jagsir Singh Dhaliwal to illegally benefit the allottees. The inquiry also put Goyal under the scanner alongwith the successor of EO Dhaliwal in this case.The SAD- BJP alliance took over in April 2015 but no resolution was moved to discuss the case. The scam pertains to the auction of 13 commercial plots on the Nai Sadak opposite the SP’s residence. In the forged copy, the rate of interest was reduced from 18 per cent to seven per cent, transfer fee from three percent to one per cent and the clause for 10 per cent extra charges against the corner plot was deleted.An inquiry revealed that most property sale deeds were tampered. Dhaliwal and the Deputy Director, Local Bodies, substantiated the allegations. It was found that the council had suffered a loss of Rs 40,49,314 in the case.The association in a fresh complaint to Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had alleged that the preceding government as well as the council sat on the file allowing some erring officials to retire. The MC also passed the site plans for construction of two shops in the Nai Sadak market even when sale deed was yet to be registered.

Fraud alleged

• Retired employees had alleged that the MC staff had tinkered with conditions laid in the auction of an MC property on Nai Sadakin Abohar in August 2010 by allegedly forging signatures.

Order to vacate private buildings housing govt offices puts admn in fix

Dist Admn Complex still not complete; likely to miss July 1 deadline

The under-construction District Administrative Complex at Gurdaspur. Tribune photo

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, May 19

The Punjab Government’s order to vacate private buildings housing government offices has put the administration in a fix as the District Administrative Complex (DAC), also known as a mini secretariat, is still under construction and sure to miss its July 1 deadline.The government has ordered that all private buildings be vacated by June 30.The Rs 46-crore five-storey DAC, which has been under construction for the last three years, has since long been trapped in a plethora of problems.After the project was 75 per cent complete, the contractor informed officials that he could not dismantle the “malkhana” (warehouse) of the old DC building, which was to be a part of the new complex, since an unknown quantity of RDX was lying there. The explosives were remnants of the days of militancy in Punjab.Harried tax-paying residents say that the explosives should have been removed before laying the first brick.To compound matters, scores of judicial documents are to be shifted to the adjoining Pathankot district. This requires the cumbersome process of taking permissions of varied nature from different departments.Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amit Kumar says that the RDX issue has been solved and the explosives have been removed. “However, we are facing some problems relating to the judicial files. I recently called a meeting of SSPs and judicial officers to ensure that the files are shifted,” he said.The administration has now asked the departments, which are to be brought under the DAC’s ambit, to purchase new furniture. “These departments have decades’ old furniture. I have asked them to approach their respective heads of department to purchase new furnishings. Once these are in place the shifting will commence,” he said.However, there are clear indications that it may take a few more months till things fall in place and the July 1 deadline is sure to be given a miss.

Dist development bodies to be integrated under PUDA

PUDA was established in 1995 as the apex authority for providing planned residential, commercial and industrial spaces. Tribune file photo

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19

The state government has initiated the process to integrate the working of various district development authorities under the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA).Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has sought a report on the functioning of these bodies following reports of inconsistent implementation of rules and plans.PUDA was established in 1995 as the apex authority for providing planned residential, commercial and industrial spaces. Later, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA), Patiala Development Authority (PDA) and Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) were set up to facilitate decentralised, area-specific functioning.A director of a district development authority, requesting anonymity, said, “The government gave us powers to develop colonies, but did not share the earnings from the auction of government land under the Optimum Utility of Vacant Government Land (OUVGL) scheme. This money would have been a major source of funds for developing infrastructure.”Confirming that a draft proposal was being finalised, a senior official said: “We are looking into the financial and legal implications of the exercise.”According to a Principal Secretary, “Multiple agencies working on related projects are facing problems due to overlapping of functions and lack of coordination.”A former director of PUDA said: “District bodies have failed to check the mushrooming of illegal colonies. Executive engineers were found exercising control over housing projects, leading to rampant corruption. Mismatch in the figures of loans and balance sheets indicate that the system has failed.”

Plunder of riverbed unabated

Most of the trucks engaged in sand mining operations don’t have govt permits

Illegal mining being done on the Sutlej riverbed in Dharamkot sub-division of Moga district. Tribune Photo

