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Fiscal crisis takes toll on Shagun scheme
Amritsar MP hits out at SAD-BJP govt
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Illegal mining: 2 IAS officers face HC wrath
Chandigarh, September 5 Less than a month after two IAS officers found themselves in the dock for alleged non-compliance of judicial orders on mandatory environmental clearance for mining up to five acres in Punjab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today came down heavily on them.
Jails bursting at seams, courtesy anti-drug drive
Convict in Beant Singh case moves HC for early release
All set for 6-laning Chandigarh-Ludhiana NH
BJP’s Tikshan Sud made political adviser to CM
Seeking hike in crops’ MSP, Akalis protest in Parliament
Rampant corruption in state depts: Dhillon
English shouldn't be official language of UT: Bittu
473 candidates clear PPSC (Main) exams
40 villagers taken ill after drinking contaminated water in Jagraon
Justice for CRPF jawan 16 years after his death
1 booked in Pir Muchalla forest land fraud case
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Fiscal crisis takes toll on Shagun scheme
The list of pending cases for August has not been prepared by the department so far. Official sources confirmed that in at least 6,000 cases till August this year, the entire amount of Rs 15,000 under the scheme had not been released. As many as 12,956 cases are pending for 2009-2010, 9,800 for 2010-11 and 5,811 for 2012-13. The department had reportedly made a budget plan of Rs 150 crore for different welfare schemes this year. During the assembly session in March, the House was informed that there was no authentic list of beneficiaries for Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Muktsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur. Prithi Chand, Director, SC/BC Welfare Department, said: "The problem pointed out in the assembly has largely been sorted out. We have updated the lists". Avoiding any reference to the non-release of funds for the previous two months, Prithi Chand said: "We have been told that the Finance Department has sanctioned funds under the Shagun scheme for 2011-12 and 2012-13. We are expecting the amount to be released by the treasury shortly". He said: "The government will give us a lump sum amount of Rs 7 crore per month from this year onwards. The total number of beneficiaries per month is expected to rise with the beginning of the wedding season next month". At least 50,000 girls claim the benefit under the scheme every year. On reports of fraudulent cases in different parts of the state, as was highlighted in the House meeting, Prithi Chand said: "These issues are being looked at by the deputy commissioners concerned". Earlier, Guriqbal Kaur, a Congress MLA, had informed the House that there were scores of girls in her constituency (Nawanshahr) who had been denied the benefit in the past more than two years.
the scheme
The government provides Rs 15,000 to girls belonging to SC/BC, minority and economically weaker sections on their marriage under the Shagun scheme
BENEFICIARIES AWAIT MONEY
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Amritsar MP hits out at SAD-BJP govt
Amritsar, September 5 Addressing mediapersons at his residence here, an emotional Sidhu said, “I consider Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as my father. But unfortunately, I have been meted out a raw deal. Though our party (BJP) is part of the government in the state, I feel as if I am an MP in the Opposition.” The cricketer-turned-politician also pointed out that there were some “favoured MPs” of the state government. He, however, refused to name them. He wondered as to how the state government was flush with funds and development works were underway at “breakneck speed” ahead of the Punjab Assembly poll in 2012 and why the situation was the opposite now when the Lok Sabha elections were approaching. Accusing the SAD-BJP government of stonewalling his pet projects, he said he kept silent all this while due to “coalition dharma”. He reiterated he was ready to make any sacrifice for the alliance. He alleged that while not a single penny was spent on his projects in the last couple of years, crores of rupees were diverted from the cash-rich Amritsar Improvement Trust to local bodies of other towns. He said the Amritsar Improvement Trust office should be locked if any more funds were transferred from it to other towns. Sidhu questioned the diversion of funds meant for Amritsar, particularly at a time when the cash-strapped Municipal Corporation (MC) did not even have money to pay salaries to its employees. “The situation in Amritsar is dismal. The MC has no trolleys for garbage collection, no ditch machines to deal with waterlogging and no money for repair of broken roads and even getting vehicles refuelled. There is no headway in the City Bus Service announced years back while the government schools and hospitals are in a bad shape. Electric wires can be seen dangling on the streets.” He also justified his move to stay away from the constituency: “If my projects are not making any progress, what should I do in Amritsar? How can I get new projects if the old ones are not completed?” He said he spent Rs 1.25 crore from his own pocket for the green drive in Amritsar. On any grudge against the BJP, Sidhu said he was a “disciplined” and “dedicated” soldier of the party. On any bias against him in the Punjab BJP, he quipped “everything is not said”. He, however, was bitter about the way his loyalists were targeted in last year’s MC poll and the party rewarded those who defeated them. Though he didn’t answer a query about his Lok Sabha poll candidature, he clarified that he was dedicated to Amritsar for his lifetime. “I have put my entire life’s earnings to build a home here. My wife quit her government job to contest elections. I am here to stay,” he said.
