CHANDIGARH : Three days after taking over as the power and irrigation minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh government, Rana Gurjit Singh on Monday said the role of halqa in-charges — who were active in the previous Akali-BJP government — in recommending outof-turn tubewell connections would be probed.

“How can the government surpass farmers who were waiting for tubewell connections for 12 to 15 years and give tubewells to their favoured ones who already have such connections?” questioned the minister while talking to HT.

In the last one year of the Akali-BJP government, thousands of out-of-turn tubewell connections were given to farmers on the recommendations of halqa in-charges. Following the new government’s order, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has stopped giving tubewell connections under the special quota.

The minister said preference would be given to decorated soldiers, war widows and who have earned a special name in the society.

Admitting that Punjab became power surplus during the previous Akali-BJP regime, the minister said: “Electricity should be affordable too and the Congress government will strive for bringing down the tariff as promised in the election manifesto.” He also said the government has not decided over continuing with the present incumbent on the post of chairman-cum-managing director of the PSPCL.

The minister said the consumers were fleeced by the PSPCL and private power generation plants during the previous government’s regime. Also, power tariff in Punjab is one of the highest in the country which needs to be brought down for which we would rework power purchase agreements with generation companies, he said.

The government was also working on a policy to give fiveyear moratorium to the industry from tariff hike, said Rana Gurjit, adding that the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) was working out the power tariff for 2017-18 fiscal which is likely to be announced March 31 or April 1.

Raising concerns over division of river waters between Punjab and Haryana, Rana Gurjit said Haryana has 40% land and was getting 60% water while Punjab has 60% land but it is getting 40% of the total water available.

 

CAPT UPBEAT, KEEPS IT LOW KEY

AMARINDER SINGH TO TURN 75 ON POLL RESULT DAY:IF THE CONGRESS, WHICH IS SEEKING TO RETURN TO POWER IN PUNJAB AFTER A HIATUS OF 10 YEARS, WINS, HE WOULD HAVE TWO REASONS TO CHEER.

Capt turns 75 today, will he have his cake and eat it too?ON D­DAY EVE, AMARINDER RATES EXIT POLLS; TO HEAD HOME IF WINS PATIAL

AND THE WINNER IS… LONG WAIT ENDS FOR PUNJAB, UP, GOA, U’KHAND, MANIPUR RESULTS

INCOME TAX RELIEF FOR THE FY 2016-17

PALTRY BUDGET FOR MILITARY MODERNISATION, PARLIAMENT PANEL SOUNDS ALERT

AMID GUNFIGHTS, FUNERALS IN VALLEY, NEW FAULT LINES APPEAR

FOUR INS SANDHYAK SAILORS WHO DISOBEYED SENIORS’ ORDERS AIRLIFTED

INDIA, PAK CONFLICT COULD LEAD TO NUCLEAR EXCHANGE: US GEN

INDIA, RUSSIA TO SPEED UP MILITARY HARDWARE UPKEEP

 

REQUIRED SAPPER FIELD ENGR

NAVY TO GO WITHOUT

SLOW PROCUREMENT OF BULLETPROOF JACKETS, JETS IRKS HOUSE COMMITTEE

MINESWEEPERS FOR 3 YRS:AGEING MINE-SWEEPERS LEAVE NAVY VULNERABLE

TINGE OF LUCK: WHO WILL CELEBRATE HOLI IN PUNJAB TODAY?CLAIMING VICTORY, PARTIES TRASH EXIT POLLS

BACK ON HOME TURF, SIDHU SAYS TIME FOR BADALS TO DISAPPEAR, SUNRISE AWAITS STATE

ALL QUIET AT BADAL VILLAGE; AKALIS JUNK SURVEYS AS DECEPTIVE

 

 

 

