A bunker near the Line of Control in the Akhnoor subdivision of Jammu. Tribune Photo

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 21

The recent displacement of border inhabitants from the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district has once again exposed the casual approach being adopted by the PDP-BJP government in constructing concrete community bunkers for which the amount has been sanctioned by the Central government.Official sources said that in December 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had sanctioned Rs 3 crore for 60 bunkers on the borders for civilians as a pilot project.“Out of the 60 sanctioned bunkers, only 35 have been constructed so far. Each bunker can accommodate 20 persons during emergency. The state government, however, has failed to utilise the funds sanctioned for 60 bunkers,” a source said, adding that the work on the remaining 25 is yet to be started or is going on at a snail’s pace.Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had admitted on the floor of the Assembly on January 23 this year that just 35 bunkers had been constructed under the Border Action Development Programme (BADP) in the border areas of Jammu district.The sources said that in 2015, the state government had made a proposal to the MHA for constructing 20,125 community-type bunkers along the Line of Control and International Border for the safety of residents living in border areas of J&K. Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri and Kupwara districts were selected for these bunkers. The total cost of the project was Rs 1,000 crore.The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in its 203rd report, which was laid before the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on April 11 this year, has also flayed the state government for adopting delay tactics in constructing bunkers. The committee is headed by former Home Minister P Chidambaram.Though Minister for Rural Development Department (RDD) Abdul Haq Khan did not respond to repeated phone calls, Minister of State for RDD Sunil Sharma, who belongs to the BJP, said he would look into the matter. “I will check who is responsible for adopting a casual approach towards constructing bunkers in border areas,” Sharma told The Tribune.House panel slams sluggish approachThe Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in a report presented before the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in April 11 this year stated: “The committee is anguished to note the sluggish progress of the project to construct bunds, metalled roads and bunkers along the fence in the Jammu sector. The committee feels that lack of adequate all-weather connectivity in border areas will keep the border in Jammu region vulnerable to external threats like infiltration. The committee, therefore, recommends that the ministry should fast-track the project to construct roads, bunds and bunkers along the fence and start the construction work at the earliest”.

Judicial overreach in some cases puzzling

ON GUARD: The Indian Army is responsible and acts only when it absolutely must.

