The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Gurdaspur stands out amidst a flop show in Punjab Successful implementation of MGNREGS Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, February 14 The UPA government’s flagship scheme, MGNREGS, may have turned out to be a failure in Punjab as compared to other states, particularly Rajasthan and Bihar, yet Gurdaspur is well on its way to become the number one district in the state as far as the implementation of this centrally sponsored scheme is concerned. Deputy Commissioner Pirthi Chand disclosed that the Union Rural Development Ministry had recently asked for a presentation on the method used by the district administration to make the scheme a success despite the fact that it was turning out to be a relative failure in other districts. Former ADC (Development), Jaswinder Singh Ramdass, was sent to New Delhi, where he gave a detailed presentation. An official spokesman confirmed that the Rural Development Ministry could declare Gurdaspur the best district in MGNREGS’s planning and implementation in the next few weeks. The DC said the scheme had actually come as a boon for poor people, particularly those residing in rural areas. “Earlier, labourers used to migrate to nearby districts and states once the paddy and wheat sowing seasons were over. Now with the scheme ensuring 100 days of guaranteed employment per household and with women and physically challenged people getting equal opportunities to work and earn, things have changed for the better. There are 30,352 BPL families in the district spread over 1,659 villages and a majority of their men folk are working in projects initiated under the scheme,” he added. A senior official involved in the implementation of the scheme in the district disclosed, “Our claim to fame rests in the fact that we provided proper information and education about the scheme at the grass-roots level. Till yet, 82 workshops have been organised at the district, block and panchayat level, where 50,000 booklets explaining guidelines and 32,000 Nrega sarpanch books have been distributed. As many as 334 signboards have been set up in villages covering all 16 blocks explaining the benefits of working under the scheme. Apart from this, 117 awareness camps have been held.” Pirthi Chand added, “More significantly, we continuously hold workshops for technical authorities responsible for the implementation of the scheme. Records pertaining to job cards, complain registers, muster rolls, assets registers, measurement books are continuously checked by technical assistants and Panchayati Raj accountants.” The DC added that he was confident that Gurdaspur would be awarded the tittle of the number one district in the implementation of MGNREGS in the state by the Rural Development Ministry soon.
	Attack on DHO Health staff strike work, block traffic Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, February 14 The health services, including medico-legal reports, postmortem, etc, in the district remained paralysed today as the doctors and other paramedical staff abstained from their duties. The doctors and other staff were lodging their protest against the authorities for not arresting the accused responsible for the attack on a team of the department, which had gone to collect samples of eatables, by shopkeepers here three weeks back. In the attack Dr Sampooran Singh, District Health Officer (DHO), and others were injured and their turbans were also removed by the shopkeepers. A case was registered in this regards by the police against the persons responsible for the attack, but no arrest has been made till now even after three weeks. Hundreds of doctors and other staff members organised a rally at the Civil Surgeon’s office here and took out a march in the bazaars of the town. The employees staged a dharna on the road and blocked traffic for more than one hour. Then the employees marched to the DC’s office and submitted a memorandum. The Tarn Taran Health Services Joint Struggle Committee warned the district administration that in case the accused responsible for the attack were not arrested soon, they would be forced to intensify their agitation on the state level. All Civil Hospitals, health centres, etc, remained closed in the district.
	Toll plaza company fails to maintain road: Dhiman Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, February 14 The Rohan and Rajdeep Toll Plaza Company has failed to maintain the Hoshiarpur-Garhshankar-Balachaur stretch at the state highway 24 despite collecting lakhs of rupees from four wheelers as toll on a daily basis, alleged Jai Gopal Dhiman, President, Social Democratic Party of India. In a press note here, he said the road had developed potholes and cracks at many places. Dhiman said the company had been operating since April 2007 under BTO scheme. It collects lakhs of rupees as toll at its tollbooths at Nangal Shaheedan and Chankoya from commuters and it has the responsibility to maintain dust free road for commuters’ convenience. Thousands of light and heavy vehicles daily ply on this road, as a result of which, the road had developed cracks and potholes at many places. He further claimed that the contractor of the toll plaza company had been using a mixture of bitumen and sand to fill up the potholes and cracks, resulting in dust pollution. The commuters, especially on two-wheelers, have been the worst hit, alleged Jai Gopal Dhiman. He had brought this fact in the notice of the Superintending Engineer (SE) of the PWD B&R, Hoshiarpur, and had asked to take suitable action against the contractor in this regard. SE, PWD B&R, Arun Kumar said there was no specification of material to be used for crack sealing of road in the agreement with the toll plaza company. The renewal work of the entire road had to be done by the toll plaza contractor after 5 years of its starting which was due on April 2012.
