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Centre to set up AIIMS near Jalandhar
Badal, Sukhbir skip Anandpur Sahib
function
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Gaba’s son arrested in synthetic drug racket
Bajwa rejects Sukhbir’s clean chit to Majithia
Heroin seized from jail inmate
2 quintals of drug powder seized
District BJP stakes claim to Patiala seat
Hooda govt meddling in Sikh
affairs: SAD
SAD (A) to contest bypoll
Malerkotla boy Vidhu’s family to move court
mgnrega scam
2 yrs on, no FIR yet in old age pension scam
Soon, policy to check farm wastage: Harsimrat
Angry workers confront AAP leader Sisodia
Jalandhar girl seventh in JEE, wants to do computer engg
SGPC gives aid to displaced farmers
Health Minister transfers two in surprise visit
'Suicide' in Gurdaspur jail
School board awaits Rs 5-crore rent from Education Dept
Powercom faces staff shortage, consumers suffer
Officials told to redress complaints in stipulated time
Abohar bridge construction goes at a snail’s pace
Sikh varsity to set up AstroTurf
De-addiction camps at health centres
Relative held for hacking 2 to death
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Centre to set up AIIMS near Jalandhar
New Delhi,
June 19
To tackle the drug menace in the state, the Union Minister assured Badal that the Centre would help the state government set up advance de-adddiction centres. Dr Harsh Vardhan directed the officers to restore the financial support to the state under the National Rural Health Mission for operationalising Ambulance 108 services. The proposed AIIMS will be set up near Jalandhar. The state government will provide 200 acres of land free of cost to the Centre for the project. To deal with the drug “crisis”, Badal sought a central grant of Rs 200 crore to cope with the “crisis”. The CM also pleaded Dr Harsh Vardhan that the Centre allowed admissions to the Government Ayurvedic College Patiala. He urged that Punjab’s small and marginal farmers be covered under the centrally sponsored “State Illness Fund”. Under the scheme, Rs 1.5 lakh is given to BPL patients for treatment of terminal diseases The CM also met Union Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkiah Naidu. He was told that the Centre would develop the holy city of Amritsar as “smart city”. Naidu assured Badal that pending projects worth Rs 743 crore would be approved to strengthen the water supply and sewerage system in small and medium towns in the state under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Badal told Naidu that the Union Urban Development Ministry had sanctioned 19 projects for Punjab worth Rs 1,720 crore. However, the state had only received the first installment of Rs 85 crore for three of the projects worth Rs 682 crore. With the grant for the remaining projects, amounting Rs 1,037 crore pending, development projects in the state had taken a hit. Naidu suggested that Punjab, taking advantage of the National Urban Livelihood Mission, should open skill centres for the city youths.
Badal, Sukhbir skip Anandpur Sahib function
Anandpur Sahib, June 19 State Industry
Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Education Minister DS Cheema, MLAs
from Anandpur Sahib and Ropar, respectively, were scheduled to attend
the function. But they were reportedly summoned by the Chief Minister
camping in New Delhi. Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC president, and local
Member of Parliament Prem Singh Chandumajra said the Chief Minister
and the Deputy CM were in Delhi to sort out issues related to the
Haryana SGPC. Makkar, who inaugurated a gurdwara website, said
“Khasla Marches” would be held at Damdama Sahib, Paonta Sahib,
Kurukshetra and Delhi. As many as 3.5 lakh saplings would be planted
at Anandpur Sahib. — TNS
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Gaba’s son arrested in synthetic drug racket
Jalandhar, June 19 Though the police authorities have yet to announce the arrest officially, highly placed sources confirmed that Monu had been arrested under Sections 21/22/61/85 of the NDPS Act. A case in this regard was at the Fatehgarh Sahib police station. Gaba had earlier joined the probe being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the Rs 6,000-crore drug racket, but now his whereabouts are not known. He is reportedly a close confidant of former Jail Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur. Monu had been running a pharmaceutical factory in Himachal Pradesh. He is accused of supplying pseudoephedrine (used to make ICE) to druglord Varinder Raja. The latter had been supplying ICE to several foreign countries. Monu’s name cropped up during the questioning of druglord Jagdish Bhola. Earlier this month, the Jalandhar (Rural) police had rounded up Phillaur MLA Avinash Chander's "close confidant" Gurmail Singh alias Bhola Haripuria for his alleged involvement in the drug trade and illegal sand mining. On June 13, Manjeet Singh Billa, district vice-president of the Youth Akali Dal, allegedly having proximity with Avinash, was arrested with 110 gm of drug powder.
