B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Congress to hold state-level rally today
Faridkot, September 24
A lingering standoff between Congress and Akali leaders, over a kabbadi tournament in Dhimanwali village in Faridkot, took a political colour today after the Congress leaders announced a state-level political rally, instead of the sports event, on Wednesday.

MLA Jain appeals for regularisation of illegal properties
Moga, September 24
Moga MLA Joginder Pal Jain, who is facing the charges of raising an unauthorised colony in a local court, has appealed to the colonisers and residents of the district to get their colonies/plots regularised as per the new policy of the state government on or before October 7 this year.

25 kg opium seized at Abohar
Abohar, September 24
A team from the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC), Ferozepur, seized 25-kg opium today by intercepting a truck (RJ 19 GB 6853) near a kinnow grading and waxing plant, which is situated close to Daulatpura village on Sriganganagar-Abohar road.

Malout medico is among top 10 docs in state
Malout, September 24
Dr Sunil Bansal of the Sub-divisional Hospital, Malout, has brought laurels to the institute as well as the district after being added in the list of top 10 practising doctors in the state for the third time on the trot.

Elected people can’t complain about incomplete projects: HC
Chandigarh, September 24
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that an elected representative cannot come knocking at the doors of the courts after expressing helplessness to assist people.

Congress to hold state-level rally today
Admn, police asked to provide security to party leaders
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, September 24
A lingering standoff between Congress and Akali leaders, over a kabbadi tournament in Dhimanwali village in Faridkot, took a political colour today after the Congress leaders announced a state-level political rally, instead of the sports event, on Wednesday.

Senior leaders of Congress are expected to arrive for the rally. Besides eclipsing the kabbadi tournament in the village, which is now being organised under the leadership of Akalis, Congress plans to mobilise its party rank and file in the area with the rally.

Congress and Akali leaders were in a tug-of-war for the last two weeks here on the issue of their domination over the kabbadi tournament, an annual sports event.

There was a vertical split in the village also- one group standing with Akalis and the other supporting Congress.

Both Akali and Congress leaders decided to organise their separate tournaments and invited Sukhbir Singh Badal and Partap Singh Bajwa to preside over the concluding day functions of their respective tournaments.

While the Congress was to start this tournament on September 23, the Akalis decided to begin it on September 25. But the police played a spoilsport yesterday when it arrested some Congress leaders and workers when they were going to start the tournament, accusing them of breaching peace in the area. The arrests led to massive protest by Congress leaders and workers.

As the district administration was not allowing them to hold a separate tournament in the village, the Congress leaders today decided to organise a political rally in the village.

In a memorandum submitted to the police and district administration, the Congress leaders demanded security for their leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa, Sunil Jakhar and others, who were reaching the village to attend the rally.

“As we fear attempts to sabotage our political rally, the Congress has demanded security for its leaders”, said Kushaldeep Dhillon, former MLA and general secretary, Punjab Congress.

Many leaders and two party MLAs today submitted a memorandum to DC and SSP Faridkot, demanding security for the rally.

Baljit Singh Sidhu, DSP Kotkapura, said the police had no objection to the political rally and full security would be provided to the leaders.

However, Dhillon alleged that to spoil their rally, the police were time and again changing the venue of the rally.

MLA Jain appeals for regularisation of illegal properties
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, September 24
Moga MLA Joginder Pal Jain, who is facing the charges of raising an unauthorised colony in a local court, has appealed to the colonisers and residents of the district to get their colonies/plots regularised as per the new policy of the state government on or before October 7 this year.

Surprisingly, the MLA's statement has been released by the local office of the Public Relations Department wherein Jain showered praises for Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for providing relief to the people living in unauthorised colonies.

Interestingly, a case was registered against all five members of the MLA's family, including his wife, two sons, daughter, on August 26, 2007, under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995, at the Mehna police station in Moga district on the charge of raising an unauthorised residential colony.

The local court of JMIC Suman Agnihotri has decided to continue with the process of declaring the MLA's elder son Puneet Jain a proclaimed offender in the case, which has been fixed for hearing on September 30 this year.

Investigations made by TNS revealed that a few buildings had come on the land, which was illegally sold by the Jain family. So far, the PUDA has not approved building plans of any of the buildings raised on the controversial land.

It was learnt that efforts were initiated to get this colony approved as per the new policy. Since a case pertaining to the colony was pending before a court, no PUDA official was willing to take the risk.

