The Tribune – VHP leader meets Sukhbir; Suggest showcasing Sikh history at Maha Kumbh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 29. In a move that could be seen as a gesture of reaching out to leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Sikh community, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal today called on Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and suggested showcasing of the Sikh history during the Maha Kumbh next year.

Singhal, accompanied by SAD leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia met Sukhbir at the latter’s Safadarjung Road residence here this morning. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar was also present.

The VHP leader suggested that considering the rich contribution of the Sikh community to the country and its harmonious coexistence with other communities, the heritage could be on display in the form of an exhibition at Allahabad where over 12 crore people are expected to visit over the two-month period.

Ramoowalia said the VHP leader also informed that a similar invitation had been extended to leaders of the Jain and Buddhist communities.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120930/punjab.htm#5

The Tribune – Power connections to cost more in Punjab

Umesh Dewan, Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 29. The Punjab Government has revised the charges for the release of new electricity connections to various categories of consumers. The new rates will come into effect from October 1.

Connection charges for large scale (LS) industrial power consumers will go up by more than 100 per cent. Consumers in the domestic and non-residential supply (NRS) category, which covers commercial establishments, will have to shell out 25 per cent more.

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has issued a circular to this effect. As per the circular, new connection charges have been revised in terms of per kilowatt (KW) power for Domestic/NRS categories and per kilo-volt ampere (KVA) for Large Supply (LS) Industrial category. The new fee structure varies as per the quantum of load applied for by a consumer seeking a new power connection.

For getting a new LS industrial connection, an applicant will now have to shell out Rs 2,200 per KVA for load up to 500 KVA. Earlier, these charges were a mere Rs 900 per KVA. New connections charges for Medium Supply Industrial category (20 KW-100 KW) have been revised to Rs 1,900 per KW from Rs 900 per KW.

In the domestic category, a new connection of upto 1 KW load would cost Rs 375 whereas charges for a connection exceeding load of 1 KW and upto 3 KW would be Rs 450 per KW. For load above 3 KW and upto 7 KW, the connections charges would be Rs 750 per KW.

Likewise, for the NRS category, revised charges per KW load would be Rs 375 (for 1 KW), Rs 750 (for load above 1 KW and upto 3 KW) and Rs 1,125 (for load above 3 KW and upto 7 KW).

Industry bodies have slammed the increase in connection charges. Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Punjab) president P D Sharma said it would prove a deterrent for new industries in the state. “On the one hand, the Punjab Government exhorting industrialists to set up shop in the state and on the other it has announced a hike of over 100 per cent in new power connection charges for the LS industrial category. We strongly condemn this hike,” he said.

Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association president Badish K Jindal said the increase in connection charges was the latest in the state’s anti-industry decisions. “All recent decisions taken by the Punjab Government are anti-industry. The government is forcing the industry to move out of Punjab,” he said.

Punjab State Power Corporation Limited CMD KD Chaudhri defended the hike. “The last hike was in 2008 and it was a marginal one. Moreover, this hike has been finalised by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission after giving the Punjab Power Corporation, industrial sector and other categories of consumers an opportunity to present their point of view,” he said.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120930/main3.htm

The Hindu – 26/11 gunmen trained in Pakistan, say witnesses

Islamabad, September 30, 2012. Five prosecution witnesses on Saturday testified before a Pakistani anti-terrorism judge about the training of the terrorists who carried out the November 26, 2008 assault on Mumbai that killed 166 people, official sources said.

The witnesses, including intelligence operatives and officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), appeared before Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman of the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, and recorded their statements at the proceedings held behind closed doors at the Adiala Jail. Security has been increased at the place after intelligence agencies reported that the Taliban could attack it to free the militants lodged there.

Sources familiar with the proceedings said the witnesses gave details of the training camps where the attackers had prepared for the assault.

FIA Special Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali told PTI that he could not discuss the proceedings as they involved matters of “national interest.” However, the sources said, most of the testimonies focused on the training camps attended by the attackers.

