The Tribune – Weather shield at Golden Temple doesn’t wow heritage lovers

SGPC says causeway shed to benefit devotees, detractors assert it will disturb shrine’s character

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 29. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s move to install a fire and water-resistant fabric shed on the causeway between Darshani Deori and the sanctum sanctorum at the Golden Temple to protect devotees from the vagaries of weather, has not gone down well with heritage lovers.

Darbar Sahib manager Harbans Singh Malhi says Rs 1 crore will be spent on the retractable shed, which will be operated with the help of a motor. This will protect devotees from the harsh summer heat and rain. “Infrared lights will keep the passage warm in the winters,” says Malhi. The new facility will be in place within a month.

Heritage lovers, however, feel that the shed would disturb the original character of the shrine. Balvinder Singh, Head, Guru Ram Das School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, says: “The original character of the holy shrine should be maintained at all cost.” Singh, who is also member of the SGPC’s Heritage Advisory Committee, said he had also protested against the installation of ACs inside the sanctum sanctorum. “Now the ACs are damaging the frescoes inside the shrine”, he claimed.

Sikh scholar Bhai Ashok Singh Bagaria says the shed will block the view of the sanctum sanctorum. “How can you call it Darshani Deori when ‘darshan’ is blocked from there?” he asked. Bagaria said it is a shrine not a place for entertainment where facilities should be given a priority. “People have been visiting the shrine for centuries and will continue to do so irrespective of amenities,” he added. Rawal Singh, assistant professor, Department of Architecture, GNDU, said the move will destroy the character of the front façade of the shrine.

Interestingly, even the SGPC Secretary Dalmegh Singh feels that the shed will block the view of the shrine. He, however, said he was not much aware of the exact details of the project. Another SGPC official, pleading anonymity, said the traditional look of the shrine should be preserved.

On the other hand, the move has evoked a mixed response from the devotees. Joginder Pal Singh, a pilgrim from Kuwait, said, “It would be a big relief for the devotees who visit the shrine in summers or rainy season.”

Kuldeep Singh Arora, a local SBI official, said the SGPC should preserve the shrine in original form and avoid tampering with it. Amarjit Singh, another pilgrim from Delhi, said he would like to see the SGPC continue with the traditional ways like using the ‘shamiana’ or watering the floor to comfort the devotees during summers. “Though at times we find it difficult standing in queue in extreme weather conditions for long, but somewhere down the line I feel it increases our faith,” he added.

Makkar backs project

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said the authorities used to erect a ‘shamiana’ fitted with fans earlier, but there was always a threat of short-circuit in case of sudden rainfall. “This new facility will pose no such hazard,” said Makkar. “Moreover, the foldable shed will be about a feet away from Darshani Deori and the sanctum sanctorum. Hence, it will not obstruct the view

of the shrine from Darshani Deori,” he added.

The shed is set to replace the shamiana over the causeway leading to the sanctum sanctorum

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120301/main6.htm

The Tribune – Clash at gurdwara Bala Sahib in Delhi; Makkar, Sarna trade charges

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 2. Following a clash between their supporters at Gurdwara Bala Sahib in New Delhi today, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna traded charges and blamed each other’s outfit for sparking violence.

Addressing mediapersons at the SGPC headquarters here, Makkar alleged that the DSGMC along with a private firm was performing “bhoomi pujan” for a hospital building on the gurdwara premises, which was against the Sikh tenets. “The Sikh Sangat came to know about their move and gathered at the venue to protest against it. However, Sarna’s supporters, who were armed with kirpans, pelted them with the stones, which sparked off violence,” he said.

Makkar denied Sarna’s allegations that the SAD supporters triggered violence by pelting stones and bottles. “Our supporters reached the spot at a later stage and, moreover, they were not allowed by the police to enter the venue,” he claimed.

He said the DSGMC could have waited for starting the work on the hospital till the completion of the DSGMC poll process.

Asked whether he would approach the Akal Takht over the issue, he said the Jathedar should himself take notice of the violation of “maryada” by the DSGMC. He claimed that an Akhand Path underway at the venue was also stopped abruptly, which was again a breach of “maryada”.

On the other hand, Sarna accused SAD leaders of creating ruckus at the inaugural ceremony of its multi-specialty hospital. He said, “The SAD leaders along with their supporters reached the venue and resorted to an attack with soda bottles and stones.”

He claimed the Sikh Sangat came out against their “violent act” while the police lobbed tear gas shells, forcing the SAD supporters to run away.

Sarna blamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal for the incident. He said there was no “bhoomi pujan” at the venue as alleged by Makkar and instead it was inaugural ceremony of the health services at the hospital. He claimed the SAD leaders had put up ads in Delhi claiming that they will present documents regarding “the sale of Gurdwara Bala Sahib’s land to a private firm” before the Delhi police within 48 hours or else resign from their posts.

“However, it had been 60 hours since then but they neither produced the documents nor quit their posts,” he said.