Taking a dig at the SAD-BJP Government, local Congress leader Vijay Sathi, who was defeated by Jain in the assembly by-election held early this year, said the state of affairs could well be judged from the fact that the PR department was issuing an appeal for regularisation of colonies on behalf of a person who himself was an accused in a case of violation of the Property Act.

25 kg opium seized at Abohar
Our Correspondent

Abohar, September 24
A team from the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC), Ferozepur, seized 25-kg opium today by intercepting a truck (RJ 19 GB 6853) near a kinnow grading and waxing plant, which is situated close to Daulatpura village on Sriganganagar-Abohar road.

The consignment, wrapped in a polythene sheet, was hidden under salt bags that had been loaded at Phalaudi town of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan. The truck passed unchecked through the Rajasthan and Punjab inter-state barriers on the National Highway 15.

Preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that the opium bag was to be delivered in Muktsar district, the home turf of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister. Both had recently directed the police to launch result-oriented drive to check smuggling of narcotics from the neighbouring Rajasthan.

Acting on a tip-off, the ANC team, led by Sub Inspector Satpal, in-charge of the special cell, signalled the truck to stop. While one of its occupants managed to escape, two were nabbed.

The truck was searched in the presence of Balluana Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Veer Chand.

The police arrested Sona Ram, a resident of Ward number 22, Kabza Colony, and Khazam Khan of the graveyard area in Phalaudi.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surjit Singh Grewal, along with other officials, visited the site.

Interrogation of the nabbed culprits revealed that the one who managed to escape was Illahu Khan of Phalaudi. He had reportedly paid Rs 25,000 to Sona Ram, the truck driver, to carry the contraband and Rs 5,000 to his brother Khazam Khan for accompanying him to Muktsar.

A case under Sections 18, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at Khuyiansarwer police station in this regard.

Last month too, the police had seized narcotics smuggled through Rajasthan and meant to be delivered at Muktsar.

Malout medico is among top 10 docs in state

Malout, September 24
Dr Sunil Bansal of the Sub-divisional Hospital, Malout, has brought laurels to the institute as well as the district after being added in the list of top 10 practising doctors in the state for the third time on the trot.

From August 1, the Health Department had started the practice to name the top 10 practising doctors in the state after observing their fortnightly performance in three c e sixth, fifth and sixth position, respectively, in August 1 to 15, August 16 to 31 and September 1 to 15 lists.

Elated over his achievement, Dr Bansal, an MBBS having a post graduate diploma in hospital administration, said, “My hard work has finally paid. The state government selected me as I had examined 1,097 patients in the first half of August and 1,149 patients in the second half of the month. In the first half of September, I examined 1,233 patients.”

About his working, the 43-year-old medico said it was the result of his passion to serve people that favoured him. Dr Bansal is providing his services in Malout since the last almost 18 years.— TNS

Elected people can’t complain about incomplete projects: HC
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 24
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that an elected representative cannot come knocking at the doors of the courts after expressing helplessness to assist people.

The telling observations by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih came on a petition filed in public interest by a municipal councillor, Aditya Bhatara, against the State of Punjab. He was seeking directions from the High Court for the completion of a project that fell within his sphere of activity.

The Division Bench observations, made in context of a councillor, are also significant as the trend of filing petitions by politicians has witnessed an upswing during the recent years. Only recently, a Member of Parliament from Punjab had moved the court for issuance of directions for making alternative garbage collection arrangements.

He had claimed that the threat of epidemic was looming large with heaps of rubbish, as high as 25 feet, lying right next to the houses. He had added the residents, along with the visitors, were as such exposed to the perils of ill-health. The Member of Parliament had added that he was answerable to his constituency and could not see the city turn into an open air garbage bin.

Taking up Bhatara’s plea, the Bench observed: “The petition, styled as a public interest litigation, has been filed seeking completion of the sewerage work at Nakodar City, Jalandhar district.

“The most surprising part is that the petitioner is a municipal councillor and what he seeks implementation of falls within the domain of activity of a municipal councillor. A democratic system envisages representation at different levels and the basic level is at the panchayat level and the councillor level.

“A councillor cannot express helplessness to assist the people who have elected him and then come in a PIL seeking performance of municipal functions”. Dismissing the petition, the Bench added: “We are, thus, not inclined to entertain the PIL filed on behalf of the petitioner”.