Nakodar, July 16
In view of staff shortage in police stations, the Punjab Police would recruit 900 cops, including inspectors, sub-inspectors, constables and hawaldars, in Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts, said Ishwar Chandar, Director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur.

He was on an inspection tour here at Shahkot police station in Nakodar.

He said these recruits would undergo police training. A proposal on the issue has been sent to the Punjab DGP PS Gill, he added.

For the time being, staff shortage in these three districts would be taken care of by bringing in policemen from other districts of the state.

He further said the DGP had appointed six inspecting teams, headed by different IGs, under the state Nodal Officer ADGP SK Sharma, to strengthen the police-public relations. All the IGs would submit reports along with their recommendations to the DGP. “Our teams will inspect infrastructure, shortage of force, needs of police vehicles, weapon requirements, needs of traffic booths and other ways to decrease crime which will ultimately helps public at large,” he maintained.

Amritsar, July 16
Already reeling under Rs 20 crore annual operational losses at Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport (SGRIA), the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has written to the Customs Department to exempt it from paying the salary of Customs staff deployed for cargo clearance duty at the airport.

Customs has deployed its five employees at cargo complex at the airport to clear merchandise being exported and imported through general and perishable cargo centres. These staff members include a deputy commissioner, superintendent, two inspectors and an SPO. Payment of salary to these employees is termed as Customs Cost Recovery (CCR).

The CCR is shared between the AAI, Council for Value Added Horticulture (CVAH), Jack Cargo and Central Ware Housing Corporation (CWHC). All these agencies are supposed to quarterly pay nearly Rs 13 lakh as CCR. All these departments together are yet to pay CCR of Rs 1.6 crore.

Amritsar airport director Sunil Dutt said high CCR outstanding and operational losses forced the AAI to write to Customs to waive off the liability. He cited the instance of Pune Airport which is exempted from CCR.

It is learnt that the CWHC is already exempted from paying CCR as it had been operating even before setting up of the cargo here. The cargo became operation in 2006. Delhi-based private concern Jack Cargo Service, which handled cargo here for nearly two years from 2007 to 2009, is yet to pay its share of Rs 20.50 lakh. It abandoned the cargo handling project in the middle of 2009 terming it as financial nonviable. Following this the responsibility was undertaken by the AAI itself on August 20, 2009.

Next big shareholder is the CVAH, an agency of the Punjab Government formed to handle cargo at temporary perishable cargo. Its share of CCR has piled up to Rs 50.73 lakh.

The Amritsar airport director said since the AAI was a principal custodian, entire onus fell upon it. He said keeping in view that the cargo here was in nascent stage it expected the Customs to waive off the CCR.

Phagwara, July 16
Former BJP minister and Phagwara MLA Ch Swarna Ram has held party-ruled Nagar Council responsible for the spread of jaundice in several parts of the town.

He said the situation could have been tackled had the NC taken sincere and swift measures.

The disease spread in the town about three months back after the drinking water supply got contaminated following damage to water and sewerage pipes at many places. NC president Duggal refused to comment on matter.

Meanwhile, after visiting several affected localities, the MLA instructed the health officials to set up a special treatment ward for jaundice patients in local Civil Hospital.

On the instructions of Local Bodies Minister Tikshan Sood, Chief Engineer Kuldip Singh Nagla visited Phagwara and took stock of the situation, arisen due to blockage in sewerage pipes at several localities of the town.

Nagla visited the affected areas including local Khera Road and Goal Chowk, where rainwater and sewage had got collected due to blockages in sewerage pipes.

Nagla instructed the officials to clear blocked sewerages by connecting them with main sewerage pipes within next four days.