The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

	New policy will give required fillip to sports: Sukhbir Amarjit Thind Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 13 The Punjab government would soon bring out a comprehensive sports policy to give a fillip to sports activities in the state, said SAD (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal here on Thursday. The sports department has already prepared a rough draft of the sports policy, he said, while speaking at a function organised here to honour 125 outstanding police sportspersons and 21 coaches with life time achievement awards, at the PAP Grounds here. To further improve the standard of sports, Punjab Institute of Sports (PIS) would be established on the pattern of National Institute of Sports, Patiala, he said, adding that the PIS would be further branched out into three zonal centres, one each for the Doaba, Malwa and Majha regions of the state. In all, the institute would concentrate on eight to 10 sports activities, predominantly popular and played in the countryside, he informed. If required, coaches from India and abroad would be arranged, he said. “Free boarding and lodging would be provided to the budding sportspersons by the sports department,” he added. Commenting on the sad state of hockey after its recent debacle, he advocated the need of training of the players at the grassroot level. He said instead of getting demoralised, Punjab should accept the challenge to promote hockey in the state despite all odds, so that it could produce more hockey players for the country. We need to regain our lost glory, he added. To tap the immense talent in the state, Badal said he was negotiating with the organisers of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) to start Punjab Local Hockey League in the state. For the promotion of kabbadi, another popular rural game of the state, he said World Kabbadi League would soon be established, for which kabbadi clubs would be set up at the district level. Various national and multinational companies would sponsor the clubs, he said, adding that the companies would not only organise matches but would also provide employment to the players. He further said the promotion of sports would save the future generation from various menaces which adversely affect the youth of the country. Replying to the demand of PAP ADGP Rajan Gupta on promotions of police sportspersons on the basis of their performance, he said he would take up the matter with the CM.
	PTU exam racket: Probe panel formed Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 13 Punjab Technical University (PTU) today terminated the services of the class IV employees who were arrested on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in an examination racket on the campus. Giving this information, PTU registrar Sarojini Gautam Sharda said a committee too had been constituted to probe into the matter at the university level. She said dean of distance education programme Dr R P Singh and principal of DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology Dr C L Kochher would inquire into the matter. Dean examination Dr N P Singh said recently a matter of this sort had come to his notice about 10 days back when a clerk, with the distance education department, was found to have been involved. “We had barred our staff from using their phones while on duty and asked them to deposit their phones with us. One phone set was switched on and at least 20 calls were received from a number in a short time. I picked up the phone and someone on the other end was inquiring about the result while using abusive language. We then checked the phone and found certain SMSs and phone calls in his mobile phone which led us to suspect him. The man was shifted to another department and we have been holding an inquiry against him”, he said, not ruling the clerks’ involvement as well, in the racket. The dean added that he was pressing for being shifted to the new building on Kapurthala road so that the examiners could sit together in a huge hall with one door for entry and exit. “We even plan to have CCTVs there so that activities of all persons could be watched closely any time”, he hinted towards making some remedial measures. One of the inquiry officers, Dr R P Singh, said the matter rather seemed to be a case of fleecing of students by the staff rather than an examination racket. He said the police officials had managed to lay hands on award lists and answer sheets which did not conform to the new format. “We now have the award list prepared, using scanning of the OMR sheets attached on the preface of answer sheets unlike the ones prepared manually earlier. Even the answer sheets have a different colour pattern and microlettering on borders, unlike the ones with the police”, he said, adding that the staff was probably trying to befool the students who were unaware of the examination reforms. “By showing them manipulated copies of the old award lists, they probably tried to tell the students that they were on the brink of failure and that they could bail them out by supplying blank answer sheet copies which they could attempt at home, in lieu of some good amount of money”, he said.