Sarna was here to review the progress of a 92-room “sarai” (inn) being built by the DSGMC for facilitating pilgrims visiting the holy city.

SGPC chief objects to Haryana minister’s remark on Badal

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar has objected to a Haryana minister’s remark in the state Assembly in which he reportedly dubbed a SGPC-run medical college in the neighbouring state as Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s property. Makkar said they would prove the minister wrong. He said a trust had been formed to run the hospital, which had 12 members, including Badal. The remaining members include three from Haryana and five doctors.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120303/punjab.htm#7

The Tribune – NRI panel seeks report from SSP

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 2. The Punjab State Commission for NRIs has sought a report from the SSP (Rural), Jalandhar, regarding a complaint received from the Protector of Emigrants.

A spokesman of the commission said that Om Parkash of Dakoha village had submitted a complaint to the Protector of Emigrants that his son Vicky was sent to Iraq by an agent named Vinod Kumar alias Bunty, a resident of Dakoha village, Rama Mandi, Jalandhar.

He was entrusted to some illegal persons there and was forced to work day and night and provided a single meal a day. He had further alleged that his son never received any salary and was suffering from serious illness.

The spokesman said that taking cognisance of the matter, the commission has asked the SSP (Rural), Jalandhar to hold an inquiry into the allegations of the complainant and adjourned the case to April 12.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120303/punjab.htm#12

The Hindu – Centre gives Additional Solicitor-General the thumbs down

His averments in homosexuality case are not government’s

J. Venkatesan

New Delhi, 3 March 2012. The Union Home Ministry on Friday disowned Additional Solicitor-General P.P. Malhotra’s averments in the Supreme Court in the homosexuality case and said the government’s stand was not what he argued on February 23. He said homosexuality between two consenting adults was immoral and an offence.

Soon after Mr. Malhotra made his submissions before a Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadhaya that day, another ASG Mohan Jain told the court that he had instructions from Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati that the government’s stand was otherwise. “Mr. Malhotra had argued that the [Delhi] High Court judgment in the case of NAZ Foundation pertaining to Section 377 of Indian Penal Code is not sustainable.” (The judgment decriminalised sex between consenting adults.)

The Supreme Court Bench on February 28 asked Mr. Jain to incorporate the recommendations made by a Group of Ministers and the decision taken by the Cabinet on this issue, and file a proper affidavit. Accordingly Home Secretary R.K. Singh filed it on Friday.

The Home Secretary said the GoM consisting of the Home Minister, the Law Minister and the Health Minister, at a meeting on July 28, 2009, recommended to the Cabinet that the government might submit before the Supreme Court that, “The High Court has not struck down the entire Section 377 IPC. The High Court has interpreted Section 377 IPC and read down the Section so that it is consistent with Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. The correctness of the judgment has been questioned in an appeal before the Supreme Court…

There does not appear to be any legal error in the judgment and the Supreme Court may take a final view whether the judgment of the High Court is legally correct or not.”

The affidavit said the Cabinet on September 17, 2009 considered the GoM recommendations and decided to request the Attorney-General to assist the Supreme Court in arriving at an opinion on the correctness of the High Court judgment. It made it clear that the government had not filed any appeal against the judgment.

Now the Supreme Court has to decide whether the arguments advanced by ASG Malhotra, in contravention of the Cabinet decision, are to be taken into consideration or not, and under what authority a law officer can argue against a Cabinet decision. The court has also to see whether the documents produced by Mr. Jain were authorised by the Home and Health Ministries and whether these are to be taken into consideration after the filing of the affidavit to this effect by the Home Secretary.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2954987.ece 

Netherlands 23 december till 2 January, Den Haag & Amsterdam

29 December, Den Haag, Zuiderpark, miniature railway, full-size lights 

29 December, Den Haag, Zuiderpark, miniature railway

 29 December, Den Haag, Zuiderpark

 29 December, Den Haag, Zuiderpark, Marie Heinenweg (southern exit)

To see more Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Belgium / Netherlands pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Forty thousand Indians may be allowed to work in Europe

London, March 2. At least 40,000 Indians may be allowed to work in Europe, including 12,000 in Britain alone, under a secret trade plan between the European Union and New Delhi, a media report said, citing leaked documents.

The EU has proposed that 40,000 Indian workers will be admitted to Europe without any labour market test as part of the plan to boost export trade with New Delhi, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported, quoting a leaked copy of the EU/India Free Trade Agreement, which is due to be signed later this year.

Central to the agreement is the EU’s offer on what is known as “Mode 4”, which will allow Indian companies to bring temporary workers into the EU, the newspaper said.

According to the leaked papers, out of 40,000 Indians who would be allowed to work in Europe, Britain has been asked to take 12,000, which is 30 per cent of the total allocation, despite the UK making up 12 per cent of the EU’s population.

The 12,000 Indian migrants, who would be able to live and work in Britain for six months, will be in addition to people given visas under Britain’s supposedly strict immigration cap, the newspaper said.

A large number of beneficiaries will be IT workers who already arrive in Britain from India in large numbers, the report added.