Arrested Nigerians in 10-day police custody Amritsar:
The six Nigerians, who were nabbed by the State Special Operations cell (SSOC) from Delhi yesterday, had no passports. To establish their identity, the SSOC will take the help of the Interpol, said sources involved in their interrogation. The accused were produced in a local court on Thursday. They were sent to a 10-day police custody. The Nigerians, who were “end recipients” are suspected to have close links with notorious smugglers in Pakistan and India. With their arrest, the counter-intelligence wing of the Punjab Police claims to have busted a drug distribution network with contacts in Nigeria, Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Canada and the US. Those arrested were identified as Sydney Obinna, Uzochekwu Clement, Alogsis Ezechinelu, Mike, Victor and Peter. They were residing in a rented accommodation in New Delhi. — PK Jaiswar
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Bajwa rejects Sukhbir’s clean chit to Majithia
Chandigarh, June 19 Bajwa said Sukhbir was trying to get away by saying that the allegations against Majithia were created by media as he had "cleverly avoided" ordering any inquiry into the allegations. Bajwa said no investigation had been done by any agency against Majithia and this was exactly why he had been demanding a CBI probe into the multi-crore racket. Interestingly, the demand for CBI inquiry had not been supported by former Chief minister and Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh. Bajwa said Sukhbir cannot not be the investigator, prosecutor and the judge himself when it came to Majithia in the scandal. Bajwa said the Deputy Chief Minister could not have different standards for different people as he had acquitted his brother-in-law but Tourism Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur had to submit his resignation as the name of his son Damanvir Singh had cropped up in the drug scandal.
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Heroin seized from jail inmate
Faridkot, June 19 The drug was seized from Surjit upon his return from a court hearing in Amritsar. The jail authorities have written to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Faridkot, for action against the two police officials who accompanied Surjit for the court hearing. “How the drug was handed over to Surjit and he was able to hide it in his hair in the presence of the police officials needs to be investigated,” Jail Superintendent Kuldeep Singh Thiyada said. “Some criminals are misusing their religious ethos to carry out their nefarious business of drugs in the jail. To stop the inflow of drugs, we should be given more powers,” he added.
2 quintals of drug powder seized
Ferozepur, June 19 Gurpreet Singh Toor, Senior Superintendent of Police, said this kind of powder was being provided by certain “vaids” (unregistered medical practitioners) to fulfill the needs of drug addicts. Toor said the police confiscated 14,490 intoxicating tablets and also arrested one person. He said over 210 drug peddlers had been arrested in the district so far. — OC
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33% water samples taken from govt schools fail test
Sangrur, June 19 The health authorities collected 74 water samples from various government schools of the district between January and May this year. Test reports had been received in 69 cases so far and 23 samples (33 per cent) had failed the test. The results in case of the remaining five samples were still awaited. The water samples are tested at the State Public Health Laboratory, Chandigarh. Out of the 23 failed water samples, five had high fluoride content. These samples were collected from government schools at Bhasaur village (three samples), Beer Kalan village and Jain Patti village. The remaining 18 samples failed the test due to bacteriological contamination. The schools from where these samples were taken are situated at Dehlij Kalan, Dehlij Khurd, Fatehgarh, Gandhuan, Sikendarpura, Badshahpur, Khillrian, Mallumajra, Wazidgarh, Matoi, Dalman, Natt, Buraj Sedha, Bhudan, Kherri Jattan, Ubhiya villages and Sangrur city. The authorities had also collected water samples from eight private schools in the district. Test reports ad been received in case of four schools. Samples taken from two of them had failed the test. Results of remaining four samples were still awaited. Private schools situated at Chathe Sekhwan village and Wazidgarh village had failed the test due to bacteriological contamination. A Health Department official said they had written letters to the heads of the schools to initiate steps to improve the quality of drinking water in their respective institutions. In cases of bacteriological contamination, heads of the schools concerned had been advised to dig deeper bores for submersible pumps. They had also been told to chlorinate the water. In the case of high fluoride content, the school heads had been asked to close the water source and arrange some alternative source of water, he added.