WE in the military and,  indeed, the bulk of the citizens of the country, have always looked upon the higher judiciary with great respect. Despite a few ‘bad apples’ in its midst, which were recently found to be infested with the proverbial worms, the sagacity of the higher judiciary continues to be admired. Lately, however, the overreach of the judiciary is puzzling to say the least. I feel it a duty to draw the attention of the honourable Lordships to some jarring judgments that have upset a large number of citizens, particularly the men and women who belong to the uniformed fraternity. My Lords, let me start by your recent judgment on lodging FIRs against Army personnel who kill a terrorist, insurgent, militant, or any person breaking the law of the land while carrying out assigned tasks of neutralising any and everyone who is spreading mayhem, panic, attacking the military or other uniformed personnel and civilians too; or destroying government or private property.My Lords, being highly learned, I am sure you are aware that the Army, personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces, state armed police and other police personnel deployed in J&K are waging a new and extremely difficult kind of war against insurgents of all kinds, in areas that are highly disturbed, at the express behest and full support of a dastardly neighbour, well-known for its hatred for all things Indian. Your Lordships must be aware that this is a war against an unseen enemy, who sticks to no rules of war or high-grade conflict; who is religiously motivated by self-serving religious heads, even to the extent of committing suicide because that is what their motivators, trainers and leaders have drilled in their heads over and over, till they have shifted from thinking men and women to zombies of the worst kind.I am certain your Lordships are also aware that the Indian Army is fighting this vicious war under the rubric of ‘Aid to Civil Authority’, a well-known and formalised doctrine for the Army’s secondary role. The important tenets of this doctrine are ‘use of minimum force’; ‘all actions in good faith’; ‘adhering to the law of the land’; and always keeping in mind that they are dealing with misguided (a highly inadequate word for these ‘violent’ people) country men and women. All ranks of the Army are fully aware and act under these tenets while conducting operations, but when their own life and the task assigned to them have reached the highest and thinnest point of the needle, they act, and even in doing so ensure that there is no or least collateral damage.Even when there was ample scope for a de novo look at the entire issue, when a curative petition had been filed by the government, you chose to uphold your earlier directions of July 8, 2016, wherein the registration of an FIR against armed forces personnel has been made mandatory for every encounter death. My Lords, is it then not a judgment that completely ignores ground realities?My Lords, you are no doubt aware of the well-known saying ‘the law is an ass’. This proverbial expression of English origin (from a play published by English dramatist George Chapman in 1654, Revenge for Honour), calls into question the rigid application of the law and by no means casts any aspersions on the grasp of the law by person(s) pronouncing judgment. Hence, the present issue does not fall into this category either.However, a point relative to this is that the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) continues to be in force in J&K; and Section 7 of the Act stipulating that no legal proceedings shall be instituted against armed forces personnel acting in good faith, except with the previous sanction of the Central government, continues to be operative. So, the young men and women laying their lives on the line cannot understand two diametrically opposite judgments! No officer or soldier wants to kill wantonly, but if there is a threat to the country’s sovereignty, he will either kill or get killed. Surely, My Lords, these could not have been your intentions.My Lords, the next issue relates to a landmark judgment by your august court, delivered on December 10,  2014, relating to the issue of broad-banding or rounding off of disability pension of all military personnel. In this judgment, you had forthrightly dismissed all appeals of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) made over a number of years and had given full relief to over 800 affected military personnel that forced the ministry to remove all impediments and give all dues to the affected personnel, with arrears.While this was a historic judgment hailed by all, no one perhaps has pointed it out to your Lordships that the MoD, instead of cancelling their policy letter of January 31, 2001, chose to wrongly interpret your wise decision and insisted that this judgment was only applicable to those who had filed cases in the higher courts, which you had so wisely clubbed together. Resultantly, it has refused to give benefits of your judgment to thousands of others, who were directed to approach AFTs or High Courts for their cases to be eligible for the benefits of broadbanding! My Lords, is this not a travesty of justice when the highest court in the land has dismissed all excuses and submissions made by the MoD?My Lords, I ask you in all humility whether our disabled jawans can file such suits or need to, when your sage judgment prevails.My third issue has little to do with the military but has affected businesses and jobs at a large scale. I am referring to your recent judgment, My Lords, on imposing a ban on the sale of liquor within 500 metres of a national highway. In an era when the numbers of unemployed are increasing because of the inability of the government to create sufficient jobs, your judgment has resulted in additional large-scale laying off; brought down drastically the price of property along highways and exponentially increased property prices artificially away from highways. I am sure you were clearly focused on reducing fatalities on account of drunk driving. My view as a layman has always been that the government has no business in trying to change how the polity dresses, eats, drinks and carries out its day-to-day functions. Unfortunately, our political leaders have not learnt this basic issue of governance. Now, the judiciary, as the highest and most important watchdog of the nation, has meddled with this aspect, when other options are available to reduce fatalities. May I request your Lordships to revisit this judgment too and bring succour to the affected people?

The writer is a former Vice-Chief of Army Staff

islamism is on the rise in the Valley and the separatists are fast losing control of the street

THE FATAL FLAW IN CONFLATING VOTER­TURNOUT WITH ‘NORMALCY’ HAS RETURNED TO HAUNT US WITH THE DISMAL SHOWING IN THE SRINAGAR BYPOLLS

If you watched the captions that scream out at you from your TV screens every night, their flaming orange hues designed to add to the heat, you would think that complex truths of the turmoil in Kashmir can be squeezed into 140 characters — just perfect for the Twitter age. But, like Akira Kuroswa’s Rashomon (Four people give different accounts of a rape and a murder) taught us, there can be multiple truths. Here are eight truths about Kashmir, seemingly paradoxical; simultaneously truthful.

APA Kashmiri student uses his necktie as a sling to throw stones at policemen as they clash in Srinagar, May 15

Things in the Valley have not been this bad in two decades. I don’t measure this by violence, terrorism and fatalities — we have seen much worse years on that count. I say this because battling Pakistan’s armed proxies is much more straightforward than taking on your own people on the street. And cloaking militancy with a protective sheet of civilian agitations, women and teenagers among them, means many of the old conflict zone formulas won’t work.

Pakistan’s presence as instigator is at once more visible and more covert. Travel through villages of south Kashmir and you will see many more Pakistani flags than ever before. Quiz Kashmiris about why and some will laugh and say, “It’s just to irritate you people; it’s the one thing that always works.” But, if earlier Pakistan’s role was easier to track, through infiltration, exfiltration and training camps across the border — now it is insidious, engineered through sophisticated social media videos and hawala transactions. Terrorism has not stopped targeting security personnel but propaganda has become a more critical weapon than earlier.