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Sanghera (Moga), May 19

Sanghera is a small village near the Sutlej river in Dharamkot sub-division of Moga district. Here the river flows the widest with its banks more than 1.5 km apart and touching Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts on the other side.During May and June — before the onset of monsoon when the flow is less — the sand bed is exposed at most parts of the river.One can see JCB machines and heavy cranes at work digging their arms deep into the riverbed, scooping out sand and loading it onto the trucks and tractor-trailers.A walk around the area presents a ghastly picture. At many spots, the dugout trenches can be seen filled with river water so that one cannot make out the deep holes made by the indiscriminate extraction of sand.Ranjit Singh (name changed to protect his identity), a resident, said that the mining mafia is operating in at least five locations in the area. Musclemen numbering 20 to 30 are on guard at each location throughout the day and night. They do not allow any stranger to enter the area or click photographs.A group of three youths took this correspondent to a location from where few photographs were clicked from a distance without being noticed by anybody. The youths claimed that they see mining taking place daily with heavy machines.Dharamkot sub-division in Moga district is one of the places in the state where sand mining has been taking place for years. More than 50 per cent of the sand requirement of the Malwa belt is met from sand extracted from the Sutlej.Most of the trucks engaged in sand mining operations do not have government permits.The mining mafia is also causing huge damage to the ecology, water resources, agriculture and the livelihood of people. It has reduced the forest area along the river belt.The riverbed has also gone down by 5-8m at many places over the years. As Sutlej sand is of high quality, indiscriminate mining has been going on for the past many years.The villagers allege that the district administration is aware of the illegal mining but has deliberately turned a blind eye. “We grow crops near the river that have been destroyed many times by trucks ferrying sand from the river. We have complained to the local authorities numerous times but to no avail. The authorities are hand in glove with the mining mafia,” alleged another local resident.On the other hand, the local officials claim that 375 criminal cases have been registered with regard to illegal mining in Moga district during the past few years but despite that, the situation on the ground presents a sordid picture.

Maluka accused of implicating people in wrong cases

Lakha Sidhana interacts with media persons in Bathinda on Thursday. Tribune Photo: Pawan Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 18

The Malwa Youth Federation leader and gangster-turned-politician Lakha Sidana today made an allegation against SAD leader Sikander Singh Maluka for getting wrong cases registered against innocent persons during the 10-year rule of the SAD-BJP government in the state.He also challenged Maluka for an open debate on the atrocities committed on people during the SAD-BJP rule.While addressing mediapersons at press club, Sidana presented a few families in front of the media.He alleged that these families had been harassed by the SAD leader. He also showed a few copies of FIRs of the cases saying that these cases had been registered as a result of vendetta politics.He alleged that no action had been taken against those who committed crime. Sidana said in the Goldy murder case, which took place outside Phul court, the police wrongly booked Rana Nambardar, Mithu Ved, Mahinder Singh, Pargat Singh, Bira, Sema Singh and their family members.He would apologise publically if he loses debate to Maluka, he added. When Sikander Singh Maluka was contacted over the issue, he said he would not comment on the allegations made by Sidana. He said Sidana read a script given to him. The Congress government has formed a commission and if the government is of the view that any wrong case has been registered, the commission should probe it, the SAD leader adde

‘Regular, reliable’ connectivity in the air

Sahnewal airport to start flights under UDAN scheme from next month, says MP Ravneet Singh Bittu

A file photo of the Sahnewal airport in Ludhiana.

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 19

Good news for Ludhiana residents, as flights will start operating from the Sahnewal airport under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme from the next month.Ludhiana Member of Parliament Ravneet Singh Bittu said this after meeting Union Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha and Punjab officials.Bittu said the state government would help the airlines company for better connectivity. Earlier, flights were suspended due to loss to the airlines company, but now the state and the Centre governments will provide financial aid to the airlines company if they suffer loss.Stating on the importance of air connectivity, Bittu said: “The industrial potential and the entrepreneurial spirit of Ludhiana suffers a major setback due to the lack of regular and reliable air connectivity. Despite the structural bottleneck of short length of the air strip, UDAN scheme will ensure regular and reliable connectivity.”The Punjab government apprised Bittu that it was actively cooperating with the Union government with respect to issues such as viability gap funding, relief on taxes on aviation fuel at refuelling facilities, exemption from landing charges and hanger facility. The matter of adding additional length to the air strip was also under active consideration of the state to help make the optimal use of Ludhiana airport.According to Bittu, Ludhiana should see regular flights from the month of June 2017, beginning with Alliance Air and later in the month of August joined by Deccan Charters. With 50 per cent of seats on every flight capped at Rs 2,500 per seat under the UDAN scheme and applicable for flights where the distance is less than 500 km or one hour, UDAN scheme will be a boon for the people of Ludhiana. Firstly, Ludhiana airport will handle flights till Delhi and thereafter to Mumbai and other important cities. Previous govt had a bias against Ludhiana, says BittuBittu lamented that the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) government had a bias against Ludhiana and favoured Bathinda airport over it. They lacked sincere efforts and deprived Ludhiana of the facility it deserved, he said. He further said: “The present government in Punjab is committed to restore Ludhiana’s place in the industrialisation of the state.”

Regular flights from June

• With 50 per cent of seats on every flight capped at Rs 2,500 per seat under the UDAN scheme and applicable for flights where the distance is less than 500 km or one hour, UDAN scheme will be a boon for the people of Ludhiana
• The city will see regular flights beginning with Alliance Air and later in August joined by Deccan Charters
• Ludhiana airport will first handle flights till Delhi and thereafter to Mumbai and other important cities