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District BJP stakes claim to Patiala seat
Patiala, June 19 Its president Anil Bajaj said that a BJP nominee should be fielded from this constituency as Akali nominees had been repeatedly rejected by the voters. A resolution was passed in this regard. Bajaj said that with the BJP Government at the Centre, a BJP legislator could easily pursue various development works in the city. Bajaj will be meeting state president Kamal Sharma in this regard. “The SAD has not won the seat since 1997. Hence, the BJP should be allotted the ticket this time. Also, Patiala city has more Hindu than Sikh voters. The voters have already rejected the Congress with its three-time MP Preneet Kaur losing to the Aam Aadmi Party candidate. Now, the voters want to vote for the BJP,” Bajaj claimed.
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Hooda govt meddling in Sikh
affairs: SAD
New Delhi, June 19 In a memorandum to Union Minister Rajnath Singh, the delegation alleged that the Congress Government in Haryana was making deliberate attempts to set up a parallel body to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). “This
is tantamount to interfering in Sikh religious affairs,” the delegation said. “Despite
its claims of being a secular party, the Congress, during the last Assembly
elections, chose to mention this issue in its manifesto,” said the Akali
leaders. They said during the last SGPC elections, the “Congress-sponsored
elements made a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana their main poll plank
and lost all 11 seats to SAD nominees. Yet they have not abandoned the move,
which could threaten peace,” said an Akali leader. The memorandum claimed that the UPA Government had also opposed this move and had dissuaded the Haryana Chief Minister from pursuing it. Sehajdhari
issue In a separate memorandum, the delegation asked the Centre to
introduce a legislation to settle the Sehajdharis’ voting right issue. The
Sehajdharis were given the right to vote through an amendment in the Gurdwara
Act in 1944 . On November 30, 2000, March 30, 2001, and again on March 30,
2002, the SGPC passed resolutions against this. The Vajpayee-led Central
Government issued a notification on October 8, 2003, “deleting the exception”
awarded to the Sehajdharis. But the notification was set aside by the High
Court on December 20, 2011, on the ground that such an amendment could not be
brought about by a notification. The Akali leaders want the Modi Government
to introduce a legislation in Parliament to amend the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925,
so that the Sehajdharis are denied the voting right. They want the amendment to
be enforced retrospectively from October 8, 2003.
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SAD (A) to contest bypoll
Sangrur, June 19 Byelections to the Talwandi Sabo and Patiala Assembly seats were already due, while Dhuri MLA Arvind Khanna had also sent his resignation to the Speaker. The meeting was presided over by Master Karnail Singh Narike, a general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Keeping in view the byelections, the party’s organisational structure was being strengthened, Mann said. He said new members were being enrolled across the state while an opportunity was being given to active leaders to serve the party. Among others who were present or who addressed the meeting were Master Karnail Singh Narike, Shamsher Singh
Maloa, Bahadur Singh Bhasaur, Barnala district president Ranjit Singh Sangherra and Sangrur district president Harjit Singh
Sajuma.
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Malerkotla boy Vidhu’s family to move court
Sangrur, June 19 Prem Jain, Vidhu’s paternal uncle, said 260 days after Vidhu’s death, the police had failed to zero in on the killers. He blamed “vote politics” for it. Demanding speedy justice, he said a seven-member committee, with lawyers from Chandigarh, had been formed to pursue the case in the High Court.
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mgnrega scam
Chandigarh, June 19 Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Sikander Singh Maluka today said the department had received some complaints in the implementation of scheme. It was thus decided to conduct an audit of panchayats accounts of 450 villages which received more grants compared to other villages, he said. He said the department had formed special teams that would start functioning from tomorrow and would submit their report within a month. Unopposed panchayats Maluka said the department had sanctioned grants to 400 panchayats elected unanimously in the 2008 panchayat election. He said the grants would be released soon.
