Punjab begins exercise to break cable cartel

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 18

Eager to break the television cable network monopoly in the state, the Punjab Government has started the exercise to enact a law in this regard.Sources said the government has approached experts and others who have worked in the cable network field for suggestions before setting up a Cable Network Authority with legal backing for the purpose of implementing the rules and regulations to be framed to operate the network in the state.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“The cable network cartel has been working in the state for long. It has been using muscle power to stop others from entering this business. We want to end that by opening it for all interested in running the cable network,” said Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. The Cable Network Authority Act would be passed in the Budget session, he added.The objective is to provide a level-playing field to all those interested in running the cable network in various cities, towns and other parts of the state. Depending on the viability, there could be four, five or even more players to provide the cable network, he added.“Customers would  have a choice to get connection from any cable operator working in that city. Obviously, customers would opt for the best service provider,” said an official.Cable network operators had been censoring channels at their own level in the state. The private cartel would decide what news people should see and what channel should not be allowed to be seen.“There would be no control on the delivery of information via news channels. During the previous SAD-BJP government, only one particular Punjabi news channel was having a free run in the state. Others were either not delivered through the network or made to follow the government line,” said a state government official.

Harjit Sajjan refuses AAP invite

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 18

Dubbed a “Khalistani sympathiser” by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan has refused an invite by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).Leader of the Opposition HS Phoolka had invited Sajjan for coffee with the party MLAs at Chandigarh during his visit to the state capital on April 21.Phoolka said, “My office had sent an invitation to him via the Canadian High Commission. We have been told that his schedule is already very hectic and such a meet will not be possible.”Party insiders said the refusal indicated that Sajjan didn’t want to be drawn into a controversy, considering some AAP leaders’ alleged links with Sikh hardliners.Meanwhile, AAP Chief Whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira said here today that Capt Amarinder had snubbed Sajjan in order to appease his bosses in Delhi following the Ontario Assembly’s motion declaring the 1984 riots as genocide.Addressing mediapersons, Khaira said the Ontario motion seemed unacceptable to the Congress high command.“I urge the CM to reconsider his unjustified statement borne out of petty considerations and welcome Sajjan to Punjab as a state guest,” he added.

New sand quarries:Govt to opt for progressive bidding

The new draft mining policy will come up for consideration at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow. Tribune file

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 18

The state government is all set to do away with reverse bidding for the auction of 58 new sand quarries, whose environmental clearance is expected soon, and opt for progressive bidding.The new draft mining policy will come up for consideration at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow. However, reverse bidding will be adopted for the 59 old quarries to be re-auctioned on April 24.In progressive bidding, buyers compete to obtain goods or service by offering increasingly higher prices. In a reverse auction or bidding, the sellers compete to obtain business from the buyers and prices typically decrease as the sellers undercut each other.The then Akali-BJP government had drawn flak over the cartelisation of the mining business and escalating prices of minor minerals extracted from sand quarries. After a below-par show in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the government had adopted reverse bidding.Mining contractors opine that progressive bidding would lead to higher bids, thus hiking manifold the cost of extracting sand and aggregate (sand and gravel).In the past month, the supply of sand has dropped and its price has gone up from Rs 15,000 to Rs 19,000 for 800 cubic ft (one truckload). The price of aggregate (bajri) has gone up from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 for 800 cubic ft.Official sources said checks and balances had been incorporated in the draft policy to control prices of sand and gravel. The policy, it is learnt, will have provision for a helpline on which complaints about illegal mining or overcharging can be made.