Unlike the hashtag nationalism of venom spewing anchors, the Army definitely wants political outreach. Soldiers do not want to be used as a substitute for either politicians or policemen. In fact the Army is not in favour of being deployed in situations that pit it against the locals. In the past several high ranking officers have refused to be drawn into managing violent street protests. Lt General DS Hooda, the erudite and neverfrazzled officer who oversaw the surgical strikes across the Line of Control, told me that it was a ‘missed opportunity’ to not build on the strikes with a simultaneous domestic effort in the Valley. He points out that in addition to putting pressure on Pakistan it was as important to “address the internal situation in Kashmir which had started calming down by this time.”

Elections in the state have been absolutely free and fair since 2002 but while poll participation signals an institutional improvement it does not mitigate the separatist sentiment. The fatal flaw in conflating voter-turnout with ‘normalcy’ has returned to haunt us with the dismal showing in the Srinagar bypolls. We are trapped by the obvious corollary; if high voter numbers mean a rejection of secessionism what does the lowest voting statistic in 30 years (down to 2% in some parts of Srinagar, under 7% overall) tell us about how Kashmiris feel?

Yes, the Hurriyat gets from money and other support from Pakistan to instigate trouble in the state. But several of its members have also been courted on the backchannel by our intelligence agencies for years, obviously with different intents than Islamabad. Former R&AW chief AS Dulat outed the worst-kept secret when he revealed that not just separatists, but even militants had been engaged by Indian sleuths, both politically and financially. “So what’s wrong; it’s done the world over,” Dulat told me. “Corrupting someone with money is more ethical and smarter than killing him.”

Every separatist or militant who has attempted dialogue with New Delhi has been assassinated by Pakistan. The Vajpayee government succeeded in bringing a faction of the Hizbul Mujahideen, led by Abdul Majid Dar, to the table for talks. He was killed soon after. As was Hurriyat representative, Abdul Gani Lone, whose son Sajad is a minister in the present coalition government. A mechanism that provides security and relevance to men willing to give up the gun has not yet taken root in Kashmir even 28 years after the insurgency began.

The problem remains political but radicalisation and a growing Islamism is real.

I met a teenage boy strapped to a hospital bed who marched for slain militant Burhan Wani because he “protects Islam.” The Internet has made many angry young Kashmiris part of a global ‘ummah,’ exposing them to more fundamental strains of Islam. Both Wani and his successor Zakir Bhat released videos calling for a Caliphate. One officer argues, “Earlier Islam was a subset of azaadi; now azaadi is a subset of Islam.”

If New Delhi does not start a dialogue process soon, there will be no one to talk to. Separatists have only pocket boroughs of influence and they are fast losing control of the street.

Villagers show the damaged wall of a house at Lam village in the Nowshera sector on Wednesday

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 17

The constant fear of mortar shelling and firing from the Pakistan side has triggered fresh migration from villages close to the Line of Control in Rajouri district, with nearly 500 more border villagers reaching relief camps till Wednesday evening.The fresh migration has been reported from Pukharni, Lam and Jahangar areas close to the LoC. The administration is expecting more migration from border belts in view of the growing apprehension of fresh firing and shelling from the other side of the border.The Pakistan army, meanwhile, continued to target the Indian forward posts, though intermittently, in violation of the truce pact. According to official sources, the Pakistan army resorted to heavy firing at forward posts along the LoC in the Balakote sector of Poonch district early Wednesday morning. “They (Pakistan) violated the ceasefire again by firing at Indian forward posts and civilians areas, located in the 12-km range of Tarkundi-Lohar Gali belt on the LoC. First, they targeted two forward posts Lanjote and Dadot around 5 am for a few minutes and later resumed firing around 7.30 am on the entire Tarkundi-Lohar Gali belt till 9 am,” a source said.A defence spokesperson, however, said: “Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in the Balakote sector from 12.50 am to 1.30 am on the intervening night of May 16 and May 17. Our troops retaliated strongly and gave a befitting reply to Pakistan firing”.“Fresh migration of border people has taken place from Pukharni, Lam and Jahangar areas as 435 more villagers shifted to relief camps today. Till now, a total of 2,180 people of 540 families are staying in five relief camps set up by the administration,” said Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary. On May 13, Pakistani troops had pounded civilian areas and forward posts in the Nowshera area with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three. The firing from the other side of the LoC triggered migration in the area besides closure of educational institutions.

