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Mining mafia marauds Sutlej riverbed
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Sukhbir: Centre biased against non-Cong states
Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal at the SAD rally at Baba Bakala (L) and Congress leader Laal Singh with HS Ajnala at the Congress rally. Photos: Vishal Kumar
Mild lathi charge at Cong pandal
BJP leaders meet Sukhbir, suggest cash subsidy for poor farmers
Clean drinking water still a pipe dream
Jalandhar MC blames it on illegal water connections
268 tubewells in Ludhiana without chlorine machines
Drought: PAU draws up contingency plan
Suspended VC, SGPC president trade charges
Two-member committee to probe charges
Wedding of Rakhra's niece Punjab may amend recruitment policy for doctors
Aspirants seek higher age limit for PCS
Obsolete text books
HC: Consider traders’ plea on flyover design
Rapped by HC, Punjab appoints nodal officers
XEN fined Rs 51,989 for power theft
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Mining mafia marauds Sutlej riverbed
Nawanshahr, August 2 A lax administration has ensured that the mafia gets away with everything - altering the course of the Sutlej, breaking the dhussi bundh (that protects villages along the Sutlej in case of floods) making way for trucks to ferry sand and gravel and mining the material right under the big bridges in violation of law.Mining is banned 1 km upstream and 500 metres downstream from big bridges. Even worse, the mining contractors are using big excavators to dig the riverbed in addition to earth mowers. Residents of nearby villages allege that their protests and appeals to the district administration have fallen on deaf ears. With hundreds of trucks ferrying sand and gravel quarried illegally, dhussi bundhs near Saidpur Kalan and Phul Makauri villages have sunk. Though the district administration has imposed Section 144 of CrPC, banning the plying of heavy vehicles on dhussi bundhs, trucks ferrying sand and gravel continue to use these. Santokh Ram, sarpanch of Saidpur Kalan village, said that miners had begun digging 10 ft to 12 ft deep trenches along the banks of the Sutlej in April this year. “As a result, the Sutlej, with its course altered, has started flowing near populated areas,” he said. The fertile land along the river, which was once cultivated, now has over 10 ft deep pits. Other than the legally auctioned quarries of Malakpur, Behlur Khurd, Madhala, Mehndipur, Sedpur Khurd, Knaun, Lalewal, Begowal, Burj Tehildas, Jhungian, Khoja, Bersal and Baramad Rel, illegal mining is going on at Phul Makauri, Saidpur Kalan and the riverbed near Niyamatpur and Shekhan Majara. More importantly, the miners are targeting larger areas around the legally auctioned quarries than areas auctioned by the Industries Department. In Saidpur Khurd, the government has allowed mining on 11.60 acres. But miners are extracting minor minerals from 100 acres of land. This includes land owned by the Forest Department. Mining in forest land is banned. Similarly, in Behlur Khurd, quarrying is allowed only on 9.84 acres of land, but the miners are extracting material from over 25 acres of land. It is learnt that mining is allowed in 13 quarries, covering 115.97 acres. As per the terms of the auction, the miners can lift 5,22,765 tonnes of riverbed material from these quarries avery year. But with an estimated 3,500 trucks (each truck ferrying 29 tonnes) carrying material daily, over one lakh tonnes of sand and gravel is being lifted from here everyday. This means almost 365 lakh tonnes of material is being lifted every year and over 360 lakh tonnes illegally. Ruining Ecology Miners dig 10 ft to 12 ft deep trenches along the banks of the Sutlej With hundreds of trucks ferrying sand and gravel quarried illegally, dhussi bundhs near Saidpur Kalan and Phul Makauri villages sink Illegal mining at Phul Makauri, Saidpur Kalan and the riverbed near Niyamatpur and Shekhan Majara on Miners target larger areas around legally auctioned quarries In Saidpur Khurd, miners illegally extracting minor minerals from 100 acres of land This includes land owned by the Forest Department. Mining on forest land is banned Modus Operandi The illegal slips, called the ‘jhhota parchi’, are used rampantly here to allow the movement of the trucks ferrying illegally mined sand and gravel. The legal slips are called ‘weighment slips’ and should mention the quarry from where the material has been mined. The illegal slips are called “stand slips”, and are given to truck drivers and checked by goons who then collect ‘royalty’ from the truck owners. Demand Up With mining in Haryana banned, Punjab is now the sole supplier of sand and gravel in the region. With major infrastructure and real estate projects coming up in the region, there is a high demand for construction material. The supply, however, is at an all-time low. The price of sand has zoomed to Rs 2,300 per 100 cubic ft.