Now, pro-MP posters
Retorting to Congress leader Raman Bakshi's poster campaign, the BJP has pasted posters titled 'Sidhu Jaisa Koi Nahin' to drive home the point that the people of Amritsar were “lucky to have an honest MP like him”. "He has gone away from Amritsar to earn his livelihood. He earns his bread and butter through his profession as a TV celebrity and not through politics... He lives in the hearts of all of us," reads the poster.
'Take away prize money'
On the other hand, Bakshi said he was ready to pay the prize money of Rs 2 lakh to whomsoever Sidhu named. "Sidhu should come along with the person who brought him here and collect the cheque of Rs 2
lakh."
‘Funds diverted from Amritsar Improvement Trust’
A document released by Sidhu mentioned that the Amritsar Improvement Trust had given a loan of Rs 6 crore to the Kotkapura Municipal Council, Rs 4.18 crore to the Mansa Municipal Council, Rs 3.2 crore to the Nawanshahr Improvement Trust, Rs 3 crore to the Tarn Taran Improvement Trust and Rs 1.5 crore to the Qadian Municipal Council.
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Illegal mining: 2 IAS officers face HC wrath
Chandigarh, September 5 Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Karan Kartar Singh, and his predecessor AR Talwar, were questioned on the inability of the government to comply with the orders. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice GS Sandhawalia made it clear that the High Court orders are to be implemented and not to be junked in wastepaper basket. Dissatisfied with the explanations offered in the courtroom, the Bench indicated the government would keep facing contempt of court proceedings, if the judicial orders were not complied with. Both the officers were present during the proceedings. While the Bench granted Talwar exemption from appearance before the High Court, it asked Karan Avtar Singh to remain present on September 19. The two officers, on the previous date of hearing, were asked to show cause why contempt of court proceedings be not initiated against them for alleged defiance of High Court orders passed on August 17 last year. Digging deep into the issue of environment protection, the High Court had last year imposed complete and immediate ban on mining without environmental clearance in operational quarries of up to five hectares in Punjab. The Division Bench had also made it clear that the deputy commissioners would be held squarely responsible in case of any illegal mining. In its detailed orders, the Bench also directed Punjab Advocate-General to bring the court orders to the Chief Secretary's notice for forwarding the information to all the DCs in Punjab. The Bench had issued directions after the Union Government counsel informed the court that the orders passed by the Supreme Court of India made clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests mandatory. The state, as such, would have to obtain clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to continue with the mining operations. But, the state government failed the get the clearance from the SEIAA for mining even after one year of the court orders.
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Jails bursting at seams, courtesy anti-drug drive
Patiala, September 5 Furthermore, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had yesterday asked the district police chiefs to intensify their drive against the drug peddlers. Now, the Home Department is planning to speed up trials, release cancer patients and older inmates early to make room in the jails. The jail officials are worried as the number of persons held in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act (NDPS) cases have shot up. The number of inmates in the jails has increased by nearly 30 per cent since 2011 from 18,813 inmates to 23,200. Principal Secretary (Home) DS Bains told The Tribune that the government would soon take a decision on releasing elderly prisoners early. "The prisons are overcrowded. But the drug menace needs to be tackled. We will also try to build new jails at the earliest," Bains said. However, there are concerns that the Punjab Police in its effort to impress its political bosses is arresting drug users instead of drug peddlers. As per recent figures, 26 Punjab jails house 2,429 male and 86 female convicts under the NDPS Act while 4,283 male and 203 female under-trials are also held under the same. RP Meena, Punjab Additonal Director General of Police (ADGP), Jails, said, "New barracks in the existing jails should be constructed to tackle the problem of overcrowding."
