Amritsar, December 4
During surprise checks at various government institutions, including schools, health centres, veterinary dispensaries and anganwari centres carried out by the Deputy Commissioner and his officials, a large number of staff members were found absent from duty.

DC Kahan Singh Pannu constituted six teams headed by senior officials of the administration, which conducted raids at various villages.

“I will recommend suspension of the erring staff members to the government,” said Pannu, while adding that the intelligence wing had been asked to regularly submit its reports about the government employees who were not attending offices in time or remained absent without permission. He also hinted at raids in various offices in the city in the coming days.

The DC raided the Primary Health Centre, Verka, besides Veterinary Dispensary and Government Elementary School, Mudhal.

During the raid, he found three doctors at the PHC absent from duty. He also found a doctor and pharmacist in the Veterinary Dispensary absent.

Half the teachers in the elementary school were missing from their duty, while things were no different at the anganwari centre where both the workers, besides the secretary and the salesman of the village cooperative society were absent.

Ajnala SDM M.S. Kang, who conducted a surprise check at Chak Aul village found the anganwari workers absent. He also conducted a raid on the government elementary schools at Talwandi and Issapur villages where he found three teachers (one at Talwandi and two at Issapur) absent. The anganwari workers of two villages were also not present. Amritsar-1 SDM Sandeep Rishi, who conducted raids at Naag New and Naag Kalan villages, found the civil dispensary pharmacist and health worker absent, while at Ajaibwali village, all the employees of the anganwari centre were absent. Baba Bakala SDM T.P.S. Sandhu conducted raids at Wadala Kalan village in Rayya block where he found two teachers and a clerk absent.

Four anganwari workers and three helpers were found absent at the anganwari centre. The SDM also found Dr Rajan Punj, in charge of the civil dispensary, and his other staff members absent.

In the civil veterinary hospital, Dr Yash Paul, in charge, and Balwinder Singh, veterinary inspector, were found absent.

At Rajdhan village, two anganwari workers and a helper were found absent.

Similarly, two teachers at the elementary school in Jalal Usman were found absent.

DDPO S.P. Angra conducted raids at Kohali village and found in charge doctor, pharmacist and ANM absent.

The doctors at the veterinary dispensary were also absent.

Rakesh Kumar, secretary, zila parishad, Amritsar, conducted raids at Sayedpur village in Tarsikka block where he found a schoolteacher absent. Dr Monika, along with her staff of the village civil dispensary, was also absent from their duties. 

Phagwara, December 4
The Phagwara police succeeded in solving the murder case of CID employee Jasbir Singh within 36 hours and arresting three accused, including his beloved Nirmal Kaur, under Sections 302, 201 and 34, IPC, while two others were still absconding.

The arrested are Nirmal Kaur of Malikpur village, her present lover Niner Pal, alias Raju, of Begumpur under Rawalpindi police station and Sunny of Gunachaur under Nawanshahr police station, while two others, Manjit Singh of Dhadey village, Phagwara, and Harjit Singh of Panchhatt village, are still at large.

SP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon, while talking to The Tribune here today, narrated the love story of Nirmal Kaur, mother of one son and one daughter, and said that divorcee Nirmal Kaur fell in love with deceased PAP head constable Jasbir Singh, presently posted in the CID wing at Chandigarh, who had extra-marital relations with Nirmal, who tried to force him to marry her.

Meanwhile, the deceased was transferred to Chandigarh from the PAP and Nirmal Kaur developed illicit relations with Raju and hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Jasbir Singh.

Dhillon said that Raju hired Sunny and Manjit and went to Nirmal Kaur’s house in a car (PB-9C-4113) provided by Harjit Singh who was also booked under Section 120-B of the IPC. Harjit was running a photography shop in a nearby village.

Dhillon said Jasbir, who came from Chandigarh to his Purani Bassi village, near Hoshiarpur, was called by Nirmal Kaur to her residence at Malikpur village where the other accused were present.

The accused mixed intoxicants in the cold drink served to Jasbir and as he fell unconscious, they strangled him and later threw the body in the fields near Rihana Jattan village.

The SP said several more disclosures were expected from the arrested persons. The police has also impounded the car used by the accused, said Dhillon.

Amritsar, December 4
Notorious gangster Vijay Topi, who was arrested by the Gurdaspur police after an encounter in Kharar yesterday, is wanted in more than two dozen cases of vehicle theft, looting and attempt to murder registered in various police stations in Punjab and neighbouring states.

Meanwhile, the Amritsar city police is contemplating to take him on production warrant as he was a proclaimed offender in many cases of similar nature. The gang was active in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

In May, he had managed to dodge a police team following a firing incident at Pizza Hut on Lawrence Road here. The incident had taken place when he and his accomplices, who were teasing girls, opened fire at the gunmen of the SP (Detective) of Tarn Taran police district when he tried to stop them from doing so. A gunman was killed, while an accomplice and relative of Topi sustained bullet injury in the counter firing.