	Gas heater claims life Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 14 A marriage function turned tragic when a woman, Shalu Kapoor (36) of Hoshiarpur, died, while her seven-year-old son Anshu Kapoor was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition. According to information, the tragedy occurred this morning when Shalu Kapoor was giving bath to her son. They had come here to attend a marriage function. When both the child and the mother did not come out of the bathroom for quite sometime, relatives knocked at the door and finally broke it down to find both of the them unconscious. They were rushed to nearby Amandeep Hospital, where Shalu was declared dead, while the child is in a critical condition. Dr Avtar Singh, Director of the hospital, said the tragedy occurred due to the use of gas heater, as carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, produced during the burning of the LPG, suffocated them.
	Polytechnic staff plan protest Jalandhar, February 14 Over 1,500 members of the Punjab Polytechnic Staff Union are planning to hold a dharna in front of the campus of Punjab Technical University tomorrow demanding revoking of the decision of the university to start 13 Punjab Institutes of Technology and one Punjab Institute of Management on the campuses of polytechnics. The representatives of 18 polytechnic institutes had earlier planned a rally for tomorrow at Lambi, the assembly constituency of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The plan changed after the members met the CM today at the venue of Sri Hargobindpur where he was holding a sangat darshan programme. — TNS
	Man dies of injuries Jalandhar: Deep Chand, a migrant labourer, from Gadaipur village near the local Focal Point area, who was attacked by unknown assailants on Saturday night, succumbed to his injuries this morning. He was admitted to a local private hospital. Deep Chand and his friend Gulbadan were returning back from their factory when they were attacked by assailants with baseball bats. Gulbadan was also seriously injured. The police has lodged a case under Sections 304, 379 and 34 of the IPC against a group of five to six people on the statement of Bachu Prasad, also a resident of Gadaipur. Both Deep Chand and Gulbadan were brother-in-laws of Bachu Prasad. Additional SHO Harbhajan Singh said the assailants took away their mobile phones and Rs 500 from them. “It seems that the assailants were drug addicts as they fled after hitting them and snatching away a small amount of money and their mobile phones,” he added. — TNS 2 dowry cases Hoshiarpur: Two housewives have lodged separate complaints at Tanda and Mehtiana police stations against their husbands and mothers-in-law for allegedly torturing and maltreating them for more dowry. According to police sources, Mandip Kaur, daughter of Sat Pal of Khun-Khun Kalan, lodged a complaint against her husband Gursandip Singh, son of Gurdial Singh, and mother-in-law Puspinder Kaur of Harsi village for allegedly torturing and maltreating her for more dowry. The Tanda police has booked both son and mother-in-law under Sections 406 and 498 A of the IPC. In another case, Baldev Kaur, daughter of Nirbhai Singh of Jhikka, alleged that her husband Sukhwinder Singh, son of Bishan Singh, and mother-in-law Joginder Kaur of Rukra were allegedly torturing and maltreating her for more dowry. The Mehtiana police has booked her husband and mother-in-law. — OC Man duped Hoshiarpur: Baldev Singh, son of Darshan Singh of Ahrana Kalan, was allegedly duped of Rs 20 lakh by fake travel agents Amrik Singh and his wife Mandip Kaur of Gidat village in the name of sending him abroad. According to police sources, Baldev Singh alleged in his compliant that Amrik Singh and his wife took Rs 20 lakh and his passport from him for sending him abroad. They neither send him abroad, nor returned his money and passport. The Mehtiana police has booked both husband and wife under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC. — OC Woman kills self Tarn Taran: Balwinder Kaur (25), a married woman of Balachak village, 18 km from here, who had set herself ablaze over torturing by her in-laws, died in a hospital late last evening. Heera Singh (husband), Sucha Singh (father-in-law) and Surjit Kaur (mother-in-law) of the deceased have been booked under Sections 304B and 34 of the IPC by the police. Father of the deceased Gurdyal Singh, resident of Rajasthan, in his complaint to the police alleged that his daughter was tortured for dowry and her husband and in-laws were demanding Rs 50,000, for which they threw her out of the house sometime ago. Balwinder Kaur had been facing great mental depression. She set herself ablaze on February 11 and was admitted to Guru Ram Das Hospital, Amritsar, where she died late last evening. The SSP, Preetpal Singh Virk, said raids were being conducted on the hideouts of the accused, who were absconding. — OC 5 hurt in clash Phagwara: Five persons, including sarpanch Nirmal Kumar, sustained serious injuries in a clash at Rampur village today. Other injured were sarpanch’s two brothers Madan Lal and Paramjit, Sandip and Sanjiv Kumar and were admitted to the Civil Hospital. Old enmity was said to be the cause of clash, the police said. A case has been registered. — OC POs held Phagwara: The police nabbed two proclaimed offenders Gurnam Singh of Bhaghana village and Balbir Singh of Ramgarh village. Both POs were wanted by the local police in two different criminal cases. — OC