Sarbjit Dhaliwal and Sanjeev Singh Bariana‘My first response on assuming the charge is that the urban dwellings are in an absolute mess. I have learnt that only 12 per cent of the urban population has access to safe drinking water, 37 per cent to sewerage, 34 per cent to roads and just 4 per cent to parks,’ said Navjot Singh Sidhu, Local Bodies Minister.“I have communicated to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh that urban development will remain half-done job if the departments dealing with urban population are not brought under one roof and command,” he said.Explaining it further, Sidhu said: “As of now, there are multiple bodies like PUDA, improvement trusts, town planning and civic bodies dealing with cities, towns and nagar panchayats. The Centre has one department under the Ministry of Urban Development to handle all affairs related to the urban population. The same should be followed here.”About his mission, Sidhu said: “I will make my department serve people on their doorstep and spare them the inconvenience of making rounds of government offices. As a first step, I will ensure that no one has to visit the municipal body office for birth or death or for other such tasks. Such services will soon be available online.”On challenges facing his department, he said: “Raising funds will be a major concern. Most civic bodies hardly have enough money for development works. Besides, the supply of contaminated drinking water in the urban areas is a concern. I would like that canal water is provided to all cities and towns. It is shocking to learn that sewage is flowing in drinking water pipes at many places. A detailed plan has been sought.” “Being an elected representative of the constituency, an MLA has a better understanding of the problems of his area. I have asked my department to be an absolute facilitator for the public works.“There will be complete decentralisation of powers and the MLAs will communicate to the department about the works they want to get done in their respective constituencies,” he said.The minister said: “In Punjab, the process of urbanisation is the fastest in the country because of migration of population from rural areas to urban. By 2035, the urban-rural population ratio would be 50:50 against 40:60 now.”He said he would request the CM to ask the Centre to include two more cities, Patiala and Bathinda, in the smart cities project. In an important message to his staff, he said: “I have learnt that some employees are working in the houses of senior officers. If any employee on the rolls is found doing personal work of any officer, the authorities concerned will be held responsible and taken to task.”

‘I have no liquor or mining biz, I make money from TV shows’

CHANDIGARH : Sitting at the plush office of the local government department in Chandigarh, former Indian batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu, the new minister for local government and tourism in Punjab, does not seem on unfamiliar ground. On the second day of taking over as the minister, Sidhu has already held marathon meetings with his department officials and warned them against corruption. In an interview to HT, he says half of Punjab now lives in urban areas and his department can be the next matchwinner.

What has been your first job after taking over as the local bodies minister?

After the first cabinet meeting on Saturday, I took marathon meetings of local government and tourism departments on Sunday and asked officials to tell me both the problems and the solutions. This is a mandate of hope. And when people hope, they also expect. Like in a Test match, we have to bat well in the first innings — that is first six months of our government. Our work has to speak for itself.

There was talk of you becoming the deputy CM. Is the local government department not defunct in Punjab?

Which department was not defunct under the previous Badal government? The migration of rural population to Punjab’s urban areas was 1.66% between 1951 and 1961. It was 8.25% between 1991 and 2001 and 10.39% between 2001 and 2011. Half of Punjab lives in cities now and it is the urban voter that has brought the Congress into power. My department will cater to that voter. It can be the next match-winner.

But the municipal bodies are cash­starved. Where will you get the funds from?

Water bills in Punjab are still levied at a flat rate. People won’t mind paying more if we provide them clean water, a clean city and other facilities. There has also to be discriminatory taxation as per one’s consumption. If you tax them for living in cities with no proper sewage, waste management, clean water, good roads, parks and parking, why should they pay the government? In the first cabinet meeting, you

raised objection to disbanding of improvement trusts. Why?

What happens in the cabinet is sacrosanct. But some improvement trusts are “kamau putt” (earning sons). All I want is to go through facts and figures. Whatever is in the interest of Punjab will finally be done.

Your participation in The Kapil Sharma Show as a minister is raising questions of office of profit.

Going by this yardstick, Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher should have been suspended by now. I have no liquor, sand mining or transport business like Sukhbir Badal (former Punjab deputy CM). I make money through TV shows. I will be in Chandigarh from Monday to Thursday and in Amritsar from Friday to Sunday. What I do at nights should not be anyone’s concern. I will take first flight back to Punjab after TV shoots in Mumbai.

Any comments on BJP appointing Yogi Adityanath

as the new CM of UP?

As written in buses, “sawari apne saman ki khud zimmedar hai (passengers are responsible for own luggage). I’ve no comment.

The four sailors were allegedly disobeying direct orders, including the lowering of boats into the waters from the ship for carrying out different tasks, as well as reporting late for duties.

