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Blood bank awaits status upgrade
Unhygienic environs may impede pilgrim’s progress
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Moga sex scandal
After 25 yrs, Rajindra College to hold convocation
Allotment of liquor vends
Drug peddling Accused sent to JIC
Roof caves in, 12 hurt
Govt staff go on mass CL
Unbundling of PSEB
Two minor girls killed in mishaps
Mazdoor Mukti Morcha stages dharna, wants plots for houses
Mamata urged to improve basic amenities in trains
Finally, a park for Barnala residents
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Blood bank awaits status upgrade
Bathinda, March 9 In a letter to the managing director (MD) of Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) in May 2009, the Bathinda civil surgeon had written that in a list the local civil hospital's blood bank had been shown as district level blood bank though the work of this blood bank was equal to or even more as compared to the blood banks, shown in the list of major blood banks. In the letter the civil surgeon had also urged the MD of the PHSC to consider the status of Bathinda civil hospital's blood bank as major blood bank to give it the facilities being given to major blood banks by the NACO and the PSACS. This letter of the civil surgeon was forwarded to the Project Director of PSACS by the Director, PHSC in the first week of June last year. Later the deputy medical commissioner (DMC) of PHSC, Bathinda also sent a reminder in August last to the Project Director, PSACS, Chandigarh, making a request to grant major blood bank status to blood bank of Bathinda civil hospital by saying that it had become eligible for receiving equipment, manpower and consumables at par with this status. Talking to The Tribune here today the Bathinda civil surgeon Dr Neelam Bajaj said if the blood bank of local civil hospital, which had also blood component separate unit (BCSU), was given status of major blood bank at par with Ludhiana civil hospital's major blood bank then the NACO and the PSACS would provide this blood bank three medical laboratory technicians, one counselor, Rs 1 lakh as contingency, single blood bags, multiple blood bags, HIV Elisa test kits, emergency drugs etc, besides training to medical officers, medical laboratory technicians (MLTs), counselors and staff nurses. Blood transfusion officer (BTO) of blood bank of local civil hospital Dr Inderdeep Singh Sra said as many as 8984 blood units (about 750 units per month averagely) had been collected in the year 2009 by this blood bank, of which 4954 units had been donated voluntarily and 4030 on replacement basis. He said in this blood bank they also separated blood components from blood units, red cell, fresh frozen plasma, platelet rich plasma, plasma. |
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Unhygienic environs may impede pilgrim’s progress
Maiser Khana (Talwandi Sabo), March 9 Thousands of people, especially newly weds, from various parts of Punjab are expected to visit here during the fair that coincides with the holy Navratras. The Maiser Khana temple is dedicated to deity Jawala and is visited by large number of devotees every year. During a visit to the village on Tuesday, this correspondent came across choked drains outside the main temple. The passage was littered with cow dung cakes. Heaps of cow dung has been stacked outside the village Gurdwara. This has created an unhygienic environment in the village. While preparations are underway for conducting the fair smoothly, no steps have been taken by the concerned authorities to remove the garbage and give a facelift to the village. MS Kang, SDM of Talwandi Sabo, held a meeting today to finalise arrangements for the fair and provide adequate transport services to the devotees. Office-bearers of the local panchayats and the temple management participated in the meeting. |
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CBI asks SSPs to maintain record of accused
Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service
Moga, March 9 A copy of the letter, which is available with The Tribune, has recently been received by all the SSPs and instructions have been issued to the police stations concerned to abide by the instructions of the CBI, which has investigated the sex scandal. Giving details of all those involved in the scandal, the CBI has written to the SSPs, “it is, therefore, requested that the police station concerned may kindly be directed to make necessary entries in the relevant register/record. In case, the said accused persons apply for arms licence, passports and similar facilities, the report may be submitted keeping in view the pendency of the said case.” It may be mentioned that the CBI has already filed charge sheet against former SSP of Moga DS Garcha (IPS) who has his residence at Jalandhar and Chandigarh; former SP of Moga, Paramdip Singh Sandhu (PPS) who has his residence at Chandigarh; two former SHOs of Moga Amarjit Singh, a resident of Jhabbal (Amritsar) and Raman Kumar, who has got two residences at Butar Kalan village in Amritsar district and Dashmesh Nagar, Moga, Barjinder Singh Brar alias Makhan, son of former education minister Jathedar Tota Singh, who has got residences at Chandigarh and Moga, Manjit Kaur, a resident of Ferozepur district, Manpreet Kaur, a resident of Jagraon police district, Sukhraj Singh and Karamjit Singh Bath, both residents of Moga and Ranbir Singh alias Ranu, a resident of Ajitwal, Moga district. A criminal case under sections 120-B, 182, 195, 211, 384 of the IPC and section-7, 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was registered against them, which was presently pending before the court of special judge of the CBI at Patiala.The modus operandi of the entire scandal was very simple as female members accused some rich persons of the area of sexually abusing them. Subsequently, cases were registered against them. Later, the lower level police officials intervened in the matter and struck deals and consequently the girls refused to identify the accused persons. The CBI has prosecuted all the alleged accused persons in this case except the PPS official allegedly involved in the scandal whose sanction for prosecution has not been given as yet by the state government. Earlier, the High Court of Punjab and Haryana had referred this case to the CBI for investigation. The state government challenged the jurisdiction of the High Court in referring this case to the CBI and on this pretext has not given sanction to prosecute the PPS officer. However, a Constitution Bench of five judges of the Supreme Court on February 17 this year has ruled that High Courts would no longer be bound to take the consent of the state governments in handing over investigations to the CBI. Legal experts say that the latest decision of the apex would directly affect the ongoing process of trial in the sex scandal.