The Vijay Topi gang had become a headache for the Police Department as every time he managed to escape after opening fire at police parties. In Amritsar alone he had at least three encounters with the police. In a similar encounter near the railway station the police had nabbed his girlfriend who was also an active member of the gang. He had managed to dodge the police team at that time also. Till now the police had recovered over 100 cars from the possession of his gang during various raids.

“We will bring him under production warrant to investigate the criminal cases registered against him and his gang members at various police stations,” confirmed Deputy Commissioner of Police Amar Singh Chahal.

Two of his gang members were shot dead, while one was injured after a bullet hit his arm at Kharar yesterday. The police team was following the accused who were travelling in stolen cars towards Chandigarh. Topi and his gang members fired at the police party near Kharar leading to an encounter.

Hoshiarpur, December 4
Three masked youths on pistol-like weapon point looted Rs 15,000, one gold chain, one gold necklace, two pairs of gold ear-rings and gold rings and one Activa scooter from the house of Gurmit Kaur, wife of Satwinder Singh, at Nathupur village under Tanda police station last night.

According to police sources, the robbers entered the house by scaling the boundary wall. On realising that some persons were wandering in the house, Gurmit Kaur’s brother Kamaljit Singh came out of his room and asked them about their purpose of visit. The robbers asked him why he telephoned one Surjit Kaur again and again without any purpose.

Meanwhile, Gurmit Kaur also came out of the room. As soon as they saw Gurmit Kaur, they brandished a pistol-like weapon and iron rods and asked her to hand over gold jewellery and cash to them. Later they looted the goods and cash and fled.

In another incident, some miscreants stole gold jewellery, including three bangles, two chains, five finger rings, two pairs of ear-rings and Rs 1,200 from the house of Roshan Singh, son of Harnam Singh, at Jhawan village early this morning.

According to police sources, Roshan Singh went to his haveli for feeding his animals and his wife was sleeping in the house.

The Tanda police has registered two separate cases under the relevant sections of the IPC in this connection.

In another incident some miscreants stole Rs 400 from the golak (cash box) of Gurdwara Mai Amiji at Nangal Khungan last night.

Gurdaspur, December 4
The Indira Awaas Yojna (IAY) scheme, floated by the Central Government, in collaboration with state governments and considered to be a vital rural housing scheme, may have hit a stumbling block in many districts of Punjab, but the story in this border district is different with the administration making all efforts to ensure that the advantages of the IAY actually get to the poor and needy.

Earlier, this district became one of the four districts of Punjab to have qualified to apply for the second instalment of MGNREGA after it spent more than 60 per cent funds allotted to it.

Now it is in the process of implementing the other Central scheme - IAY- with the administration constructing 1,244 houses and upgrading another 935 dwelling units in the ongoing financial year.

Under the IAY, 75 per cent of the money is to be given by the Central Government, while 25 per cent is to be provided by the respective state governments.

In many districts, the state government has put the IAY on hold citing lack of funds from the Centre.

However, this district seems to be an exception, mainly because it has last year’s surplus funds which it is now using to implement the IAY.

It aims at providing grants for the construction of houses to members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers and people living below the poverty line.

Deputy Commissioner Pirthi Chand disclosed that for the current financial year they had been allotted Rs 9.95 crore, of which Rs 7.60 crore had been received by them.

Out of this, the administration had already spent Rs 7.05 crore to build new houses and to upgrade old units, with the maximum work done in the Dhar Kalan block where 175 constructions have come up.

As many as 169 new units came up in the Gurdaspur block, followed by the Batala block, where 103 houses were built.

Under the IAY, Rs 45,000 is to be given to people living below the poverty line for constructing a house in the plains, while Rs 15,000 is spent on upgradation.

A district administration official said, “The District Rural Development Officer and the zila parishad identify the beneficiaries. The availability of safe drinking water supply is also kept in mind for the beneficiaries.”

Jalandhar, December 4
The State Bank of India (SBI), Jalandhar, finally got possession of its building spread over 17 marlas in Kailash Nagar on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The building premises that was housing an industrial unit was allegedly occupied by former BJP district president Ravi Mahendru in 2004.

Acting on the directions of the high court, the Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner and the Police Commissioner had to use force to get the possession of the premises situated on a prime location.

Earlier, Davinder Narayan Sharma of SS Agencies of Delhi had filed a writ petition in the court seeking possession of the property after the bank failed to hand over it to the party.

The premises were allotted to the company in an auction held in 2008. Giving the highest bid, the company even made payments demanded by the bank within the stipulated time, but could not get the possession.

The petitioner then served a legal notice on the bank which was followed by a case. In the court the bank admitted that the auctioned property was in the possession of Ravi Mahendru and could not be handed over to the bidder.

The bank had also sought help from the district administration in getting the possession before handing it over to the company and demanded registration of a criminal case against Mehendru.

The court passed directions to the Divisional Commissioner and the SSP, Jalandhar (now Police Commissioner), to act accordingly and file a report to the court if the orders had been complied with in time.

On the court’s directions, the district administration and the police finally got possession of the property on November 22.