Patiala News - Patiala
April 19th, 2013
The Sehajdhari Sikh Party has cleared up that it is not drawing back the voting right case in SC.
P S Ranu, national president of the party, stated, “Sehajdharis are the respondent party in the case as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak group (SGPC) lodged the special leave appeal in the SC.”
The national president of the party alleged that an agreement between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Sehajdharis was displeasing Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar as the latter was worried of mislaying his position considering the Punjab and Haryana high court’s verdict.
He stated that a complete bench of the high court had carried on Sehajdharis’ voting right by invalidating the union home ministry’s notice that averted them from voting in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee polls.
Ranu added that Makkar desired the Sehajdhari Sikh Party to extend the case in the apex court as he was carrying on as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president only because of SC’s orders.
The Sehajdhari Sikh Party will never compromise on the cost of their voting right and their aim is to reinstate the right of their society that they have succeeded.
He clarified that the apex court had not yet allowed stay on the high court’s decision.
April 19th, 2013
The Punjab administration has decided to spend around Rs. 53 crore for the growth of tourism in the city of Patiala by the coming five years.
Deputy commissioner GK Singh made his declaration in a conference with district functionaries to assess the execution of the tourism programme.
Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is reported to have sanctioned the expenses. The Punjab heritage and tourism promotion board and the Infrastructure Development Investment for Tourism and Promotion will execute the scheme jointly.
Additional DC (development) is nodal representative for the execution of the scheme, which is intended also at amending the state of gardens in the district, particularly the well-known Baradari. For offering tourists with enhanced stay, the tourism board proposes to open web booking of rooms at Circuit House. In the month of September, a heritage walk is projected.
The programme comprises springing up Rajindra Lake as tourism spot by expending Rs. 5 crore to construct an environment park and new walking region around it.
“Money is available with the state government and we’ll submit all plans by April 23,†said the DC.
The project consists of the building of a foot bridge from Thapar University to Environment Park and the defense of the forest outside Patiala.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund the project, which will be executed under the observation of the union administration. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued money to build up similar infrastructure in the city of Amritsar.
The Punjab administration has decided to spend around Rs. 53 crore for the growth of tourism in the city of Patiala by the coming five years.
Deputy commissioner GK Singh made his declaration in a conference with district functionaries to assess the execution of the tourism programme.
Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is reported to have sanctioned the expenses. The Punjab heritage and tourism promotion board and the Infrastructure Development Investment for Tourism and Promotion will execute the scheme jointly.
Additional DC (development) is nodal representative for the execution of the scheme, which is intended also at amending the state of gardens in the district, particularly the well-known Baradari. For offering tourists with enhanced stay, the tourism board proposes to open web booking of rooms at Circuit House. In the month of September, a heritage walk is projected.
The programme comprises springing up Rajindra Lake as tourism spot by expending Rs. 5 crore to construct an environment park and new walking region around it.
“Money is available with the state government and we’ll submit all plans by April 23,†said the DC.
The project consists of the building of a foot bridge from Thapar University to Environment Park and the defense of the forest outside Patiala.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund the project, which will be executed under the observation of the union administration. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued money to build up similar infrastructure in the city of Amritsar.
April 19th, 2013
Patiala district court functionaries were in for an unpleasant shock when dressed in casuals, acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Jasbir Singh, reached the court to check the working of judges and employees. What he saw did not go down too well with Singh
While a team of judicial functionaries were detected in their compartments during court hours and a few functionaries had moved on half-day unofficial leaves, others were not present. In a statistically significant way, a munshi (lawyer’s supporter) was detected “helping” a court employee and the working and performance of nine court functionaries was found doubtful.
Accompanying the visit, 3 employees got suspended.
“No court official noticed the high court judge. 9 workers, comprising ahlmad, stenos and judgment writers were detected not doing their duties properly. Three have been positioned under suspension,” said a court functionary.
On Monday, Justice Jasbir Singh reached the district court without providing any information to any court representative. Even the Patiala district and sessions judge was uninformed of the visit.
Misidentifying Jasbir Singh for an ordinary individual, court functionaries carried on with their “casual” actions. Without getting detected, he also visited all courtrooms to ensure whether judges were there during working hours.
Jasbir, who is also the administrative judge of Patiala court, discovered a team of judges to be missing in their courts.
As per sources, the court superintendent was interrogated regarding the unacceptable working of the functionaries. Afterward, the affair was also talked with the sessions judge.
April 17th, 2013
As per latest reports, 6-year-old Rajatdeep Singh, who had been under treatment at Government Rajindra Hospital for the last 15 day period, was shifted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
The physicians here could not identify a clinical trouble in the kid’s left kidney.