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2 yrs on, no FIR yet in old age pension scam
Gurdaspur, June 19 Once reports surfaced that many people who were not eligible were availing these government doles, Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha formed a committee comprising officials of various departments. The committee members submitted their report, which was handed over to the Director, (Social Security), Punjab. Officials are awaiting the Director’s orders before proceedings against the fraudulent pensioners. The scheme, in which Rs 250 is given to males who are above the age of 65 and women who have crossed the age of 58, has acquired political contours with officials claiming that SAD and Congress sarpanches dole out benefits to their favourites. Both parties ensure that pensions are given to their favourites despite the fact that some claimants are either under-aged or have large land holdings to their names. There are a total of 1,47,787 pensioners in this district and a sum of nearly Rs 3.9 crore is earmarked every month to cater to the scheme. However, the 13,000 odd fake pensioners detected in this border district have clearly proved that the scheme is full of loopholes. The pensions of these 13,000 odd ‘old age’ people have now been put on hold but highly placed officials claim that despite violating government guidelines and defrauding the treasury of lakhs of rupees, not even a single FIR has been registered against these people. Surinder Kaur, who holds the additional charge of District Social Security Officer, said recovery notices had been sent to these fake beneficiaries. She said “there was no provision under the law to book these people for a criminal offence”. An official confirmed that not even a single FIR had been registered in Gurdaspur district against those who had “defrauded” the government. In rural areas, pensions are granted to people after the village sarpanch identifies and authenticates their credentials while in urban areas it is the job of the municipal councillors. There have been numerous instances where affluent people have been found to be availing these doles. “Some of these pensioners are considered to be wealthy people. Moreover, their children are well ensconced in government jobs and there was no need for them to indulge in a shameful practice, which makes them richer by just Rs 250 per month. The old age pension malady --- as it is known in Gurdaspur --- has spread its tentacles deep and wide. We are constantly under pressure from politicians to refrain from taking action against fake pensioners who are also their loyal party workers,” remarked an official of the social security department.
Action awaited 12,987 fake pensioners detected in Gurdaspur district 1,47,787 the total number of pensioners in Gurdaspur district 3.9 crore rupees is earmarked every month to cater to the scheme 250 rupees is given to males who are above the age of 65 and women who have crossed the age of 58
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Soon, policy to check farm wastage: Harsimrat
Bathinda, June 19 Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was here today to pay obeisance at Takht Damdama Sahib and thank the electorate for reposing their faith in her for the second time, spelled out that her first priority as minister would be to bring processing/ processed food within the reach of the masses. The local MP said the food processing industry had great potential to play an important role in the development and economic strengthening of the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Harsimrat, who was given a guard of honour at the local Circuit House on her arrival in the city, said around 18 per cent of the farm produce worth millions is wasted for want of scientific harvesting, storage, processing and transportation facilities. It is simply not done in a country like India where a huge percentage of people are living below the poverty line, she said. “We are making a policy to stop this wastage. By doing so, we will not only rein in the ever rising prices of the food products in the open market but also bring processed food within the reach of every Indian family,” she reiterated. The UPA government totally neglected this sector but the incumbent NDA government will be paying special attention to correct the lost opportunities over the past decade, she pointed out. The food processing sector has the potential to not only revive the Indian economy but also to create more jobs for the unemployed youth, especially in the rural and semi-urban areas. New industry under food processing will be set up and the youth under 35 years, who comprise 65 per cent of our population, will get jobs, she said. On the Punjabi youth trapped in Iraq, she assured that the Indian Government is taking every possible step to ensure the safety of the youth trapped in the oil rich country. “We are monitoring the developments on this issue on an hourly basis,” she said. On a query on the long delayed opening of the Civil Airport in Bathinda, she said she had called on the Union Aviation Minister who assured her that it will be functional soon. To a query on the slim victory margin this time, she said “she had only worked as a gardener and it was beyond her to know how many of the plants and trees she diligently tended to bore fruit”.
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Angry workers confront AAP leader Sisodia
Bathinda, June 19 He said this was a time-consuming exercise that must be discarded. He accused AAP leaders of pursuing a pick and choose policy while selecting candidates and office-bearers. A memorandum signed by 92 persons was handed over to Sisodia. Party to launch drive against drug abuse
Patiala: The AAP is all set to launch a campaign against drug menace in the state.
In Patiala to interact with party leaders and volunteers under the “Mission Vistar” programme, Sisodia said gaining political power was never the motive of their party. Their aim had always been to motivate people to rise against social evils for a better future, he said. The polling trend in the state during the last General Election was proof that the party was on the right track, he claimed. Sisodia said as far as Punjab was concerned, the party was making special efforts to root out the menace of drugs that had virtually crippled the state. “Our focus is not just to contest the 2017 state Assembly elections and form the government but to fight for preserving the identity of the state. We will be working on igniting the masses, especially youngsters. We will be uniting the masses for launching movements against the Punjab Government that has failed to control the growing problem of drugs,” he said. About “Mission Vistar’, Sisodia said the party was trying to empower its cadres through this drive. It also helped in getting feedback from volunteers, he said. Sisodia was accompanied by Patiala MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi and leaders Jarnail Singh and Raghav
Chadha.
