Page 4 - Punjab Government

Farmers draw up fresh protest plans; plea filed in Supreme Court

Haryana waives crop loan interest in Budget; will discuss farmer issues: BKS

Rs 1 cr compensation, job for kin of Punjab farmer killed in police firing

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann assured that the younger sister of the dead farmer will be offered a government job. He further promised that adequate action would be taken against the culprits

Farmer leader takes on Punjab govt for not filing FIR on death of youth

He said that the way the Punjab government is 'insulting the martyrdom of our martyrs' is condemnable. Pandher questioned the delay in filing the FIR though all the deamands were accepted

14,000 people, 1,200 tractors at Shambhu border, MHA tells Punjab govt

The Centre has estimated that nearly 14,000 people have gathered along the Punjab-Haryana border with 1,200 tractor-trolleys, 300 cars, 10 mini-buses as well as small vehicles and conveyed its strong objections to the Punjab government for it, sources said on Tuesday. In a communication to the Punjab government, the Union Home Ministry also said that the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state has been a matter of concern over the last few days and asked it to take stringent action against lawbreakers. The home ministry said many miscreants in the guise of farmers were indulging in stone-pelting, mobilising heavy machinery along the Shambhu on Punjab's border with Haryana. Protesting farmers have been staying put at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana after their 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, was stopped by security forces which led to clashes last

Stir causes stirrings in Punjab politics

If everything goes according to plan, a resuscitated SAD could emerge as a central player in Punjab in three years.

SKM bandh: Commuters left stranded as many buses stay off roads in Punjab

Commuters in Punjab faced inconvenience on Friday as many buses stayed off the roads in response to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's call for a 'Bharat Bandh' to press the government to accept farmers' demands including a legal guarantee of MSP. Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers' Union are supporting the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's (SKM) bandh call. During the day, farmers will also hold demonstrations at many places in Punjab under the banner of the SKM. Many farmer bodies including Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakunda), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Qadian) and Kirti Kisan Union are taking part in the bandh. Passengers were seen waiting for buses at many bus stands to reach their respective destinations. Mainly students and office-goers faced inconvenience because of the non-availability of buses. At the Patiala bus stand, a college student said he could not find any bus to go to Landran road. A government employee said

Singhu, Tikri borders remain sealed as farmers' protest enters day 3

Two key border points between Delhi and Haryana remain closed for traffic while security personnel in anti-riot gears were deployed at strategic locations in the national capital as farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' agitation entered the third day on Thursday. While the two borders - Tikri and Singhu -- with Haryana remain closed, movement was allowed through the Ghazipur border with Uttar Pradesh under the watch of security personnel. According to senior police officer, the Delhi Police is on extra vigil though the protesting farmers have been stopped by the Haryana Police at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana near Ambala. In the central part of Delhi as well, the police have put up barricades on several roads leading to Parliament and other sensitive locations. Farmer leaders have said a meeting will be held with three Union ministers in Chandigarh on Thursday after which the protesters will decide the next course of action. At Tikri and Singhu borders, the Delhi Police has put

Protesting farmers stay put at Punjab-Haryana borders for heading to Delhi

Scores of farmers from Punjab continued to stay put at the two borders of the state and Haryana on Wednesday while security personnel fired some tear gas shells on the protesters at the Shambhu border near Ambala. As the peasants gather there to resume their 'Delhi Chalo' protest, farmer leaders will first hold a meeting before moving ahead with their plan to break multi-layered barricades at the Shambhu border in an attempt to march towards Delhi. With the farmers from several places in Punjab continuing to pour in to participate in the 'Delhi Chalo' march, a large number of tractor-trolleys could be seen parked along the national highway on the Punjab side. The protesting farmers from Punjab plan to make a fresh attempt to break past the multiple layers of barricades at the border with Haryana. The Haryana security personnel lobbed a few tear gas shells on Wednesday morning after some farmers gathered near the barricades at the Shambhu border, the protesters claimed. While the .