Students to be taught about Saragarhi battle: Badungar

SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar (second from right) inaugurates Saragarhi Niwas in Amritsar on Tuesday. tribune photo: vishal kumar

Amritsar, April 18

The Battle of Saragarhi, one of the greatest stand-offs in the Indian history, is now going to be part of the curriculum of the SGPC-run educational institutes.This was disclosed by SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar while inaugurating the state-of-the-art inn dedicated to the 21 Sikhs, who chose to fight to death while facing 10,000 Afghan attackers, in the Battle of Saragarhi on September 12, 1897. It occurred in North-West Frontier Province, which was part of British India at that time. It is now named Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and is part of Pakistan.Badungar said even as the story is part of school curriculum in countries such as France, Italy, Japan and the UK, the Centre had never spared a thought for it.“We have decided to include the history of Saragarhi battle in the curriculum of our 38 colleges, 80 schools, medical college, Guru Granth Sahib University, polytechnic and other institutions. We are putting up a resolution in our upcoming executive body meeting to seek nod for it,” he said. — TNS

Maj-Gen Somnath Jha (retd) who completed his cycling campaign in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune Photograph

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13

He is not like other Army veterans, who would have loved playing golf after retirement. But Maj-Gen Somnath Jha (retd) had something else in his mind when he hung up his boots in September 2016.Pushing 60, Maj-Gen Somnath Jha decided to go for 42,000 minutes of cycling as a tribute to 21,000 martyrs of the country. He resolved that for these 21,000 martyrs, he would cycle for two minutes for each one of them, the total of which would come to 42,000 minutes of cycling. Jha today reached Dehradun finally completing 42,000 minutes of cycling and covering all the 29 states of the country which he did in seven months.Talking to The Tribune in Dehradun, Maj-Gen Somnath Jha said he received a standing ovation from commoners wherever he went during his cycling campaign. “I met ordinary people, who lauded my pledge for cycling for the fallen heroes of the country. I even met family members of many martyrs, who appreciated my gesture,” he said. He said a large number of veterans, NCC groups and even serving personnel came forward to greet me at various places.“I had pledged to do this task as a tribute to the fallen soldiers of the country and I have completed it today. Rain, heat, etc on the way were no excuse,” Maj Gen Somnath Jha said.

Chandigarh, April 12

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh today said he would not meet Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan during the latter’s visit to India later this month. In an interview with a Delhi-based TV channel, he dubbed Sajjan as a “Khalistan sympathiser.” The CM claimed five ministers in the Trudeau government were Khalistanis and would have truck with neither. “These Khalistani sympathisers had last year prevailed upon the authorities to block my entry into Canada. I only wanted to meet my Punjabi brethren there,” he said. In protest, Amarinder had written a letter to the Canadian PM and later refused to meet the Canadian High Commissioner in  India. — TNS(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Says Sajjan, four other ministers prevented his entry into Canada ahead of Punjab polls

From page 1 CHANDIGARH : Dubbing Canadian defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan a “Khalistani sympathiser”, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said he will not meet the Indo-Canadian leader during his expected visit to India later this month. Amarinder’s statement has the potential to snowball into a major diplomatic row between India and Canada.

“Harjit Sajjan is a Khalistani sympathiser,” Amarinder alleged on the ‘Off the Cuff’ TV show by veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta. The chief minister claimed that there were, in fact, five ministers in the Justin Trudeau government who were Khalistani sympathisers and he would not have any truck with them.

“They had prevailed upon the government to prevent my entry into Canada, where I wanted to go to meet my Punjabi brethren and not to campaign for elections,” he was quoted as saying in a release issued by his team after the programme.

Amarinder, whose poll campaign in Canada was stalled last year in the run-up to the Punjab assembly elections, had responded by accusing some Canadian ministers of having “Khalistani leanings” then too. The Canadian defence minister is expected to travel to India this month in his first visit since his appointment as minister.

ON BANS

Amarinder was candid on other issues too. Asked about beef ban, he said people had the right to, and should be allowed to, eat whatever they wanted.

The CM also said that he was not in favour of a ban on Pakistani artistes, and said he would be happy to invite them to Punjab and would also love to visit Pakistan again. “It is time to mend fences and make friends with Pakistan,” he said, urging New Delhi to be wary of China on the other border.

ON RAHUL

As for his party, seeing a “deliberate malicious attempt” by vested interests to pull down Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Amarinder also urged the people to give him (Rahul) a chance. There is a clear conspiracy against Rahul who is being targeted with ridiculous names, he said.

Captain said that he had always found Rahul “extremely perceptive” and willing to listen, besides being open to suggestions and ideas.

