Jalandhar, March 4
In spite of a continued hue and cry to contain the unethical medical practices by the unregistered medical practitioners and quacks, the Health Department has miserably failed at the very first step of preparing lists of such quacks in every district.

In all seven districts of the Majha and Doaba regions the health authorities have not accomplished the task of preparing the list of such unregistered medical practitioners working in towns and countryside. A Tribune team spoke to the civil surgeons of Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts. The civil surgeons of all these districts replied that work to prepare lists was still under way.

As per sources, such lists are yet to be materialised in Amritsar and Kapurthala districts also. “The project is delaying due to a shortage of staff in the department. Moreover, each district comprises nearly 1,000 villages and approximately three-four quacks are working in each village,” said Dr S.K. Gupta, Civil Surgeon, Hoshiarpur.

“It is not easy to identify every quack as most of them practise in rented rooms instead of typical clinical establishments,” he added.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the state health authorities to generate a list of unregistered medical practitioners in August last year. All civil surgeons across the state were asked by the health authorities to furnish such lists and forward them to the office of the Director, Health Services. Dr S.P.S. Sohal, Director, Health Services, also admitted the delay in the generation of database of such quacks.

“There is delay in the project and we have take up the matter a few days ago also. However, I cannot comment on the recent developments,” he said.

Insiders in the department feel that the task seems unachievable as the number of quacks runs in thousands in each districts and with available manpower it is impossible to take any strict action against such malpractices.

“It took six months just to locate quacks and it definitely will take years to effectively round them up. The authorities, along with limited staff, are already burdened with routine works. Containing malpractice with this manpower and attitude is a distant dream,” said an official requesting anonymity.

Jalandhar, March 4
The region today had a rain which continued till the later part of the day with a decline in the mercury. The region recorded 3.2 mm of rainfall today.

While the maximum temperature remained at 18°C, the evening hours remained a bit cold owing to the rain in the day. Rain started at around 11 am with reports of a slight drizzle since the wee hours of the day. The rain lasted for about half an hour, bringing a major change in the weather.

Met Department officials at the Adampur Air Force Station have predicted a partly cloudy to cloudy sky with fewer chances of rain in the next 24 hours. While the morning hours would witness mist and haze.

“The western disturbances over Pakistan led to rain today. However, the weather would remain clear tomorrow,” the met officials maintained.

Earlier in the day, people were seen wearing warm clothes and enjoying the sudden change in the weather. Even yesterday, the weather remained pleasant due to cool winds in the late evening hours. It needs mention here that the past some days had witnessed a sharp rise in the mercury.

At many places, people, especially youngsters, were seen enjoying the drizzle. Students from the local schools and colleges had a good time having fun in the rain.

However, the sudden rain came as a problem for the destitute who already had spent winters battling the fierce cold.

Our Correspondent adds from Hoshiarpur: Hoshiarpur and its surrounding areas have been experiencing light rainfall since this morning.

The entire region has again come under the grip of a cold wave. People have again put up their woollens. This rain is considered useful for the standing crops.

Jalandhar, March 4
A teenaged schoolgirl of Buttran village, near Bhogpur, was allegedly gang-raped by three persons of the same village.A student of Class X, the girl was allegedly forcibly picked up by the trio from the outskirts of the village when she was on way to school on February 27. Harpreet Singh, SHO, Bhogpur, said the trio - Patros, Sunny and Michael - took the girl in a car and served her drug-laced cold drink. As she fell unconscious, they changed her school uniform and took her to a petrol station and committed the crime.

In her complaint to the police on Tuesday, the girl alleged that the three raped her in the car and then in a room at the petrol station. She claimed that one of them even filmed her with his mobile phone while she was being raped.

The trio dropped the girl at the village at about 3 pm after threatening her with dire consequences if she disclosed the episode to anyone, the SHO said. The police has registered a case of rape under section 376 of the IPC against the three, who are absconding.

A medical examination of the girl has been conducted at the Civil Hospital, Kala Bakra.

Sources in the police said the girl had relations with Sunny, one of the accused, for quite sometime. The police has also recovered some photographs of the girl and Sunny.

The SHO claimed that the girl could not identify the petrol station and its location as she was under the influence of a drug. — TNS

Amritsar, March 4
An extramarital affair cost a woman her life. Sandeep Kaur (28) was allegedly poisoned to death by Labha Singh of Malikpur village, with whom she had been living for the past six months after a dispute with her husband Bagga Singh, a resident of Passahali village.

Labha Singh hurriedly cremated the body of Sandeep without even informing her parents and family members. The Ramdass police has registered a case under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC against him on the statement of Baldev Masih, father of the deceased.

Labha Singh had been absconding since the registration of the case, said Jagjit Singh, SHO, Ramdass police station. — TNS