Rajatdeep’s father, Baljit Singh, had allegedly maltreated him and burned him with butts.
Baljit Singh and Rajatdeep’s mom were fighting a separation case in court. Singh had the custody of the kid when the episode took place.
The kid in his report to the police officials had informed that he was cruelly tortured by Baljit and his family members each time he asked them to meet his mom.
Though his physical wounds have by and large cured, his left kidney is not working in the right manner. The kid is referred to PGIMER for a Radioisotope Renography, which is not available here.
Dr. Inderjeet Singh Chawla from Rajindra Hospital, stated that this examination would determine the cause behind his faulty kidney.
“Since it is a lawful matter, we have to be cautious. This test will assist us discover whether the kid has had this trouble since delivery or it arose after the assault. We can proceed further only after the report is out,†said Dr. Inderjeet.
The police failed to nab the victim’s father, his uncle Amarjeet Singh and his wife Manjit Kaur even after fifteen days of filing a case against them.
April 17th, 2013
The Vigilance department is almost equipped with its verdicts in the Rs 250 crore Patiala land scandal and would shortly showcase a challan in the court.
The FIR in the case was lodged on November 9 2012 and ex Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg is among the nine charged.
Sources stated that the department was making attempts seek the re-arrest of Naib Tehsildar Gurinder Walia, who was out on bail and was supposedly “not assisting†in the probes ever since Vikas was detained in March 2013.
The sources added that the interrogation of all four administrative functionaries showed that Vikas was instrumental in getting the land shifted unlawfully.
“Vikas was theirhead and was active in the complete case to get the property shifted to private individuals in spite of protests by his predecessor Dipinder Singh,†they added.
A senior Vigilance administrator attached with the probes stated that they had evidence to found that the then District Revenue Officer, Rajbir Singh, also a charged, had written on the folder that he did the registry accompanying rules from Vikas. “During inquiring, he (Rajbir) consented that Garg was adamant on getting the land shifted to private individuals,†he stated.
The functionaries are likely to shortly talk about the case with Vigilance Bureau Chief Director Suresh Arora to make sure a “fool-proof†challan in the court.
The Vigilance department, but, was yet to follow the so-called money trail in the case. “We think money exchanged hands and it was invested in real estate biz. But, we are yet to found it,†an official said.
Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) Pritam Singh stated that the challan would be introduced in the court as shortly as a “few misplaced links were brought togetherâ€. “The detained charged have confessed that since Vikas Garg was their head, they could not disobey his orders (on land transfer),†he said.
April 17th, 2013
Nabha: Reviewing the actions, accomplishments and upcoming programmes of the Punjab Public School, Nabha in a gathering of the Board of Governors, the state Governor, Shivraj V. Patil ordered the members to make use of new technology in the classrooms by appending the system of imparting education via taped lectures of well-known Professors.
Patil added that this will assist in saving time, funds and figuring out the troubles of lack of teaching personnel up to some extent. He also said that the Headmaster to purchase cameras and set up them in 3 tracks of the chief auditorium to convey recorded lecture on the screen.
He said unless we do this, the standard of education cannot improve. So you have to adopt modern methods of imparting education to the students.
Patil stressed upon heartening the pupils to join the army. He stated that they must be well-informed about life and civilization of army.
He also cherished the scheme of Punjab administration for providing Rs.1.00 lakh to any pupil who will obtain commission in any division of Indian Army. He said this move is very optimistic in inspiring the pupils to join Army.
Concentrating on tapping solar energy, Patil asked that the affiliate of the Governing Body to make a wide-ranging plan to set up solar photovoltaic panes on top of school edifices and hostels. For girls’ hostel in the school, the Punjab CM has sanctioned Rs. 50.00 lakh.
The Punjab CM said that the hostel should be finished in a predetermined time.
Patil also gave authorization to schedule items and also to novel associates, Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary School Education, Punjab and Viswajeet Khanna, Principal Secretary Defence Services Punjab as members of School Board of Governors.
April 17th, 2013
A local court on April 16 refused to provide bail to 3 suspects in the Patiala land scandal.
Additional sessions judge NS Gill rejected the bail appeal of the Devinder Sandhu, Yashpal Aggarwal, and Jaswant Singh, who are in prison since the Punjab vigilance department caught them.
Devinder Sandhu, Yashpal Aggarwal, and Jaswant Singh, all from Chandigarh, were caught from Rajpura during the month of February and accused with selling and purchasing the administrative property, the sale action of which depicted it as private property.
Patiala land, approximately 6,000 sqare yards, boasts 5 administrative offices.