ON EVMS

On the controversial issue of possible tampering of electronic voting machines, Amarinder said had the EVMs been tampered with in Punjab, he would “not be sitting here today”.

However, he was quick to note that it was important to find out the reason for many advanced countries refusing to adopt EVMs.

Parents of Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh in a cheerful mood in Jalandhar on Friday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 7

Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, who hails from Jalandhar, has been honoured with Ati Vishisht Sewa Medal (AVSM) by the President of India. Earlier too he had been awarded for the recovery of a Sea Harrier fighter aircraft in a grave emergency.The Flag Officer has the distinction of having flown 11 types of aircraft during his distinguished career. He is a qualified flying instructor and has more than 2,480 hours of flying experience.While speaking to The Tribune over the phone, the officer said that Navy had given him so much in all these years. “It’s time to pay back to my motherland by securing its borders,” Singh said.Expressing pride over his son’s achievement, his father, Avtaar Manmohan Jit Singh, a practicing lawyer at Punjab and Haryana High Court and Sessions Courts in Jalandhar, said winning was in his son’s blood. “I have no words to express my happiness at his enthralling success. All I want to pray is that he should keep on defending the country with utmost grit and determination,” said an emotional father. He said being a lawyer, although he had wanted his three sons to be in the same profession, the elder two including Admiral Ravneet joined the defence forces. While his one son is serving in Army, the other is a lawyer and settled abroad. The officer’s mother, Sarabjeet Kaur, also expressed her happiness.The Flag Officer has commanded various ships, establishments and air squadron during his illustrious career with INS Ranvijay, INS Ranvir, INS Himgiri, Sea Harrier Training and Frontline Operational Squadron INAS 300 and a premier naval air station INS Hansa.Prior to assuming his present appointment as the Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Western Naval Command, he had had the privilege of commanding the sword arm of the Indian Navy i.e. the Western Fleet, as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF). Singh has also been the Flag Officer Goa Area and Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FOGA and FONA). He has also served as Assistant Controller Warship Production and Acquisition (ACWP&A) and Assistant Controller Carrier Projects (ACCP) at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi. Further, he has also served as the defence adviser in Kenya, Tanzania and Seychelles.An alumnus of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh graduated from DAV College, Jalandhar, prior to joining the Indian Navy. Married to Deep Singh, he is blessed with two daughters.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s media adviser Pankaj Pachauri, former Army Chief General VP Malik and former Union Minister Manish Tewari during a function at the Punjab Kala Bhawan auditorium in Sector 16, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Chandigarh, April 5

Former Army Chief General VP Malik said more mohalla get-togethers are required so that people can interact with each other. Gen Malik was speaking at a function organised by the People’s First Society on the topic Towards Togetherness (Apasdari and Shehardari) at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16 today.The focus of the programme was to increase people-to-people connection by holding small sabhas and get-togethers. Former Union Minister and Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “The concept of “Know Your Neighbour” is a unique concept and we need to take this concept and idea first in Chandigarh and then to Mohali and Panchkula”.On this occasion, Pankaj Pachauri, veteran journalist and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s media adviser, shared his experience and said there was Nana Nani Park in Maharashtra specially designed for the old-age people where they come and interact with each other.Former councillor Chander Mukhi Sharma said: “Connecting people on the social media is far easier than face-to-face meetings. So our focus is more on face-to-face interaction among the people of Chandigarh as it decreases the stress among neighbours and creates togetherness”. — TNS

India has to first and foremost put in place a realistic narrative as a way out of the Kashmir imbroglio that has become more intractable. More than ever before, instead of a military solution, there is the dire need for “quiet diplomacy and politic

Street rage: Stone-throwers at Rawalpora, Srinagar, protest against the Chadoora encounter and target the paramilitary forces.