Border residents take shelter at a government school in Rajouri district. PTI

Jammu, May 14

Pakistani troops heavily shelled areas along the LoC in Rajouri district for the second consecutive day on Sunday, causing heavy damage to buildings and forcing evacuation of 1,000 border residents.

The Indian Army effectively retaliated.

The Pakistan Army had on Saturday pounded civilian areas and forward posts along the LoC in Nowshera area with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three. “The Pakistani Army has resorted to indiscriminate firing of small arms, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0645 hours along the Line of Control in Rajouri sector,” a defence spokesman said.

“The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing is presently on,” he said.

Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, said fresh ceasefire violation has been reported in ‘chitibakri’ area of Chingus in Rajouri today.

“Heavy shelling started in Manjakote area of Rajouri at O620 hours. More than seven villages have been affected”, the Deputy Commissioner said.

Choudhary said there was massive damage to buildings. He said the number of migrants at relief camps swelled to 978 overnight. Till now 259 families have been evacuated from three villages, he added.

Fifty-one schools in Nowshera sector have been closed for an indefinite period, while 36 in Manjakote and Doongi zones have been shut for three days. Nearly 4,600 students study in 87 schools, he added.

After the Pakistani shelling, 1,000 people were evacuated from various areas along the LoC in Rajouri district to safer places.

“Risking their lives officials and the police evacuated 996 people from various shelling-hit villages and shifted them to various camps established by district administration where facilities of ration, cooking, drinking water, sanitation, first aid and proper accommodation have been provided,” Choudhary said.

So far, three camps have been made operational and 28 others notified in wake of expected migration from affected villages, Choudhary said.

“Six ambulances have been pressed into action for shifting of injured and treatment. One mobile medical unit was stationed at Nowshera and another deputed to forward areas,” he added.

Around 120 officers from various departments have been deployed to organise facilities at relief camp.

The district administration has provided immediate relief and financial assistance to the next of kin of the deceased and to the injured, he said.

A control room has been established in the office of Nowshera SDM for coordination.

The government had last month said that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November 2003. — PTI

MAJ GEN SPS GREWAL TAKES OVER AS MD :: PESCO

TARGETING LOCALS: NEW-LOOK TERROR STRATEGY IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR BY LT GEN ATA HUSNAIN

GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL CAMP FOR EX-SERVICEMEN, WIDOWS

ARMY SEARCH OPS TO BE STANDARD PRACTICE IN SOUTH KASHMIR

Army officer’s killing raises fear of more violence

PERSON WHO COMMITS SUICIDE CANNOT BE A MARTYR: DELHI HC

A MODI SHOW THAT WASN’T SANDEEP DIKSHIT SOUTH ASIA SATELLITE — A CASE OF TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

SOON, TRAVEL FROM DELHI TO CHANDIGARH AT 160 KMPH

E­FILING OF RETURNS SET TO GET SIMPLER; ALL ITR FORMS TO BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE FROM THIS YEAR 

CHINA ASKED TO TAKE NOTE OF INDIA GROWTH

THE JADHAV CASE IN ICJ CHANGES THE GOALPOSTS

ATTARI POST GETS MODERN SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT

HIZB KILLED KASHMIRI LIEUTENANT

DELHI MUST SEIZE WATERSHED MOMENT

CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO

‘HE WAS MY ONLY SON… WAS TO TURN 23 IN A FEW WEEKS’

PUNJAB LATEST NEWS:::12 MAY 2017

How Punjab can pack in a power punch

AAP’s Punjab predicament

Soon, Rs7-cr subsidy for border belt

HC: Behoves a minister?

How Punjab can pack in a power punch

Bhupinder Singh

The government should immediately initiate a process for acquiring a thermal plant of super-critical technology by infusing equity. Money can be arranged by disposing of unviable generation assets. A revamp will bring long-term benefits to the state.

CUTTING COST: An effort should be made to reduce generation cost and set up thermal plants with the latest technology. A view of the electricity high power tower in a grid on Bhadson Road in Patiala. Tribune Photo: Rajesh Sachar.