	Adoption Blues Who can help this good Samaritan? Parmod Bharti Nawanshahr, March 13 It is a paradox that the district which has earned the reputation of spearheading the “Save Girl Child” campaign under the aegis of the district-level NGOs Coordination Society - Upkar is treating a person associated with the campaign badly. Kashmir Singh Dhillon of Sujjowal village, who claims that he remained associated with the NGO and had volunteered to rear a virtually “abandoned” girl child to express solidarity with the campaign as well as to set an example before the society is now finding it difficult to get the birth certificate of the child. Dhillon, while narrating his tale of woes to The Tribune, said he had “adopted” a girl child from Upkar in the presence of the then deputy commissioner, Krishan Kumar, on September 20, 2006. He even organised a function to name the girl child and to celebrate Lohri. Though his gesture was appreciated by the then DC and office-bearers of the NGO, but no one helped him to get the birth certificate of the child, which was necessary at every level in life starting from seeking admission in school. He had approached the civil surgeon, but he demand some documents. As the child was virtually an abandoned one and it was not possible to prepare an adoption deed, he was “advised” by officials of Upkar to get the entry of the birth of the child registered in the records of any civil hospital. But the doctors refused to do so as it might create problems for them in future in case the biological parents appear to claim the child. “I have even appeared before the ADC for submitting my request regarding the issuance of the birth certificate on March 3, but his application was returned to him by saying that to whom it could be marked for taking necessary action,” said Dhillon. Jaspal Singh Gidda, general secretary of Upkar, when contacted on phone, denied the contents of the statement of Kashmir Singh Dhillon in which he had stated that he had “adopted” a girl child from the NGO. The Upkar has been mobilising people against the femicide and it is not acting as an agency involved in “accepting abandoned children or ensuring their rearing up or adoption, etc.” Upkar had appreciated the gesture of Kashmir Singh Dhillon and even attended the ceremonies like naming the girl child and Lohri, etc as part of its motivation campaign. Dhillon was advised to take legal opinion or contact some organisation to facilitate adoption of the child. The responsibility of adopting the procedural system was of him and Upkar had nothing to do with it, added Gidda.
	Metal Menace Centre blamed for steep hike in steel price Tribune News Service Phagwara, March 13 Flaying the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre for its failure to contain skyrocketing hike in the rates of steel, the Laghu Udhyog Bharti (LUB) and several other organisations alleged that the steel companies were allowed to increased the rates of steel and pig iron as the main constituent of the UPA, Congress, was collecting election fund for the forthcoming parliament elections from them. These allegations were levelled at a meeting of the several industrial organisations under the chairmanship of a former national president of the LUB, Balwant Rai Gupta, here today. It was decided that industrialists would start staging dharna outside the SDM office every day for an hour from tomorrow against the price hike of steel. Talking to The Tribune, senior vice-president of the Punjab Chamber of Small Exporters (PCSE) A.K. Kohli said nearly 1,100 small and medium enterprises manufacturing hand tools, pipe fittings, casting, forgings, diesel engines, bicycle and tractor parts, agricultural machines and nut bolts in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Amritsar, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala and Ropar were being adversely affected with the increase in the price of steel from Rs 27,000 per metric ton (PMT) to around 50,000 PMT in just two-three months. The engineering exporters suffered a lot due to the increase in steel price as the cost of production of different items increased by around 40 per cent causing huge loss, he added.
	‘Crorepati’ patwari dismissed Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 13 The deputy commissioner-cum-district collector, Kahan Singh Pannu today dismissed two revenue patwaris, Nirmal Singh and Satbir Singh from service with immediate effect. Nirmal Singh alias Nimma was arrested by the vigilance bureau sleuths in 2002, during the anti-corruption drive launched during the Congress regime, after a raid was conducted at his residence at the White Avenue. The vigilance bureau alleged that the moveable and immoveable assets of Nimma’s family, who was president of the Amritsar Patwari Union at that time, were worth Rs 2 crore. They had also recovered a licensed 32 bore revolver which Nimma had allegedly kept without taking permission from the department. The DC said both the patwaris were dismissed on the basis of the decision taken by the apex court.
	Batala cops solve blind murder, arrest 3 Our Correspondent Batala, March 13 With the arrest of three persons, the Batala police claimed to have cracked the blind murder case of Harjit Masih, resident of Mari Panwan village here. The accused have been identified as Ranjodh Singh alias Jodha, resident of Nangal Jham, Balwinder Singh alias Raju, resident of Bharath and Sikander Singh of Bharath village. Giving details regarding the motive of murder, SSP Batala RN Dhoke said Ranjodh Singh had illicit relations with the wife of Harjit, who strongly objected to it. Ranjodh Singh along with Sikander and Balwinder Singh strangulated Harjit, while the latter was on his way to Varsal Chakk village. The accused also took away victim’s mobile phone after killing him. Meanwhile, a case has been registered.