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Girl who lost her arm awaits relief
Muktsar, June 19 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a Sangat Darshan in Abohar in November had announced a government job and Rs 2 lakh as compensation to her. Her father Sant Ram, a labourer, said, “On February 23, 2013, my daughter was told to bring a mat from the first floor of the school by the staff. The mat was wet and lying on a wall. When she attempted to touch it, she came in contact with high-voltage wires. Doctors had to amputate her right arm,” he said. Showing his correspondence with the Punjab State Women Commission, the Chief Minister and the district authorities of Muktsar and Fazilka, he said, “Though the school management and some locals helped me by contributing money for the treatment of my daughter, the state government failed to fulfil its promise.” School Principal Baljeet Kaur said, “We are in the process of arranging an artificial limb for her. It will be great assistance to the family if the state government provides a job to the victim as she belongs to a poor family.” Devinder Kumar Rajoria, District Education Officer, Muktsar, said, “The officials of our department tried their best to provide maximum help to the victim’s family.”
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Jalandhar girl seventh in JEE, wants to do computer engg
Jalandhar, June 19 With a penchant for mathematics since childhood, she says she had decided to opt for engineering when she was in Class IX. Born to a doctorate couple teaching at Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology here, Aditi says the ability to focus and steer clear of distractions enabled her to make it big in the examination. Her father Partap Singh is a Professor of civil engineering while her mother Geeta Singh is an Associate Professor of mathematics. “My parents provided me the right kind of atmosphere at home. My brother also helped me a lot in the preparations,” she says. A student of the local Swami Sant Dass School, she started preparing for the exam in Class X. She had joined a satellite course through which she had been receiving lessons from experts, besides guidance from local teachers. “Hard work is inevitable if one wants to crack the JEE. I studied for 11 to 12 hours,” she says. Among her hobbies are listening to music and playing badminton. “A fit body is integral to studies. Badminton helped me concentrate better.” She says her mother has been her greatest inspiration all through, “My mother has been a multi-tasker. She has worked hard and handled all her roles really well.” While students usually hope they get their choicest IIT, she is in a position to decide where she wants to head for to do her engineering course. “I really feel lucky about that. The exam went well and I was hoping to get into top 15. The seventh rank is a privilege. I plan to opt for computer engineering at IIT, Delhi,” she says. She also credits her teacher Sanjeev Verma for helping her out through her studies and emotional upheavals. Currently, the party is on at her house as she and her parents have been flooded with congratulatory calls from friends and relatives.
Success mantra * Eleven to 12 hours of study daily *
She is a student of Swami Sant Dass School, Jalandhar * She wants to opt for Computer Engineering at the IIT, Delhi
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SGPC gives aid to displaced farmers
Amritsar, June 19 Makkar, who visited Kaithal and Karnal districts last week, will be headed for Ambala tomorrow. He plans to hold a meeting of the SGPC executive committee at Kurukshetra. Talking to The Tribune, Makkar said the Haryana Government, that was holding a Sikh convention in Kaithal on July 6, had displaced 160 Sikh farmers in Kaithal and the SGPC was trying to rehabilitate them. He said the SGPC had provided ration, water tanks and generator sets to the displaced families. Also, cheques worth Rs 21 lakh had been distributed among 116 families. He said the SGPC would support these farmers till the time they got justice. Makkar said seven big gurdwaras and 18 small gurdwaras in Haryana were being managed by the local committees and 65 per cent of the income generated by these gurdwaras was spent on their maintenance. The SGPC received only a small portion of the gurdwara funds. He said the SGPC was trying to open schools in Haryana. It had set up a medical college at Shahbad Markanda, but the Haryana Government had refused to give NOC (no-objection certificate). He accused the Haryana Congress of resorting to votebank politics by raking up the issue of a separate gurdwara panel ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
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Health Minister transfers two in surprise visit
Jalandhar, June 19 He ordered the transfer of two employees. These employees are Dr Surinder Pal, who has been transferred to Khiala Kalan (Mansa) for irregularities during his emergency duty last night, and staff nurse Mina Kumari, who has been transferred to the Nakodar Civil Hospital for asking patients to buy medicines from private stores. An inquiry has also been ordered against Bhupinder Singh, pharmacist of the Jan Aushadhi Centre, for selling medicines at higher rates. Jyani told the Medical Superintendent to check the attendance marked by the doctors on a daily basis.