THE supply of electricity at affordable rates has assumed utmost importance for the government as well as consumers The average rate of electricity in Punjab, with the projected expenditure of Rs 3,2718 crore for the year 2017-18, shall be Rs 6.82 per unit. This comprises of Rs 3.74 towards power purchase, Rs1.11 towards employee expenses, 38 paise as fuel charges, 77 paise as interest burden, 25 paise as transmission charges,  and 57 paise towards operations and maintenance charges,  return on equity and depreciation cost. After adding government levies, the rate shall be around Rs 8 per unit.Therefore, the reduction of tariff so as to attract industrial investment in the state is a challenging task.

Comparison of rates

Last year, the per unit rate charged from the consumers is Rs 5.65 in UP, Rs 7.52 in Haryana, Rs 6.83 in Rajasthan, Rs 7.31 in Delhi and Rs 5.79 in Punjab. However, Punjab collects nearly Rs1.15 for each unit of electricity as the government levies against only 15 paise per unit in Haryana, 8 paise per unit in U.P and 60 paise per unit in Rajasthan. The final average cost of electricity to the consumers which is sum of government levies and tariff cost is around Rs 6.94 per unit in Punjab compared to Rs 7.67 for Haryana, Rs 5.73 for UP, Rs 7.49 for Rajasthan and Rs 7.68 for Delhi.The Centre has launched Ujjawal DISCOM Assurance Yojna scheme to enable state goverments to take over the outstanding debt of the distribution companies which stands at Rs 26,000 crore for Haryana, Rs 39,908 crore for UP, Rs 60,397 crore for Rajasthan and Rs 15,628 crore for Punjab — as on September 30, 2015. Haryana, U.P and Rajasthan have committed to take over debt in first three years of operation of the scheme. On the contrary, Punjab shall takeover debt only in the fifth year of the operation of the scheme, that is in 2020-21.The scheme also mandates tariff  hike of  5 per cent in 2016-17 and 9 per cent in 2017-18 to ensure financial sustainability of PSPCL. Contrary to this, tariff in Punjab was reduced by (-) 0.65 per cent last year.

Technical & commercial losses

Punjab is the only state in North India which has been able to control the theft of power and has achieved reduction of aggregate technical and commercial losses below 15 per cent. The pillar-box scheme, initiated by PSPCL engineers, worked as a game changer in bringing down the aggregate technical and commercial losses from around 22 per cent in 2010 to 14.63 per cent in 2016.However, there are many divisions where these losses are still high such as Bhikhiwind (40.54 per cent), Patti (35.10 per cent), Malout (37.90 per cent), Badal (29.67 per cent), Jalalabad (28.12 per cent), Amritsar (28.17 per cent) and Abohar (28 per cent). Punjab can achieve further reduction of losses by 3-4 per cent if pillar boxes are installed in these areas. This is possible only with strong government support.In comparison, the aggregate technical and commercial losses of Haryana are 28.05 per cent, Rajasthan 25 per cent and UP  32.36 per cent which indicate higher power theft levels in these states. Interestingly, the south distribution company of Gujarat with a similar agricultural base as Punjab has losses of more than 25 per cent. Punjab shall be paying the subsidy bill of Rs 8,000 crore this year. This includes Rs 5,807 crore for agricultural power (AP). Last year, Haryana paid  Rs 6,434 crore as AP subsidy for supplying  9,094 MUs of agriculture power at the rate of Rs 6.64 per unit. In contrast, Punjab  paid Rs 5,187 crore for supplying 1,1327 MUs of agricultural power at the rate of Rs 4.58 per unit. If Punjab pays subsidy on the Haryana pattern, then the tariff rate of other consumers can be reduced by 37 p/unit.Punjab has three thermal plants under the state sector — 460 MW at Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP), Bathinda, 1260 MW at Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant (GGSSTP), Ropar and 920 MW at Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP,), Lehra Mohabbat and three thermal plants — 1400 MW at Rajpura, 1980 MW at Talwandi Sabo and 540 MW at Goindwal Sahib — have been added in the private sector. The share of state thermal plants in the energy availability has gone down from 38 per cent to 8 per cent in the last five years and share of hydel power hasreduced from 19 per cent to 12 per cent.New private sector plants built on super-critical technology are more efficient than the ageing state plants. The generation cost is lower in the case of these plants. However, it has resulted in non-utilisation of cheap and good quality coal available from the state-owned Pachhwara coal mine. If this is used, it can reduce generation cost by around 30 p/unit. The primary reason for this has been that Punjab does not own a thermal plant operating on super-critical technology. Surplus power and fixed chargesPower utilities arrange power from various sources to supply uninterrupted power to the consumers. The power is then supplied as per the demand of the system which has seasonal and daily variations. This results in the payment of some amount of fixed charges even for unutilised power to the central sector plants, state plants and private sector plants. Punjab has 25000 MU i.e. 30 per cent surplus power and even Delhi with 9745 MU has 30 per cent surplus power. The consumers have to bear fixed charges to avoid power cuts.There are no power cuts in Punjab even for the rural consumers and no regulatory measures for the industry.The government can ensure financial sustainability of the power companies as well as reduce the electricity tariff  by 40 p/unit if it takes over debt as per UDAY scheme, by Re1/unit by rationalising  govt levies and by 25 p/unit by installing pillar boxes in high theft areas. In this way, tariff can be reduced immediately by Rs 1.65 per unit. The government should immediately initiate process for acquiring a thermal plant of super-critical technology by infusing equity which can be arranged by disposing off unviable generation assets. Besides huge tangible and intangible long-term benefits to the state, it shall reduce generation cost by 65p/unit by saving of fixed and variable charges. Electricity is the driving force for all other sectors of economy. Its cost reduction can reap in huge dividends elsewhere. The writer is President, Punjab Power Engineers Association