After recording the statements, the judge adjourned the case till October 13.

Khwaja Haris Ahmed, counsel for LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, said defence lawyers would cross-examine the five witnesses at the next hearing.

Lakhvi and six others have been charged with planning, financing and facilitating the attacks. Their trial has virtually been stalled for over a year for technical reasons.

Two LeT camps uncovered in Sindh

At a public hearing organised by the Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production of the Senate on Friday, the former FIA chief, Tariq Pervez Khosa, said sleuths had uncovered two LeT training camps in the Sindh province. They were used by militants involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Mr. Khosa, who supervised the probe into the Mumbai attacks, said the investigators had found the camps at Thatta and Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. (PTI)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/2611-gunmen-trained-in-pakistan-say-witnesses/article3949332.ece

Vilvoorde (Vlaams Brabant) walk – 12 July 2012

After a meeting near Brussel Noord station I went to Vilvoorde Gurdwara to meet with my Antwerpen friend Jatinder Singh.

The pictures were taken while we walked and talked through Vilvoorde

Vilvoorde Grote Markt – City Hall

Vilvoorde Grote Markt – Jatinder Singh

Vilvoorde Jean Baptiste Nowélei

Vilvoorde Franklin Rooseveltlaan
This is where the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan stopped for Gatka display and langar

Vilvoorde Franklin Rooseveltlaan

To see more Belgium (mostly Limburg) pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622046344528/

More Belgian pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – All four accused arrested in Sonepat gang rape case

Sumedha Sharma & B S Malik, Tribune News Service

Gurgaon/Gohana, September 29. The police today claimed to have arrested all the four accused in connection with the gang rape of a teenage girl in Gohana town of Sonepat district.

Two accused Kali and Harish were arrested yesterday, while Santy and Deepak were nabbed today, Gohana Deputy Superintendent of Police Yashpal Singh Khatana said. All the arrested have been sent to judicial custody.

The girl, a Class XI student of a private school, was raped on Thursday afternoon when she had gone to a shop in Gohana’s main bazaar to buy some groceries. Harish, who was at the shop of Amit alias Kali, told her to pick up the items from the godown where the duo, along with Deepak and Raman alias Santy, overpowered her and allegedly took turns to rape her.

While the incident took place on September 26, the family reported the matter to the police on September 28. In the meantime, Harish, the main accused, was thrashed by the victim’s brothers and was taken to PGIMS, Rohtak. It is learnt that Harish’s family lodged a police complaint against the girl’s brothers after he was beaten up and then her family reported the rape.

Local traders said the victim, who lost her father some time ago and comes from a family of modest means, was offered around Rs 5 lakh to cover up for the boy’s “mistake”, but the victim’s family decided to register a case of rape. The medical examination of the victim confirmed rape, sources said. The forensic team has collected samples from the crime spot.

The incident, the third in a series of gang rapes in Haryana in three weeks, seems to have benumbed the town with shopkeepers avoiding talking about it. “Madam, ab to ladke pakde gaye. Aap log kyun kuch chhaap ke ladki ki zindagi kharaab karna chahte ho? Hum sab chahte hain ki kuch aisa ho taaki uski zindagi bach jaye. Ye police-volice se kuch nahi hoga (The boys have been caught. Writing about the case will only bring shame to the girl and her family, please don’t. We just want a decent future for the girl),” said Ram Kumar (name changed), who owns a grocery story in the same market.

While the panchayat was scheduled to meet today to discuss the incident, they did not and kept the venue of the next meeting under wraps. “Both families will be called and we will work out something. We will resolve the matter in our own way.

We don’t want the media or police to be at this panchayat,” said a panchayat member.

The police also cancelled a scheduled press conference to announce the arrest of all four accused and chose to send out a press note.

Haryana Women Commission vice-chairperson Chander Parbha visited the victim’s residence and also met the police to track the progress in the case.