The local court already has disregarded the bail appeal of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and ex- deputy commissioner Vikas Garg in the case.
April 17th, 2013
The police officials on April 16 detained Bathinda’s Devinder Singh “Happy” as adviser of global drug smuggler and fired Punjab DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola.
From “Happy”, who is the resident of Thermal Colony at Lehra Mohabbat near Bathinda, the police officials claim to have grabbed 8.50 kg ephedrine, a chemical substance for heroin. In the former heroin seizure scam, thus far, Bhola and fired sub-inspector Sarabjit Singh continue to be absconding.
Senior superintendent of police HS Mann stated, “The Fatehgarh Sahib station house officer, Devinder Attri, headed the group that grabbed Devinder Singh on the Chandigarh road on April 16 after looking for his white Toyota Quails car and finding the heroin raw material inside. The ephedrine was in a bag.”
The Toyota Quails detained from Devinder Singh belongs to fired sub-inspector, who had sent him to distribute the ephedrine batch.
The police officials also detected two driving licenses on Devinder Singh, one of which was counterfeit. They filed a case under Sections 420 (betraying), 465 (penalty for falsification), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (falsification for purpose of betraying), and 471 (utilizing a forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 21 (punishment for breaking in relation to manufactured drugs and preparations) and 61 (confiscation of goods used for concealing illicit drugs or substances) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Fatehgarh Sahib.
During police questioning, Devinder Singh had consented that that he had close ties with Anoop Singh Kahlon, Jagdish Singh Bhola, and Sarabjit Singh and had been engaged with them in narcotraffic and hawala racket, said the SSP.
April 16th, 2013
Rural Development Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, who had to confronted discomfiture for announcing the termination of all 12,775 village panchayats in Punjab to pave the way for new polls, has held a Deputy Director placed in the Rural Development and Panchayats Department in Chandigarh accountable for the goof-up.
The minister reportedly did not bother to consult the Election Commission on the subject and took it upon himself to dissolve the panchayats.
The state administration had to forward an explanation, leaving Rakhra red-faced.
The minister was reportedly advised by certain functionaries to hold a press meeting and declare the termination of panchayats.
When met, Rakhra stated that the panchayats would carry on functioning generally till the Election Commission forwarded a notice.
“I have forwarded a charge sheet to Deputy Director Jaspal Singh for briefing me with mistaken data,†the minister added.
Rakhra declared that the panchayats stood dissolved and that the authorities of the panchayats had been forwarded to certain functionaries to accomplish growth projects.
The minister had even declared that the election procedure for the novel panchayats would be finished before May 31.
April 16th, 2013
Rajpura: Agriculturists coming to mandis in the city of Patiala are up in arms against administrative functionaries. They stated that delayed lifting of wheat has left the mandis worried.
Weighing, cleaning and packing of wheat in jute bags is being carried out on roads. With the climate turning dull, the agriculturists are eager that their wheat gets lifted well in due course.
Lots of agriculturists at the local grain market sounded off that they had been awaiting their stock to be lifted for the past 2-4 days in order that they could raise additional stock.
A worried Harpreet Singh stated: “The climate is bad and the lifting of wheat is sluggish, in spite of the government assurance that they would speed up work.”
When met, the Rajpura Market Committee secretary, Som Pal, admitted some postponement in the lifting procedure.
“The tendering for trucks that carry the wheat was again done today after the earlier bidder denied lifting wheat. We are confident that things will shortly be sorted out,” Pal said.
April 16th, 2013
Amritsar Parliamentarian and senior BJP head Navjot Singh Sidhu should become part of PPP.
This announcement has been made by Manpreet Singh Badal, president of the PPP.
While talking to press persons at the Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall, Badal stated that both he and Navjot are of the identical philosophy of aspiring Punjab a financially sound, affluent, urbanized and corruption free place and to work for the same, he must make entry in the fold of the PPP.
Manpreet said that the inputs made by Navjot Singh in the growth of Amritsar could not be disremembered.
April 16th, 2013
As per latest reports, the Punjab administration has transferred and posted 11 District Revenue Officers and 2 Tehsildars in Punjab with immediate effect.
Disclosing this, a representative of the Punjab administration stated that in revenue officers Daljit Singh Chhina sent to MEO HQ Chandigarh, Varinder Singh sent to Bathinda, Shiv Kumar at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Gurnam Singh Raipuri has been sent to Pathankot,  Sukhwinder Singh Dhillon sent to Moga, Aatam Singh at Hoshiarpur, Kala Ram Kansal sent to Patiala, Jatinder Singh sent to Gurdaspur, Rohit Gupta sent to Mohali, Jivan Jagjot sent to Fatehgarh Sahib and Arvind Kumar sent to Ropar.