77 held in Ferozepur in 5 days
Ferozepur: In a drive against drug menace, the Ferozepur Police has arrested 77 drug peddlers and lodged 65 cases under the NDPS Act in the last five days. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manminder Singh said a multi-pronged strategy was needed to check rampant drug abuse in the state. He said more than 2,300 tablets and a large quantity of poppy husk and illicit liquor had been seized in the last five days. The police had also started a 24-hour helpline (85588-92100) for those wishing to disclose any information on drug peddlers, he added.
— OC
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Convict in Beant Singh case moves HC for early release
Chandigarh, September 5 In his petition sent through the jail superintendent, Shamsher Singh said he had already spent 17 years behind bars, and his conduct was above board. He added that two communications were submitted to the jail authorities in May and June this year for his premature release. The communications were forwarded to the Patiala District Magistrate for his opinion. But, he was yet to hear from him. The case will now come up for further hearing on September 26. The High Court Bench headed by Justice Mehtab Singh Gill had earlier held: "All the accused - Balwant Singh, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Gurmit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh - were closely associated with each other in the execution of the (assassination) plan". On October 12, 2010, prime conspirator in the case Jagtar Singh Hawara escaped the gallows. The death penalty awarded to him by the trial court was commuted to life and he was directed to remain behind bars till his last. Balwant Singh's death sentence was upheld. Other convicts, Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh and truck driver Shamsher Singh were directed to serve life imprisonment.
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All set for 6-laning Chandigarh-Ludhiana NH
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved its alignment with three bypasses: from Mohali to Kharar, at Khamano and Samrala. The existing highway passes through these towns. The process to acquire the land for the bypasses, at an estimated Rs 400 crore, has been initiated. For the remaining part of the highway, there would perhaps be no need for land acquisition. The cost of the project, to come up on built-operate-transfer basis, is estimated around Rs 1,216 crore. There will be two toll plazas en route. The six-laning of the stretch, in fact, would begin from Sector 39, covering about a three-km stretch of road in Chandigarh. It would conclude at the Samrala Chowk in Ludhiana city. A 15-km-long bypass from Mohali to Kharar has been made part of the project to avoid the populated areas of both these towns where traffic jams have been a routine. The project has been hanging fire since its announcement in 2005 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh because of the failure to finalise its alignment in Mohali and Kharar. Sources said things started moving after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote a “strongly worded” letter to the Centre, highlighting the delay in the project’s execution. “The construction work will start by March 31 next year on the completion of various formalities, including land acquisition and awarding of tenders,” said Satish Chandra, Member (Finance), NHAI. Chandra said six-laining of the remaining 20-km stretch on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway had also been approved. The project would be completed by the NHAI at a cost of Rs 524 crore. It comprises two flyovers and nine major bridges. Another major project approved for the state is the construction of a flyover at Derabassi on the Chandigarh- Zirkapur-Ambala national highway. This will be constructed by the NHAI at a cost of Rs 146 crore. The work on the project would begin by the mid of next month. The stretch is congested because the highway passes through the thickly populated area of the town. As it is also one of the busiest highways in this part of the country, Badal had urged the Union Government to construct the flyover. A 7.5-metre-wide service road on either side of the elevated carriageway had also been planned.
Major headway
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BJP’s Tikshan Sud made political adviser to CM
The BJP has for long been insisting that more of its leaders be appointed in the government. Now, Badal will have two political advisers - Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Tikshan Sud. Grewal is a former Akali minister. Earlier, BJP youth leader Vineet Joshi was appointed as Media Adviser to the Chief Minister along with SAD party member Harcharan Bains, who has been Badal’s Media Adviser for a few years. A spokesperson of the Chief Minister's office said the formal orders regarding Sud’s appointment would be issued soon. The Chief Minister appointed RS Brahmpura as chairman of District Planning Committee, Tarn Taran; and Hardeep Singh Dhillon (Dimpy) as chairman of District Planning Committee, Muktsar. Meanwhile, the BJP, following clearance from the party high command, has submitted a list of 22 names to the Chief Minister for appointment as chairpersons of various boards, corporations and improvement trusts. Among them are Prof Rajinder Bhandari (Deputy Chairman, State Planning Board), Shakti Sharma (Chairman, Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation), Vinod Sharma (Chairman, Sewerage Board), Vijay Sampla (Chairman, Khadi Board), Harjit Singh Grewal (Chairman, Infotech) and Subash Verma (Chairman, Ludhiana Improvement Trust). Sources said BJP president Kamal Sharma also met Badal to discuss the outburst by Navjot Singh Sidhu. Sources said it was decided not to comment on whatever the Amritsar MP said.