Predict BJP to be single largest party in UP | Uttarakhand may go BJP way, Goa not certain

New Delhi, March 9

The exit polls today predicted   a close fight in Punjab between the Congress, which is seeking to return to power after a hiatus of 10 years, and Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, making its debut in the state’s Assembly elections.In the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh, psephologists foresee the BJP emerging as the single largest party, winning between 155 and 185 of the 403 seats. One exit poll, however, has predicted 285.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Most poll surveys see a victory for the BJP in Uttarakhand. But the saffron party, which is likely to lead the table in Goa, is projected to fall short of a majority in the tiny coastal state.Released ahead of the March 11 counting, the exit polls predict that the SAD-BJP alliance, that has ruled Punjab for 10 years, could be struggling to get double-digit in the 117-member House.The alliance, however, is confident of defying the pollsters “like in 2012”, when it proved the surveys wrong. Eightynine-year-old CM Parkash Singh Badal claimed the alliance would win 72 seats. As for the Congress, Capt Amarinder Singh claimed it would win 65 seats. AAP exuded confidence, claiming it would bag close to 100.The state, which went to the polls on February 4, saw a turnout of 78.60 per cent. In 2012 , the polling percentage stood at 78.57. Since the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, the Congress and the SAD have been ruling the state alternately. But the SAD-BJP alliance, which formed government in 2007, won again in 2012. — Agencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ravinder Sood

Palampur March 6

A 14-day joint training exercise of the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman, codenamed Al-Nagah-II 2017, commenced today at Bakloh. This is the second edition of the series of joint exercises between the two countries. Exercise Al-Nagah was first held at Muscat in 2015. The Indian Army is fielding a contingent from the Gorkha Rifles for the exercise.The aim of the exercise is to acquaint both forces with each other’s operating procedures at the tactical level in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism environment and to enhance the existing military relationship between the two armies. The exercise also focused on enhancing the interoperability between the two armies while conducting joint operations.Senior military observers from both countries will be witnessing the validation phase of the exercise. Commander, 33 Mountain Brigade, welcomed the participating soldiers and said that the exercise was another step towards strengthening the ties between the two countries. “Over the next couple of weeks, we shall be going over various counter insurgency and counter terrorism drills. You shall be subjected to various conditions and tests with respect to the changing military environment,” he told the troops.He requested all the officers and troops to share knowledge with each other in terms of the implementation of tactics are the two armies use in their respective countries. Stating that the exercise should be a knowledgeable experience for all and by the time it concludes, he said that the participants should be fully satisfied by the efforts that have been put in, thereby, making this exercise a stepping stone for all the future exercises.

DHARAMSHALA: A contingent of Royal Army of Oman arrived on Sunday at Bakloh in Chamba district for a joint military exercises, which is starting on Monday.

HT PHOTOMembers of Royal Army of Oman during the initial briefing for the joint exercise at Bakloh in Chamba district.

The armies of India and Oman will be conducting joint exercise ‘Al Nagah-11 2017’, which is the second such exercise between the two countries, who have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena, said defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta.

The first joint exercise between the two countries was held in Oman in January 2015.

The contingent of Royal Army of Oman was received at Adampur Air Force Station by the officers of Indian Army from where they travelled to Bakloh.

Initial orientation and security briefing was also carried out, which included the training aspects and area familiarisation.

The aim of the exercise, to be conducted between March 6 to 19 in Dhauladhar range, is to build and promote bilateral army-to-army relations and enhance interoperability while exchanging skills and experiences between the two armies.

The participating troops for this exercise have been drawn from one Infantry Battalion each from the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman.

Conduct of the joint exercise will set the stage for greater defence cooperation between the two nations, he added.

“Approximately 60 troops from both the countries will participate in the exercise, which will help in enhancing knowledge of each other’s military procedures and increasing the scope for interoperability and better responsiveness to a common threat,” Lt Col Mehta added.

The spokesperson said the 14-day exercise with the Royal Army of Oman is scheduled to be conducted in multiple modules

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Regardless of Gurmehar Kaur’s appeal to all to “leave her alone”, there is no end to the war of words among the known and the less known over her tweet on her father’s martyrdom.The latest to comment on the 20-year -old DU student is Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Vij on Wednesday said that Kaur was indulging in politics over her father’s martyrdom.peaking with the media in Ambala, Vij said:  “I don’t even want to take Gurmehar Kaur’s name. She has been doing politics on the martyrdom of her father and has given a clean chit to Pakistan, which has been fighting with India directly and indirectly from a long time. And the people who are supporting her are pro-Pakistani. They should be thrown out of this country.

