Construction of new Guelph Sikh temple to start this spring

GUELPH — The construction of the new Sikh temple on Clair Road is set to begin as soon as the ground thaws.

“We’re expecting to get the final approval from the city by the end of next week,” said Dr. Ravi Rai, president of the Guelph Sikh Society on Wednesday.

He said the landscaping is set to begin as soon as the frost leaves the soil. After that comes the grading process in preparation for construction of the building.

In 2011, the Sikh Society’s development project faced opposition from the Westminster Woods Residents’ Association when it was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Although it was eventually dropped, the society incurred $10,000 in fees and a four-month construction delay preparing to defend itself against the appeal. As an act of neighbourly reconciliation, the Society decided it would pay the fees without trying to recoup these expenses.

with thanks : Link for detailed news.

Congress MLA resigns as Parliamentary Secretary to Delhi CM.

Senior Congress MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah today resigned from the post of Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit following allegations that he got his daughter admitted in a Delhi University college using fake documents.

The resignation came a day after Delhi BJP President Vijender Gupta released documents related to a police complaint filed by Mata Sundri College against Marwah.

"Tarvinder Singh Marwah has resigned from the post of Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit," sources close to the JungpuraMLA said.

with thanks : DNA News : Link in the headline above for detailed news.

MCD elections on Delhi AajTak : Janpath : B S Vohra

It’s official: Lt Gen Bikram Singh to be next Army chief

NEW DELHI: Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, the Eastern Army commander, would be the next Army Chief. 

The formal announcement for the next Chief of Army Staff made on Saturday has put an end to all doubts about who would succeed General VK Singh, thanks to the persistent speculation about Singh's possible resignation and widespread efforts to stall Lt Gen Bikram Singh's appointment. 

"This is a great honour. I want to thank the government for reposing faith in me. I hope to live up to the honour and values of this great institution," Lt Gen Bikram Singh told TOI an hour after defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma called up the senior Army commander in Kolkata to inform him about the government's decision. Lt Gen Singh was also given the government notification of his appointment. 

A formal announcement from the spokesperson of the ministry of defence (MoD) said, "The Eastern Army Commander, Lt Gen Bikram Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC has been designated as the next Chief of Army Staff, in the rank of General, with effect from the afternoon of May 31, 2012. He will succeed the present COAS, General V K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC, who retires from the service on May 31, 2012." 

The announcement draws to a close acrimonious bids to scuttle the appointment of Lt Gen Singh as the next Army Chief. Several letters did the rounds, hurling various allegations against Lt Gen Singh, who was the Army spokesperson during the 1999 Kargil conflict. 

with thanks : TOI : link in the headline above for detailed news.

Brawl at Gurdwara Bala sahib in Delhi

Gurdwara Bala sahib premises turn battleground between Sikh factions

Gurdwara premises turn battleground

A group of locals claiming to be from Sikh Sangat of Delhi in the Sunlight Colony area fought with the members of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on the issue of construction of a medical college inside the premises of Bala Sahab Gurdwara.

The situation turned violent on Friday afternoon after bottles were thrown in the air and vehicles were put on fire. Later, the local police had to use tear gas to take the situation under control. However, the Sikh groups will hold a protest on the matter on Saturday.

with thanks : dailypioneer : link for detailed news.

Two groups clash over Gurdwara land dispute

Tension prevailed in Gurdwara Bala Sahib in south Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan following a clash between two groups on Friday. A dispute over alleged allotment of the Gurdwara’s land to a private organisation to build a hospital was the reason, police said. 

Several policemen were deployed in the area to prevent escalation of the situation between two sword-brandishing groups.

While four persons were injured in the clash, two four-wheelers were damaged. At least 200 people from both sides pelted stones.

Police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob. They mounted a baton charge to clear the crowd.

According to police, trouble started at 11 am when Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna’s brother Harvinder Singh Sarna was allegedly assaulted by two relatives of a local Sikh political leader and their supporters.
Police said some residents beat up Harvinder Singh Sarna, alleging that the land owned by DSGMC was being given to a private company to build a hospital.