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After 25 yrs, Rajindra College to hold convocation
Bathinda, March 9 A famous college of Malwa region of Punjab has been producing many eminent personalities. Giving details, college authorities said the convocation would be presided over by the Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Nirmal Singh Kahlon. He would award degrees and medals to 423 students of various streams, who secured marks above 55 per cent during the examinations of April 2009, they said. Terming it as a long-pending wish, principal Sukhchain Garg said, "By making efforts, we have managed to receive the degrees from the university to restart the convocation.” —
TNS |
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Allotment of liquor vends
Bathinda, March 9 According to the newly carved policy of the Punjab excise and taxation department, all vends of the Punjab Medium Liquor (L-14 A) and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (L-2) will be allotted through a district wise draw system on March 19 and if required, they would again hold the second draw on March 23. But the policy decision is apparently somehow going to favour the contractors as the successful allottees of various pockets, where the liquor vends would be accumulated in one group, would be entitled to sell the bottles at their discretionary prices as the upper limit of the sale price has been rubbed out. As per the details collected from the district level officials of the excise and taxation department, out of the five urban areas, excluding the Bathinda Municipal Corporation limits, liquor vends of three, namely, Goniana, Bhucho and Sangat of this district will be allotted on a monopoly basis. The details state that the urban area of Goniana will have four units of PML and IMFL vends and all these four units have been accumulated in one group. Further, all three units of Bhucho and two units of Sangat too have been accumulated in single groups. Combining all units of PML and IMFL vends in single group, it has been declared that the allotment through a draw would be made to a single applicant. Sources in the excise and taxation department informed: "This is not just in the case of Bathinda, the policy is applicable throughout the state. A large number of pockets have been identified where the allotment of various vends combining in units have been clubbed under one group, which would further be allotted to a single successful applicant, who would sell the liquor at his own rates." When contacted, the excise and taxation commissioner, Punjab, A. Venu Prasad said, “The decisions have been taken on the basis of various aspects like the feasibility of liquor vends, consumption rate of the population and the rule of market forces etc. Moreover, these are the policy decisions taken by the cabinet. Despite that, we will issue some regulatory directions to check the fleecing of consumers.” |
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Drug peddling Accused sent to JIC
Bathinda, March 9 Producing them in the courts, here, police had got the remand of all the accused till March 14 for ascertaining various facts. After having a detailed interrogation, the CIA staff here, reportedly could not manage to extract more information from them. It is for this that the accused were sent to the JIC, said the-in charge of the CIA staff, Rajinder Kumar. According to the detail of the case, Kotwali police had nabbed an infamous drug peddler Sandeep Kohli and his mother Asha Rani with a small quantity of intoxicants, including opium smack and some other habit forming drugs along with cash worth Rs 1.93 lakh from their house located near old Birla mill colony, here on Thursday. At the time of the raid, one of their accomplices Surinder Singh Matharu, who allegedly had illicit relations with Asha Rani, had managed to flee. The police had booked all three under sections 18, 21, 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act. On Friday, the district police constituted teams to carry out the operation. Acting upon a tip-off, they nabbed the absconding Surinder Matharu from Santpura road in the city and recovered one kg smack from his car bearing number PB 23B 9336. Further, police recovered a packet of one kg of smack, which Matharu had thrown away, while avoiding the arrest on Thursday. Meanwhile, interrogating Sandeep and his mother Asha Rani, a police team recovered two kg of smack from their under construction house, located at Sucha Singh Nagar in Bathinda. Further, another police team nabbed one Ajmer Singh of Chughe Kalan and Jatinder Singh, the second son of the accused Asha Rani from Goniana road, in the possession of two kgs of smack powder. Giving details, SSP Bathinda, Sukhchain Singh Gill had informed the media that the group was of infamous drug peddlers, who had been facing about eight criminal cases including five under the NDPS Act for selling drugs. |
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Roof caves in, 12 hurt
Bathinda, March 9 Tek Chand, a Sahara volunteer, said there was ‘kirtan’ going on in the house of Deepak Kumar, when the incident took place. Police has been investigating the matter. |
