The Tribune – Memorial for riot hit at Rakabganj Sahib

Syed Ali Ahmed, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 22. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) today decided to construct a memorial for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims on the premises of Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib.

The DSGMC president, Manjit Singh (GK), said a committee consisting of architects and Sikh historians would decide the shape of the memorial.

About 14,000 Sikhs are believed to have been killed during the 1984 riots, about 4,000 in Delhi alone. The government puts the casuality figure in Delhi at 2,733.

“As the victims have not been given justice, we decided to raise a building in their memory. Last year we had decided to construct the memorial at a park in Punjabi Bagh. But this was opposed by the government,’ Manjit Singh said. Asked about government permission, he said this was not required.

The SAD in charge of Delhi affairs, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, said the memorial would be for all those who believed in justice.

General secretary of the DSGMC Manjinder Singh Sirsa said a resolution to construct the memorial was passed by the General House, with three members against it and five in its favour.

A senior member of the DSGMC, Avtar Singh Hit, said: “We will raise the memorial at any cost.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130523/punjab.htm#12

The Tribune – SAD’s poaching strategy paid off

Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22. Poaching of effective workers and leaders by the SAD proved dear for the Punjab Congress in the panchayat samiti and zila parishad elections with Congress defectors “rising to the occasion” and showing their worth to their new bosses.

The SAD has been poaching Congress workers and leaders for more than a year now ever since the 2012 assembly victory. The objective is to take on board anybody who is effective in his or her area.

While this strategy saw senior Congress leaders, including Joginderpal Jain, Mangat Rai Bansal and Deepinder Dhillon, entering the Akali fold, at the junior level, the exodus from the Congress has been even more.

The poaching of Congress workers has been the most in the Malwa and Majha belts. Hundreds of local Jat leaders have opted to go with the ruling party.

Sources said this exodus of the Congress grassroots cadre to the SAD demoralised senior Congress leaders who realised they had lost their base in the traditional pocket boroughs. Even the parliamentary seat of Patiala, which has always looked safe for the Congress, appears no longer so following the massive win registered by the SAD there.

Another reason for the poor Congress showing was that though Punjab Congress president Partap Bajwa led an aggressive campaign and took on the Akalis fearlessly, he failed to understand that the Congress cadre was not ready to take on the Akalis in a similar manner.

With four years to go for the next assembly elections and already facing the wrath of Akali workers at the village level, even committed Congress cadres seem to be biding their time.

Besides tackling the demoralised cadre, the Congress needs to reckon with some legislators who at the best offered a “friendly” opposition to the Akalis in the rural elections.

These MLAs are more concerned about getting works done in their constituencies by “cooperating” with the Akalis.

With Bajwa opting for competitive politics with former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, senior leaders close to the latter took little interest in the elections. This did not send the right message to the cadre.

Bajwa’s aggressive posturing would have paid off against SAD president Sukhbir Badal. But the latter kept away from the poll, pitting Bajwa against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The latter focused on peace and communal harmony to offset the Congress attempts to make “repression” of Akali workers a mass movement.

How it worked

The SAD has been poaching Congress workers and leaders ever since the 2012 assembly victory

The objective is to take on board anybody who is effective in his or her area

This strategy saw senior Congress leaders deserting the party and joining the SAD

The exodus of the Congress grassroots cadre to the SAD has been even more

Punjab Congress chief Partap Bajwa took on the Akalis fearlessly but the Congress cadre did not

Some Cong MLAs offered only a “friendly” opposition to the SAD

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130523/punjab.htm#1

The Hindu – Top LeT militant killed in encounter in Srinagar

Political activists, guerilla fighter, terrorist ? Fake encounter or death in an exchange of fire ? Who to believe ? Man in Blue

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Srinagar, 23 May 2013.  The District Police and Special Operations Group killed a militant, Hilal Maulvi, belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), during an early morning raid on his hideout in the congested Fatehkadal area on Thursday. The militant from Palhalan, Pattan, was one of the most wanted men in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources said that the gunbattle lasted for about an hour, though the militant was believed to have died within 15 minutes of firing. This is the first time after several years that an encounter has taken place between the police and the militants in downtown Srinagar, once the hub of separatist militancy and politics.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari, confirmed to The Hindu that the militant killed in the gunbattle near Chinkral Mohalla, between Habbakadal and Fatehkadal, was identified as Hilal Maulvi of Palhalan, Pattan. He said that the raid was conducted on specific information about the militant’s presence at the hideout. As soon as the holed up militant found himself cordoned, he lobbed at
least four hand grenades and shifted to three different houses, but was finally gunned down by the police, Mr. Bukhari said.