Punjab objects to Haryana's use of drone inside its territory at Shambhu

Authorities in Punjab have raised an objection over the use of a drone by Haryana to air-drop tear gas shells on agitating farmers in their territory at the Shambhu border, a senior official said on Wednesday. Punjab's Patiala Deputy Commissioner (DC) Showkat Ahmed Parray has written to the Ambala Deputy Commissioner, asking him not to send their drone inside Punjab's territory at the Shambhu border near Ambala. Haryana security personnel had deployed a drone on Tuesday to drop tear gas shells to disperse farmers who were trying to break barricades in an attempt to march towards Delhi to press the Centre for various demands. Farmers claimed the unmanned aerial vehicle dropped several tear gas canisters on them when they were standing well inside Punjab territory. "I wrote the letter to the Ambala DC not to send the drone inside our area," Parray told PTI on Wednesday. He said he conveyed this to the Ambala Senior Superintendent of Police as well. Parray said after he took up the

Punjab's 'aam aadmi' most distressed in AAP regime, says SAD chief Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday said the 'aam aadmi' of Punjab were the most distressed in the AAP government's regime with people being denied even the basic facilities. The SAD president, who travelled across Tarn Taran and Khadoor Sahib assembly constituencies as part of the 'Punjab Bachao Yatra' said, "This government cannot aspire to represent the common man who is suffering in this regime which is being run by remote control from Delhi." Badal added that the "remote control" in Delhi is being used to "spread the wings of AAP across the country rather than fulfill the aspirations of the 'aam aadmi' (common man) in Punjab". Badal said infrastructure had gone to "rot" during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime, be it link roads or sewerage systems or even roads and streetlights in villages. He added that the poor were being denied social welfare benefits. The SAD president interacted with labourers who told him that they were the worst-affected in th

Punjab CM Mann to hand over job letters to 10 state players in Chandigarh

The ten players to be presented with the appointment letters include nine players from the Tokyo Olympic Games winning team in hockey and Indian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur

Delhi police detain Haryana AAP Chief Sushil Gupta ahead of protest

Delhi police detained AAP leader Sushil Gupta from his residence

HC seeks administration's response on AAP's plea for fresh mayoral polls

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation on the AAP's petition seeking fresh elections under the supervision of a retired HC judge. The court gave the respondents three weeks to file their replies in the matter. The BJP swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls on Tuesday in a shock defeat for the Aam Aadmi Party-Congress alliance, which alleged foul play and moved the high court seeking fresh elections. The petition was filed by AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar, who was the candidate for the post of mayor, against the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the Union Territory administration, among others. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, the petitioner's counsel Gurminder Singh said the court has given three weeks to the Chandigarh administration, the municipal corporation, and others to file their replies. Senior standing counsel Anil Mehta said the court did not give any interim relief to the ...

Bank fraud: ED raids in J-K, Punjab, UP in Bharat Papers Ltd case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in a Rs 200 crore alleged bank loan fraud case linked to the Bharat Papers Ltd. (BPL), official sources said. At least nine premises in these regions are being searched by the central agency under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Incorporated in September, 2006, the BPL is an associate of the Bharat Box Factory Industries Limited (BBFIL), a paper board packaging industry based in Jammu and Ludhiana. The primary allegations against the company are that its directors have perpetrated a bank loan fraud of about Rs 200 crore with a consortium of banks with lead bank as the State Bank of India. The other banks include J&K Bank, PNB and Karur Vysya Bank. It is alleged that the accused "siphoned off" funds to sister concerns/bogus entities and undertook sale of imported/indigenous machinery without permission of lender banks by raising "fake" ...