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Sukhbir: Centre biased against non-Cong states
Baba Bakala, August 2 Addressing a rally here to mark Rakhar Punia, Sukhbir said: “The Centre does not appear to be moved by the plight of Punjab farmers and has not awarded a single rupee to the state as drought relief.This is despite Punjab contributing 65 per cent foodgrain to the central pool.” He said though the government had already purchased power worth Rs 7,000 crore, which is 10 per cent more than last year’s peak demand, the failure of monsoon had raised power consumption in the state. He refuted allegations of power overdrawal by Punjab, saying the Northern Grid had tripped because of 51 per cent overdrawal by Haryana and 29 per cent overdrawal by UP. “I salute our enterprising farmers who have put everything at stake to ensure that their crops do not wither away,” Sukhbir said. He said work on three power plants was underway and these would start functioning by the end of 2013. “With new power plants coming up at Goindwal Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura, we will get 3,920 MW of extra power which would reduce our dependence on the Centre and make us self-dependant,” he claimed. The Deputy CM said all major cities would be connected with four-lane roads and Rs 13,000 crore would be spent on the road network in the next three years. He said he had directed the SSPs to intensify the police drive against petty crime such as snatching. He said non-performing police officers would face the music. On the sidelines of Rakhar Punia fair Both CM Parkash Singh Badal and PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh were conspicuous by their absence Ironically, the venue of the Cong rally was ‘Akali Farm ‘ Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia arrived at the SAD venue just as the function had ended A large number of people, particularly the youth, had queued along the road adjacent to the Congress venue to hear Punjabi singer Miss Pooja Congress MLAs from Majha did not attend the rally though some district Congress chiefs did turn up
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Mild lathi charge at Cong pandal
Baba Bakala , August 2 In the absence of PPCC chief Amarinder Singh and CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar, it was left to PPCC vice-president Laal Singh to take charge. Addressing the crowds, Laal Singh said the government was gearing up to levy new taxes, burdening the common man further. He alleged that the state debt, which stood at Rs 48,000 crore during Congress rule, had shot up to Rs 78,000 crore. “The state coffers are empty, government employees are not getting salaries and the farmers are getting power for only four hours a day. “This is the state of affairs under the ruling alliance which promised the moon to the electorate before the elections,” he said. The PPCC vice-president alleged that the ruling alliance had tried to stop Punjabi singer Miss Pooja from reaching the Congress venue. He said the police had resorted to a lathi charge at the Congress “pandal” without any provocation. Punjab Youth Congress chief Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary lashed out at the government for levying fresh taxes.
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BJP leaders meet Sukhbir, suggest cash subsidy for poor farmers
Chandigarh, August 2 A senior member of the party core committee today said that the Deputy Chief minister had been told that power bills should be sent to all farmers. However, small farmers should be compensated with power subsidy in cash.The subsidy amount could be tabulated on the basis of energy units consumed by tubewells. The party had suggested a committee of experts to work out the quantity of electricity required by a farmer to irrigate one acre of land in a year. The BJP leader said it was important that power supplied to farmers was metered. He said the party top brass had yet to decide whether farmers owning land up to five acres or up to seven acres should be given free power. “But our stand on the issue is clear that big farmers should not be given free power.” He said the BJP core committee had asked Sukhbir to withdraw the recent tax on sugar. It had urged the Deputy Chief Minister not to levy any tax on branded wheat flour and packaged pulses. For property tax, it had suggested that cities should be divided into zones and the weaker sections exempted from paying the tax.
