Bathinda, October 5
The ‘derailed’ porter facility at stations under the Ambala division is likely to be back on track by the end of this month.

This was disclosed by the divisional railway manager (DRM), Ambala, PK Sangi, here today. “Altogether 300 porters would be deployed at several stations in the division,” the DRM said, adding that the examination process concerning deployment of porters had been completed and the results would be announced in October.

The DRM was in Bathinda in connection with the inspection of the Sriganganagar-Dhuri rail section, excluding Sriganganagar. It was his first visit to the area after assuming the office.

Sangi said the requirement of porters at Bathinda station would also be addressed at the time of deployment. It may be mentioned that in 2008, when porters turned gangmen, the Bathinda station was left with only three porters to cater to nearly 15,000 passengers who use the station everyday.

Earlier, the DRM along with senior rail officials reached Bathinda around noon and started inspection straightway. During his over hour-long stay, the DRM inspected platforms, yards, running room, lavatories and parking area. He also met the delegations of several grievances committees of the district.

During the inspection of the running room, the DRM examined the files and issued necessary instructions to the officials. He asked them to use Hindi in official work.

Later talking to the media, Sangi admitted that the ticket booking area at Bathinda station needed immediate revamp.

He said that steps would be taken to make the area more passenger-friendly, in terms of ventilation, increase in number of windows, and others.

Terming the area as suffocating, he instructed the officials concerned to take steps to make the same ventilated. He also interacted with passengers there and sought suggestion to make the ticket booking a hassle-free exercise.

Taking serious note of lack of reservation form, the DRM instructed the official to ensure the same in future. The DRM also took exception of improper ventilation and humid conditions at waiting rooms at the Bathinda station.

Sangi said the proposal of installing escalator at the Bathinda station had been made and construction of sub-way had also been short-listed.

Senior officials of railway, including SDOM Nar Singh, SDSO Karn Singh, SDCM GN Singh, SDEN N Bhadari, ATM Sher Singh, station superintendent SN Rai, RPF commander MK Panwar and other were present during the DRM’s inspection.

Raj Sadosh adds from Abohar: With the new parking place becoming functional at the local railway station, there seems to be an end to the chaos that has caused inconvenience to the passengers for the past few decades. The Ambala DRM Pardeep Kumar Sanghi today inspected the railway complex and discussed the measures with other officials to make the parking more convenient. Notably the boundary wall of the railway colony had been shifted to create sufficient space for the improved parking spot.

DRM Sanghi who reached here after visiting Sriganganagar railway station informed the media that the first phase of converting the local railway station into an adarsh station is expected to be finished by the end of the current financial year. The DRM also hoped that Sarai Rohilla-Sriganganagar AC train would be operational before March 31, 2011. 

Fazilka, October 5
Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur KK Yadav met the members of the ministerial staff of Fazilka tehsil today during his visit to this town and assured them that their main genuine demands would be accepted soon. The staff members have been observing pen-down strike for the last five days and also staged a dharna at the mini-secretariat complex to protest against non-acceptance of their demands.

Ministerial staff representatives Subhash Arora and Mahesh Nagpal while highlighting the demands said at the time of recruitment of the clerical staff, qualification of computer course should be made mandatory instead of typing test. The rights of promotion up to grade two staff should be given to the departmental heads instead of departmental promotional committee. Besides, the ministerial staff members have demanded that the pending amended arrear of 43 months recommended by the fifth Pay Commission should be paid to them immediately.

Memo submitted to DC: The members of more than half a dozen associations have presented a memorandum to DC (Ferozepur) KK Yadav during his visit today demanding the district headquarters status for Fazilka. 

Ferozepur, October 5
The indefinite strike, which was started by the medical and para medical staff of the local civil hospital to lodge a protest against the failure of the district police authorities for not taking proper action against the cop, who allegedly abused a doctor on August 30, was called off within hours.

The accused cop Gurjant Singh, assistant sub-inspector (ASI), came to the hospital premises and sought apology for his misbehaviour.