IT is very difficult to describe the current Kashmir situation in a balanced manner. There are so many prejudices that suppress the existing reality from coming to the real-time attention. The whole scenario is subjugated by an all-pervasive narrative  of  oppression of the people by the ” brute forces” . It  has been peddled so effectively on the social media and the news channels that the US  representative  at the United Nations,  Nikki Haley, dropped clear hints that President Donald Trump may speak to India and Pakistan to resolve their issues. The unspoken reference is to Kashmir, which evokes fears of a “nuclear flash point in the region” for the international community. India, for all good reasons, rejects the talk of third-party intervention and asserts that it can resolve its issues. But the the damage is done. Pakistan has succeeded in reviving the world’s fears vis-à-vis Kashmir and its eastern neighbour, India. Now, the question may be asked who has isolated whom  at the world stage. 

Worsening situation

Never before was the Kashmir situation as bad as it is today.  It is a grave mistake to read the situation in terms of decline in terrorist violence  and drastic reduction in casualties from hundreds in the 1990s to less than 100 in terrorism-related incidents in the Valley. The real issue is that the Kashmiri psyche is ingrained with the idea of resistance — not just with guns and stones but also with the hate and anger that they harbour against India. What happened  in Chadoora on March 28 — three  protestors were killed  in security forces’ firing for they were being harassed by the hostile and the stone- throwing  mobs to  dismantle their anti-militancy operation launched to neutralise one militant. These killings, read with the  home-grown  psychology of ‘hate India’ —soldiers are seen as  face of India — reveal an uncomfortable truth. The crowds had rushed to the encounter site, willing to risk their lives to save the  trapped militant. This doesn’t end here. The youth at the encounter sites with  all-too-visible stones in their hands showcase the widening of the conflict. Pakistan, of course, is delighted by all this. It helps its Deep State to work to cause unrest in the Valley and to demonise India through its envoys and hired propaganda machinery within  Kashmir and abroad. That is where the international attention gets riveted to Kashmir trouble. In short,  the  conflict is widening  at an amazing pace in the minds of Kashmiris.  Prime  Minister Narendra Modi, who brought a choice of terrorism and tourism for the stone-throwers, was looking only through the prism of  economic prosperity of the place. That terrorism and tourism don’t go together is a universally accepted phrase. He was 100 per cent right in making the people aware of how terrorism in Kashmir had brought decades of bloodshed to the Valley, ruined their progress and made them hostage to deprivation. So much so, the benefits of the advance of the 21st century have been denied to the people.  Thus economics matters in Kashmir as it does elsewhere in the world. But they have demonstrated an undiminished  love for the militants and stone-throwers. All the earlier talk of “azadi,” and Pakistan  as their future nation has been subdued by the  romance of the Islamic rule. India faces four different challenges to transform the narrative if it really wishes to do something  in Kashmir. First, it has to discard the notion that a military approach alone can help to regain the lost paradise. It has not worked. Local militancy is a greater threat than the one coming from across the border. It is true, as the Prime Minister said, that if Pakistan is unable to stabilise itself, can it be a choice  for the people of Jammu and Kashmir? The fact is that the Pakistan-sponsored narrative has more acceptability here. Secondly, Pakistan needs to be dealt with sophisticated diplomacy. The snub-Islamabad policy for all its audaciousness is not the answer. Mature nations look at  long-term victory and not short-term nationalist passion-satisfying diplomacy.  Third, it is more important  for India to set its own house in Kashmir in order  before embarking on the journey of diplomatic victories. The country’s soft power is nearly absent. Hard power has not been able to tame militancy. The people are important. It is a good sight to see (from the Indian perspective) thousands lining up for jobs at the Army recruitment rally. That, too, needs to be analysed. Why were these people there? Were they in search of jobs or for their love for the nation? The narrative should be moulded in such a way that even those who don’t find jobs love the nation. Unfortunately, that is not the reality. Fourth, it should be borne in mind  that Kashmiris by and large are peace-loving  people but they have been pushed into the cauldron of violence. They are in search of  trustworthy peace not by the overwhelming and intrusive presence  of the forces but as an evolution that  finds its way through “quiet diplomacy and politics.” This is the phrase used by the former Home Minister, P Chidamaram, but it is more relevant today than ever before. Delhi should also stop funding and  encouraging political parties and their leaders who  seek escape routes in being pro-Pakistan and  manufacture narrative  about the Kashmir scene. They are more deadly than separatists. That distinction needs to be made right away to bring a breath of fresh air, with the help of a realistic narrative which will help in curing the squinted  view of Kashmir. 

