Jalandhar, January 18
Even as veterinary officers and veterinary pharmacists in the state seem to be treading on a collision course over the issuing of animal health and postmortem certificates, the Punjab Animal Husbandry authorities are trying to quell the dissent by initiating a probe to check if some unauthorised persons were issuing such certificates.

Hundreds of veterinary doctors and pharmacists are on a warpath over the matter and it has seemingly turned into a prestige issue between the two sides.

While the Veterinary Pharmacist Association has reportedly been maintaining that the Punjab government empowered the veterinary pharmacists to issue health and fitness certificates of animals and prescribe medicines way back in 1982, the Punjab State Veterinary Officers’ Association has asserted that only veterinarians with a degree were authorised to issue any certificates related to health of the livestock.

Armed with the norms of the Punjab Veterinary Council, which was established in 1981, and the Indian Veterinary Act 1984, which was adopted by the Punjab government in 1993 in toto, the Veterinary Officers’ Association claims that any such person, who was not registered with the council, could not treat animals or issue animal health certificates. “Still, if someone issues certificates and violates the norms, there should be a punitive action against them,” Dr Nirmaljit Singh Thind, the general secretary of the association, said.

“Some veterinary pharmacists have been trying to misguide people saying that they are authorised to issue animal health certificates. But this is a false propaganda,” he added.

Dr Ashok Sharma, the president of the association, has demanded a strong action against those veterinary pharmacists, who “were not only misguiding people, but also calling themselves doctors”.

He said that if unregistered persons issued animal health certificates, they could be sentenced to six months of imprisonment and could face a fine of up to Rs 1000 under the Indian Veterinary Council Act provisions.

On the other hand, certain office-bearers of the Veterinary Pharmacist Association have reportedly been claiming that veterinary pharmacists can issue animal health certificates and prescribe medicines under a Punjab government order, issued in December 1982.

When contacted, Mr D.S. Bains, secretary, Animal Husbandry, Punjab, said only veterinary officers could issue animal health certificates.

“We will look into the matter and see whether any unauthorised persons are issuing animal health certificates as being claimed by the veterinary doctors,” he added. 

Kapurthala, January 18
The Kapurthala police claims to have solved the blind murder of a migrant labourer within four days of the recovery of his body from Kala Sanghia village here on January 14.

According to Mr Rajiv Ahir, SSP, Kapurthala, the deceased Harvir Mohato, a foreman in the B.S. Board Mill at Kala Sanghia had had a tiff with the accused Shankar and Ramu on the factory premises over work on Friday last. During the quarrel, Shankar and Ramu had murdered the foreman by attacking him with sharp-edged weapons. At the time of the incident, five other workers of the factory were also present. All seven workers took the body of Mohato on Shankar’s cycle to Kala-Sanghia-Kapurthala road and placed it on the road in such a way that it appeared to be a road accident.

The police has identified the other accused as Jai Chand Mandal, Mohammad Sarfuddin, Ram Parvesh Pandit, Vishwanath Singh and Naresh Mandal, all migrant labourers.

The police has arrested the six accused, while accused Ramu managed to flee when the police reached the factory to investigate the case following the recovery of the body. 

Kapurthala, January 18
The district police today registered a case against five persons, including a lady sarpanch, for removing two foundation stones in Government Senior Secondary School, Ibrahimwal village.

The police booked sarpanch of the village, Sarabjit Kaur, and four other residents, including Jagir Singh, Dalip Singh, Shingara Singh and Niranjan Singh, under Sections 447, 247, 434 and 147 of the IPC.

The complaint pertaining to removing of the foundation stones had been filed by Mr Harbhajan Singh, Principal of the school.

Leaders from the ruling and Opposition parties in the village had been on loggerheads after Mr Sukhpal Khaira, a senior Congress leader, had alleged that three foundation stones laid in his name were removed by the Akali workers.

While no case could be registered for removing foundation stone from Gurdwara Shaheedan in Surkhan village yesterday in the absence of any complainant, two stones were reportedly removed in Government Senior Secondary School, Ibrahimwal village, a few days back.

Mr Khaira had alleged that despite the fact that he had tried to get a case registered in this connection, the police was forcing him to compromise with the persons involved in the case.

He declared that if no action was taken by the police till tomorrow, he would start removing the stones laid by the Akalis in the township.

Mr Khaira said the two stones in the school had been laid after he had donated a grant of Rs 1 lakh that he had obtained from the funds of Rajya Sabha MP and former Chief Election Commissioner, Mr M.S. Gill.

He said one of the stones that had been removed from the school also had Mr Gill’s name. 