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Clean drinking water still a pipe dream
Patiala, August 2
January: Of the 30 samples collected, 15 fail the test. Of the failed samples, four were collected from schools and the remaining 11 from different parts of the city and rural areas. February: 40 samples collected, out of which 17 declared unfit. March: 51 samples collected, out of which 14 fail the test. Of these, three were from schools. April: 40 samples collected and 12 fail the test. Of these, four were from the MC water supply line, two each from government and private schools and five from other parts of the city. May: Of the 60 samples, 25 samples fail the test. Of all of the samples, 41 were collected from submersible water supply areas and 12 of them were declared unfit. Another 14 were taken from areas where water is provided by the MC, out of which 12 failed. June: 52 samples collected, out of which 25 fail to clear the test. The outbreak of gastroenteritis was also reported in Ghanour and Madanour this month. Out of these 52 samples, seven were collected from Ghanour when gastroenteritis cases came to light and two were found unfit for drinking. Then, 13 samples were taken from Madanpur, out of which 10 were unfit for drinking. Five more samples were taken from Chaleri near Madanpur and two of them failed the test. July: There was a major outbreak of gastroenteritis in Sanjay Colony and Badungar Colony. Four persons died whereas more than 400 were hospitalised. As many as 64 samples were gathered, out of which 24 were found non-potable. Out of the total samples, 11 were collected from Sanjay Colony, four of which failed. As many as 17 were taken from Badungar Colony and nine of them failed to clear the test. Sample This Jalandhar: The Health Department collected 30 samples from various parts of Jalandhar and 20 of them were declared unfit for consumption. The Municipal Corporation separately collected 121 water samples, out of which 12 failed to clear the test. Patiala: In July, a major outbreak of gastroenteritis was reported in Sanjay Colony and Badungar Colony of Patiala. Four persons died while more than 400 were hospitalised. As many as 64 samples were collected, out of which 24 were found non-potable. Source of pollution: Mixing of sewage with drinking water whenever there is a leakage in supply line Water from garbage dumps seeping and mixing with underground water, which is supplied to the residents through tubewells
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Jalandhar MC blames it on illegal water connections
Jalandhar, August 1 Municipal Commissioner Vinay Bublani said residents at times illegally connect water pipes with the main supply line. "We have identified nine illegal connections in Manjit Nagar area alone. A door-to-door survey is on in other areas to detect more such connections," he said. The motive behind setting up illegal connections mostly is to evade water supply charges, an official said. "But, the act often costs the people dear as they are not able to fit these connections in a leakage-proof manner. Whenever a leakage occurs, sewage or toxic water enters the supply line, resulting in the outbreak of water-borne diseases," he said. This year, diarrhoea has already claimed five lives in the city while 231 persons have tested positive for the disease in the last less than a month alone. While the worst-hit areas are Manjit Nagar and Abadpura, stray cases have also been reported from Basti Peerdad, Rajan Nagar, New Rajan Nagar, Manjit Nagar, Abadpura, Bhargo Camp, Gandhi Camp, Phaggu Mohalla, Saidan Gate and Latifpura. Blaming the mixing of sewage with drinking water for the outbreak, the Health Department officials collected 30 samples from various parts of Jalandhar. Of them, 20, mostly from Manjit Nagar, Abadpura and Gandhi Camp, were declared unfit for consumption. Besides diarrhoea, six cases of jaundice and eight of typhoid have also been reported. The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation claims it collected 121 water samples this year, but a "negligible" 12 failed the test. Bublani said eight of the 12 water supply points had been rectified through chlorination. Another factor to blame for water contamination was seepage from various dumps. The Municipal Commissioner claimed the civic body had deployed assistants to clean dumps in the city regularly.