According to EU officials, in return for opening up the jobs market, countries such as Britain will be helped to land lucrative export deals.

The negotiations on the India deal, first initiated by Former EU Trade Commissioner Lord Mandelson in 2007 and subsequently led by the Business Department, was going on in the shadows for years, the daily said. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120303/main5.htm

Dawn – Ruling coalition gains a foothold in Senate

Iftikhar A. Khan

Islamabad, 3 March 2012. The ruling coalition, led by the Pakistan People’s Party, consolidated its position in the Senate on Friday, taking its strength to 70 in a house of 104. And the prospect of many independents supporting it beckoned.

The PPP previously had 27 seats in the upper house of parliament, with five of them due to retire on March 11. With the success of 19 of its candidates, the PPP has become the single largest party in the Senate. Its total strength has now risen to 41, according to unofficial results.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N had seven members in the Senate and one of them is to retire. Eight of the party’s candidates won the elections, taking the number of its senators to 14.

The Awami National Party doubled its strength to 12 with the victory of seven candidates. It previously had six members in the Senate, one of whom will retire on March 11.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F’s strength in the upper house was down to seven as seven of its senators are due to retire while the party could get only four seats on Friday.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which had six senators hitherto, clinched four seats to improve its position to seven. Three of its existing senators will retire next week.

The BNP (Awami) will have four members and the PML-Functional and the National Party one each in the new Senate. Five independent candidates also won the Senate elections, taking the number of independents to 12.

The combined strength of the opposition in the house now stands at 22.

An understanding reached between the PPP, MQM and PML-F in Sindh worked as all candidates fielded by them emerged victorious.

Mian Raza Rabbani, Mukhtar Ahmad Dhamra, Dr Karim Ahmad Khawaja and Saeed Ghani of PPP, Col (retd) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi and Syed Mustafa Kamal of MQM, and Syed Muzaffar Shah of PML-F won the elections on general seats.

Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi was the only loser out of the eight candidates in the run for seven seats. Muttahida’s Nasreen Jalil and PPP’s Mudassir Sehar Kamran won the seats reserved for women. One seat reserved for minorities was clinched by Hari Ram of PPP.

Things were, however, different in Punjab where eight candidates were left in the run for seven general seats.

The electoral battle saw Mohsin Leghari of the Unification Bloc, a splinter group of the PML-Q, making his way to the Senate.It surprised many who believed that the understanding reached between the PPP and the PML-Q would work as planned.

Man of the Day All eyes were glued to the polls in Punjab where Mohsin Leghari, an active member of the provincial assembly, was likely to stage an upset.

Leghari had to fight to remain in the race on legal front as well after his nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer on the ground that he had won a Punjab Assembly seat on a ticket awarded by the PML-Q and could not contest the Senate polls as an independent candidate.

He challenged the decision in the Election Commission and argued that under the law, a candidate for the Senate had to declare only his political affiliation; a party ticket was not necessary.

He cited the examples of two ministers from Balochistan who had won the general election on PML-Q ticket and their nomination papers for contesting the Senate elections had been accepted. His plea convinced the Election Commission and his nomination papers were finally accepted.

Many were hoping that ultimately Kamil Ali Agha, the only PML-Q candidate in the run, would be the loser if Mr Leghari won, but Muhammad Aslam Gill of PPP turned out to be the biggest victim. Sardar Zulfikar Khosa, M. Hamza, Muhammad Zafaullah Khan and Malik Rafique Rajwana of PML-N, Dr Babar Awan of the PPP and Kamil Ali Agha of the PML-Q were the winners, besides man of the day Mohsin Leghari.

In Balochistan, Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hasni, Muhammad Yousaf and Nawabzada Saifullah Magsi (PPP), Mir Israrullah Zehri (BNP-A), Saeedul Hasan Mandokhel (PML-Q), Daud Khan Achakzai (ANP) and Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor were winners of the contest for seven general seats.

Rubina Irfan of the PML-Q and Naseema Ehsan of the BNP-A won the seats reserved for women. Rozi Khan Kakar of the PPP and Mufti Abdul Sattar emerged victorious on the seats reserved for technocrats. The seat reserved for minorities went to Heman Dass of JUI-F.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azam Hoti, Shahi Syed and Baz Muhammad Khan (ANP), Haji Saifullah Khan Bangash and Ahmad Hasan (PPP), Nisar Muhammad Khan (PML-N) and Talha Mehmood (JUI (F) won the general seats.

Farhatullah Babar (PPP) and Ilyas Bilour (ANP) won the seats for technocrats. Amar Jeet of the ANP won the seat reserved for minorities.

Mushmmad Saleh Shah, Malik Najmul Hasan, Hadayatullah and Hilalur Rahman won the four seats reserved for Fata. Munir Khan Orakzai, the parliamentary leader of Fata MNAs in the National Assembly, lost the race.

http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/03/ppp-bags-19-seats-ruling-coalition-gains-a-foothold-in-senate.html