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'Suicide' in Gurdaspur jail
Chandigarh, June 19 In her petition filed through counsel Ramdeep Partap Singh, Harjit Kaur has alleged that her husband, lodged in the Gurdaspur Central Jail, way back in 2009 died under suspicious circumstances. She was told that Lakhwinder Singh had hung himself to death in jail. But the doctor was of the opinion that the victim was subjected to unnatural sex also. Taking up her petition for a CBI probe into the custodial death, Justice Ritu Bahri has issued notice of motion to the Punjab Government and other respondents. The case will now come up for further hearing on September 30. Going into the background of the matter, Ramdeep Partap Singh contended that the petitioner’s husband Lakhwinder Singh was lodged in Gurdaspur Central Jail while facing trail in a murder case registered under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC at the Dera Baba Nanak police station in Gurdaspur district in May 2006. The doctor concerned from Amritsar Government Medical College was of the opinion that the cause of death was hanging. It was also mentioned that unnatural sex act was committed; and the gap between the injuries and the death was a few minutes. Ramdeep added till date officials on duty when unnatural sexual act was committed had not been identified, despite representations to the authorities concerned. “No official has paid heed to the pitiable condition of the petitioner whose life has been ruined,” he added. He claimed the widow had been “running from pillar to post for fair investigation and has made a number of representations for a fair probe so that truth may come to the surface and erring officials responsible for her husband’s death brought to book”. Seeking criminal as well as departmental action against the jail officials responsible for the loss of the victim’s life, Ramdeep also sought issuance of directions to the Punjab Government to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the petitioner “as the jail authorities, prima facie, failed to protect the life and liberty of the petitioner’s husband”.
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School board awaits Rs 5-crore rent from Education Dept
Mohali, June 19 The outstanding rent amount has now crossed the Rs 5-crore mark, but the Education Department authorities don't seem in any mood to make the payment. "We have been sending reminders to the Education Department authorities for the past several months, but to no avail," said Dr Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal, chairperson of the board. The matter would be brought to the notice of Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema soon, she added. The Education Department authorities are also not paying electricity and water bills in respect of the building space being used by them. These monthly bills, which run into lakhs of rupees, are also being paid by the education board. The offices of the Director General School Education, the DPI (Secondary Education), the DPI (Colleges), the DPI (Elementary) and the SSERT are being run on the school board premises ever since these were shifted from Chandigarh. The rent has been fixed at Rs 23.35 per sq ft as per the Public Works Department norms. According to sources, the DPI (Secondary) office has to pay Rs 2.42 crore, followed by Rs 1.22 crore by the DGSE office, Rs 1.15 crore by the DPI (Colleges), Rs 60.54 lakh by the SCERT office and Rs 53.17 lakh by the DPI (Elementary).
Unpaid dues * Some offices of the Punjab Education Department are operating from the Punjab School Education Board building in Mohali for 3 years *
The department has not paid any rent for the accommodation, though the outstanding dues have crossed Rs 5-crore mark
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Powercom faces staff shortage, consumers suffer
Patiala, June 19 RK Choudhary, council president, said there was an acute shortage of up to 40 per cent of field staff which had hit the consumer services, including the delivery of bills, attending complaints, breakdowns and execution of works. He said: “The staff position at thermal and hydel plants is even worse. Around 1,000 posts of JE, electrical, 200 of JE, substation, 6,500 of lineman, 250 of sub-station attendant and 7,500 of assistant lineman have been lying vacant since long,” he said. General secretary of the council said the PSPCL management had failed to recruit the requisite manpower. “The management never tries to solve these problems and instead outsourcing the works in a big way to benefit the contractors. The core business activities are being outsourced causing revenue loss to the power utilities,” he added. The engineers said the field staff and junior engineers were under stress due to work overload. On the other hand, there is an inordinate delay in the settlement of their demands relating to pay structure, promotion avenues, practical field difficulties among others.