Hilal Maulvi, according to the SSP, was a top-ranking LeT commander who was also involved in a fidayeen attack at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Police Public School at Bemina, in Srinagar outskirts, on March 13, this year. Two Pakistani militants of LeT and five CRPF men died in that gunbattle.

Mr. Bukhari said that the two militants killed, and also the arrested militant from his hideout at Qamarwari area, had stayed with Hilal Maulvi at his home in Palhalan village a number of times.

One Chinese pistol was reportedly among the things recovered from the site of the encounter. Mr. Bukhari said that three policemen sustained injuries in the encounter.

Even as the police and security forces had described Hilal Maulvi as “LeT’s most wanted militant in North Kashmir,” separatist political groups, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led faction of the Hurriyat Conference, had repeatedly mentioned him as a “political activist.” They have claimed in their statements that Maulvi was not associated with any guerrilla group but had gone underground due to continued raids on his home and harassment to the family.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/top-let-militant-killed-in-encounter-in-srinagar/article4742117.ece?homepage=true

The Tribune – Authorities told to register runaway couple’s marriage

Saurabh Malik, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 21. When Gagandeep Kaur walked down the aisle with the man of her choice, little did she realise that legal hurdles were far from over. The registering officer refused to register the runaway couple’s marriage in the absence or concurrence of her parents.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has now directed the officer concerned to do the needful after observing that the “insistence for adopting such a course by the registering officer is not in accordance with law”. In their petition, Gagandeep Kaur and the groom had earlier claimed that the registering officer “requires the concurrence of the parents of both the parties for purposes of registration”. The couple claimed since they got married against the wishes of the bride’s parents, it would not be possible to secure their presence or concurrence.

Justice Rajiv Narain Raina observed that the petitioners tied the knot on December 12 last year at a gurdwara in Sangrur. Justice Raina observed they fulfilled all the legal requirements for the registration of marriage. But, their marriage registration file had not been accepted by the officer on the pretext that presence of the bride’s parents was also required.

Justice Raina also referred to comprehensive directions by the Supreme Court for taking necessary steps to make marriage registration a compulsory step for persons belonging to all religions. The directions have been issued to the states and Central Government in the case of Seema versus Ashwani Kumar.

Justice Raina added: “The reasoning adopted by the respondents that the presence of parents of the wife is a must for registration of marriage, if accepted, would just defeat the very intent of the intended benefit of the directions given by the Supreme Court. But this court hastens to add that it does not imply that the statutory provisions of law have to be given a go by”.

Justice Raina added: “The registering authority is merely to see that there is a valid subsisting marriage and the parties have completed the age of 21 years and the parties are not within the degrees of prohibited relationship and neither of the party is an idiot or lunatic and further none of the parties has more than one living spouse”. The instant petition is allowed with a direction to the respondents to register the marriage of the petitioners if there is no other legal impediment”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130522/punjab.htm#22

The Tribune – Bajwa routed in Qadian, Manpreet in Gidderbaha

Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 21. Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa and People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) chief Manpreet Badal have both been routed in their respective strongholds of Qadian and Gidderbaha, even as the Badal family has swept the poll in Bathinda, Muktsar, Lambi and Jalalabad.

Sources say the Congress has been routed in the Patiala parliamentary constituency represented by Union Minister Preneet Kaur.

In Qadian, the Congress has been able to win only three of the 15 block samiti seats. The SAD has won 12.

In Gidderbaha, from where Manpreet Badal has been elected to the assembly in the past, the PPP has been able to win only one of the 25 block samiti seats. The SAD has won 23 seats. The Congress won one seat.

In the Patiala parliamentary constituency, of the 21 zila parishad zones, the SAD has won 19. The Congress has been able to win only two.

The Badal family has done extremely well in its traditional strongholds as well as the new constituency of Jalalabad, represented by the Deputy Chief Minister.

The SAD has won all 16 zila parishad zones in the Bathinda parliamentary constituency, represented by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Badal. It has won all 12 zila parishad and 86 of the 91 block samiti seats in Muktsar district.

In the Lambi assembly constituency held by the Chief Minister, the party has won all 21 block samiti seats.

The SAD-BJP has won all 24 block samiti seats in Jalalabad. In case of the Majitha assembly constituency held by Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia, the SAD has won the two zila parishad zones with the highest margin as well as all 25 block samiti seats.

Results sourced from the district headquarters but yet to be confirmed by the State Election Commission (SEC) indicate that the SAD-BJP alliance has swept the samiti and parishad elections.

Of the 331 zila parishad seats, results of 217 are available at the district level. Of these, the SAD has won 182 seats, the BJP 17, the Congress 15, the PPP 2 and Independents 2.