The residents also tried to prevent a bhoomi pujan from being performed on the land by the committee’s vice chairman, Harvinder Singh Sarna.

Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, a resident, alleged that the chairman of the committee sold the land to private B L Kapoor Group to build the hospital. 

Paramjit Singh Sarna told police that the allegations were false. 

with thanks : DECCAN HERALD : LINK for detailed news.

Interview of Sd. Harvinder singh Sarna after the Brawl at Gurdwara Bala sahib in Delhi

Check your voters list for DSGMC Elections in Delhi

with thanks : HT : DGE

HC Allows City Govt Polls for Sikh Gurudwara Committee

The Delhi High Court today reversed the judgement of its single-judge bench and allowed the city government to hold polls for the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC).

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw set aside the order of a `single-judge bench restraining the Directorate of Gurudwara Elections (DGE), which is under the city government, from issuing a notification for elections of the DSGMC.

It asked the government to hold polls at the earliest for all Gurudwaras in the capital by fixing a fresh schedule.

The court, which had reserved its judgement on February 22, upheld the decision of Lt Governor on the issue.

"The process of delimitation and preparation of fresh electoral roll is undoubtedly alright and is in the process and no error can be found in with the decision of the Lt Governer..., the court said.

Earlier, the single judge had directed city government to complete the exercise of delimitation in 46 wards within a month and also prepare the electoral rolls with photographs of voters for the elections before issuing the notification.

DGE challenged the verdict alleging that the single judge bench had no right to pass such orders once the poll process was set in motion with the issuance of the notification.

"The work of delimitation and preparation of fresh electoral rolls if found to be necessary shall be undertaken immediately and ought to be completed, well in time so that such a situation does not occur when the next election becomes due," the bench observed, asking the DGE issue fresh schedule for the elections for the posts of the DSGMC.

with thanks : OUTLOOKINDIA : Link in the headline above for detailed news.

Press Conference : Sd Paramjit Singh Sarna : President, DSGMC : 29th Feb. 2012 : SikhsIndia

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Golden Temple CCTV steals a march on thieves

Amritsar On February 24, a Sikh devotee from Attepur village in Gurdaspur district went to take a bath in Golden Temple Sarovar near Dukh Bhanjani Beri. As he entered the Sarovar, a man decamped with his trousers containing his wallet and cellphone. The thief — oblivious of the fact that a team was watching him doing the act on a LCD screen that  broadcasts the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera footage live — is caught in no time.

A Canada-based NRI complained to the Golden Temple authorities that her purse, which contained her and her colleagues’ passports, has been stolen. What worried the victims most was that they were scheduled to board a flight back to Canada in the evening. The CCTV surveillance team rewinds the recording of the video footage of the suspected place and after identifying the thieves, nabs them near the SGPC information centre. The purse was recovered from a dustbin. The NRIs managed to catch the flight back home.

With nearly one lakh devotees paying obeisance every day at the Golden Temple — the number rises to a lakh-and-a-half on weekends and festivals — the Sikh shrine is a favourite hunting ground for thieves.

But an initiative is fast heading towards earning the distinction of a “game-changer” in tackling such thefts at the holy shrine. The CCTV cameras installed at the temple are turning out to be a nemesis of kind for the thieves. Since June, 2011 — when the cameras became functional — 140 thieves have been caught in the act with the help of CCTV footage. If one goes by record, almost every alternate day, a thief is caught at the temple.

As many as 130 CCTV cameras have been installed at what officials call “strategic places” to keep an eye on thieves and unscrupulous elements inside the temple. “Ever since the installation of the cameras, there has been a positive change. We have successfully thwarted theft attempts, cracked cases and handed over the thieves to the police,” Golden Temple Manager Harbans Singh Malhi told The Indian Express.

with thanks : ExpressIndia : link in headline for detailed news.