AAP’s Punjab predicament

Need to carve out a distinctive personality

FOR a party predicated on a limited but please-all agenda of cracking down on corruption and drugs, AAP’s denouement in Punjab was not hard to predict once it fell well short of the half-way mark in the assembly polls. After its near-total eclipse in the Delhi municipal corporation polls, it was natural for its Punjab leaders to snipe at each other in the scramble to bag the limited number of posts up for grabs or desert the party for better vistas. There are also indications that many state-level leaders who still remain, either because they are legislators or they have burnt their bridges with alternative political choices, are chafing with AAP’s Delhi durbar continuing to hold the reins.The churning within AAP in Punjab is not unique to it. Many political parties have experienced a loss of faith following a debilitating electoral loss. The departure of leaders like Gurpreet Ghuggi is to be expected where the spoils of office aren’t forthcoming. India’s first-past-the-post electoral system hardly gives any solace to the runner-up but AAP remains a beacon of hope in the believers of alternative politics. Its internal squabbles, too many to recount, have prevented it from reshaping itself as the principal opposition party in the state. One reason is that AAP leaders are largely reposing their faith in social media to send their messages across.The need of the hour for AAP is to put the electoral loss behind it. When it comes to introspection, AAP’s cause will be better served if it carves out a more consensual mechanism for stock-taking and charting out the future course of action. This was supposed to be a party which listened to the people. Given that Punjab’s society is multi-layered, AAP has to build a collegiate approach and pick and choose its target electorate and issues. The Punjab Government is currently riding its honeymoon phase. Space will soon open up for an issue-based Opposition. AAP should ready itself for that eventuality. The desertions will affect the top deck and the quarter of the electorate that opted for its candidates should not be let down.

Soon, Rs7-cr subsidy for border belt

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 11

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today directed his Principal Secretary to expedite the release of pending subsidy to the tune of Rs 7 crore for the development of industry in the border areas of Tarn Taran and Amritsar.The directive followed a request for the release of the subsidy by a delegation of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), which called on him to discuss steps to revive the state’s ailing industry.The Chief Minister assured the delegation of full infrastructural support by his government along with uninterrupted power at affordable rates for the industry.Amarinder said he had personally received stupendous response from the country’s top industry leaders during his visit to Mumbai to promote Punjab as an attractive investment destination recently.Observing that the state has surplus power, the CM said his government was studying options to sell surplus power to neighbouring countr

ies such as Pakistan and Nepal, and he had urged the PM to formulate a policy for the same.He informed the delegation that the Ambanis were ready to supply power to the state at Rs 5 per unit, which was much cheaper than the actual cost of generation in the state.

HC: Behoves a minister?