Of the 2,731 block samitis, candidates in 270 samitis were declared elected unopposed. Out of the 2,461 samitis going to the polls, a breakup of 1,602 samitis is available. The SAD has won 1,137 seats, the Congress 279, the BSP 103, the PPP 16, the CPI 6 and others 49.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130522/punjab.htm#1

The Asian Age – Li offers India FTA, more market access

Pawan Bali, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 22 May 2013. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday offered to initiate talks for a free trade agreement with India and showed a willingness to give greater market access to Indian products to address New Delhi’s concerns over a widening trade deficit.

On the political front, Mr Li said both nations have the “wisdom” to find solutions to problems, including the boundary dispute. He also assured that crucial issues pertaining to trans-border rivers would be looked into.

“We also understand India’s concerns on trade deficit. China is willing to provide facilitation to India’s products to access Chinese markets,” said the Chinese Premier in an address in the national capital to the Indian business community.

He expressed confidence over the ability of the two nations to mitigate the trade imbalance. “China never has any intention to seek a trade surplus, only a dynamic trade balance is sustainable trade relations,” Mr Li said.

Mr Li assured that China would support its enterprises to increase investments in India and help Indian products gain access to the Chinese market as he supported a favourable trade balance.

India had a trade deficit of $40.78 billion in favour of China last year. The commerce ministry, under Mr Anand Sharma, has been exploring the formulation of a “China policy” to deal with this trade deficit.

According to officials, India wants the trade imbalance issue addressed before an FTA is signed as it doesn’t want a bilateral FTA leading to further trade imbalances.

http://www.asianage.com/india/li-offers-india-fta-more-market-access-314

The Tribune – Sirsa gets top facility to boost fruit yield, Centre of Excellence inaugurated; Israel to train Haryana farmers

Sushil Manav, Tribune News Service

Mangiana (Sirsa), May 21. Israel will run two training courses every year for progressive farmers from Haryana. In these courses, the farmers will learn modern techniques for increasing their income from farming.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ambassador of Israel in India Alon Ushpiz announced this after inaugurating the Centre of Excellence for Fruits, an Indo-Israel project, at Mangiana, about 60 km from Sirsa town.

“In the present times, when landholdings are becoming smaller and water is becoming scarce, adoption of the latest technology is the only way to survive for our farmers,” Hooda said addressing farmers after the inauguration of the project. He said that he had been to Israel and had seen how farmers in that country had been making handsome earnings from small landholdings by taking to newer techniques in horticulture.

He said that it was due to these techniques that Israeli farmers have been supplying fruits to the whole of Europe despite living in a country as small as the state of Haryana.

“Israel and Haryana have several similarities in climate and soil conditions. There is an acute shortage of irrigation water in Israel, but farmers there are getting four to five times more production by adopting the most modern technology of irrigation and cultivation,” said Hooda.

The Chief Minister said that keeping this in mind, the Government of India approved two centres of excellence – one for vegetables and the other for fruits in Haryana at a cost of Rs 15.7 crore. The Centre of Excellence for Vegetables is already functional at Gharaunda in Karnal while the Centre of Excellence for Fruits was launched today in Mangiana.

Set up on 78 acres at a cost of Rs 9.7 crore, the Centre of Excellence for Fruits will endeavour to develop sub-tropical fruit cultivation and industry in Haryana.

The major interventions of the Centre of Excellence for Fruits will be the introduction of improved cultivars and new crops for citrus, olives, dates, pomegranates and guava.

The centre will also work towards the demonstration of modern production technologies, post-harvest management technologies and quality management. It will also take steps to develop human resources and capacity building.

Israel’s Ambassador in India Alon Ushpiz was all praise for Haryana and its people.

He said that whenever he visited Haryana, he felt like visiting his own country and when he talked to farmers in Haryana, he had the feeling as if he was talking to his countrymen.

“Like the farmers in my country, peasants in Haryana are hardworking and dedicated. They never surrender to the challenges of nature,” Ushpiz said.

The Israeli Ambassador ended his speech by reading two lines of thanks in Hindi and said he had taken to learning this language now.

Daniel Carmon, Head of MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, said that the cooperation between Israel and Haryana in the field of agriculture was flourishing.

Carmon said that a minister from Africa visited a centre in Haryana and then approached him with a request that she wanted such a centre replicated in Africa.

Haryana Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh said that the National Horticulture Mission was being implemented effectively in the state and subsidies from 25 to 100 per cent were being given to farmers.

Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar, Haryana Minister of State for Agriculture Sukhbir Kataria and Chief Minister’s OSD (Media) KV Singh, who contested last the Assembly election from Dabwali Assembly seat under which Mangiana falls, also addressed the gathering.

