The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Oil’s not well at HPCL depot in Bathinda Major pilferage detected; in-house probe begins; officials tight-lipped Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, July 4 With the recent detection of three illegally modified oil tankers, Moga police has reportedly emerged as a whistle-blower in exposing a major possible scam of pilferage of petroleum products in the Bathinda depot of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). The development forced HPCL to send an in-house vigilance team that camped here for three days (July 1, 2 and 3) to check official data and record the statements of the staff working here. The team inspected all vehicles entering its Bathinda depot, which caters to a large number of the state petro-stations. If sources in the HPCL are to be believed, the development can expose a major nexus between some senior officials of the HPCL and the private tanker operators, which might have caused loss worth crores to the HPCL. Meanwhile, all HPCL officials have been directed to keep the media away to avoid unwanted publicity. After a day-long investigation, this correspondent came to know that the matter came to light after the Moga police took up the matter with the HPCL authorities. As per the details available, acting upon a tip-off, the CIA staff, Moga, intercepted an oil tanker (PB05F-9597) from Dharamkot on June 24 and found it to be illegally modified, having a ‘hidden’ storage chamber of hundreds of litres capacity, meant for pilfering fuel from the depot. Acting swiftly, police raided the tanker owner’s house in Vada Dahaka (Faridkot) and found two more tankers loaded with fuel, parked there. The police arrested Yadwinder Singh, his son Rana Singh and a driver Prem Singh and sent them to judicial custody. Two trucks bearing numbers PB04C-9832 and PB04C-9816, loaded with 7000 and 1000 litres of fuel, respectively, were also taken into custody. As the accused had been plying their trucks in the contract freight of the HPCL, Bathinda depot, police informed its officials, along with providing another list of various suspected tankers, believed to be pilfering fuel from the HPCL depot. Since that day, on the orders of senior regional officials, an investigation was started at the Bathinda depot, during which five vehicles were traced to have illegal modifications. Confirming the development, CIA staff of the Moga police informed that their team visited Bathinda depot about three days back, when they found four detected tankers parked there, bearing numbers as RJ 31GA-0566, PB 11D-4787, PB 05G- 9715 and one PB03S-7733, which after the modification, had got a fresh coat of paint. “All this is an outcome of our active intelligence, as we provided a long list of such modified vehicles to the officials of the HPCL,” claimed Satnam Singh, in-charge of the CIA staff, Moga. Suspecting a nexus prevailing at the Bathinda depot, Satnam Singh said, “During our visit to HPCL’s Bathinda depot, we were shocked to find that in such a huge oil depot, fuel was being calibrated with a manual system and the electronic digital meters were lying un-operational. We have sought many details from the depot officials, which we are yet to receive.” It has also been informed that during the ongoing investigations, the chief of HPCL Bathinda depot, D.K.Gupta went on leave, which has also provided grist to rumour mills. Some tanker drivers, awaiting their turn to get fuel, waiting outside the depot, said, “It was an usual practice here as mischievous elements, in connivance with depot officials, used to get ‘extra’ fuel filled in the hidden chamber and sold it in the market.” When contacted, the officiating in-charge of HPCL, Bathinda depot, BS Dahia said, “I have no role in it. I can not utter a single word as it can go against my job.” But he confirmed the visit of vigilance sleuths and the number of detected tankers. Senior regional manager of the HPCL, Amit Mehra, talking over the phone, parried the queries saying, “I do not have exact information as I am out of the state.” Talking over the phone, chief manager, vigilance branch of the HPCL, Manoj Sharma, who led the inspection team here, said, “We have been carrying a detailed inspection. Till we record the statement the chief of Bathinda depot, D.K.Gupta, we can’t say anything.” He refused to comment further.
	Minor girl alleges forcible marriage, cops probe charge Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, July 4 An 11-year-old girl, Kamla Rani of Bengal, today accused her mother-in-law of forcing her to develop a physical relationship with her 25-year-old son, to whom she was ‘forcibly’ married on last Sunday. In an attempt to save her life, the girl managed to escape from the house of her in-laws located near the Sirhind canal, here this evening. She reached the residence of her cousin in Prajapat Colony but Shanti Devi, her mother-in-law, reached there and started beating her up, following which the girl shouted for help. Witnessing the incident, residents of the locality rounded up the girl and her mother-in-law and informed the police. In her statement before the media, the minor girl, Kamla Rani said the boy, Pancha Nand, a labourer and his mother forcibly, took her away from her house in Bengal. On the way, they arranged a frivolous marriage in a temple. “My mother-in-law treats me like an animal. After gagging me, she beats me up and forces me to sleep with her son. I am too young to consummate my marriage so I do not want to stay there. My mother came to take me along but after threatening her, Shanti Devi pushed her out of the house,” she alleged. “She used to dare me claiming proximity with some policemen here and warned me that if I ran away, she would kill me and then present a picture that I was characterless and had eloped with somebody,” the girl alleged. On the other hand, Shanti Devi, the woman in question, while refuting the allegations said, “Kamla had come with her mother to marry my son. She is a minor but at the time of marriage, neither she nor her mother objected. She is just making a mountain out of a molehill. I had come here to take her back home. Moreover, we did not receive any dowry.” Civil Lines police took both of them along and began investigating the case.