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Govt staff go on mass CL
Bathinda, March 9 As majority of the staff from the mini secretariat and other government offices including the colleges had went on leave, the offices observed deserted look. As a result, people visiting the offices were a harried lot. The demands of protesters included the sanctioning of new pay scales, opening of promotion channels for the clerks, scraping the typist test etc. —
TNS |
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TSU to hold rally on Monday
Our Correspondent
Abohar, March 9 The TSU leaders including local president Maya Parkash said at a rally that was held in the sub-division number three here today that outsourcing and contractual work was a part of the game plan being pursued by the state government to unbundle the PSEB in a phased manner. The kin of the technical workers who had died during the duty hours have not been considered by the management for employment on compassionate grounds, the meeting resented. The TSU had also resolved to organise state-level protest rally at Patiala on March 26. The meeting demanded action against a junior engineer of Khuikhera sub-division who had allegedly shifted 25KVA transformer in village Choohriwala Dhanna against some consideration and supply was routed through 2.5 mm PVC wire misusing telephone poles. The TSU had formally served an ultimatum to the sub-divisional engineer in-charge of the Khuikhera sub-division in this connection, a press release said.
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Two minor girls killed in mishaps
Abohar, March 9 Sanju (2) was allegedly crushed by a jeep as she was playing near a pond that was being cleaned by some NREGS workers including her mother Bimla Rani in village Kallarkhera today. The police is investigating into both the mishaps. |
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Mazdoor Mukti Morcha stages dharna, wants plots for houses
Mansa, March 9 State secretary (MMM), Bhagwant Singh Sammaon said that last year, the Morcha organised a rally on May 19 during which the administration made a promise to the labourers to provide them with the plots on the basis of applications but after a few days hundreds of labourers and their leaders were arrested and forcible occupation of plots was removed. Addressing the dharna, Sammaon said that the labourers should be provided with plots work under the NREGA law. Speaking on the welfare schemes of government, he alleged that nearly 2,000 applications were lying pending for Shagun scheme in Mansa. Following the agitation, a big ‘halla bol’ rally would be held at Mansa on March 22, he added. The issue of rising prices would also be raised, he said. Among others who addressed the dharna included Sukhwinder Singh Heerewala and Nika Singh Bhadurpur. |
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Mamata urged to improve basic amenities in trains
Abohar, March 9 District president Dalbir Singh Dhaliwal said in a memorandum faxed to the minister today that almost in all the trains that run on these routes windowpanes and seats are found damaged. Even some toilets were sans doors as thefts could not be checked, he alleged. |
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Finally, a park for Barnala residents
Barnala, March 9 Locals say that they have to walk through the roadsides to keep themselves amused since they do not have a park where they can inhale fresh air. They added that since the MC has started construction work on the park they hope that the same would be completed soon and the locals can relax in the fresh air of park. “There is no park in Barnala where one would go for amusement and relaxation and locals had no other option but to walk on the roadsides where air is quite polluted. Now, that MC has started construction work on the park, we are hoping that they would complete it very soon and we would get to keep ourselves relieved and amused in the park,” said Rajpal Arya of Nanaksar Nagar area. Sources said that four years back the MC had started work for the construction of park along Kucha college road and they managed to partly the fence about seven acres of land by utilising 25 lakhs of rupees. They added that due tom paucity of funds, the council authorities could not complete the construction work. Sources further added that residents used to throw garbage inside the area for park and bushes had come up inside the park. They added that the worse condition of the park could be gauged from the fact that dogs and pigs used to roam inside the park. President, MC, Barnala, Paramjeet Singh Dhillon said there is no park in Barnala as of now. “We are constructing the park for the people of Barnala who did not have any. We thank the Deputy Commissioner (DC) for taking active interest in this project.” As regards a query about the funds, the MC president averred that since the DC is taking active interest in the project, he believes that funds will not be a problem. |
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Maiser Khana (Talwandi Sabo), March 9
Barnala, March 9