Omar Zeidan, head, Centre of International Agriculture Development Cooperation (CINADCO), Israel, CPS Prahlad Singh Gillankhera and former minister Ranjit Singh were among those present on the occasion.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130522/main5.htm

Dawn – Altaf disbands MQM’s Karachi organising committee

Karachi, 21 May 2013. In an apparent reaction to ‘hooliganism’ during his speech on Sunday morning, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Tuesday night disbanded his party’s Karachi Tanzeemi (organising) Committee.

The decision was made following observations and recommendations made by public and party workers during a general workers meeting held at MQM’s head-quarters Nine-Zero, said the party’s official website.

In the wee hours of Sunday, charged workers of the MQM had roughed up members of the Rabita (coordination) Committee, some lawmakers-elect as well as some journalists, during a telephonic address by Hussain from London.

Later, a press release issued by the MQM said Hussain had strongly taken notice of what it called ‘violation of discipline’ by some elements among the party workers. He condemned the act of certain individuals against members of the coordination committee and other office-bearers and asked them to submit a written apology at Nine-Zero within 24 hours. Otherwise, he said, they would not be considered as MQM workers.

Another general workers’ meeting of the party has been scheduled for Saturday, in which some more important decisions will be taken.

According to sources, few more changes in MQM’s top posts are expected in Karachi as well as London.

Hussain said a new system will be introduced under which no office-bearer would be able to remain on a particular party slot for more than three years.

The MQM chief also appealed to all those senior party workers who have been inactive for a while to rejoin the party for the sake of the nation and the party’s cause.

http://dawn.com/2013/05/22/altaf-disbands-mqms-karachi-organising-committee/

The Tribune – After route change, Personal Rapid Transport System (PRTS) tenders open today

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 20. Fresh tender bids for the state government’s ambitious personal rapid transport system (PRTS) project will be opened tomorrow.

The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) had invited fresh bids in view of the alterations in the PRTS route following apprehensions by heritage lovers that the then design may take a toll on the walled city’s architecture and its historic landmarks.

Sources said the PIDB had invited bids for the project through an advertisement dated February 22, 2013.

They said the last date for receiving the bids was April 26, which was later extended till May 21. This means it may take another few months for the work to begin on the ground.

Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said the tenders will be opened tomorrow and the work will be awarded after a comparative analysis of the bids, which may take a month or so. He said the due process had to be followed once the PRTS route was changed.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had laid the foundation stone of the project amid much fanfare in December 2011, but the project has made a little headway ever since.

In July last, The Tribune had highlighted the concerns of the heritage lovers that the project will eclipse the view of the holy city’s landmarks like the Jallianwalla Bagh and the Golden Temple. The government later changed the route plan from the railway station to the Golden Temple.

Altered route

Under the new plan, the guideway for the PRTS will not enter the walled city through Hall Gate. Instead, it will take a left turn towards Chitra Cinema and get into the city through Rambagh Chowk

From there, it will pass through Bijliwala Chowk to reach Katra Jaimal Singh before heading towards the Golden Temple

There is also a plan that the guideway will span across the approach road to the Jallianwalla Bagh and the Golden Temple to facilitate the clear view of these landmarks

The height of the guideway will be raised to 30 feet on both these stretches, as against the height of 20 feet in other sections of the route

Similarly, the other route from the Inter State Bus Terminal to the Golden Temple will pass through Maha Singh Gate to reach the Saragarhi Parking before heading towards the Golden Temple

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130521/punjab.htm#6

The Tribune – Police pats itself for ‘peaceful’ polling

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20. The Punjab Police today claimed it had been able to conduct the panchayat samiti and zila parishad elections “successfully” and that it was a “great achievement” that there was not a single case of use of firearms or fatality.

C S R Reddy, Additional DGP, Election Cell, made this claim at a press conference, chaired by state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini, here today. Reddy claimed that elections to panchayati raj institutions held in the state in 2005 and 2008 had witnessed incidents of murder, attempt to murder and use of weapons.

He said only 18 incidents of violence had been reported yesterday and that re-polling had been ordered in just nine booths. Reddy claimed the police had been successful in curtailing violence because it had set up election cells in all districts, deputed personnel at the booth level, created 638 mobile parties and had a reserve force in place as part of its second response team.

On the Lambi violence, Saini said Congress activists had set some vehicles ablaze and that action was being taken in this regard.

He indicated that cases of violence during electioneering were a result of personal feuds. He said PPP’s Jaspreet Singh Jassa, who was killed in Adampur, Bathinda, became a victim of a gang war between “habitual criminals.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130521/punjab.htm#2