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With capacity addition, foodgrain storage woes set to ease
Chandigarh, September 5 Sources in the Food Corporation of India's regional office here told The Tribune that of the 52.1 lakh tonnes of storage space to be created in Punjab under the private entrepreneur guarantee scheme, the state had created 33 lakh tonnes of storage. The state already has 102 lakh tonnes of covered storage capacity and a cap storage capacity of 106 lakh tonnes. It may be noted that in the past five years, the foodgrain storage capacity in the country has increased from 55 million tonnes to 74 million tonnes. However, there is still a need to augment the storage capacity as large amounts of foodgrain continue to be stored in the open. Till July, not only was this space completely occupied but also additional foodgrain (almost 12.8 million tonnes) was stored in the open storage facilities as well as in the fields and mandis. Of this, 2.8 million tonnes of foodgrain was vulnerable to the elements. To ensure that this vulnerable stock does not rot, the FCI has been quickly transporting the foodgrain from Punjab to the recipient states. As of date, 9.5 million tonnes is now stored in the open scientific storage space and just 0.2 million tonnes remains to be stored in the fields and mandis (unscientific storage). An average of 109 lakh tonnes of foodgrain is procured from Punjab each year, of which an average of 7-10 lakh tonnes is consumed in the state under the public distribution system and other schemes. The remaining 100 lakh tonnes is stored before it is transported to the other recipient states. Officials in FCI say the highest ever movement of foodgrain from Punjab has been 20 million tonnes a year, and by March 2014, they will surpass this target. Since the FCI is transporting 17 lakh tonnes of foodgrain in a month out of Punjab and new storage space has been added, there will be enough space available for scientific storage of the wheat crop next year.
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Seeking hike in crops’ MSP, Akalis protest in Parliament
Raising the issue in the Zero Hour, Akali Dal's Khadoor Sahib MP Rattan Singh Ajnala slammed the Congress-led UPA Government for failing to come to the aid of farmers who were repeatedly suffering due to the high input costs in farming and low remunerative prices. “The farmers have recently suffered losses and the issue at stake is how to compensate them. The farmers are the backbone of our country. Over 65 per cent people are dependent on farming. However, injustice has been meted out to farmers ever since we attained Independence. The Congress has always harmed the interests of the farmers because it has ruled most of the time," Ajnala said, He said several commissions had recommended that farmers must be given remunerative MSP so that they could recover the input cost of farming. “However, the Union Government has failed to act on this issue. The MSP being given is a pittance. Only Rs 3,600 is being provided by the government as compensation whereas the input cost of a farmer is Rs 42,000 per acre. It is a cruel joke on farmers. The Centre doesn't know anything about the ground reality," said Ajnala.
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After protest, Health Minister makes low-key visit to hospital
Patiala, September 5 Despite the fact that the hospital authorities had been preparing for the minister’s visit for the past three days, they decided not to inform the media about his visit till the very end. Repeated enquiries regarding the minister’s visit remained unanswered as the authorities said there was no fixed plan. Sources said it was the minister who had directed the authorities not to divulge the details of his visit since he did not want to interact with the media. It was the District Public Relation Office who finally informed about his visit one and a half hour before his visit. However, the minister was almost two hours late than the scheduled time. Notably, the visit of Bhagat to inaugurate the state-of-art machinery at TB Hospital and newly renovated emergency ward at Rajindra Hospital was marred by protests by various factions of the employees and other associations. While representatives of the Aam Aadmi Party obstructed his way in Rajindra Hospital seeking action in the Rs 2 crore medicinal herb scam at Government Ayurvedic Dispensary, Patiala, members of the Rajindra Hospital Bachao Sangharsh Committee also handed over a memorandum to Bhagat seeking various reforms in the hospital, including keeping the OPD timings on the pattern of the PGIMER, holding all medical tests in the hospital itself and filling of vacant posts of doctors, nurses and other employees for smooth functioning of the hospital. However, the worst came when members of the Contract Basis Nursing and Paramedical Staff Association held a protest against non-regularisation of their services even after more than three years and non-disbursal of their salaries. When the media threw a volley of questions at the minister, he could not reply any of the queries. Meanwhile, the minister took a round of the newly set up emergency of Rajindra Hospital under the supervision of Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Harshinder Kaur. He also inaugurated new machinery in the eye department. The minister also announced that the teachers would be given academic leave of 20 days once a year for national conferences and once in two years for international conferences and the government would bear their expenses.