Bollywood celebrities react on Gurmehar Kaur row

Mumbai, March 1

Bollywood celebrities Anurag Kashyap, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vidya Balan have come out in support of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, saying she has the right to express her opinion and should not be trolled for it.Kashyap, who in the past has spoken about the increasing attack on creative freedom, said social media is being used to create polarisation.“Isn’t it so obvious… picking on a silent video from two years ago, the ‘Padmavati’ incident, the Ramjas incident, Tarek Fateh incident, all else that’s going wild on Twitter and Facebook is being used to create polarisation, so that the elections have a desired result by those in control,” he wrote on Facebook.The filmmaker said by reacting, “We are all participating in it and perpetuating it. That’s why I have been away for sometime and have come back to put this thought out there so one thinks about it… They are also using our reactions and provoking us because it helps their cause.. and we are giving it to them.”Lady Sri Ram College student Gurmehar, daughter of army martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, had launched a viral social media campaign against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) following violence between members of unions AISA and ABVP workers in Delhi University’s Ramjas College.Dhulia said the fact that an innocent student is being targeted makes him sad.“She is an innocent girl, she said something and it’s sad all the prominent people are commenting on that. They have made her life difficult. I feel very bad, helpless. If the majority thinks like this I don’t think the nation is moving on the right path,” he said. Urging people to respect other’s freedom of expression, Vidya said, “I don’t want to say much about this. I think what we really need to do is respect people’s freedom of expression.‘He said something she said something’, all are right in their place. But I don’t want to add anything more, everyone has the right to express what they feel.”   Gurmehar yesterday withdrew from her social media campaign, after allegedly receiving threats from the members of the RSS-backed outfit and getting trolled online.Commenting on the controversy, music composer Vishal Dadlani said, “I’m a nationalist but goons of ABVP & BJP will NOT define my nationalism. I am answerable to my country, not to any goondas. Jai Hind.”He also posted a photo that read, “Those who love peace must learn to organise as effectively as those who love war.”      Filmmaker Shirish Kunder slammed the incident on Twitter saying, “A student silently protests against violence. The entire Establishment gangs up against her. Shows the power of two S’s: Silence & Students.”  — PTI

 

Pak man supports ‘sister’ Gurmehar

Photo courtesy: Youtube grab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 1

Fayaz Khan, a Pakistan man, on Tuesday extended his support to Gurmehar Kaur saying that he “wished for a worldwide unique relationship where brother is a Muslim and sister is Sikh”.

This was in response to a video Gurmehar Kaur had posed last year in May where she had said that “Pakistan did not killed my father, war killed him”.

Kaur in the video had stated: “It took me a while to know but today I do. I have let go my hate. It was not easy but not difficult. If I can do it, so can you.

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Supporting Kaur, Khan, in the same style, conveyed his message to Kaur.

Through a series of placards in a video, he wrote: “Hi, Gurmehar Kaur. I am Fayaz from Pakistan. When I first came to Australia, I looked at Indians the way I was told in school. Soon we shared food and classroom chairs with each other like close friend.”

“We all feel sorry for you and your family for the loss of your dad in Kargil War. I have seen war and death very closely in my hometown Swat and luckily didn’t lose any family members but I am surrounded by thousand of Gurmehar Kaurs,” Khan said.

He said: “I want to visit India without visa restrictions.”

“Let us fight for peace and to save thousands of others across the border from suffering like Gurmehar Kaur. I cannot give you the love of a dad but you surely got a brother from ‘dushman dash’. Let it be a worldwide unique relationship where brother is a Muslim and sister is Sikh,” said Fayaz Khan.

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 23

After the news of killing of Lance Naik Ghulam Mohiuddin Rather in the Shopian ambush reached his village, relatives and neighbours started converging at Punchpora, Anantnag.Outside Lance Naik Rather’s house, a group of women were inconsolable. Some offered water to the wife of the slain soldier, others tried to cuddle his minor son. Small groups of men assembled en route Lance Naik Rather’s home.Lance Naik Rather was among the three soldiers of 44 Rashtriya Rifles who were killed in the militant ambush at Mulu Chitragam village in Shopian district of south Kashmir. An old woman was also killed in crossfire. Five other soldiers, including two officers, were injured in the incident.Lance Naik Rather’s family members came to know about his death around 9 am through social media. Hours later they were formally informed by the Army about his martyrdom.A pall of gloom descended on the family which was readying to marry his sister next month. “His sister was getting married next month and the family was gearing up for it. We wonder what will happen now,” said a family member of the soldier over phone from the village. “He was the only bread-winner in the family,” he said.The residents of the area said Mohiuddin used to visit his home as he was posted in nearby Shopian. “He would send medicines for his ailing parents whenever he could not come home,” said a neighbour.The Army said Lance Naik Rather’s mortal remains would be sent to his village for the last rites on Friday after a wreath-laying ceremony at 15 Corps Headquarters.

