Punjab Newsline Network
Friday, July 2011
By Manan Saini
GURDASPUR: Once again war begins in between State alliance government and former parliamentary secretary and BJP Member of Legislative Assembly from Batala Jagdish Raj Sahni on the issue of forming Pathankot as a new District. Sahni said that Batala should also complete all the necessary terms and conditions which are necessary for the District but if state government only declare Pathankot as a district then he may resign from his post of MLA.

Talking to the Pioneer, Jagdish Raj Sahni from Batala said, that Government of Punjab are playing step mother treatment with the residents of Batala. He told that residents along with many other organizations left his indefinite hunger strike only when, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal initially told me that Batala and Pathankot were not clears the terms and conditions which are necessary for forming a new District and this matter has been closed. Then how should again raise this matter after reshuffling of state ministers of BJP he questioned?

Punjab Government has tried to gain the vote bank by declaring Pathankot as a District because there are four BJP MLA’s and even BJP Punjab president himself from Pathankot. All were done their efforts to declared Pathankot a separate district only for the political sake, but it is a fraud with the people of Batala he said.

##ad_2##Sahni simply gave indications, that if Pathankot would be announced as a district then he may resign from his post of MLA.

On the other hands Gurdaspur bar association also condemns this proposal and said that Government is trying to cook his food and make assured because of next assembly elections.

Parkash Singh Saini, president of bar association said that there are so many government offices which had already working on lease land. He said that Punjab Government prove fails to construct District Administration Complex in Gurdaspur because of no funds. He said that alliance government simply doing all this for achieving votes. But Bar Association Gurdaspur totally condemns this proposal and appeal government to gave funds for the development of this border district except of partition District Gurdaspur.

Punjab Newsline Network
Sunday, 24 July 2011

CHANDIGARH : After ignoring urban infrastructure development for four and a half years, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine has finally woken up to the urgent need for upgrading urban infrastructure in Punjab. However the schemes announced by the Deputy Chief Minister yesterday are nothing more than a Sheikh Chilli imagination, since the ruling combine will not be able to implement it within the next few months.

Punjab being one of the most urbanised states in the country needs a vision of development, which is lacking in the proposals. One third of the population of the state which lives in urban areas finds itself at the mercy of such fragmented electoral stunts which create more problems rather than solving them.

Stating this acting President of People’s Party of Punjab, Manpreet Singh Badal, stated that “instead of providing urban amenities in rural areas, the ruling combine has converted the cities and towns into slums”. These announcements are aimed at forthcoming elections, and mean little more. It is unfortunate that the issue of urban infrastructure has occured to the ruling combine only when elections are approaching. Had the projects been initiated in time, the situation is urban Punjab would have been vastly different, he added.

The PPP president also stated that grandiose proposals are easier to present using presentation tools, but are difficult to implement. Where is the money to implement these Sheikh Chili proposals, the former Finance Minister asked ? No proposal can be implemented without provision of adequate finances, and this is another example of schemes which are created for the sake of paper publicity only, since the schemes are bereft of financial components.

Further some of the proposals announced by the Deputy Chief Minister would lead to creation of more urban slums, rather than solving any real problems. The issue of haphazard growth in urban Punjab coupled with increased pressure on civic amenities would be further compounded with such announcements.

Finally, the announcements are typical of what the ruling combine is doing nowadays. It is a piecemeal approach towards problems rather than tackling the issues of the state as a whole. Issues of urban infratructure cannot be treated in isolation since they require a holistic approach taking into account the entire urban rural continuum. Urban areas need to be linked with each other and connected with the rural countryside and this requires vision — something that these proposals lack.

Punjab Newsline Network
Sunday, 24 July 2011

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had betrayed Sant Harchand Singh Longowal and also sabotaged the Rajiv-Longowal accord. He said, Badal did it as that suited his personal political ambitions.

Speaking on the occasion of the twenty-sixth anniversary of Rajiv-Longowal Accord, Capt Amarinder said that today Badal may be shedding crocodile tears about late Sant Longowal, but the matter of the fact is that it was he (Mr Badal) who had let him (Sant Longowal) down at a crucial and critical moment of history.

Recalling the sequence of historical events around that time, Capt Amarinder, who was closely associated with different initiatives taken at that time to resolve the issue, said, had the Sant not been betrayed and the accord not been sabotaged, the situation would have been quite different from what it is now and may be “we would have been spared of lot of bloodshed that took place subsequently besides the brutal assassination of Sant Longowal”.