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Protests mar Teacher’s Day celebrations in Patiala
Patiala, September 5 Members of the Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union, Punjab, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan/ Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan/Central Sponsored Scheme Teachers Union, Punjab, and TET Pass Unemployed Union of Punjab held demonstrations and meetings in the city in protest against alleged anti-teacher policies of the Punjab Government. The aided school teachers wore black badges during the school hours and later gathered outside their respective schools and raised slogans against the Punjab Government for ignoring their demands, including delay in paying their salaries and not merging aided schools with government schools despite severe financial crunch. Similarly, the SSA/RMSA/ CSS teachers held a protest rally and later burnt an effigy of the Punjab Government for delay in regularising their services and not releasing their salaries for the past many months. Meanwhile, the TET Pass Unemployed Teachers Union held a meeting and decided to take part in the state-level rally at Ludhiana on September 8. Sangrur: Members of district unit of the SSA, RMSA and CSS Teachers Union, Punjab and the Democratic Teacher’s Front, Punjab burnt the effigy of the state government at the Traffic Lights Chowk, near main bus stand, here on Teacher’s Day. Aman Sharma, state press secretary of the SSA, RMSA and CSS Teachers Union, demanded regularisation of their services and criticised the state government for not releasing salaries of its employees. Balbir Chand Longowal, district president of the Democratic Teacher’s Front said the state government should scrap its decision of shutting down schools. He also demanded that ETT teachers be promoted to the master cadre.
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Rampant corruption in state depts: Dhillon
"There is rampant corruption not only in the Public Works Department, but in almost every government department in Punjab," said Dhillon. He was in the town to lay the foundation stone of a power supply strengthening project (worth Rs 16.77 crore) at the district headquarters here. Speaking to mediapersons, Dhillon said corruption cases involving an estimated amount of Rs 40 crore were detected in the last one year alone and several officials had been sent behind bars. He said officials suspected of any wrongdoings were under a constant scrutiny. About the state's fiscal condition, Dhillon said Punjab was financially sound and had the capacity to carry on the development projects announced by the state government. He said there was nothing wrong in taking loans and the state government had enough means to raise money for its development works. He said the work on the widening of the Rajwaha bypass from Bharonpur to Sirhind would begin soon as the state government had approved Rs 20 crore for it.
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English shouldn't be official language of UT: Bittu
Chandigarh, September 5 He expressed surprise over the fact that English language had been recognised as an official language of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Bittu questioned the basis of this decision when the mother tongue of a majority of the 11 lakh people residing in the city was either Punjabi or Hindi.
— TNS
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473 candidates clear PPSC (Main) exams
Patiala, September 5 The commission has decided to hold physical tests for the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police on September 21 and 22 this year. The interviews will be conducted from September 24 onwards. The secretary said to bring transparency and provide a level playing field to all candidates, the schedule for the interviews would be informed to the candidates in a staggered manner so that each candidate gets 10 days before his/her interview. Moreover, any candidate who tries to obtain any kind of support for his interview would make him liable for disqualification, she added.