	Paddy planter sale Company booked for duping farmers Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, July 4 Facing protest from the farmers and after the recommendation of the Finance Commissioner, Punjab, the Bathinda police booked the Ludhiana-based manufacturing company for duping farmers in the controversial paddy planter sale case. As per the details, the manufacturing unit, Nova Seeds Private Limited of Ludhiana, sold 29 paddy planters to the farmers of Bathinda. Since the day of the purchase, the farmers had started complaining about the plant. They alleged that they had been overcharged as the actual selling price of the machine was Rs 1,99,999 but the company charged Rs 2.5 lakh for each machine. About two dozen farmers collectively lodged a complaint with the police. Meanwhile, the DC Bathinda received a letter from the Finance Commissioner, Punjab, which he forwarded to the SSP Ashish Chaudhary. In the letter number D.O.N 497P.A/D.A., the Finance Commissioner, Jaspal Singh Sidhu recommended the registration of a criminal case against the company. He mentioned that he had taken up the matter even with the agriculture department. Acting upon the direction, the SSP forwarded the document along with the farmers' request to the Kotwali police station, where a case under section 420 of the IPC was registered against the company officials. Earlier, in this case, based on the allegations of farmers, the agriculture department, Bathinda, had constituted three-member committee to investigate the matter. Sources informed that the report of the committee was against the company as the machines were not properly planting the paddy saplings. Meanwhile, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has launched a parallel investigation into the case. Wheareas the accused company officials have been claiming that farmers did not grow the paddy nursery as per the recommendations and refuted allegations of over charging.
	Lawlessness at Abohar bus stand Transport staff, rehriwalas clash Our Correspondent Abohar, July 4 Hundreds of passengers including women and children ran helter-skelter for cover as scores of transport workers clashed with almost an equal number of rehriwalas at the municipal bus stand in Abohar on Saturday. Initially, the transport workers went on rampage during which fruits, snacks and other eatables were looted, besides, damaging over 12 rehris. Later, the rehriwalas smashed glass panes of some buses, besides, attacking offices of the private transport companies located at the bus stand complex. Interestingly, all this happened in presence of the 'Anti goonda staff' that has got a police picket near the main exit point of the bus stand. None of the cops present there bothered to intervene during two hours of the lawlessness, passengers resented. As per sources, transport workers got furious on finding that one of the rehriwalas had today allegedly cheated mother of one of the workers. When the transport workers objected to this all, the rehriwalas rallied around the seller and humiliated the transport worker. Later, the transport workers went on flash strike. They sat on dharna, suspended movement of buses, blocked road traffic outside the bus stand. Only then the city police intervened. The SHO led heavy force to the bus stand and succeeded in pursuing the transport workers to restore traffic after an hour. He was quoted promising that a case against the guilty rehriwalas will be registered. Meanwhile, two rehriwalas identified as Rakesh and Rajesh have been admitted to the Civil Hospital with minor injuries, which they reportedly sustained during the rampage.
	Assembly bypoll All eyes on Jalalabad Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, July 4 The border town of Jalalabad has never seen so much of VIP movement ever before, which it witnessed during the past few days. The 'Junior' Badal is likely to make maiden entry into the state legislative assembly from this seat, which remains vacated following elevation of the local MLA and the chief parliamentary secretary Sher Singh Ghubaya as member of Parliament from Ferozepur. Ghubaya had won this seat during the 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections with colossal margin of over 42,000 votes. Subsequently, during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections also, the SAD had maintained a lead of over 20,531 votes from this segment, the fact, which has ostensibly influenced the SAD's think-tank to consider this seat for Sukhbir. Though nothing has been officially announced, yet if the party sources are to be believed, in all probability, Sukhbir will contest coming bye elections from Jalalabad after having recently resigned from the post of deputy chief minister. Though, Sukhbir did not visit as he was away on a foreign tour, however, in his absence chief minister Parkash Singh Badal conducted about six sangat darshan programmes here within short span of time. The pending proposals were cleared overnight, new projects got sanctioned and the rural folks were wooed with bounties during the sangat darshan programmes, which the CM conducted here one after another, apparently, in an attempt to construct ground for his son Sukhbir for the ensuing electoral contest. While all the gram panchayats were allocated huge lumps of grants for various developmental works, not to be left behind, the urban populace was also benefitted immensely from the CM's sudden largesse for this border town, as several pending projects were cleared before the model code of conduct came into force. When asked about this sudden generosity for this border town, a senior Akali leader quipped, "When it concerns his own family, Badal sahib never leaves anything to chance!" While the SAD has already started making preparations for the electoral battle scheduled to be held on August 3, 2009, the Congress still seems to be in fix over choice of the candidate.