The Tribune – Authorities to raze century-old building, Sangrur residents cry foul

Sushil Goyal, Tribune News Service

Sangrur, March 31. The building of the local Government School for boys situated on Sangrur-Patiala road that was commissioned by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of the erstwhile Jind state in 1913 may soon be razed to the ground.

The PWD B&R authorities have declared that the building is too old and needs to be taken down. The building has been locked down since February, 2012.

However, some residents of the city feel the building should be preserved by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board. They say the building can be easily repaired at a cost of a few lakh rupees.

The building was inaugurated by Maharaja Ranbir Singh on December 15, 1919. This is one of the few remaining buildings in the state that were commissioned by the Maharajas of the erstwhile Jind state.

The other buildings of that era include Government Ranbir College, Ranbir Club, Baradari and Diwankhana. Sangrur was the capital of the Jind state.

The executive engineer (XEN) of PWD B&R, Sangrur, had written to the District Education Officer (Secondary) in April, 2010, that the roofs of the first storey of the building were in a dilapidated condition and that the building was too old to be preserved.

Sources said thereafter the education authorities got the building vacated in February, 2012.

It is also learnt that the education authorities had recently written to the XEN, PWD B&R, to provide them with an estimate of the debris of the building so they could hold an auction for the demolition of the building.

Heritage lovers, including Rajiv Jindal, author of ‘The Princely State of Jind Revisited’, and former students of the school, are against this move of the education authorities. They have urged the Punjab Government and the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board to take cognisance of the matter and save the building.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130401/punjab.htm#15

The Tribune – Drug addict commits suicide in Sangrur

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, March 11. A 32-year-old drug addict, Harshjeet Singh, resident of Flound Kalan village (near Malerkotla), today allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the second storey of the civil hospital here. He was admitted to the local civil hospital on March 4. A Dhuri-based private drug de-addiction centre had referred him to the hospital.

Bir Singh, an employee in the BSNL at Malerkotla and Harshjeet Singh’s father, was informed this morning that his son had jumped from the hospital.

Bir Singh complained the management of the Dhuri-based drug de-addiction centre where he had admitted his son on March 4 referred him to the Sangrur civil hospital without his knowledge.

He alleged his son had been tortured and ‘beaten up’ by the staff at the de-addiction centre.

Dr Balwant Singh, officiating Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at the civil hospital here, said Harshjeet Singh had been admitted to the civil hospital on March 4. Harshjeet jumped from the building at around 4.45 am, he said.

A three-member board had conducted his post-mortem examination, the report of which would be available after conducting the viscera examination of the deceased, he said.

Harinder Singh, Station House Officer, City, said on Bir Singh’s statement the police had registered a case under Section 306 of the IPC against Anil Kumar, owner of the Dhuri-based drug de-addiction centre. Further investigation is on.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130312/punjab.htm#16

The Tribune – International Human Rights Day today

Would-be bride brings cheer to relatives of the missing

Bismah Malik, Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 9. At the routine monthly sit-in of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) today, a brightly clothed Sameena (18) stood out.

Parveena Ahanger, APDP chairperson who arranged the protest a day before International Human Rights Day (December 10), informed the gathering that Sameena has got engaged. She has come to distribute sweets among APDP members, she said.

“Usually, Sameena is an active member at the routine programmes of the APDP, be it fund-raising for half widows and orphans or documenting cases. She has been doing this ever since she became a part of the APDP family when her father disappeared while in custody,” Parveena said.

Despite many family hurdles back home at Handwara in Kupwara district, Sameena would travel all the way to Srinagar to register her participation at the protests.

“We are tied by the bonds of despair and hope…bonds that are stronger than that of blood. I consider this organisation my family because I have found shoulders to lean on. People here have the same stories to share. At this big moment in my life, I want them to be a part of it,” an emotional Sameena said.

She considers Parveena, often called Iron lady of Kashmir, as her role model. Sameena said that she would miss her father, whom she has not seen for a decade now. But the presence of Parveena on her wedding day could make up for that loss.

“After God, they put their trust in me. I am and will be a part of their joys and sorrows till the end of my life,” Parveena said.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121210/main7.htm

Seminar on human rights held in Sangrur

Sangrur, December 9. A local NGO, Sahara Foundation, today organised a seminar on human rights at the district administrative complex here. Baljinder Singh Thakur, a member of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission was the chief guest.

In his address, Thakur said the commission had formed a five-member committee that presented its reports to the Commission on human rights violations in the state. He said that due to seminars, which were being held to spread awareness on human rights, the number of complaints regarding human rights violations had increased in the state.

Until now the Commission had settled 1,85,000 complaints, he added. (TNS)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121210/punjab.htm#12

The Tribune – Crumbling heritage; Century-old samadhis of maharajas in neglect

Sushil Goyal, Tribune News Service

Sangrur, September 26. Surrounded by debris with bushes growing over them, the ‘Shahi Samadhan’ of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s close relatives are in a terrible state of neglect.

The 14 samadhis are over 125 years old and include those of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s maternal grandfather Maharaja Gajpat Singh and maternal uncle Maharaja Bhag Singh, rulers of the erstwhile Jind State.

These samadhis are located inside the ‘Shahi Samadhan’ complex outside Nabha Gate here. It also has the samadhis of other rulers of erstwhile Jind State, Maharaja Fateh Singh, Maharaja Sangat Singh, Maharaja Sarup Singh, Maharaja Raghubir Singh, Maharaja Ranbir Singh and Maharaja Rajbir Singh. Since the samadhis haven’t been looked after, they are slowly crumbling with time.

The writings etched in stone at the complex are illegible, the paintings on the wall have faded away and most of the samadhis are covered in overgrowth and debris.

The government had taken an initiative to renovate the complex with the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board in January, 2011, inviting different firms to develop Sangrur as a tourist destination.

The government had announced an amount of about Rs 1.10 crore to renovate ‘Shahi Samadhan”. But so far no such initiative has been taken by the government.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120927/punjab.htm#11

The Tribune – HC dismisses Mann’s plea

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 13. The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed a petition filed by SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann seeking an independent probe into contesting of assembly and Parliamentary elections by Arvind Khanna from Sangrur, even though he is a “British citizen”.

In the petition filed in public interest, Mann had earlier sought directions to the Union of India, the State of Punjab and the DGP to “order an independent inquiry, preferably by the CBI, regarding the fact that Khanna contested the election for the post of MLA from the Sangrur legislative assembly constituency and for Parliament from the Sangrur parliamentary constituency, being a British citizen”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111014/punjab.htm#13