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40 villagers taken ill after drinking contaminated water in Jagraon
Jagraon, September 5 On getting information, a team of the Health Department reached the village. “Due to leakages in the water supply pipes, polluted water got mixed with drinking water," said Sharanjit Singh, a panchayat member. Village Sarpanch Chamkaur Singh said the panchayat had brought the issue to the notice of the board officials and other departments concerned but of no avail. "Due to the negligence of the local administration, so many villagers have fallen ill after drinking the contaminated water," the sarpanch said. Sidhwan Bet SMO Satpal Singh said 40 villagers were examined by a team of doctors. District Epidemiologist Dr Anil Verma said as many14 patients were undergoing treatment at the field hospital set up at a gurdwara. Jagraon SDM Apneet Rayat said strict instructions had been issued to the Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Board to repair the water supply pipes with immediate effect.
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Justice for CRPF jawan 16 years after his death
Chandigarh, September 5 The order came nearly 16 years after the former constable died.His case also prompted the High Court to lay down a law for times to come. Taking up his case, Justice Paramjeet Singh minced no words to rule: “There is no absolute bar on consumption of liquor by the members of the disciplined force.” He said: “Rather, it is provided in inclement weathers as well as during the off duty hours, but only from the authorised canteen”. Former constable Parasad’s case is just one of the two lakh cases pending before the High Court; and it is suspected that many of the petitioners are no more there to pursue their grievances. When some of these cases are suddenly listed, the counsels are often at a loss in the absence of complete records or instructions. Attribute it to the shortage of judges, or filing of frivolous petitions, the fact remains that the delay also tends to change the course of the outcome. The High Court, as of now, has a shortage of 21 judges. It has 47 judges against the sanctioned strength of 68. Referring to the case in hand, Justice Paramjeet Singh observed Parasad joined the force in October 1983 and rendered about seven years of service.
As such, the punishment of his removal from service was harsh. “The order of removal from service is substituted by an order of stoppage of one annual increment with cumulative effect. The petitioner shall have the benefit of continuity of service till death, but shall not be entitled to arrears of pay or other financial benefits for the period between his removal till his death,” Justice Paramjeet Singh added. In his petition against the Union of India and other respondents, Parasad had sought the quashing of order dated March 15, 1990, whereby he was removed from the service. After he died in January 1997, his legal representatives pursued the case. Posted at Moga, he was charge-sheeted under the provisions of the Central Reserve Police Force Act on the allegations of consuming alcohol in an unauthorised manner from a local vend; and beating up a rickshawpuller and picking up a quarrel. The inquiry officer exonerated the petitioner from allegation of beating and assaulting civilians, but found that he petitioner had consumed alcohol from a local vend. Before parting with the matter, Justice Paramjeet Singh added: “This court would have remanded the case to the authorities for reconsideration with regard to the punishment, but the same is not being done. Firstly, the petitioner has already expired and the petition is being pursued by his legal heirs. Secondly, the matter is pending since 1991 and already more than 22 years have elapsed”.
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1 booked in Pir Muchalla forest land fraud case
Mohali, September 5 Tarlochan Singh, Station House Officer, Zirakpur Police Station, said a case under Sections 420, 465, 467, 471, 120 B of IPC had been registered against Shivdayal and others on the complaint of Inderjit Kaur Kang, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Derabassi. “We received a communiqué from the SDM office in this regard this evening,” said Tarlochan Singh. Sources said a separate inquiry was being conducted by the SDM to identify the officials involved in transferring of the government land worth around Rs 1,264 crore in the name of Shivdayal by tampering land records and other documents. “After identifying the officials, their names will be added to the FIR,” said Mohali Deputy Commissioner Tejinder Pal Singh. “We are not going to spare anybody involved in the case,” he said. A chunk of 337.19 bighas of forestland was fraudulently transferred in the name of Shivdayal by tampering with old ‘jamabandis’ and other related land documents in 2010. Earlier, the offices of the SDM and the Punjab Forest Department were reportedly passing the buck over the issue of registering a case. The land in question had already been restored to the forest department yesterday by correcting all records. “The land has already been transferred back to the forest department and the name of Shivdyal Singh now no longer figures in the records,” said the Deputy Commissioner. The fraud came to light when the forest department obtained the ‘fard’ of the land totalling 1,871 bhigas this year. The officials were shocked to find that a chunk of 337.19 bighas of land was transferred in the name of Shivdyal. The investigation by the District Revenue Officer found a large number of tampering with the documents since 1952. There have been instances of pages having been replaced, signatures not matching, overwriting and variations in ink.
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