A case under section 509 of the IPC was registered against him at the city police station on the complaint lodged by Dr Vinita Bhullar. Bhullar said today the hospital witnessed a full strike except the emergency services. Around noon, Gurjant appeared in the hospital and apologised to her.

Baldev Arora, SMO, civil hospital, said Gurjant Singh should have apologised before to avoid such a situation. Gurjant Singh said some prominent persons had played a key-role in bringing a compromise between him and the complainant in this case. 

Ferozepur, October 5
A large number of applicants for the post of ‘Education Service Providers,’ whose name figured in the waiting list of the selected candidates, have been trying to get appointment letters against the number of vacancies still existing in the state education department.

The state education department authorities have allegedly adopted a double yardstick in issuing appointment letters to those whose names figured in the waiting lists of the selected candidates for different subjects.

The authorities have given appointment letters to the waiting list candidates of subjects including Punjabi, Hindi and DPE about a year after the selection was done. However, education authorities denied this opportunity to the waiting list of candidates of subjects including English, Social Studies, Math and Science.

Sandeep Kumar Sharma, one of the candidates, whose name figured in the waiting-list and who is the press secretary, B. Ed Teachers Front, Punjab (Muktsar unit), alleged that a mischief had been played by certain vested interests in the issuance of appointment letters to candidates in waiting lists.

He said posts of 14,000 teachers were advertised in 2007. Selection was made in 2008 and appointment letters were issued subsequently. Again, appointment letters were issued in 2009 to the candidates in waiting list of Punjabi, Hindi and DPE subjects but it was denied to the waiting list candidates in other subjects like English, Social Studies, Maths and Science.

The authorities concerned did not issue appointment letters to candidates in the 
waiting list of these four subjects on the pretext that the waiting list was scrapped as it did not have any validity even six months after after its declaration.

Kewal Singh, member, state body, B. Ed Teachers Front, Punjab, said the Front would take up the matter with the education minister. He disclosed that chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had already agreed to their demand at a meeting held with him on September 1.

Bathinda, October 5
Under the banner of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, a number of men and women from Lehrakhana village (near Bhucho) staged a protest dharna and held a rally outside the Mini-secretariat here today. The protesters were led by state president of the union Zora Singh Nasrali.

They were protesting against the proposed move to construct a building for the office of a cooperative society on the land of the government dispensary in their village.

Abohar, October 5
The fierce gun battle during the Kargil war still haunts Ranjit Singh of the Sikh regiment, who had participated in Operation Rakshak in J&K in 1998.

Even when the Army Command Hospital had confirmed that he was suffering from catatonic schizophrenia, the authorities have not so far provided him the benefit of pension. The disease is characterised by motor disturbances like frenetic activity or long periods of freeze in a particular posture.

A resident of Baba Deep Singh Nagar, Swaran Singh, who had been waging a tiresome decade-long struggle for justice, told The Tribune that while invalidating Ranjit Singh from the Army under AR 13(3), his character was described as exemplary.

Ranjit Singh was examined by the doctors at the Civil Hospital on December 4, 2008 but they referred him to the mental hospital at Amritsar. Since no money for treatment was available, Swaran Singh sought financial help besides disability pension for his young son.

He had to produce non-conviction certificate by knocking the door of the police station here in compliance of the rules.

A case was also filed in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Ferozepur for admission in the mental hospital at Amritsar and treatment at state government’s expenses.

Since the environment in the hospital was not found fit for relief from the problem, Ranjit Singh had to be brought back home here.

Sometimes it becomes very difficult to keep Ranjit Singh under control, the father said.

A Major rank senior records official in the Army headquarters on June 24 this year observed in his letter that Ranjit Singh is entitled to service pension as he had served for more than 19 months in the Army. As per the directions, an account was opened in the Abohar branch of the State Bank of India but regretfully, no pension had so far been received, resents Swaran Singh. 

Bathinda, October 5
Irked over the acquittal of the ruling Badal family in the disproportionate assets case, the president of the Akali Dal 1920, Ravi Inder Singh today announced that if Badal’s arch-rival, former CM Captain Amarinder Singh did not take the issue to either the Supreme Court or the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he would file a public interest litigation (PIL) to get the matter thoroughly re-investigated.