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268 tubewells in Ludhiana without chlorine machines
Ludhiana, August 2 Of the total 709 tubewells in the city, 441 are of 33 horsepower or above. The remaining (268) are smaller in size and without chlorination machines (dozers), a factor that is affecting the quality of water being supplied to the city with a population of over 13 lakh. The MC officials claim they are not able to install dozers in the 268 tubewells because they are installed on streets and are without a room. "Each dozer costs around Rs 16,000 and whenever we install them on small tubewells, they get stolen. As small and big tubewells are interconnected, we are now doing double chlorination from the point where big tubewells are situated," said Kamlesh Bansal, Assistant Commissioner (Technical) of Operations and Maintenance Cell, MC. But, the MC officials forget that a human life is costlier than Rs 16,000 and instead of doing away with installing dozers, they should find a permanent solution to check their thefts, a resident pointed out. It is learnt that even several big tubewells were without dozers as the civic body purchased a new lot of 200 chlorine machines only last month. Besides, staff crunch is also having its impact as the MC is not able to do proper chlorination of water supplied to the residents. High-risk season
As monsoon is on, there remains a high risk of the outbreak of water and vector-borne diseases. Sporadic cases of diarrhoea are already pouring in at different clinics and hospitals of the city. The district health department has collected as many as 399 water samples in the last seven months. District Epidemiologist Dr Puneet Juneja said, “We collected 399 water samples between January and July. Of these, 286 were found potable while 95 were found unfit for consumption. The results of the remaining 18 samples are pending. These 18 samples were among the 76 collected in July.” Two weeks ago, Dr Parvinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer of the Sahnewal Community Health Centre, got collected 10 samples from Dhandhari Kalan area. Of these, nine failed the potability test. Periphery worst hit
Potable water is a distant dream in many periphery areas of Ludhiana. Out of the 562 water samples collected from the periphery areas between January and July, 192 samples have failed, said Dr Juneja. In Jagraon, every year during monsoon, diseases like dengue and diarrhoea make an unwelcome comeback, thanks to toxic flow, which seeps into underground water, in the Ganda Nullah. The drain flows through several localities, including New Shastri Nagar, New Gaushala Road and Disposal Road. In the localities where the municipal council water supply is unavailable, the water drawn from shallow hand pumps is contaminated with the nullah waste. At least 30 cases of diarrhoea and 100 cases of dengue were reported from the Ganda Nullah-fringed localities last year. “Instead of adopting quick-fix solutions that are more of an eyewash, the civic authorities should cover up the nullah permanently. The seepage should be plugged and groundwater-contamination remediation adopted at the earliest,” says Balwinder Arora, a resident of New Shastri Nagar. Ganda Nullah problem
Jagraon Municipal Council president Baldev Krishan Dhir, however, claims the civic body regularly cleans the nullah. He blames the local residents for dumping garbage and animal waste into the drain which, he says, leads to the contamination of drinking water. In Jalajan village of Khanna, the nullah passing through the village is almost an open sewer that contaminates the drinking water. “This is an open invitation to disease. We are living in hellish conditions,” says a villager. The villagers have submitted a memorandum to the administration, stating that either the nullah be covered or reconstructed. Though the officials have assured them of prompt action, each day for these villagers is fraught with the threat of disease. (With inputs from Anupam Bhagria, Puneet Pal Singh Gill, Jaswant Shetra and Gurminder Singh
Grewal)
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Drought: PAU draws up contingency plan
Chandigarh, August 2 A senior PAU official said the rainfall deficit in Punjab varied between 22 per cent and 93 per cent. The worst hit were Ferozepur and Moga districts with a recorded rainfall deficit of 93 per cent (till July 25) each and Fatehgarh Sahib with a deficit of 90 per cent. In Mansa, the rainfall deficit was 87 per cent, Sangrur 76 per cent, Amritsar 74 per cent, Bathinda 65 per cent, Hoshiarpur 60 per cent, Kapurthala 46 per cent, Patiala 35 per cent and Ropar 22 per cent. The university has asked paddy farmers to avoid continuous pooling of water and to water the fields two days after water filtration. In case of the cotton crop, only alternate furrows should be irrigated. Farmers have been advised to apply mulch up to 25 quintal per acre in case of maize, cotton, sugarcane and vegetable crops. Mixing of tube well and canal water in a 60:40 raito has been recommended for the cotton fields. Nitrogen fertiliser should be used for paddy and maize crops where required. The university has recommended spraying of potassium nitrate on the cotton crop. It has advised four rounds of spraying, each after a gap of one week. For potato growers, the university has suggested application of green manure in fallow fields that could not be sown because of lack of irrigation. Green manure should be given at least 10 days before the sowing of potato. The university anticipates a sever shortage of fodder in adjoining states. If rainfall continues to be scanty, the fallow fields can be used to grow bajra as dry fodder.
