B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Assembly Polls
SAD plans largesse to woo voters in Dharamkot
Moga, October 11
After receiving a setback in the recent SGPC elections in the Dharamkot area, the local Akali stalwart Jathedar Tota Singh still hopes that the ruling SAD would stage a comeback in local politics in the forthcoming assembly elections. He has decided to shift his political base from Moga to the Dharamkot constituency, which was converted into a general seat after the delimitation by the Election Commission, pinning hopes on the rural vote bank.

Blast threat at rly stations on Diwali eve puts security agencies on alert
Ferozepur, October 11
Letters threatening to blow up the railway stations under the Ferozepur division including Attari at Amritsar have put the divisional authorities on tenterhooks.

Criminals using 'hospital route' to escape jail
Faridkot, October 11
Once trapped, it is not only the senior political leaders and bureaucrats who use ‘fake’ medical grounds to escape judicial custody and enjoy ‘comfortable treatment’ in the special rooms in hospitals but also many inmates in the sub-jail of Faridkot.

Senior Bar Assn member dies in road mishap
Fazilka, October 11
A senior member of the Bar Association (Fazilka), Vijay Sharma (54) was killed while his young son sustained injuries in a road accident here today in the afternoon.

State grants 25 per cent NPA on basic pay to Ayurvedic medical officials
Bathinda, October 11
Fulfilling the long-standing demand of the Ayurvedic Medical Officers of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the state government has issued a notification, granting them non-practice allowance (NPA) to the tune of 25 per cent of the basic pay. A copy of the notification was handed over to this reporter here this evening by Dr Sanjiv Pathak, a member of the coordination committee of the Association. The notification was issued by the Department of Finance, yesterday.

Drain water damages crops
Abohar, October 11
The nodal officials, appointed by the state government to conduct a survey in 28 villages, have indicated that cotton and other crops spread over 30,000 acres of land were damaged by drain water fury.

Forest Dept office locked fearing collapse
Abohar, October 11
The office of the Forest and Wildlife Department, located near the sub-divisional complex, has been locked fearing the collapse of the building any moment. Notably, the office has the responsibility of safeguarding the forests spread over thousands of kilometres besides the Asia’s largest open wildlife sanctuary in the region.

Assembly Polls
SAD plans largesse to woo voters in Dharamkot
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, October 11
After receiving a setback in the recent SGPC elections in the Dharamkot area, the local Akali stalwart Jathedar Tota Singh still hopes that the ruling SAD would stage a comeback in local politics in the forthcoming assembly elections. He has decided to shift his political base from Moga to the Dharamkot constituency, which was converted into a general seat after the delimitation by the Election Commission, pinning hopes on the rural vote bank.

However, two local Akali leaders Kuldip Singh Dhose and Sukhjeet Singh Kaka parted ways from the ruling party accusing the jathedar (outsider) of interfering in the local politics. Dhose joined hands with Manpreet Badal while Kaka won the SGPC election as a rebel independent candidate.

In such a situation, the seat is not likely to be a cakewalk for the SAD. However, a ‘myth’ prevails among the local Akalis that despite these two defections, the ruling party could still win the coming elections by giving government funds to the Panchayats and the local organisations.

Since 1997, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sheetal Singh has won the election from the erstwhile reserved constituency for three consecutive terms.

In 1992, when the Akalis boycotted the polls, Baldev Singh Bhatti of the BSP won the election. In 1985, Gurdev Singh Gill of the Congress and in 1980 and 1997, Sarwan Singh of the CPI was declared elected twice.

Going by the historical background of Dharamkot for the last three decades, the seat could not be termed as an Akali bastion. However, efforts are being made by Jathedar Tota Singh to win over the people by influencing the government to shower money in the area for development. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal would visit the area on October 12-13 as part of his Sangat Darshan programme to distribute grants to the Panchayats and inaugurate projects.

Last month, the state government granted Dharamkot the status of a sub-division to influence the masses, probably eying the forthcoming assembly elections.

On Wednesday, the CM would lay the foundation stones of two power houses at Fatehgarh Kortana and Kot Mohammad Khan villages after hearing the grievances of the people at Mehna village in the morning.

Later, he would distribute grants to the Panchayats at Dharamkot. On October 13, the CM would meet the Panchayats at Fatehgarh Panchtoor village and later in the afternoon at Kot-ise-Khan where he would distribute grants assessing on the spot demands of the villages.

The Akali leaders claim that huge sums in grants would be distributed among the village Panchayats of the area for the first time, where the previous governments failed to carry out development works.

They hope that the people would go by the development works carried out by the SAD-BJP government and vote in favour of the SAD candidate leaving aside petty local issues being raised by the rebels and the parties in opposition.

Blast threat at rly stations on Diwali eve puts security agencies on alert
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, October 11
Letters threatening to blow up the railway stations under the Ferozepur division including Attari at Amritsar have put the divisional authorities on tenterhooks.

Though the railway officials maintain that the letters written on behalf of the subversive outfit ‘Lashkar-e-Toiba’ seem to be handiwork of some mischievous elements.

Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur Division, Vishwesh Chowbey said that for the last few days, the divisional office has been receiving such letters written in the name of Karim Ansari, who claims to represent the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. The DRM said the state government agencies are informed whenever such a letter is received.

He added that apparently, the letter seems to be a farce. “Still, we have taken all necessary precautions to thwart any sinister designs of the anti-national elements,” he added.

Senior Commandant, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Alok Kumar said two such letters have been received by the divisional office within a span of four days, in which, the person claiming to be a member of ‘Lashkar-e-Toiba’ has threatened to blow up the station at Attari on the eve of Diwali besides other prominent stations in Punjab including Jalandhar, Beas, Phagwara, Bhatinda and Ludhiana.

Alok said, “We have referred the matter to the state agencies including the Punjab Police and GRP for investigation.”

He further said that since Attari is situated along the Zero Line on the Indo-Pakistan border, it is a high priority station. All precautions are being taken to ensure stringent security measures there.

A red alert would be sounded at all the stations where the there isd a threat perception, he added.

Criminals using 'hospital route' to escape jail
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 11
Once trapped, it is not only the senior political leaders and bureaucrats who use ‘fake’ medical grounds to escape judicial custody and enjoy ‘comfortable treatment’ in the special rooms in hospitals but also many inmates in the sub-jail of Faridkot.

Accused in many criminal cases, at times, they avail of the benefit of the hospital’s ‘hospitality’ on the basis of some disease.

As the doctors, inside and outside the jail, are allegedly ‘cooperative’ with these ‘patients’, their stay in the hospital with their family members, is a sort of furlough for these inmates.

Two days back, during his visit to the Civil Hospital (Faridkot), when a senior police official saw an accused, roaming on the hospital premises with his friends and relatives, he was taken aback. On inquiry about his bail, the accused revealed that he was admitted to the Civil Hospital and had an acute orthopaedic problem.

“Though as per the police record, two security guards were deputed with the ‘ailing’ jail inmate, both the guards were nowhere around the accused and he was roaming at ease and with no semblance of pain in any part of his body,” said Bakhshish Singh, DSP, Faridkot.

“When we asked the doctor about the mysterious ailment of the patient, within no time, the accused was discharged from the hospital and sent back to the jail,” pointed out the DSP.

“Both policemen on duty with the accused in the hospital have been suspended for dereliction of duty and we have asked the jail authorities to look into the matter,” informed Sat Pal Singh Sidhu, SSP, Faridkot.

Notably, some days back, a murder accused was enjoying ‘special treatment’ in the Civil Hospital on grounds of a mysterious disease. However, once the matter was brought to the notice of a senior judge, the accused was discharged and rushed back to the jail.

Raj Mohinder Singh Dhaliwal, Superintendent, Faridkot Jail, said, “As there are only two MBBS doctors in the jail, the patients are referred to the Civil Hospital whenever there are complaints of serious ailments, needing treatment from the specialists.”