Ravi Inder Singh was here today to galvanise his party workers for the coming Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee polls. After holding the party meeting, he condemned the acquittal of CM Parkash Singh Badal, his wife Surinder Kaur and son, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal along with some others.

Speaking to the media, he said, “I fear it will set a wrong precedent of minting money and getting away scot-free as the way all the witnesses including officials turned hostile to shield the Badals was a mockery of the legal system, but no legal action was taken against them.” He alleged, “The way Badals have amassed wealth in the last couple of years is an open secret. Whether it is the fleet of buses in their transport company or other assets, everything has been gained in a short time.” — TNS

Bathinda, October 5
As many as 176 spectacles were distributed among students of various schools in Bathinda, Bhagta, Bhucho, Sangat and Maur today.

District school health medical officer Dr Kundan Kumar said here that these students were screened by the health staff in April this year.

In Bathinda, a programme to distribute the spectacles among students, whose eyesight is weak, was organised at the Moti Ram Girls School where Civil Surgeon Dr Inder Dayal Goyal distributed spectacles among 65 students under the school health programme.

Dr Kundan Kumar said the main causes behind the weak eyesight of the students were malnutrition, excessive viewing of television and playing video games on computers.

He urged parents to persuade their children not to play video games and see television programmes in a big way. He also urged them to provide nutritional food to their wards.

Dr Kundan further said under the school health programme, about 200 primary teachers had been imparted training for taking care of the health of students while teachers from high classes would be trained soon.

Faridkot/Moga, October 5
The Moga police had again picked up three cops, facing trial in the infamous Moga passport scam, from the district court complex at Faridkot on Tuesday.

A senior official of the Punjab police while revealing this to The Tribune said the three cops, Gurdial Singh, Jaswinder Singh and Ranjit Singh, all constables, had come to Faridkot to appear before the court of district and sessions judge Fateh Deep Singh in the trial of the passport scam.

When they came out of the court room, a few policemen in civil dress chased them. Within minutes, they forced them to sit in a jeep and took them to a police station in Moga.

These cops along with another colleague Balbir Singh had been booked on the alleged charges of embezzling several lakhs of rupees received from the NRIs as foreign registration fee. This case was registered against them in subsequent inquiries conducted in the passport scam case.

A criminal case was registered against them under section 13 (B) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 409 of the IPC by the police on August 7, 2010. Since then, they were eluding arrest, the police official claimed.

On the other hand, Ramesh Grover, legal counsel of these cops, while talking to The Tribune, said his clients had already filed a petition in the High Court seeking a blanket bail and CBI inquiry in the cases registered against them.

“Justice Daya Chaudhary took up this matter on Monday this week and asked the prosecution to file a reply for which she has fixed up coming October 28 as the next date of hearing,” he said.

It may be mentioned that the Moga police had earlier faced a lot of  criticism for its alleged attempt to hush up the  matter after it was observed that many senior police officers could also be involved in the passport scam.

However, a few months back, the then Bathinda range IG Rohit Chaudhary had ordered reinvestigation in the scam, in which, it was found that money received from hundreds of NRIs was not deposited in the government treasury.

Besides these two cases, an FIR was also registered against these cops by the Moga police under sections 7, 13(2), 88 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, section 12 D of the Indian Passport, sections 419, 420, 465, 468, 471 and 120 B of the IPC along with Jagdev Singh Gill, a Canadian citizen, facing charges of allegedly murdering Nachattar Singh Gill, father of PS Gill, the DGP of Punjab.

Fazilka, October 5
A labourer (36), a resident of village Singhpura, was killed in a road accident on the Malout road on Monday.

As per the details available, he was on his way back to his village. His motorcycle collided with a stray cow which appeared all of a sudden on the road.

He fell down from his bike and died on the spot following serious head injury. Postmortem was conducted at the local civil hospital on Tuesday.