Rejects AG’s plea against PIL on Sidhu in ‘spicy comedy’

Navjot Singh Sidhu

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 11

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today did not accept the plea of the Punjab Advocate General who questioned the “maintainability” of a public interest litigation (PIL) against propriety of Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu appearing in a popular “spicy comedy” television series, “The Kapil Sharma Show”.“Lakhs follow the example set by ministers, and their public conduct is watched. In such a situation, can a minister resort to a conduct that is not in consonance with dignity and status of a Cabinet Minister?” a Division Bench of Justices SS Saron and Darshan Singh asked the AG.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The observation came in response to a PIL by advocate HC Sharma, asking the Punjab Government “if it was appropriate for Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to appear in a TV show?”The court heard arguments for two hours before adjourning proceedings till August 2.AG Atul Nanda said the PIL was not maintainable under the 2010 HC  guidelines. The AG said the code of conduct for ministers was not enforceable through courts.Unimpressed, the Bench observed that an issue of public importance had been raised.Petitioner Sharma said Sidhu was not only participating in “Kapil Sharma Show” but also appearing in an advertisement promoting a “magic machine” for learning spoken English. He quoted the 2004 judgment of the Supreme Court in Jayalalithaa’s case, wherein referring to enforceability of the code of conduct, the SC had observed that “morally speaking, can there be one law for small officials and another law for the CM?Is the code of conduct meant only to be kept as an ornamental relic in a museum, but not to be practised?” 

Capt to take Dalits, Hindus, OBCs in expanded Cabinet

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6

To be expanded in the first week of June, the Punjab Cabinet will be a heady cocktail of caste, religion and region. Besides the inclusion of eight more ministers, the post of Deputy Speaker too fill be filled.Other than the CM, the Punjab Cabinet can have 17 ministers. The Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government already has nine ministers, two of them Ministers of State.At least two MLAs from the Dalit community, two from upper caste Hindus and one representing OBCs will join the Cabinet. The rest of the slots will go to Jat Sikhs. An MLA each from Ludhiana and Doaba and two from Amritsar will be allotted a berth.Of these new entrants, at least two will be young faces. The Congress high command in Delhi, during the swearing-in in March, had asked Amarinder Singh to “consider having younger faces in his team.” Having taken senior MLAs and women legislators in the ministry already, the CM is now expected to give representation to the youth brigade in the first Cabinet expansion. There is little doubt that the only person whose word will count in this exercise will be the CM himself. That is why most berth hopefuls are flocking to the CM rather than rushing to Delhi.Sources in the Punjab Government say the caste, religion and region dynamics have been worked out and the candidates are expected to be selected by the month-end. Among the hopefuls are Raj Kumar Verka, Surjit Singh Dhiman, OP Soni, Rakesh Panday, Vijay Inder Singla, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Randeep Singh Nabha, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Darshan Singh Brar, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Ajaib Singh Bhatti.The Cabinet expansion is to be done within a month, well before the Budget session. The government has decided to keep the appointment of 20 parliamentary secretaries and one chief parliamentary secretary on hold till then. The Punjab Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Secretary (Appointment, Salaries, Allowance Power, Privileges and Amenities) Bill is ready. But the government, wary of such appointments being challenged, is in no rush.

Among the hopefuls

• Raj Kumar Verka, Surjit Singh Dhiman, OP Soni, Rakesh Panday, Vijay Inder Singla, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Randeep Singh Nabha, Sukhbinder Sarkaria, Darshan Singh Brar, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Ajaib Singh Bhatti

Jakhar’s comeback

Punjab Congress head faces many challenges

Tribune file photo

THE Congress high command has done rather well in naming Sunil Jakhar as head of the Punjab Congress, as Capt Amarinder Singh, on becoming Chief Minister, could not possibly continue to don the party hat as well. Jakhar, a three-term MLA, had lost from Abohar in the last Assembly elections, and the Cabinet that formed was thus deprived of a serious talent. Jakhar made a competent leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the last assembly and worked companionably with Capt Amarinder Singh once he took over as Punjab Congress chief. The party high command had, obviously, no problem in accepting the Chief Minister’s proposal that Jakhar take over the organisation’s burden. Jakhar is the right man for the job. Being a Hindu, he helps the party reburnish its secular credentials. An educated, approachable, veteran politician he may well be, but Jakhar faces some tough challenges. Although the party won handsomely in the elections, its organisational health is far from robust. Being in the wilderness for a decade, followed by an abrupt reversal of fortunes, makes it difficult to summon the discipline and diligence to tone up for the next challenge: the 2019 parliamentary elections. Jakhar had made a positive impact on both sides of the aisle as the Leader of the Opposition earlier. As state Congress chief, he can help the Chief Minister rein in MLAs and other functionaries, whose muscle-flexing has led to a spate of violent incidents in the past few weeks; even ministers have overstepped their brief. Apart from what Jakhar does, his very appointment has sent a clear message down the party chain in the state that it is Capt Amarinder Singh who shall have the last word on all party matters. His success will be critically dependent on his ability to resist the ancient rites of factionalism as also his willingness to hammer out a working relationship with the Chief Minister. If the Congress manages to give Punjab a modicum of coherent and purposeful governance, the impact will be felt beyond Punjab. Jakhar’s task is cut out for him.