The former Chief Minister asked Badal to come clean on the issue and explain to the people of Punjab as why he first supported the Sant and then backed out. “You owe an explanation to the future generations of Punjab about your role during that period”, Capt Amarinder told Badal, while charging him with always keeping his personal ends closer to the heart at the cost of the national interest and that of Punjab.

AMRITSAR: A court in Haryana has issued non-bailable warrants against Jatehdar of Takht Damdama Sahib Balwant Singh Nandgarh. Takht Damdama falls in Talwandi Sabo town of Bathinda district in Punjab. So far no Sikh Jathedar had ever appeared before any court of law in his official capacity.

Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Gurbachan Singh talking to Punjabnewsline.com here today said, “Nandgarh would never appear in the court law in the capacity of Jatehdar Takht Damdama Sahib. Since, so far, no serving Jatehdar ever appeared in any of the worldly court. Moreover, no worldly court is above Akal Takht the highest Sikh Temporal Seat”.

Adding further, Gyani Gurbachan Singh said, “If Haryana police comes at Takht Talwandi Sabo, in such circumstances, the entire Sikh community would stand by Nandgarh at the time of arrest. It is not as easy as Haryana police thinks”.

Gyani Gurbachan Singh said that a complaint against Jatehdar Nandgarh was filed in the State of Haryana by one of the follower of Dera Sacha Sauda Sect falsely with the allegation that sentiments of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda Sect were hurt during religious discourse of Nandgarh.

Gyani Gurbachan Singh extending support to Nandgarh, said that he had never uttered anything wrong but whatever he had said was right as per the Sikh religious rituals and community always stands with him.

This is not first time wherein such situation occurred for the Sikh Community as well for Jatehdar Akal Takht, as earlier in 1980 Jathedar Akal Takht Amritsar Gurdial Singh Ajnoha was summoned in the court but he didn’t appeared in the court of law keeping in view the respect of highest Sikh temporal seat, and at last complainant himself had withdrawn his complaint and case was dismissed.

Second time, once Bhai Ranjit Singh Jatehdar of Akal Takht was also asked to appear in the court when he had come out from bars after spending 14 years for assassinating the chief of Narnkari Sect Baba Gurbachan Singh, but when final Session Court verdict was pronounced, he was asked to face eight months more jail, but Bhai Ranjit Singh had out rightly rejected the court order by saying he would neither appear in the court nor surrender to go jail. Then Chief minister of Punjab himself Parkash Singh Badal, alongwith other Akali stalwarts including Surjit Singh Barnala, then SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Torha met the then Prime minister I.K. Gujral who took up the case before president whereupon his rest of the sentence was condoned. Ranjit Singh on April 24, 1980, had shot dead the then head of the Mission Baba Gurbachan Singh.

Third time, Gyani Kewal Singh Jatehdar of Takht Damdama Sahib Predecessor of Nandgarh was booked in murder case of her daughter-in-law was also slapped murder case and asked to appear in the court. At That time Kewal Singh appeared in the court and faced trial in the court but after tendering his resignation from post of Jatehdar. But later he was acquitted by the court of law.

Punjab Newsline Network
Saturday, July 2011
By Vikas Kahol
CHANDIGARH: Politics in India is witnessing a gradual shift. Politicians have realised that the country’s nondescript villages are no longer the forgotten territory meant to be visited once in five years to garner votes. This urgency to reach out to the constituency notwithstanding, the Raj-era mentality of our leaders refuses to die.

This was evident on Thursday when Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal set out on a journey to the rural areas of the state. His first stopover was at the Alamwala village in Muktsar constituency. Badal chose the government senior secondary school in the village to hold a public meeting.

People from eight villages under the Lambi and Malaut assembly constituencies visited the school at Alamwala to meet Badal. However, not everyone was pleased with the CM’s choice of venue.

The reason was clear. Badal’s visit not only disrupted classes and threw the school schedule into disarray, it also ‘defiled’ the hallowed portals of the educational institution.

To make the CM’s visit comfortable, one of the classrooms was turned into an air-conditioned bedroom while another was converted into a makeshift toilet.

The students, moreover, were made to serve snacks and tea to the CM’s entourage. The villagers, who saw this happening, were outraged at the blatant transgression.

“An educational institution should be treated with respect. A classroom was turned into a bedroom for Badal. Another room – meant for the students of sixth standard – was converted into a makeshift toilet,” Nathu Ram, a resident of Malaut, said.

Officials at public relations department confirmed that the chief minister went to the senior secondary school at Alamwala. However, they refused to comment on the arrangements made for Badal.

The irony of the visit was further highlighted by the fact that though Badal heard grievances of the villagers at the school during the day, no one bothered to point out to the CM that the school didn’t have enough teachers for subjects such as English, history and physical education.