Security tightened at Chandigarh Municipal office ahead of Mayoral polls

The Mayoral Elections in Chandigarh were scheduled to be held on January 18 but due to the "ill health" of the designated presiding officer, the election was postponed to February 6

No relief in cold wave conditions in North India, temperature below normal

There was no let-up in the cold wave condition in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday with minimum temperatures staying below normal at several places. Hisar in Haryana was the coldest place as it shivered at 3.1 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal, according to a report of the Meteorological Department here. Among other places, Ambala and Karnal experienced cold weather conditions at 6.2 and 4.6 degrees Celsius respectively. Narnaul, Sirsa, Faridabad, and Fatehabad recorded 7.6 degrees Celsius, 4 degrees Celsius, 3.9 degrees Celsius, and 3.6 degrees Celsius. Faridkot in Punjab was the coldest place in the state as it shivered at 3.6 degrees Celsius. Amritsar reeled at 3.7 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal, while Ludhiana and Patiala recorded their respective minimums of 6 and 6.5 degrees Celsius. Pathankot, Bathinda and Gurdaspur recorded minimum temperatures of 4.3, 4 and 5.5 degrees Celsius respectively. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a mi

Cold weather conditions persist in North India; Bathinda, Sirsa coldest

Cold weather conditions continued to persist in Punjab and Haryana, with Bathinda and Sirsa being the coldest places in the two states on Friday. According to the Meteorological Department here, Bathinda in Punjab recorded a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius while Sirsa in Haryana recorded a low of 4.2 degrees Celsius. Several other parts of the two states were also under the grip of cold weather and experienced dense fog in the morning. In Punjab, Amritsar, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Patiala and Pathankot recorded respective minimums of 6.8 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees Celsius, 6.8 degrees Celsius, 7.7 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius. In Haryana, Bhiwani and Fatehabad reeled under severe cold recording respective minimum temperatures of 4.3 degrees Celsius and 4.6 degrees Celsius. Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Narnaul and Ambala recorded respective minimums of 5 degrees Celsius, 7 degrees Celsius, 7.6 degrees Celsius, 6 degrees Celsius and 8.6 degrees .

SAD leader Majithia appears before special SIT in Patiala in drugs case

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday appeared before a special investigation team of the Punjab Police in Patiala district in a drugs case. The former minister was summoned by the SIT led by Deputy Inspector General (Patiala range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar. Tight security arrangements were made around the police lines in Patiala ahead of the appearance of Majithia before the SIT. Several Akali workers had gathered at the spot to express solidarity with Majithia. Majithia was previously questioned by the SIT, led by the then additional director general of police Mukhwinder Singh Chhina, on December 30, 2023 in connection with the drugs case. Before that he was grilled by the SIT on December 18. The Punjab Police formed a new SIT under the chairmanship of Bhullar after Chhina retired on December 31. Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on December 20, 2021, when the then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi-led .

Punjab sub-committee to share concerns over new hit-and-run law with Centre

A Punjab Cabinet sub-committee on Tuesday assured transporters that the state government would share their concerns regarding the new hit-and-run law with the Centre. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), set to replace the Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing authorities face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh. The Cabinet sub-committee comprising Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal held a meeting with the representatives of the truck and taxi unions of the state here, according to an official release. The sub-committee discussed in detail the provisions of punishment under Section 106 (2) of the BNS for causing death due to rash and negligent driving, and escaping without reporting it to a police officer or a magistrate soon after the incident. The main concern of the representatives of the transport unions was the manhandling of the driv

Situation normalising day after petrol pumps in Punjab see panic buying

The situation was normalising at petrol pumps on Wednesday in Punjab where fuel supplies were being replenished with fresh stocks, a day after people resorted to panic buying amid truckers' strike. On Tuesday, long queues of motorists were witnessed at many places in Punjab and a few parts of Haryana over fears that stocks would run dry soon in the wake of truckers' strike against stricter punishments in the new law on hit-and-run cases. Later in the evening, authorities in some Punjab districts had said the truckers had called off their strike and urged people not to resort to panic buying. "The situation is normalising now and by evening supplies from depots to all fuel pumps should reach as before. Already, fuel supplies from the depots have started reaching several filling stations," said secretary general of the Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association Rajesh Kumar. He said no long queues like Tuesday were being witnessed at petrol pumps on Wednesday in the state. The administrat