Medical college head in spot over pvt practice

A Vigilance Bureau team raids the residence of Government Medical College principal Dr BS Bal in Amritsar on Saturday. Tribune photo

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 6

The Vigilance Bureau today nabbed Dr BS Bal, principal of Government Medical College, for allegedly indulging in private practice at his home in Amritsar.According to information, a vigilance team raided his residential complex at around 8.30 am. Navjot Singh, DSP (Vigilance), said it had received an anonymous complaint that Dr Bal was indulging in private practice. A trap was laid and he was caught. At the time, around 8-10 patients were at his residential clinic, he added. The vigilance took prescriptions slips from all patients as evidence.The DSP said a report would be sent to the Secretary, Medical Education, for necessary departmental action against him. However, no case had been registered by the vigilance against him, he added.A teacher said as per a Supreme Court order, the vigilance could not arrest a government doctor indulging in private practice. It can only write to the government and department concerned for action. Dr Bal termed the incident as politically motivated to remove him. Saying all patients were planted by the vigilance, he said he was leaving for the college when some people insisted that he check the patients and forcibly handed over money as fees. He said he had informed the higher authorities in this connection.

Residents felicitate MLA for accepting demands

Office-bearers of various organisations felicitate MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman in Mandi Ahmedgarh on Saturday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Mandi Ahmedgarh, May 6Office-bearers and activists of various social, commercial and religious organisations felicitated the legislator Surjit Singh Dhiman for the initiatives taken by him for welfare of the residents during a function at Gurdwara Singh Sabha at Railway road here today.Dhiman said getting the pending demands of the residents fulfilled was his duty. He said Chief Minister Caption Amarinder Singh had assured him to send the required grants for new projects and the completion of the pending works.“When residents have elected me to represent the segment, it becomes my duty to get all demands accepted,” said Dhiman.Earlier, office-bearers of the Vishwakarma Mandir Management Committee, Jassa Singh Welfare Society, Gurdwara Parbadhak Committee, Ahmedgarh Municipal Council, Vishwakarma Iron and Steel Implements Manufacturers’ Association, and Rotary Club felicitated Dhiman and his associates by presenting mementoes.

Patwari caught accepting Rs 30,000 as bribe

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana May 6

The Vigilance Bureau arrested a patwari red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000.He has been identified as Ravinder Kumar and was employed in Daba area.The patwari was arrested after Neelam Rani, a resident of Daba, apprised the vigilance officials that the patwari was demanding bribe for the mutation of their land. Considering the complaint seriously, vigilance officials laid a trap and arrested the accused red-handed.SSP Vigilance Bureau Range Rupinder Singh said the complainant had filed an application in the office of the Tehsildar Central for the mutation of land and the accused patwari was creating hurdles in the completion of formalities. The SSP said the accused was demanding Rs 50,000 bribe, but the deal was finally struck at Rs 30,000, adding that accordingly the vigilance sleuths laid a trap to arrest the accused.The SSP appealed to the residents that if any government official demands bribe from them, they should inform the Vigilance Bureau. The incident took place in the presence of Divleen Kaur, SDA GLADA, and Pardeep Singh Tiwana, Agricultural Development Officer, Ludhiana. A case under Sections 7, 13(2) 88 of the PC Act was registered against the accused.

Loan waiver right, not enough: Cong

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi with party leaders in Parliament on Wednesday. PTI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

A day after the Congress slammed the government for waiving off only part of the loans to be paid by Uttar Pradesh farmers, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi today said the development was a step in the right direction, but not enough.“The Congress supports loan waiver for farmers, but this is only a partial relief. The Centre Government must respond to ease distress of farmers across the country,” he said.He, however, qualified his remarks saying the loan waiver was a step in the right direction. Referring to the national farm loan waiver of over Rs 70,000 crore during the UPA regime, he said the Congress had always supported easing financial stress on farmers.“The Congress has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress. I am happy the BJP has finally been forced to see reason. But let us not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country. The Centre must have a national response to the widespread distress and not discriminate against states,” he said asking for a pan-India waiver.

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