School principal Sarabjit Kumar said he was not aware of the students being asked to serve the guests.

“Probably, the students chose to do so or were deployed by the village sarpanch. They had directions to attend classes,” Sarabjit said.

In the evening, Badal decided to spend the night at a school at Chapianwali village – about 25 km from his home at Lambi.

Here too, a classroom was converted into a makeshift bedroom. Balwant Singh, a villager from Gidderbaha, said Badal had been resorting to political gimmick. “His home was only a few kilometers away from Chapianwali. He could have saved public money by staying there,” he said.

On Friday, the chief minister headed to Giddarbaha – the constituency earlier represented by his nephew and sacked finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal.

It was here that the authorities went completely out of their way to cater to the CM’s comforts. At the Adarsh School in Kot Bhai village, where Badal decided to put up, authorities removed computers from a lab and installed a water closet, a wash basin and an exhaust fan and put curtains on the window. Party sources, meanwhile, said the CM’s visit was aimed at drawing the electorate back to the SAD fold.

SAD official spokesperson Dr D. S. Cheema said the visit should not be projected in negative way. On his part, Badal dismissed any allegations of misusing the government machinery “I want to serve the people. It does not matter where I stay. I want to live among the masses,” he told reporters.

By Zubair Ahmed BBC News, Dadar, Mumbai
Policemen surround a vehicle which was damaged at the site of a bomb explosion in the Dadar area of Mumbai July 13, 2011 Police are gathering evidence at Dadar – the scene of one of the blasts

Dadar is one of the old areas of Mumbai, in the middle of the city. The blast here happened in a very crowded area with lots of shops and residential buildings.

Nobody really knows exactly what happened – whether it was inside a car or outside. What I saw was a bus stop which was very badly damaged, and a car nearby that was partially damaged.

This was a low-intensity blast: only four people were injured. Here in Dadar the blast was not powerful. Police have said the blast in Zaveri Bazaar was stronger – about 70 or 80 people have been wounded there.

But there is some anger here. It was 7pm when the blast happened and the area was very crowded. Police say the timing of the blast is significant. This was the height of the evening rush hour – it was designed to cause maximum panic and casualties.

Onlookers

One shopkeeper said he heard a loud bang and came out and saw the bus-stop decimated and people lying injured on the road.

Another person I spoke to, who is also a shopkeeper in the area, said he heard the blast when he was inside the shop. He came out and was told there was an explosion and then he saw people being taken to the hospital in ambulances.

There are a number agitated people here: one person asked why Mumbai is always the target of attacks.

However, many of the people gathered here now are merely onlookers curious to see what has happened. People have come from nearby areas to see what is going on.

It has been raining hard and that is clearly hampering the police in their work. They have been busy looking for evidence. The onlookers may also be hampering them – some of the bystanders are acting as if it is a kind of party, making noises.

One striking feature of Dadar is that a lot of shops have remained open. Although some have shut down, many have chosen to go about business as usual and people have been buying groceries. There is no evidence of real panic in Dadar.

But in other parts of the city, the story is grimmer and there is panic and people are rushing back home.

Gurpreet Singh Mehak
KHANNA: It is high time that the masses of Punjab rise to the occasion and choose to shape their future rather than waiting for a miracle to happen. This was stated by Manpreet Singh Badal, founder of People’s Party of Punjab in a packed rally at village Rampur, near Doraha Thursday.

Manpreet stated that it is unfortunate that the development of India as desired by the great martyrs hasn’t taken place in the past 64 years. India cannot afford to wait for another 64 years before deciding to change the regime, he added.

Saying ‘Kuvela ho gaya’, Manpreet impresses women The down-to-earth nature of Manpreet Badal was clearly visible during his rally at Village Rampur. He was scheduled to arrive at 2 PM but he arrived more than an hour late. Driving his own vehicle, he came straight to the people sitting off-the stage, shook hands with them and shared good wishes. From there, moving towards the women, he said to them ‘Kuvela ho gaya mainu, tusin kamm vi karne hone’ (I got late, you must have to do your homely work). The women were all praises for the leader afterwards. Before leaving the venue, he again shook hands with masses. Shaking the hand of an old-aged gentleman, Manpreet told him, ‘It is a tough job I know, but you people must work for getting Punjab out of the doldrums.’ On seeing the leader holding his hand for long and saying this to him, tears were quite visible in the eyes of the gentleman.
In his emotion-filled lecture of nearly thirty minutes, Manpreet stressed upon the need to rebuild Punjab in a way so that prosperity and harmony takes the front seat in the lives of people. He said that the need of the hour is to understand that if Punjabis continue to live and vote the way they have been doing for the last 64 years, nothing will be left for their children to have. It is fairly important to wipe-out the problems like unemployment, illiteracy, bribery, drug-addiction to make sure that Punjab improves from its current low rank in terms of development of Indian states.