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Suspended VC, SGPC president trade charges
Chandigarh, August 2 The SGPC president, when questioned on the issue, hit back at Ahluwalia, saying he had awarded three increments to seven members of his personal staff within a period of six months and enhanced the salary of a woman employee within five days of her appointment. Makkar claimed the woman employee was recruited 10 days back despite the fact that her services had been dispensed with by the earlier acting Vice Chancellor. Ahluwalia claimed that Makkar had suspended him because he had failed to follow his directions on “justifying” the 92 appointments after these were challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Ahluwalia said the petition before the court claimed that a sum of Rs 7 crore was spent on various purchases but there was hardly anything in the stock registers and only vouchers for payments. Ahluwalia, likening Makkar to a ‘mahant’, claimed that despite his services to the university, he was eliminated from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Fourth Centenary Trust which runs the university. The SGPC chief said Ahluwalia was a “liar”. He said his grandson was associated with the university since 2006. “It was Ahluwalia who sent a written note to me, stating that being a Chancellor’s relative did not bar my grandson from serving in the university”. Makkar said all the 92 appointments that Ahluwalia was objecting to now had been advertised by him. “ Since Ahluwalia was in hospital with a bullet injury, these were filled after following due procedure.” He said Ahluwalia had been unable to explain the increments to a chosen few without the sanction of the university trust. The SGPC president said Punjabi University Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh and two others had been made trustees. War of words
— Dr JS Ahluwalia, suspended Vice Chancellor — Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC president
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Two-member committee to probe charges
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 2 Makkar, who is also the chairman of the university, said the committee comprising SS Kohli and Satnam Namita would probe Ahluwalia's role in the alleged financial irregularities. Makkar said the committee members have been asked to submit the report within a week and added that appropriate action would be taken against the former VC. Meanwhile Dr Gurnek Singh, who was the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University when Dr Ahluwalia was injured in a shootout on August 1 last year said that former VC was levelling baseless charges against Makkar. Dr Singh said Makkar had ordered no recruitment in the university and it was he who had made recruitments during his tenure as acting VC.
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Wedding of Rakhra's niece
Patiala, August 2 Given Darshan's proximity with top political leaders and businessmen in the US, besides Punjab leaders, the occasion will see the presence of high-profile people. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and a battery of other politicians will soon leave for the US. The CM's office has already postponed Badal's engagements by a week. Sources said besides Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, three cabinet ministers, and senior officers were expected to attend the function. The hosts were expecting over 100 guests from India, subject to visa clearances, they said. "Many other important guests are also expected to fly to the US at the last minute and all preparations are complete on our part," said Ravee S Ahluwalia, coordinator and official spokesman for Dhaliwal brothers in India. Darshan Dhaliwal, president, Bulk Petroleum of Milwaukee, WI, who owns more than 1,000 gas stations across the US, makes huge contributions to politicians, community groups and religious organisations of the US. "We have sent invites to many close friends. The exact number of guests will be known only after visa clearances and other formalities," said Rakhra, who has already left for the US.
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Punjab may amend recruitment policy for doctors Chandigarh, August 2 Specialists in various disciplines have been demanding that they be placed above MBBS doctors in the seniority list as well as be paid certain emoluments at the time of recruitment. Punjab is short of at least 574 specialists, particularly gynaecologists, paediatricians, radiologists, surgeons and anaesthetists. At least 180 specialists were handed over job letters
recently. Dr Hardeep Singh, president of the PCMS Association, Punjab, said: “Creating a separate cadre for specialists is a welcome step. However, the exercise has no meaning till the financial package for MBBS doctors and specialists remains the same. At the moment, the pay structure for both the cadres is virtually the same. The state needs to follow the central pattern in this regard.”
The government is thinking of special incentives for doctors posted in "difficult areas”, especially since the doctors are reluctant to serve in rural areas. The incentives could be in terms of cash or career benefits. The department has decided on a four-year stay (instead of six years) in “difficult’ areas for doctors who want to pursue postgraduate studies in a government medical
college. The period of stay in a “difficult” station before postgraduation was two years before the recent amendment.
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Aspirants seek higher age limit for PCS
Chandigarh, August 2 They said the examination were held only twice since 1999 due to which many deserving candidates had crossed the upper age limit or were nearing the same. One such candidate Sanil Chawla said there was a gap of 10 years between the PCS examination conducted in 1999 and the notification of the second examination. He said the result of the second examination was declared in June 2012, three years after the examination were held. The candidates appealed to Chief Minister Parkash Singh
Badal, who has announced that the PCS examination would be held every year, to increase the upper age limit to 40 for a few years. They said this would allow the candidates who had lost opportunities to appear for the examination. They said Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had also increased the upper age limit to 40 while Rajasthan had an upper age limit of 45 years for its administrative services examination.
