Abohar, January 16
Scores of Congress workers led by the local legislator Sunil Jakhar lodged a strong protest at the main police station here on Sunday over the arrest of the party worker Somesh Singla alias Vicky. 

The MLA was accompanied by the district vice-president Vimal Thathai, councillors, Sanjeev Chahar, Prem Kalra, Raja Ram, former, MCs, Des Raj Singla, Narinder Verma, Ganpat Ram, Mohan Lal and Ram Avtar Singh, Suresh Bansal, president, Punjabi Aggarwal Sabha, Anil Nagori, former president, Arhtia Association, Varun Verma, president, Youth Congress, Naresh Bansal, secretary, Cotton Factories Association among others.

The MLA warned that those involved in getting Vicky booked and arrested would be taught a befitting lesson after the fall of the SAD-BJP alliance government next year. He said the sub-divisional police acted like puppets of the ruling coalition leaders even after frequent change of guards in the respective police stations.

Somesh Singla was taken into custody by the city police following a complaint received from the BJP-run Municipal Council alleging that he had misbehaved with the staff who had gone to his locality to remove some encroachments. He alleged that he was falsely implicated since some ruling politicians wanted to settle old scores with him. — OC

Ferozepur, January 16
The Punjab police have decided to launch a reinvestigation in cases pertaining to crimes like murder, robbery and others that had been closed by the district police by declaring them as ‘untraced’ crime.

Sources said the number of cases dubbed as untraced in few years past was considerably high. In certain cases, the police had to face embarrassment after declaring them as untraced crime while some cases were suspected to have been closed on flimsy grounds.

Sources said the ADGP (Crime), Punjab Police, Sanjeev Gupta, had written a letter to the Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of all revenue and police districts of Punjab, to prepare a list of important untraced cases of their respective districts and submit it to his office by the middle of February this year.

All the important cases, declared as untraced about five years ago, would be reinvestigated by a committee headed by the SP (Detective) of each district and he or she would be assisted by the DSP (D) and in-charge, CIA, police station.

“In certain cases, we have found that there was evidence and it could have been used to trace out the crime and hence, we have taken this step,” said Gupta, adding that crime wing would examine each such case at individual level.

“We hope that we will be able to take up each untraced case. After reinvestigating the old cases, the reinvestigation of those cases declared as untraced crimes in the past two years or so, would be launched,” he pointed out. He said a review meeting would be held in February in this connection which would be a continuous process. 

Abohar, January 16
While turning down the plea that the railway administration does not fall within the definition of section 2-A (b) (i) of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987, the Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Service) has directed the general manager of the Northern Railway to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation with an interest at nine per cent per annum to a local college student, who was not provided berth despite reservation in the 3007-A Udyan Abha Toofan Express on May 30, 2009.

As per the copy of the award received by this correspondent last evening, the railway authorities had preferred to challenge the jurisdiction of the Lok Adalat by approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court with a civil writ petition for quashing the order of summoning of the respondents on the ground that the railway was not a public utility service.

However, the HC disposed of the petition with a direction that the objection of the respondents be decided first. The Lok Adalat decided against the respondents.

Shruti Khariwal, a student of a college here, daughter of SP Khariwal, chairman of the Consumer Movement and District RTI Association, was the complaintant.

Ferozepur, January 16
The 553-km long Indo-Pak border seems to have become one of the favourite land routes for the anti-India elements and agencies in the neighbouring Pakistan.

Despite strengthened patrolling alongside the Pak border, the flow of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) from Pakistan to Punjab has also been witnessing a jump every year.

As per the figures, the total seizure of FICNs from January 1 to December 6, 2010 from the Indo-Pak border in Punjab was Rs 1,37,83,500 against the recovery of Rs 1,12,500 FICNs in the year 2007.

The state police also seized FICNs in a large quantity last year. BSF sources said the recovery of FICNs went up to Rs 19,98,900 in 2008 and it further touched the figure of Rs 63,93,000 in 2009.

In the past four years, the volume of FICNs seized by the BSF personnel witnessed a jump of more than 100 per cent.

The cause of concern for the authorities concerned was that the volume of fake currency, being pushed into Punjab from across the border in connivance with the local smugglers, had taken an unprecedented jump even when different security agencies of the country had been making efforts to curb the menace.

On the other hand, the circulation of counterfeit Indian currency notes in almost all parts of the country and particularly Punjab, has also sounded alarm bells for traders, businessmen and bank managements.

The magnitude of the problem was also acknowledged by the DGP, Punjab, PS Gill, only recently.

A large section of traders and businessmen, carrying out heavy transactions in cash, have installed machines to detect fake currency notes.

Some of the smaller businessmen, fuel station owners and dhaba owners have bought pens to check the genuineness of currency notes.

A large number of banks, having currency chests, have set up Note Sorting Machines (NSMs).

A senior functionary of the BSF claimed that pushing of the FICNs by Pakistan into various parts of India was an important part of its nefarious design to disrupt the Indian economy. He said a multi-dimensional strategy was needed to check the menace. 

Bathinda, January 16
RM Singh, secretary of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, today said that Andretta in the Kangra district was the rightful place for continuing to house the Sobha Singh art gallery and the Himachal Pradesh government should give proper attention towards its preservation.

RM Singh, who learnt art from Sobha Singh, said it should be a matter of pride for Himachal to house the gallery of the world famous artist.

The art gallery has become an attraction for domestic as well as foreign tourists.

He said Sobha Singh spent about 38 years at Andretta where he had set up his studio. RM Singh was speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of a three-day art exhibition in connection with the 110th birthday of Sobha Singh.

Prof Jairup Singh, Vice-chancellor of the Central University of Punjab, inaugurated the exhibition.

The VC appreciated the effort of the Akademi to promote art and suggested that such exhibitions should be organised frequently.

Paintings and sculptures of various artists have been displayed in the exhibition.

Muktsar, January 16
Azad Sports Club, Chatteana (Muktsar) beat Youth Services Club, Fattanwala, also in Muktsar district by 86 runs to lift the Maghi Cup District Muktsar Senior Cricket Championship, held at the NPS Cricket Ground here today.

Batting first, Chatteana scored 187 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs, helped by a splendid century from opening batsman Raj Bahadur Singh. In reply, Fattenwala could manage only 101 runs. Earlier, Sunshine Club (Muktsar) beat RCC Gidderbaha to clinch the third position. The chief guest, S. Gurcharan Singh Sandhu, DTO (Ferozepur) gave away Rs 7100, Rs 5100 and Rs 3100 to the top three teams along with trophies on the behalf of the Association.

Khushpreet Singh, Amritpal Singh, Raj Bahadur Singh and Bharat Bhushan were declared the best wicket-keeper, bowler, batsman and best overall player of the championship.

RD Bansal, honorary general secretary of the District Cricket Association (Muktsar) informed that 16 teams from the district participated in the eight-day tournament.

Rajinder Bhusri, president of the Association, awarded Rs 3100 to Mahavir Singh for representing Punjab in the All-India Vijay Merchant Trophy, 2010. — TNS