Jalandhar, December 4
The seizure of one-and-a-half quintals of Thai mangoor fish in different fish markets and from roadside vendors has once again proved the non-enforcement of Supreme Court’s order on banning its sale.

The apex court has banned culturing of this species of fish besides its breeding, sale and storage for its bad effects on the aquatic life in India.

A team of officials of the local department of fisheries confiscated over 1.5 quintals of the fish being sold at the fish markets in Sodal, Lama Pind Chowk, Transport Nagar, Basti Bawa Khel, 120-feet road, Industrial Area and Focal Point areas.

Leaving behind the fish, certain vendors, however, ran away upon noticing the raiding team.

Assistant director of the local fisheries department H.S. Randhawa said the raid was conducted on a tip-off. He said a defaulter under the Fisheries Rule, 1985, (amended in 2006), can be fined up to Rs 10,000 with various other penalties.

Deputy director of the department Charan Das said ponds in various village panchayats were being used for the cultivation of the fish since the returns from the cultivation of mangoor were much more than any other species. The variety had caught their fancy since this fish was easy to rear and could survive even in filthy ponds.

Majority of the ponds have been taken by migrants on lease basis and were culturing the species clandestinely, he added.

Amritsar, December 4
The Progressive Teachers Front here today made a clean sweep in the Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association (GNDUTA) elections for the year 2008-09 by winning all seats of office-bearers and five out of six seats of the executive of the association. The University Teachers Front got one executive seat.

Dr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon from the Punjab school of economics was elected as president of the GNDUTA by securing 141 votes. He defeated his immediate rival and the sitting president Dr Davinder Singh of psychology department, who polled 119 votes.

Dr Paramjit Singh Sidhu, professor of the school of Punjabi studies, acted as a returning officer while Dr Rattan Singh and Dr Jaspal Singh, readers in the laws department conducted the elections at Jalandhar Regional Campus and Gurdaspur Regional Campus, respectively. Of the 295 votes, 268 votes were polled and two votes were declared invalid. The office of the secretary went to Dr Tarlok Singh Banipal of the applied chemistry department, who won the post by getting 160 votes. He defeated Dr Balwinder Singh of the department of commerce and business management, who polled 100 votes.

Dr D.S. Sogi of the food science and technology department got the post of the vice-president of the association by defeating Prof P.S. Mahoora from the architecture department. Dr Sogi got 135 votes, while Prof Mahoora received 121 votes. Dr Aziz Abbas of the Urdu and Persian department was elected joint secretary by defeating Dr Neena Malhotra from the Punjab school of economics with a margin of 45 votes. Dr Abbas secured 149 votes, while Dr Malhotra got 104 votes.

Dr Shyamal Koley of the department of sports medicine and physiotherapy, who got 151 votes, was declared successful as treasurer of the association. He defeated Meenakshi of the department of architecture. She got 107 votes.

The executive members who have been declared elected are Dr Amarjit Singh Sidhu, commerce and business management, Dr Jagrup Singh Sekhon, department of political science, Dr Sukhprit Singh, department of chemistry, Dr Derick Engles, department of electronics technology.

Jalandhar, December 4
Close on the heels of a suicide by a Noormehal-based youth, a debt ridden girl committed suicide by setting herself ablaze at the Issanagar locality, here this morning.

Hailing from Maddipur village in Dasuya tehsil of Hoshiarpur district, Sonia (19), set herself ablaze after pouring kerosene over her body.

The victim reportedly bolted the room from inside before taking the extreme step.

Manjit Kaur, younger sister of the deceased, who was staying with her in a rented accommodation. Manjit claimed that she set herself afire after locking the door from inside.

Both the sisters were working with an industrial unit manufacturing sports goods and were getting Rs 1,400 per month, each.

Manjit Kaur, who is also an eyewitness to the incident, revealed that Sonia was under depression after her farther died leaving the family under debt. The body was sent to her village this afternoon.

The local police has initiated inquest proceedings in this pretext.

Tarsem Peter, president of the Pendu Mazdoor Union, Punjab, has expressed sympathy with the grief stricken family. Peter has demanded compensation for the kin of the deceased.

He has also demanded that the government should wave off all types of debts of landless families to provide relief and restrain the debt-ridden from committing suicides.

Jalandhar, December 4
A self-styled “godman,” accused in cases of forgery and cheating, has been arrested by the police.

Popularly known as Chunian Wala Baba, Jaspal Passi, who also runs a marriage bureau in the Bhogpur area, had cheated Kamaljit Kaur, a resident of Patiala, of Rs 26 lakh in the name of sending her to the UK in March.

According to Rajesh Kumar, SHO, Bhogpur, the baba lured the girl saying that he would send her to England after solemnising her marriage with his cousin Amit. The girl and her family were shocked after they found some other unidentified person attired in grooms “achkan,” following which the marriage ceremony was stopped.

The baba neither sent her to the promised destination nor returned the money. A case under sections 406, 420, 469, 506, 496 and 120-B of the IPC was registered against the baba and four others. The police had also nabbed his four accomplices, the SHO revealed.

He was later produced before a local court and was remanded in police custody for a day.