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Obsolete text books
Mohali, August 2 There are some changes under the National Curriculum Framework-2005 scheme and the NCERT pattern from this session. The changes have been made in as many as 25 text books of different subjects of various classes. Dr Balwinder Singh, Board Secretary, has been asked to fix responsibility in this case. "He will submit his report in the next meeting," said Hussan Lal, Chairman, PSEB. The books, now obsolete, weigh about 2,350 quintals and can only be sold as waste. Dr Balwinder Singh said the Board had engaged private printers to publish its books. "I will check why a bulk order was placed causing loss," he added. Board to outsource revision of books
The Board has decided to get a revision of text books done by experts from outside. Hussan Lal said the Board had six experts and some project officers who looked after the job of revision of books. "But now, we will rope in subject experts from outside who will coordinate with our staff. The idea is not to put a permanent burden on the Board by appointing more subject experts," he said. He said a committee would be formed to recommend the names as well as number of such experts to be hired. Sources said the English text books of classes XI and XII has not been revised since 1989. There are several other such text books that have not been revised for the last five years. "We need to put a system in place as far as the revision of books is concerned," said the chairman. Secret fund slashed
A sum of Rs 9 crore has been surrendered to the Board from the secret fund, which the Board's chairman is authorised to use. "There was a provision of Rs 11 crore for this fund. Around Rs 90 lakh has already been spent. We have decided to cut the fund to Rs 2 crore," said Hussan
Lal.
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HC: Consider traders’ plea on flyover design
Chandigarh, August 2 The petitioners claimed they were running commercial establishments, such as shops and a petrol pump opposite the District Courts near Kitchlu Chowk in Amritsar. The state government, in association with AIT and another government agency, has decided to build a flyover at the chowk to address the problem of traffic jams. The petitioners added their grievance was against the design of the flyover as it would "seriously affect the access to their premises". They added the petrol pump would have no access to the main road, although it was one of the pre-conditions to run a retail outlet. If the landing portion of the proposed flyover could be extended about 20 meters, their grievance could be suitably redressed, they suggested. The Bench asserted: "The Improvement Trust shall immediately convene a meeting of its architects/ engineers, who shall hear and associate the petitioners, while visiting the spot to explore the feasibility of carrying out the desired modification/amendment in the design of flyover to achieve the objective. Needful shall be done within a month".
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Rapped by HC, Punjab appoints nodal officers
Chandigarh, August 2 Punjab’s Senior Additional-Advocate General Jaskirat Singh Sidhu placed on record an affidavit by B.S. Sudan, Secretary to the Government of Punjab, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain. Sidhu added: “To ensure proper communication for the purpose of supplying information to the court, nodal officers have been appointed in 27 departments”. The Bench said: “We feel that with this arrangement the court will have better access to information”. The development is significant as the state of Punjab has already been at the receiving end for not being able to assist the Bench. Its law officers also have failed to appear before the High Court. In March this year, Justice L.N. Mittal had censured the state on the issue, while making it clear that the cases could not be decided on merit without hearing the state counsel. Illegal marriage halls shut down
Patiala: Following directions from Punjab and Haryana High Court, Patiala Deputy Commissioner and Chief Administrator of the Patiala Development Authority (PDA) GK Singh today shut down 78 illegal marriage halls in the region.
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XEN fined Rs 51,989 for power theft
Amritsar, August 2 XEN Subhash Chander had allegedly drawn power from a streetlight pole to run his appliances. An enforcement team of the PSPCL had raided his residence on July 21. Surinder Singh, SDO (commercial), PSPCL, who conducted the inquiry, said the charges had been proved. "The official has been fined at the rate of Rs 3,000 per kilowatt of load misused," he added. Additional Commissioner of AMC Pradeep Sabharwal said: "I have not received the PSPCL report, but the XEN has been called to explain his position after which we will decide the exact quantum of departmental punishment would be decided after that".
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Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today charged the Congress-led UPA Government with “blatant discrimination” against Punjab and other non-Congress states by denying them drought relief.
The recent outbreak of gastroenteritis and diarrhea in various parts of Patiala district has raised a question mark on the quality of water being supplied to the residents. Though the civic authorities claim to be providing safe drinking water in every nook and corner of the district, reports of water samples collected by the District Health and Family Welfare Department put forward a different story.
Ludhiana: The Health Department 399 water samples between January and July. Of these, 286 were found potable while 95 were found unfit for consumption. The results of the remaining 18 samples are pending.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president is responsible for "92 illegal" appointments, including that of his grandson as Deputy Director, Youth
Ahluwalia gave three increments to seven members of his personal staff within six months and enhanced the salary of a woman employee within five days of her appointment