Two more held for minor Dalit’s rape

Hisar: The police on Saturday arrested two more accused in connection with the gang rape of a minor Dalit girl in Dabra village near here on September 9. They were identified as Kuldip of Dabra village and Sunil of Mangali Aklan village of this district. The court sent them to police custody till October 4. The total number of arrests in the case has now reached 11. (TNS)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120930/main2.htm

BBC News – Burma’s Thein Sein ‘would accept Suu Kyi as president’

Saturday 29 September 2012. Burmese leader Thein Sein has told the BBC he would accept Aung San Suu Kyi as president if the people vote for her.

The president insisted that the will of the people would be respected whoever they chose in an election due in 2015.

He reiterated his commitment to the country’s reform programme, and said he and Ms Suu Kyi were working together.

Thein Sein, a former leader of the military junta that ruled Burma for decades, has overseen a dramatic shift towards a civilian-led government.

Two days ago he spoke at the UN General Assembly, congratulating Ms Suu Kyi on receiving the US Congressional Gold Medal.

In an interview with the BBC’s Hardtalk programme, he went even further by talking about the possibility of the Nobel Peace Prize winner becoming president.

“Whether she will become a leader of the nation depends on the will of the people. If the people accept her, then I will have to accept her,” he said.

“There isn’t any problem between me and Aung San Suu Kyi. We are working together.”

But he added that the army, which retains many of the seats in parliament, will continue to play a central role in the country’s politics.

Ms Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest for 15 years and repeatedly denounced by the former regime.

Thein Sein’s remarks this week have been the warmest from Burma’s political leadership since the junta was formally dissolved in March 2011.

But Burma still faces many problems, including a recent outbreak of fighting between Muslim Rohingya people and Buddhist Rakhine people.

The president has repeatedly pledged to end internal strife, but neither he nor Ms Suu Kyi have provided a possible solution to the problems in Rakhine state.

Meanwhile, the president also renewed his appeal for economic sanctions placed on his country to be lifted.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has already said the US would ease its import ban on Burmese goods.

Many other targeted measures have already been lifted by the US and other Western countries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19772834

The Tribune – Bhagat Singh remembered

Nawanshahr, September 28. Political leaders, activists, officials of the district administration and family members of martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and BK Dutt today thronged Khatkar Kalan, Bhagat Singh’s native village, to commemorate his birth anniversary.

Activists of various youth organisations, dressed as Bhagat Singh, raised slogans of ‘Inqlab Zindabad’.

Abhey Singh Sandhu and Bharat Bhushan Thapar, nephews of Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, respectively, Prof Bharti Dutt Bagchi, daughter of BK Dutt, former MLA Chaudhary Mohan Singh, PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal and Deputy Commissioner Tanu M Kashayap were among those who paid floral tributes to the martyrs. Prof Bagchi, a close associate of Bhagat Singh, said although she had last visited Khatkar Kalan in 1963, it felt like home.

Manpreet Badal and Abhey Sandhu donated blood at a camp organised by the district unit of the PPP in collaboration with the Blood Donors Council. Manpreet refused to make any political comment, saying he was here only to pay tributes to the martyrs. As usual, he recited Urdu couplets on the need to make the youth aware of the philosophy of the great martyrs and inculcate in them a spirit of patriotism. The Deputy Commissioner said that work on the new complex of the martyrs’ museum at Khatkar Kalan had already started.

Ferozepur: Several functions were organised in the town to mark the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh. Deputy Commissioner S Karuna Raju paid floral tributes at the samadhi of martyrs at the National Martyrs Memorial. The Sarb Hind Jatt Reservation Sangharsh Samiti took out a rally that culminated at the samadhi. Jagir Singh Khaira, vice-president of the samiti, rued that the photographs of martyrs did not find place in the diaries and calendars of the state government.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120929/punjab.htm#13

The Tribune – FIR registered against Babbar Khalsa International; Investigations to probe Babbar Khalsa’s funding channels

Aman Sood, Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 28. The National Investigating Agency (NIA), has lodged a formal FIR to investigate the role of banned outfit, the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in trying to revive terror in Punjab.