In the same way, Rajinder Obroi positioned as Tehsildar On Special Duty Ferozepur and Manjit Singh Rajla positioned as Tehsildar Guru Har Sahai.
April 16th, 2013
When the wheat-procurement period is scheduled, the jute bags provided for packing the grains are short in both number and superiority
Punjab state civil supplies corporation (Punsup), a key wheat-procurement organization, allegedly has been cheating arhityas (commission agents). Regulations want it to provide standard-size jute bags to arhityas to pack wheat in; but crosswise grain markets in the city of Patiala, 50 to 70 jute bags are absent from each bunch of 500.
Ultimately, the packaged wheat is delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the national pool. In Patiala only, about each of the 139 bundles of jute bags that Punjab state civil supplies corporation has delivered, thus far, is short of multiple bags. In the gigantic grain markets of Nabha, Rajpura, and Samana too, the tale is similar.
“In Nabha,” stated arhitya association president Ishe Singh Mann, “over 30 bags are absent from each pack.”
Even the quality of the jute bags coming in from Punjab state civil supplies corporation is substandard.
Harjit Singh Sheru, president of the arhitya association of new grain market in Patiala stated, “First, the Punsup functionaries refused playing a trick on us but when we calculated the bundles before them, they had no words.”
Every jute bag is valued at Rs. 30 and if 50 are absent from every bundle, it signifies a scam of Rs. 1,500 for every bundle. In the city of Patiala last year, Punjab state civil supplies corporation (Punsup) procured wheat in over 35.64 lakh bags (7,129 bundles). By that old measure, the existing scandal would be worth over Rs. 1.06 crore in Patiala only by the end of this period. This time, owing to the bumper crop, the volume of procurement is expected to boost.
April 16th, 2013
It’s a progress that can strain the SAD-BJP kinships in the city of Patiala.
Mr. Rameshwar Sharma, BJP district president (rustic), had a case registered against him on April 15 for taking part in a blockade against the police officials to seek the solving of a female’s slaughter in Sanaur.
The Sanaur police officials charged Sharma along with eleven other individuals with blocking the road to Devigarh and producing troubles for commuters.
Local heads had staged the protest to criticize the police failure to mark out the female’s killers.
Mr. Surinder Singh, Bharti Kisan Union (Dakaunda) head, Mr. Kala Singh, farm-union head, along with Mr. Madanjeet Dakala, ex sarpanch of Dakala village, also got their names listed in this case together with Mr. Rameshwar Sharma.
“The registration of case is ill-fated,” said Mr. Sharma. “We were raising an authentic matter, to look for integrity for the murdered girl. We were not playing any political game. We have been targeted for opposing a police failure.”
Mr. Sharma stated that before the objection, the group had informed the police duly; and before filing the case, no local government administrator had asked the group to lift the blockade.
Deputy Superintendent of police (rustic) Jagjit Singh stated that he was ignorant of the development as he was on leave.
April 15th, 2013
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has been digging into the possibilities to lodge a review appeal in the SC after the latter refused Khalistani terrrorist Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s appeal to transform his death sentence.
SAD secretary general and Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa stated, “We are researching all remedies possible in the case. The matter is tied with the responses of Punjabis. Party’s senior advocates have commenced weighing the alternatives and lodging a review appeal in the apex court seems highly likely.”
The core group of party has already settled that Punjab CM and SAD chief and deputy chief minister together with other senior heads will meet PM and union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in this regard.
“The SC judgment is ill-fated. Even some judges who gave the decision had raised doubt over death sentence being granted to Bhullar,” the SAD secretary general said.
A delegation of senior SAD heads will also meet Mukherjee and will tell him the “seriousness” of the matter.
“The SAD stand is very clear. It’s an issue relating with the sentiments of public and party will make all-out efforts to save Bhullar from gallows. Playing with emotions of people can create law and order problem,” the SAD leader said.
April 15th, 2013
The police have detained a married woman and her lover for allegedly murdering her mother-in-law and annihilating her hubby, a few months later.
In a statement, the Mulepur police on April 14 stated that Kulwant Singh, an inhabitant of Naleena Kalan village, told police officials that Paramjit Kaur, a resident of Rorewal tied the knot to Naleena Kalan village dweller Gurjant Singh on November 20, 2009.
Before wedding, she was in a relationship with Bahadur Singh of Guneke village in the city of Patiala.
Bahadur kept on meeting her after marriage. Paramjit’s mother-in-law Gurdev Kaur came to know about their illegal link and the two made a plan to end her.