ajoshi57@gmail.com

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 4

The J&K Police have called a Major named by the soldier, who was detained on Monday after the recovery of two grenades from his luggage, and is also looking for two persons for questioning.Police sources said Bhupal Mukhia of 17 JAK Rifles, who was arrested from Srinagar airport told the investigators that the packet in which the grenades were concealed was given to him by a soldier at a transit camp at Badamibagh.“A jawan handed over the well-concealed packet to me saying that ‘Major Sahib’ from his unit had directed him to hand it over and deliver it in Delhi,” the sources said.“After the disclosure, we have also called the Major for questioning. We are also looking for the sepoy who handed over the packet and another person who called Bhupal over phone to inquire about the packet (grenades) which were to be delivered in Delhi,” they said, adding that they were cross-checking all claims made by the jawan.“For now, it looks that the Army jawan from whom the grenades were recovered was not aware what was concealed inside,” they said.The Major, who is currently in Jammu will be joining the police investigation in a day or two, the sources said.The police are also trying to find how and from where the grenades were procured.Bhupal serves near the Line of Control in the Uri sector of Kashmir and was to board a Delhi- bound flight before the anti-hijacking wing at the airport detained him after the recovery of the two grenades concealed in the luggage.The Army had initially told the investigators that the grenades were “drill items”.The Army, which has assured action as per the law, has also ruled out that there was any hijacking angle.“After preliminary investigation, it is clarified that it is a case of carriage of grenade and there is no hijacking angle to the incident,” Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said on Monday

Lt Gen DR Soni, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), gives away the citation to IMA Commandant Lt Gen SK Upadhaya in a function held at the IMA in Dehradun on Thursday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 30

Lt Gen DR Soni, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), gave away prestigious citations for outstanding contribution in the field of training during the investiture ceremony held at Chetwode Hall in the Indian Military Academy (IMA) here today.The proud recipients of this year’s “GOC-in-C ARTRAC Unit citation” were the IMA; Remount Veterinary Corps Centre and College, Meerut; College of Materials Management, Jabalpur; Institute of National Integration, Pune; 126 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), Jammu and Kashmir Rifles; 707 Target Support Unit and the 136 Field Regiment.On the behalf of the IMA, IMA Commandant Lt Gen SK Upadhyay, received the citation conferred for distinguished service and professionalism in imparting quality training during 2016. All winning academies and units have made exceptional contribution in enhancing training activities of the Indian Army. Officers heading their respective institutions/units along with their subedar majors received the citations from the Army Commander.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 1

While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) filed close to 800 appeals in the Supreme Court against disabled ex-servicemen in last three years, it managed to win only one case.Admitting this in Parliament this week, Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre said appeals against soldiers with disability accounted for a whooping 61.50% of all appeals filed by the government.Appeals are filed by the government in the SC against judgments of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) and the High Courts that have gone in favour of disabled ex-servicemen who had sought redressal of their grievances concerning pension and related benefits.The matter has been taken up repeatedly with the government by various ex-servicemen’s association as well as MPs, who have pointed out that such appeals were continuing despite the Centre’s directives to all departments for cutting down litigation.Recently, the Defence Minister had also issued directions to implement the recommendations of a committee of experts  that had come down heavily on the Army and the Ministry of Defence for causing agony to disabled soldiers. The committee had termed such actions contemptuous and recommended withdrawal of all appeals filed against disabled soldiers and conceding cases that were covered by the Supreme Court and High Court verdicts. Recommendations similar to the expert committee were also made by the 7th Central Pay Commission that were later accepted by the Centre.The AFT’s Chandigarh Bench had a few months ago reminded the MoD and the Army Headquarters that their frivolous appeals against disability pension of soldiers were causing great distress to the system and shaking the faith of the common person in the rule of law. It said the cost of frivolous litigation should be recovered from the officers taking such decisions.