The FIR would help the agency to check BKI’s funding channels, keep tab on their members and even confiscate their properties.

The police in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi have allegedly busted various modules of BKI in the recent past.

Sources said regular inputs were shared with NIA counterparts to identify the funding channels of the BKI. “But in the interest of the nation, we cannot discuss such issues,” said a senior police officer of the Punjab Police.

According to the NIA, a formal FIR has been lodged at the agency headquarters in New Delhi. Following Ministry of Home Affairs orders, a case was registered under Sections 121 and 121 (A) of IPC that pertains to waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging a war against the Government of India and under Sections 17, 18, 38, 39 and 40 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“Many NGOs based in Europe, Asia and Canada, that have donated money to BKI, are under our scanner,” said a senior police officer.

In 2011, a confidential letter, shot to the AIG’s (Counter Intelligence Unit) in Patiala, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Amritsar on October 21, 2011, the state police had asked for a review of the list of suspected BKI members on November 9. Many on the list have been missing from Punjab for the past over two decades. While few of the suspects have been arrested, others are still on the run.

The suspects Bakshish Singh, Gurdial Singh, Gurinderjit Singh Mana, Gurmit Singh Amalo, Harbhajan Singh, Harjot Singh, Harminder Singh, Harpal Singh Cheema, Harwinder Singh, Jagdev Singh Alias Gursharanbir Singh, Jasbir Singh, Jaspal Singh, Jassa Singh, Kuldip Singh, Narinder Singh, Nazam Singh, Puran Singh, Ramandeep Singh Goldy, Sukhwinder Singh, Supinder Singh and Surmukh Singh

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120929/punjab.htm#17

The Asian Age – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) camp to discuss key issues

Narayan Bareth, Asian Age Correspondent

Jaipur, 29 September 2012. Senior BJP leaders became part of a three-day RSS camp on Friday at Jamdoli on the outskirts of Jaipur where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was present along with other functionaries while Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Vasundhara Raje participated in the BJP national council meeting at Surajkund in Haryana. The state BJP leaders had a meeting with the Sangh Parivar functionaries, described as “Samanvay (coordination meeting)”.

According to sources, Ms Raje was out of India for quite some time and she last visited Jaipur when NDA presidential nominee P.A. Sangma came here to campaign. “Her supporters want a free hand in Rajasthan before the Assembly elections due next year,” said a BJP leader.

Party president Arun Chaturvedi, deputy leader of the Opposition Ghanshyam Tiwari, former home minister Gulabchand Kataria and others were rushed to Jamdoli’s Keshva Vidyapeeth, where the crucial meeting was slated among Sangh Parivar affiliates to strengthen coordination.

“Representatives of around 50 RSS constituents like Seva Bharati, Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, Vidya Bharati and BMS are participating in the meeting. It is expected that deputy Opposition leader Tiwari and party general secretary Satish Puniya will be present on behalf of the state unit,” the sources said.

“Several issues, ranging from organisation to desh kal (present scenario), will come under discussion. Issues like violence in Gopalgarh will also be discussed,” said the sources.

According to RSS sources, over 8,000 swayamsevaks are participating from more than a dozen districts in the three-day camp. “The Sangh has nothing to do with politics,” said a senior RSS functionary. BUT sources said the meeting will be crucial at a time when Gujarat is going to elect a new government and Madhya Pardesh and Rajasthan will face elections next year.

http://www.asianage.com/india/rss-camp-discuss-key-issues-211

Brussel Noord and Vilvoorde

I attended a meeting in Vooruitgangstraat, near Brussel Noord station, and afterwards went by tram and bus to Vilvoorde

 

Prémetro 3 to Esplanade

Heembeek Bus and Tram interchange
Bus 47 to Vilvoorde

Heembeek, platform for MIVB Prémetro 3 and Tram 7

Heembeek, MIVB Tram 7 to Vanderkindere

Left Prémetro 3 to Esplanade and right Tram 7 to Vanderkindere

To see more Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures :

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

More Belgian pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue