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Licensed weapon holders to face action if arms not deposited by Jan 4
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2011 witnessed another division of Ferozepur
Elevation of the newly constructed District Administrative Complex ( DAC) at
Ferozepur.
New Year SMS adds to election expense of SAD (B) candidate
Rail track between Fazilka and Abohar yet to be operational
Unit brewing illicit liquor unearthed
PPP introduces audio CDs of manifesto
Drugs seized, four arrested
Two killed in road accident
Man kills son in Abohar
NGOs pursue social welfare agenda
R-Day Parade
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Punjab
POLLS 2012
Muktsar, January 2 Not only the junior staff, the posts of two ADCs (Development and General) and one Assistant Commissioner (General) are still lying vacant. As a result, the entire burden has come on the Deputy Commissioner, Arshdeep Singh, who is also the
District Electoral Officer. Perusal of the official documents revealed that the district administration, which has to keep an eye over four constituencies, including Lambi (CM’s home turf), Gidderbaha
(Manpreet’s home turf), Muktsar (former CM Harcharan Brar’s family turf) and Malout, was functioning with less than half of the sanctioned staff strength. If one compares the number of sanctioned posts in the district administration of Muktsar with the districts like Mansa, Barnala, Tarn Taran and Mohali, which are almost the same in the area, they all are in a much better position, having the number of posts more than double of it. Ironically, the functioning of the district is facing dual victimisation as on the one hand, the number of sanctioned posts is much less than required, and on the other, the posts it has, are also not filled up. After collecting data from the EA branch of the DC office, it was found that at least 49 clerks and 51 sevadars are immediately required. Besides, a number of posts of Kanungos, senior assistants, steno-typists, superintendents and drivers are also lying vacant since it got the district status in 1995. An official in the DC office said, “Not only the district administration, the government schools, colleges, hospitals and various departments are also facing an acute shortage of staff.” However, Muktsar DC Arshdeep Singh said, “We have sufficient staff to conduct free and fair elections and those who have been recently transferred, replacements for them would also be available soon. Everything is in the knowledge of the senior functionaries.” |
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Licensed weapon holders to face action if arms not deposited by Jan 4
Ferozepur, January 2 SSP Hardyal Singh Mann informed that the Police Department was working overtime to ensure that all firearm holders deposit their licensed weapons at the nearest police station as a preventive measure to ensure free and fair polls. Issuing a word of caution, the SSP said the Police Department would get a case registered under Section 188 of the IPC against those who do not deposit their weapons by January 4. Besides, cancellation of their arms licence would also be recommended by the department, he said. “We are taking stock of the situation on a daily basis. A status report is also being sent to the officials concerned in this regard,” he said. Earlier, the border district had remained in news for issuing a large number of firearms licence, many of which were later found to have been issued on false credentials. A CBI inquiry had also been constituted in this connection. Last year also, a fake arms licence scam rocked the district. At that time, a case was registered against two arms dealer for issuing fake licences. Over 100 fake licences, besides letters pads belonging to some Army officials, used to issue the NOC, were also seized by the police from the possession of the arms dealers, last year. DSP (D) Sulakhan Singh said, “Of the 17,342 firearms licence holders in the district, 1,000 licence holders belonged to those in armed forces, many of whom have got transferred. Hence, around 9,000 weapons are left to be deposited, he added. He further said no person is allowed to carry his weapon along during the elections. “If such a case comes to notice, police would take strict action against the offender,” the DSP pointed out. Meanwhile, at several police stations, the station officials find it difficult to stock such a large number of weapons. Many licence holders prefer to deposit the weapons with the arms dealers rather than the police station.
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2011 witnessed another division of Ferozepur
Ferozepur, January 2 However, notwithstanding its partition, the district saw several pending infrastructural projects see the light of the day with the foremost being the construction of the District Administrative Complex (DAC), on which, an amount of Rs 56.91 crores has been spent. Though some important developmental projects were commissioned, many other vital projects could not take off this year, due to either financial constraints or the apathetic attitude of the authorities concerned. In the newly-constructed DAC, only the DC block has started functioning till date while the four other blocks including police and engineering wing besides an intermediate block are still under construction. Apart from DAC, the work on the construction of the new judicial complex, which had earlier got delayed due to much hullabaloo over the selection of its site finally got moving, this year. The judicial complex, once completed, would house 22 courts and 485 lawyers’ chambers besides a post office, bank and a canteen. “An amount of Rs 5047 lakhs would be spent on its construction, which would be completed in three phases,” said Manpritam Singh, SDO, PWD (B&R). The project on the construction of the Circuit House, which had been pending since 1995, finally saw its completion at a cost of Rs 338 lakh. The railway overbridge connecting the cantonment and the city which had outlived its age, were also revamped at a cost of Rs 718 lakh though its construction was marred by controversies over its design. Another major achievement was construction of high-level bridge at Gidderpindi, on which a sum of Rs 4,099 lakh is being spent. The work on the construction of old-age home was also completed. However, it has not started its operations yet. In another significant development, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sanctioned the mega development plan for the construction of new visitor’s gallery at the Indo-Pakistan Joint Check-Post (JCP) Hussainiwala, on which, an estimated Rs 16.39 crores is likely to be incurred. “The proposed visitor’s gallery will be able to accommodate around 1800 visitors,” said Rajesh Gupta, DIG, BSF, adding that the work on this prestigious project would begin next month. The work on the four laning of the circular road was also taken up, though it has not been completed yet. Similarly, the work related to provision of sewage system in the city could not be completed due to paucity of the funds. The faulty sewage has become bane for the town and has also invited public wrath. Another important project related to relocation of the Central Jail remained hanging in abeyance due to row over its new location.
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New Year SMS adds to election expense of SAD (B) candidate
Faridkot, January 2 A day after Deep Malhotra sent the SMS, the District Election Office today decided to calculate its cost and include it in the total election expenses incurred by the SAD (B) candidate. The limit of the election expenses is Rs 16 lakh per candidate. The message sent by the SAD (B) candidate from Faridkot reads: “Faridkot da vikas, meri umeed, meri aas”. During a meeting of the district election officers with the representatives of various political parties in Faridkot today, when some participants informed the election officers about the SMS and even forwarded the message to the District Election Officer Ravi Bhagat, he ordered that the cost of the SMS be calculated and included in the election expenses of the SAD (B) candidate. The representatives of the political parties were provided the rent rate lists for various items which the parties use during the election rallies. In this rate list, the per day rent of various items mentioned was: chair (Rs 5), two-seater sofa sets (Rs 200), loudspeaker (Rs 700), rickshaw (Rs 300), three-wheelers (Rs 700), cloth flag (Rs 30), plastic flag (Rs 5), cloth banner (Rs 14 per square feet), welcome gate (Rs 300 per gate) and poster (50 paisa each). As some representatives raised objection to the high rent rates and claimed there was no uniformity in the rates across the state, the DEO said the party leaders can submit their objections, if any, to the election office. At the meeting, some leaders even objected to the rent list being written in English. The DEO said the Punjabi version of the list would be provided on demand. A BSP leader objected to the printing of Chief Minster Parkash Singh Badal’s photograph on the BPL ration cards. While the BSP leader accused the Punjab government of personalizing the welfare schemes, the DEO said the matter was already in the notice of the state election commission. |
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Rail track between Fazilka and Abohar yet to be operational
Fazilka, January 2 However, after a long span of 58 years, a sum of Rs 250 crore has been spent on laying the track. But it is still not operational. “It seems that none of the official of the Central Government and the Railway Department understands the importance of the tax payer’s money. The highly paid employees are not doing their job well. Had our leadership understood the importance of the revenue gains from the Fazilka-Abohar rail track, they would have made it operational by now,” rued Dr Bhupinder Singh, professor, IIT Roorkee, and also patron of the Graduate Welfare Association (Fazilka). At the fag end of the tenure of the Punjab Government, the promise to accord district headquarter status to Fazilks has been fulfilled. However, the Central Government lags behind in fulfilling yet another promise of making the Abohar-Fazilka rail link operational despite the fact that it has been a year since the entire 42-kilometer track has been laid. Notably, employees’ quarters on all the railway stations and on the track have been constructed. The staff has also been posted. The Dangarkhera ROB on the Fazilka-Abohar road has been completed. The trains to be run on this route have already been mentioned in railway time-table. The deadlines for running the trains have been fixed a number of times. However, the trains have not been run causing great financial loss to the Railway Department which has already spent about Rs 250 crore on the project. "The return of revenue (ROR) has not begun due to indifferent and callousness of railway department and commuters are deprived of the cheaper and comfortable journey. The residents of Fazilka and Abohar subdivisions are perturbed over the unwarranted delay in running the trains", alleged Northern India Rail Passengers Samiti Chairman Dr Amar Lal Baghla. “We are disciplined people, we can not follow the practice of ‘anshan (fast)’, ‘dharna (demonstration)’, ‘rally’, ‘putla phoonk (burn effigy)’. Most of the time the political will is put in the negative perspective and the employees who are ‘not dutiful’ get away scot-free. It is the worst kind of corruption which is stagnating the state and central governments,” rued Dr. Bhupinder Singh. “With the commissioning of this track, there would be a direct link from Jammu and Kashmir to Rajasthan and Gujrat,”said Dr. Baghla. They have demanded the running of the trains immediately on this route for the convenience of the commuters. |
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Unit brewing illicit liquor unearthed
Ferozepur, January 2 SSP Hardyal Singh Mann said following a tip-off, the CIA team along with officials from the Excise Department raided a suspected hideout at village Nava Purba under the Kulgarhi police station where the illicit liquor distilling was being carried out in a clandestine way. Mann said the accused have been identified as two brothers, Jhirmal Singh and Sahib Singh, both of whom were running the trade of illicit liquor. Jhirmal has been arrested while Sahib was absconding, he said. The SSP further said the accused had created an underground storage mechanism beneath the floor of the house to evade suspicion from where 500 bottles of 750 ml each of illicit country made liquor were recovered. He said another hideaway of crude un-distilled liquor was found beneath the cattle feed trough from where five tubes containing over 1000 litres of ‘Lahan’ (crude form of illicit liquor) was recovered. The SSP said a case has been registered and the Election Commission has been informed about the same. He said the police has also arrested six persons in connection with various cases related to drug peddling and smuggling of illicit liquor during the last two days. |
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PPP introduces audio CDs of manifesto
Gidderbaha, January 2 “No political outfit, be it national or regional, has so far made its CDs of manifesto. But the PPP has decided to make its CDs, which would be distributed free of cost, so that the people living in villages or the rural areas can understand the party’s promises and assurances,” said Bhagwant Mann, a noted comedian and senior PPP leader, while speaking over the phone. “The CD will be recorded in Punjabi in the voice of PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal. It will be released at the same time, when the party will release its hard copy of manifesto, within a week’s time,” he added. Mann further said that not only the CDs, the party would release its hard copies of manifesto in both English and Punjabi. He added that the party’s main focus would be on education,
agriculture, public health, state’s economy and uplifting of poor sections besides administrative reforms, particularly in the police department. |
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Drugs seized, four arrested
Abohar, January 2 Tirlok Singh and Harbhagwan Singh of village Aspal (Muktsar district) were arrested under the Excise Act, sources said. Other police parties arrested Suraj Parkash and Sunder Lal of Malout under the NDPS Act after they recovered 18 kilograms of poppy husk. The district officials had cautioned local police that supply of liquor and narcotics might go up during the assembly polls. |
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Two killed in road accident
Abohar, January 2 Meanwhile, a truck rammed into a roadside hotel while averting collision with another vehicle amidst dense fog resulting in injuries to Mahesh Kumar of Nai Abadi and Manga Singh of village Pucci near village Nihalkhera on the Abohar-Fazilka road (NH-10). In yet another mishap, Subhash Chander of Alamgarh and Daulat Ram sustained injuries in a collision on the highway. Notably, triple riding on motorcycles remains unchecked even when the traffic police laid permanent naka near the office of the superintendent of police in the heart of the sub-divisional town. |
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Man kills son in Abohar
Abohar, January 2 Kala Singh convinced her parents to send her back with him. As the couple was waiting for the bus at the Panjawa sub-canal stop, Kala Singh allegedly snatched her son and threw him on the road and fled. Investigating official ASI Satwant Singh said a case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered. |
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NGOs pursue social welfare agenda
Abohar, January 2 Mahila Paropkarini Sabha led by octogenarian philanthropist Jamuna Devi Chawla organised a function at its complex here to distribute monthly ration kits to 100 widows and other needy persons. As many as 600 persons got themselves registered to donate blood during a camp organised at Gurdwara Shaheed Deep Singh on the Abohar-Sriganganagar-Padampur road. |
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R-Day Parade
Abohar, January 2 Colonel KL Bishnoi, commanding officer, second Independent Company of the National Cadet Corps, informed that Ramanpreet Kaur, Arwinder Singh and Diljot Singh have qualified in all the tests enabling participation in the Rajpath parade. Notably, Abohar has been most of the time front-runner in the district in dispatching the NCC cadets for the national event. |
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Notwithstanding stringent instructions of the Election Commission (EC), of the 17,342 firearms holders in the district, only 6,257 licensed weapon holders have deposited their weapons with the arms dealers or the nearest police stations so far. Over 10,000 weapons have to be deposited.
The year ‘2011’ would go down in the annals of history as the fateful year, which saw yet another division of the old and historic border district, following creation of a new fangled Fazilka. Earlier, the districts of Moga and Muktsar had also been carved out of Ferozepur. After its latest split, Ferozepur, which was once amongst the largest district of the erstwhile composite Punjab, has now been squeezed to just three sub-divisions with a dozen odd police stations.