##ad_2##He also spoke on the issues of political, social, financial, and sports reforms during his lecture. PPP leader and comedian Bhagwant Mann also addressed the rally. He said that the turn-by-turn loot of Punjab by two prime political parties of Punjab must come to an end now in order for the State to go further on the development path. Using his trademark comedy during his talk, Mann said that when a badly sick person doesn’t show any signs of improvement from two different doctors, he is advised to go to a seasoned Vaid who helps him improve;Manpreet and his party has come to the rescue of Punjab as that Vaid.

He remarked that when Sukhbir Badal goes from Chandigarh to Muktsar for laying down a foundation stone of a project costing some 50 lakhs or so, more than a crore is spent on his convoy and security arrangements. This money belongs to the people of Punjab and must be prevented from wasting, Mann said. Harjiwanpal Sngh Gill and Dev Mangat also expressed their views.

By Columbus Mavhunga, For CNN
July 4, 2011 10:50 p.m. EDT
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, left, stands beside FIFA President Sepp Blatter at State House in Harare on Monday.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, left, stands beside FIFA President Sepp Blatter at State House in Harare on Monday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

* FIFA is looking into allegations of match-fixing
* Zimbabwean players have told investigators they were paid to lose games
* FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke to reporters in Harare

RELATED TOPICS

* FIFA

(CNN) — FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Monday his organization would ban for life any players and administrators found guilty of match-fixing.

“We can’t intervene at this early stage, but when those people are condemned and found guilty we will ban them for life. They will not be allowed back into football,” Blatter told reporters in Harare, as he wrapped up a one-day visit to Zimbabwe.

FIFA security chief Chris Eaton arrived in Zimbabwe ahead of Blatter on Sunday. The organization is looking into allegations of match-fixing committed two years ago, which resulted in the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) boss being fired in October 2010.

Player Method Mwanjali was one of five athletes who told a ZIFA inquiry last year that he accepted bribes in return for losing matches against Thailand and Syria in 2009.

ZIFA submitted its findings to FIFA, which is now conducting its own investigation.

“We are working with Interpol and the governments. What FIFA is doing is to clean up the situation,” Blatter said.

Besides meeting with the country’s football administrators, the FIFA president met with President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai during his one-day visit.

He is scheduled to head next to South Africa to attend an International Olympic Committee meeting on Tuesday

A court-ordered search of vaults beneath a temple in India has turned up a treasure worth at least $11 billion, according to reports from the Indian state of Kerala.

An inventory of what lies beneath the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, as reported on the website Business-Standard.com and others, reads like a prop list from an “Indiana Jones” movie:

* Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls

* Replicas of coconut shells made of pure gold

* Hundreds of thousands of gold and silver coins, some dating to the 16th century

* Gold chains as long as 18 feet

* Solid-gold human figurines and idols

* Crowns and pendants

* Gold and silver bars

The wealth was amassed in at least six vaults, some of which had not been opened in 150 years, according to media reports. India’s Supreme Court ordered an inventory of the vaults after hearing a private complaint seeking “more transparency and trustworthiness in the temple administration,” according to a report on the news website daijiworld.com.

The former royal family of Travancore manages the temple. For an explanation about how the treasure might have been amassed, check out this report from CommodityOnline.com.

The Kerala government said Monday the treasure will remain property of the shrine, according to media reports.

“The wealth belonged to the temple and it will be preserved where it was found. There is religious and historical significance to the findings. The state will ensure its security,” Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told the Times of India.

As word of the find has spread, Kerala police are asking for help to safeguard the treasure, according to media reports.

“It is too big a challenge for the police. We have no trained personnel to manage such a huge treasure. We have sought the help of several agencies who can really help us,” Jacob Punnose, director general of the Kerala police, told India Today.

What might the treasure, which the Economic Times of India says is likely the biggest in the country, mean for Kerala, a south Indian state of 33 million people? The Economic Times has some ideas

Brisbane, Jul : An Australian pub chain is apologizing to a Sikh man who was evicted from a bar for wearing a turban.

Spirit Hotels said in a statement said the man was wrongly evicted from a pub in the east coast city of Brisbane on Sunday because staff decided that his religious turban did not comply with its policy against patrons with headwear.

The statement said the chain was attempting to contact the patron on Monday to apologise.

Many pubs ban headwear so that troublemakers can be readily identified from security camera footage and because caps and beanies can make patrons appear untidy. AP