Similar is the logic of Dr Darshan Lal, a doctor in the jail, for referring the inmates to the Civil Hospital.

“After the examination of the patients, it is for the Civil Hospital doctors to decide whether to admit them for indoor treatment or not,” he said.

Sources said some jail inmates have such strong connections with the doctors that after spending many days in the Civil Hospital, these inmates get their cases referred to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College Hospital, Faridkot, for an extended stay outside the jail.

In such a similar case some time back, a warrant official, appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, nabbed a murder case accused receiving ‘special treatment’ in a doctor’s room in the orthopaedic ward of the medical college hospital. The court passed stringent remarks against the doctor.

Senior Bar Assn member dies in road mishap
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, October 11
A senior member of the Bar Association (Fazilka), Vijay Sharma (54) was killed while his young son sustained injuries in a road accident here today in the afternoon.

As per the statement of Sankalp Sharma, he along with his father was returning on a bike to their residence near the office of the DSP (Fazilka).

A speeding truck coming from village Ganjuana Hasta road hit their motorcycle near the freedom fighter crossing. Vijay Sharma (54) died soon after. Police have booked a truck driver who was said to be absconding.

State grants 25 per cent NPA on basic pay to Ayurvedic medical officials
Sushil Goyal/TNS

Bathinda, October 11
Fulfilling the long-standing demand of the Ayurvedic Medical Officers of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the state government has issued a notification, granting them non-practice allowance (NPA) to the tune of 25 per cent of the basic pay. A copy of the notification was handed over to this reporter here this evening by Dr Sanjiv Pathak, a member of the coordination committee of the Association. The notification was issued by the Department of Finance, yesterday.

In the notification, it has been mentioned that after considering the recommendations of the Fifth Punjab Pay Commission, the Governor is pleased to decide that the non-practice allowance shall be admissible to those categories of Ayurvedic Medical Officers of the Department of Health and family Welfare (Ayurvedic), for which the minimum qualification of BAMS or its equivalent degree from a recognised university or other teaching institution, recognised by the CCIM, and registration with the Board of Ayurvedic and Unani Systems of Medicine, Punjab, is required. However, the NPA has been granted with certain conditions. The NPA would be admissible at the rate of 25 per cent of the revised basic pay in the revised pay structure to the condition that pay plus NPA would not exceed Rs 85,000.

The NPA would be treated as pay for the purpose of grant of dearness allowance, entitlement of travelling allowance/daily allowance and for calculation of retrial benefits only. Besides, the private practice has been disallowed. The NPA to the Ayurvedic medical officials has been given from October 1. Dr Pathak said after granting them NPA, the Punjab Government should also give them pay parity with the Central Government’s ayurvedic medical officials to bring them at par with their counterparts, working in the Central Government’s health institutions.

Drain water damages crops

Abohar, October 11
The nodal officials, appointed by the state government to conduct a survey in 28 villages, have indicated that cotton and other crops spread over 30,000 acres of land were damaged by drain water fury.

Pradesh Congress flagship programme monitoring committee chairman Sunil Jakhar today displayed some related documents to the media at a meeting here to assert that all the three drains that diverted 753 cusecs of water to the Abulkhurana drain, running with record 859 cusecs, at burji number 126 in the wildlife sanctuary area here, originated from Lambi constituency represented by the CM. — OC

Forest Dept office locked fearing collapse
Our Correspondent

Abohar, October 11
The office of the Forest and Wildlife Department, located near the sub-divisional complex, has been locked fearing the collapse of the building any moment. Notably, the office has the responsibility of safeguarding the forests spread over thousands of kilometres besides the Asia’s largest open wildlife sanctuary in the region.

Forest office in-charge Jeet Singh and block officer Balwinder Singh Jhurarkhera confirmed it. They said the building faced a fresh threat after the heavy rains that lashed the region last month.