They gave her milk mixed laced with sleeping tablets during night of January 30, 2011. Later they strangled her to death with a quilt.
After Paramjit’s hubby got to know of her illegitimate relationship, the two made a plan to murder him additionally with the intention to grab his land.
The police have filed a case against Paramjit Kaur and her lover under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC.
According to police statement, during questioning they have confessed to the offense.
April 15th, 2013
He is active observing his elevation to the position of mayor at just 34, but a hard road lies in front for Amarinder Bajaj with the Patiala Municipal Corporation is not having funds to shell out salaries to its staff, leave aside seizing on expansion works.
With a mutual debt of over Rs. 100 crore pending against the civic body, which has the total twelve-monthly budget of Rs. 140 crore, the Patiala Municipal Corporation was going through grave financial load and the installments have not been paid for the last few months.
In contrast, the civic body was still to gather over Rs. 10 crore as house tax for the previous fiscal.
Notably, funds gathered from house tax is the single source of proceeds with which the civic body has to run its affairs all through the year, in addition to the share of value-added tax, which it obtains from the state administration.
Big loans taken by the civic body comprise Rs. 23 crore from HUDCO for fulfilling sewerage works, Rs. 25 crore from Patiala Improvement Trust, Rs. 14 crore for constructing roads where sewerage has been laid in recent times, Rs. 10 crore from PUDA in addition to other arrears.
A few senior functionaries in the corporation stated that the only choice left to manage the financial disaster was the sale of land accessible with the civic body.
April 14th, 2013
Cricketer-turned-BJP Parliamentarian from the city of Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu may move back to Patiala accompanying his latest argument with the party management.
Even though Navjot and his wife, chief parliamentary secretary Dr. Navjot Kaur Sidhu, have been at pains to stress that they have now settled down at Amritsar, which has become his ‘karambhoomi’ after his poll to the Lok Sabha, first in the year 2004, after that in the year 2007, and again in the year 2009, his disturbed relations with Punjab revenue head Bikram Singh Majithia, who is also the brother-in-law of deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, have turned life hard for Navjot Singh Sidhu.
His ignorance in the BJP power arrangement accompanying substitution of Nitin Gadkari by Rajnath Singh as BJP national president may prove to be the proverbial deciding factor, which hit the camel’s back hard. Though Rajnath Singh has set up contact with Navjot and has attempted to pacify him accompanying the public exposure of his grudges by Sidhu’s wife, it is doubtful that Sidhu would be reinstated to the place of supremacy he basked under Gadkari.
It is also notable that over the years, Navjot’s status has been waning in the city of Amritsar.
With BJP management ‘defecting’ him, Sidhu will find it a mounting task to replicate his performance in the city. Hence, the mounting talks of his shifting back to his home town, Patiala where he may be picked out against union minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur.
April 14th, 2013
Kauli, Patiala: Accepting the verdict of a Delhi Court to reopen case against senior Congress head Jagdish Tytler for motivating the crowd during anti-Sikh riots of 1984, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal stated that at last a ray of hope has evoked among the Sikhs generally and grieved families of the riot sufferers especially, for obtaining justice.
While talking to the presspersons after attending an occasion to mark the death anniversary of ex- Akali MLA Jathedar Jasdev Singh Sandhu in Kauli, Patiala, Badal stated that it was inopportune that even after passing of over 30 years fairness alluded to the sufferers of these riots that were headed by senior Congress heads.
He said, “It is absurd that the national Congress management in place of punishing the blameworthy accountable for this cold-blooded and barbaric act was protecting them for reasons best known to itâ€.
The CM added that it was the height of indifference that the Union administration has always upset the emotions of the Punjabis on the whole and that of Sikhs especially by inconsequentially meddling in their communal, financial, political and even religious matters.
Lashing out at the Congress led UPA administration for its anti-Punjab deportment, Badal stated that because of the incorrect plans of the Union administration the agriculturists of Punjab who had played a key role in making the nation self-directed in food fabrication was on the brink of economic failure adding that owing to its adverse plans even the business of Punjab has also been ruined.
April 13th, 2013
More than 20,000 devotees are paying obeisance at Maa Kali Temple in Patiala daily in Navratras.
The Chetra Navratas will be celebrated from April 11 to April 19.
Long queues of Kali Maa followers were also witnessed in the temple since early morning, with people thronging temples to offer prayers.
Tight security arrangements have been set up for Navratras in order to guarantee a protected and secure Yatra with added units of paramilitary forces being roped in to preserve a close watch.
Devotees are being checked at a number of checkpoints and police officers in plain clothes have also been deployed to keep an eye on doubtful movements.