Kapurthala, January 18
After alleging cases of corruption and malpractice in the Rail Coach Factory (RCF), the members of the factory’s Staff Council have now threatened to launch an agitation against the “dictatorial” attitude of the management.

Mr Brij Mohan, Mr P. K. Kaushal, Mr Ram Rattan Singh and Mr Daljit Singh Thind, who have already resigned from the council in protest against the “apathetic attitude” of the management in accepting their demands, alleged that substandard material was being used in the manufacturing of the coaches even after rejection reports were sent to the authorities by the Quality Control Department.

Last Wednesday, the Staff Council had alleged that buffers of inferior quality were being fitted into the coaches.

The members told media persons on Tuesday that the management had adopted a “vindictive attitude” towards the council members, as they had “raised objections over the substandard materials being used in the factory.”

They alleged that the joint secretary of the council, Mr Brij Mohan, was transferred from the shell assembly shop to the shell production unit on Monday “to suppress the voice of the employees.”

They said that he had brought to the notice of the senior officers the substandard quality of copper-coated steel wire being supplied by a Ludhiana firm.

The members further alleged that welding electrodes supplied by M/s Asian Arc Electrodes . “Workers of the shell assembly shop first rejected the welding rods on August 3 and then the fabrication shop rejected these,” said the members of the council.

They further alleged that the electrodes firm supplied the electrodes under two brand names. “The management, instead of rejecting the lot, supplied the same after exchanging their brands to both the shops.”

They claimed that eight lakh welding rods of “inferior quality” were still lying in the main store depot of the factory after the workers refused to use them.

The members also supplied the relevant documents to the media persons to buttress their claims.

The employees are demanding the abolition of the contract system, recruitment in Group C and D against the sanctioned strength of 8,340 employees, promotion against the sanctioned strength instead of the operative strength and consideration of the six days agitation period from June 27 to July 2 last year, as “on duty,” instead of the “leave due.” The RCF presently has more than 6,300 employees.

The employees have been organising gate meetings and have also given an ultimatum to the management to accept their demands, failing which they would be “forced to launch an aggressive agitation.”

Rana Gurjit Singh, the local MP, who addressed a gate meeting of the workers on Tuesday, condemned the “dictatorial attitude” of the management and supported the demands of the workers.

Meanwhile, Mr Yash Pal Gupta, General Manager, RCF, when contacted, denied having any knowledge about the presence of inferior electrodes in the factory. He said that of the 15,000 spools of copper-coated steel wire, only 91 spools were found to be defective. These had rusted due to the negligence of the store staff,” he alleged.

On the issue of the employees’ demand for fresh recruitments against the sanctioned strength of 8,340, Mr Gupta said it would enhance the cost of the coaches and would result in the reduction of the incentives given to the employees on production achievements. 

Jalandhar, January 18
The Department of NRI Affairs, Punjab, has decided to set up fast track courts for NRIs to ensure speedy justice to them.

A press release issued by the NRI Sabha said four NRI fast track courts were being set up for dealing with revenue-related cases at Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Nawanshahr. It stated that a judicial wing of the Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation, Government of Punjab, had informed all authorities concerned, including Divisional Commissioners, tehsildars and naib tehsildars, to ensure quick justice to the NRIs who have filed land-related cases.

While earlier it was decided that the existing courts of tehsildars or naib tehsildars would function as fast track courts, now it has been decided that separate fast track courts for NRIs would be established in four districts. Amritsar, Kapurthala and Ludhiana have been attached with Jalandhar. Hoshiarpur, Muktsar and Faridkot have been linked with Gurdaspur. Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur and Ferozepore have been attached with Moga, while Ropar, Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib have been linked with Nawanshahr.

As per the decision of the government, District Revenue Officers of these districts would act as AC II grade and AC I grade of fast track courts. AC II grade will take up cases of correction of khasra, girdawri, partition, uncontested mutation, registered wills, lambardar cases, chowkidari cases and demarcation, while AC I grade will have the powers to decide the cases of unregistered wills, contested mutations rest suit and ejectment under Section 6 (3) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act 1887. The DROs of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Nawahshahr would have the jurisdiction to decide the cases of the NRI petitioners of their respective districts as well as those attached with it, the release said.

The progress of the cases shall be monitored monthly and quarterly at the level of Deputy Commissioners. The Divisional Commissioners would send the report to Financial Commissioner, Revenue, on the 15th of succeeding month, the release added. 

Kapurthala, January 18
The local police has arrested a travel agent Santokh Singh, a resident of Sangojla village, for duping one of the 41 Indians stranded in Kuwait.

According to the police, one Raj, wife of the victim Jasvir Chand, a resident of Booh village, had accused Santokh of taking Rs 1.50 lakh from them. —TNS