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Woman’s killing sparks protests in ShopianSeventy-year-old Jana Begum, who was killed in Shopian, was hit by a stray bullet inside her house. She was probably trying to figure out what was going on outside when the bullet hit her, a police officer said. The woman was found dead by her family soon after. She is survived by husband and five children. Jana was known in the locality as a pious woman. Her killing sparked protests and large number of people attended her funeral. — TNS

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 22

In the murder case of Indian Air Force (IAF) corporal Vipan Shukla, his relatives today lashed out at the police and Air Force authorities for “delay” in acting on their complaint.Father and wife of the deceased, Triveni Shukla and Kumkum Shukla, respectively, claimed that they had lodged the missing complaint on February 9, but despite their repeated requests, no search was conducted at the staff quarters of the Bhisiana air station.They claimed that even the police did not register case earlier. It was registered on February 15 after the DGP instructed Bathinda SSP Swapan Sharma and further he instructed the SHO.They even wrote letters to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Home Minister, Defence Minister, Chief Justice of India, Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court and Human Rights Commission on February 18.They alleged that when the police reached the Bhisiana air force station, they were not allowed to enter citing that it was their internal matter.They claimed that on February 21, the police along with the air force authorities recovered the body from the staff quarters of the air force station.Kumkum claimed that the accused couple use to visit their house daily without fail, but after February 8 when Vipan went missing they did not come to their place. She said she even told the police to raid the couple’s house, but they did not heed to her complaint.Corporal Vipan’s body was found chopped and packed in 16 packets from the refrigerator and cupboard in the house of sergeant Shailesh Kumar. The accused had killed Vipan on February 8, but chopped the body into pieces on February 19.The police today produced the accused couple —Shaliesh Kumar and Anuradha — in the court and took two days of police remand for further interrogation.The body also has been sent to Faridkot for postmortem.Bathinda police station SHO Ved Parkash said they were not allowed to enter the air force station, but they carried on the search operation outside the air force station. When they got permission to enter inside yesterday, they recovered the body.

Make killers feel same pain: Kin of IAF corporal murdered over illicit affair

Accused couple sent to two­day police remand, third accused on the run

BATHINDA: “I had sent my son to serve the nation, but never thought he would be murdered brutally like this,” said Triveni Shukla, 54, the inconsolable father of Indian Air Force corporal Vipin Shukla, 27. He was in Bathinda a day after Vipin, a ground staffer with the IAF at the Bhisiana station here, was found to have been murdered allegedly by his paramour, her husband and her brother, and his body cut up and stuffed into 16 polythene bags.

While police says it’s a case of an extra-marital affair gone wrong, the family allege “foul play”. Vipin, who has two kids with his wife, is a native of Beninagar village of Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. He had joined the IAF in 2009 and was posted at Bhisiana station in May 2014.

He was missing since February 8, after which a search by police and the IAF led to the living quarters of accused Sulesh Kumar, an IAF sergeant, his wife Anuradha, and her brother Shashi Bhushan.

It is alleged that Vipin had got Anuradha pregnant, but was refusing to marry her. She, in turn, has said he was forcing her to continue with the affair despite her unwillingness. Police say that Anuradha hatched the conspiracy, and Sulesh called Vipin to their quarters on the pretext of help in packing some household articles on February 8 evening. That is when the murder was committed with an axe, and the body hacked with a meat cleaver for discreet disposal.

In the meantime, based on a complaint by his wife Kumkum, a case for kidnapping was registered against unknown persons at Nathana police station on February 15. Superintendent of police (SP) Gurmeet Singh said a team of the police and station officials were conducting a search on Tuesday when foul smell emanating from the quarters of Sulesh was observed.

“The killers must be hanged and be made to go through the same pain and torture that my son felt,” said Triveni, who along with other family members was at the Bathinda civil hospital for Vipin’s post-mortem. However, the doctors shifted the body to Government Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot.

Sulesh and Anuradha have already been arrested while Shashi is on the run.

TWO-DAY REMAND

Meanwhile, the Bathinda police got two-day remand of the two arrested accused, to recover the weapon used in the murder besides collecting other clues.

Deputy superintendent of police Kuldeep Singh Sohi said the police had sought seven-day custody.

“We are yet to recover the weapon used in crime, while teams have been dispatched to Uttar Pradesh to nab the third accused, Shashi Bhushan,” Sohi added.