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Officials told to redress complaints in stipulated time
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 19 He directed the police to immediately clear the pending 370 complaints of people and report to his office. He asked revenue officials to clear pending land-related cases in six months and other revenue-related cases by June 27 by initiating day-to-day proceedings. He directed tehsildars and naib tehsildars to decide recovery cases related to different departments on priority basis. The SDMs were directed to clear encroachments from government land in rural and urban areas. Quality of the ongoing development projects should also be maintained, he added. Water Supply officials were told to ensure that all tubewells in rural and urban areas were functional. Food and civil supply officials were asked The Civil Surgeon was told to ensure that specialist doctors attended OPDs daily.
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Abohar bridge construction goes at a snail’s pace
Abohar, June 19 Earlier, Badal had been told by farmers on September 27, 2011, in the flood-affected Wahabwala village on the Abohar-Hanumangarh road that the drainage department had constructed temporary bridges by laying cemented pipes on the Abulkhurana drain that originates from his home segment Lambi. Crops and houses in about 20 villages of Balluana segment had been destroyed due to diversion of surplus water through three drains from the neighbouring Muktsar district in 2011. Badal was also told that the plans to widen drains had been gathering dust for the past ten years at the state headquarters. As the government took its own time to provide funds and execute the projects, drain water, due to heavy monsoon, again wreaked havoc in August 2013. The temporary bridge on the Abohar-Sriganganagar stretch of the national highway was washed away near Sayeedwala village resulting in suspension of vehicular traffic. Hundreds of tractor-trailers carrying imported goods from the Kandla sea port and other industrial towns of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were stranded and had to be finally be routed through Hanumangarh. During the past six months, at least five vehicles had slipped into the Sayeedwala drain while passing through the makeshift passage. There was no serious casualty however. More number of vehicles marginally escaped electrocution due to low lying electricity wires while choosing to pass through link roads. However, the authorities have not been able to get bridge’s construction completed at the budgeted cost of Rs 2 crore probably due to lackluster approach of the contractors and delay in receipt of funds. Villagers say as only pillars have been raised so far, they fear havoc in the monsoon season once again. Official sources said the contractors had been directed to finish the task by July-end.
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Sikh varsity to set up AstroTurf
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 19 University VC Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia told mediapersons said 26 girls had been selected for the junior wing of the hockey academy. Players for the senior wing would be selected soon. Dronacharya awardee Baldev Singh would be the chief coach of the academy. Baldev has groomed hundreds of hockey players globally. The university was also trying to popularise athletics, basketball, volleyball, tennis, handball, football, gatka, archery, fencing and cricket among students. The university syndicate also approved the naming of university departments and schools after the names of the persons contributing Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore for varsity buildings. It was also decided to start Master’s courses in journalism and mass communication, library and information science and psychology from the current academic session.
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De-addiction camps at health centres
Patiala, June 19 Patiala Divisional Commissioner Ajit Singh Pannu said these camps would enable them to expand the de-addiction campaign in the district. He said this while presiding over a meeting of senior officials from various departments, including Inspector General of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) Paramjit Singh Grewal and Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Hardial Singh Mann. “All SDMs and officials of the Panchayat and Health Department have been instructed to submit day-to-day report on the activities of addicts registered at these camps,” he said. Pannu said the SDMs had also been directed to form committees of retired officials and health experts for holding awareness campaigns in villages, towns and educational institutions.
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Relative held for hacking 2 to death
Fatehgarh Churian, June 19 Malkiat and Lovepreet were sleeping in their house at Bagh Wali Gali in Ward No. 10 at Fatehgarh Churian when they were attacked by Kuljit Singh and his accomplice whose name is also Lovepreet Singh. The miscreants later escaped with cash and jewellery lying in the house. The SSP said Iqbal Singh, who ran an electronics shop in the town, had gone to meet his sister at Jagadhari in Haryana when the incident took place. The murders came to light when Iqbal’s servant Robin, who worked at his shop, come to Iqbal’s house to take keys of the shop. He found bodies of Malkiat Kaur and Lovepreet Singh lying in a pool of blood.
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The Centre today decided to set up an All-India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Punjab. This decision was taken at a
meeting between Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Punjab
Chief Minister here.
The colossal loss of foodgrain, fruits and vegetables in the country every season will be a thing of the past if the resolve of the newly installed NDA Government is any indication.
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was here today to pay obeisance at Takht Damdama Sahib and thank the electorate for reposing their faith in her for the second time, spelled out that her first priority as minister would be to bring processing/ processed food within the reach of the masses.
A local girl, Aditi, has bagged the seventh position in the country in the JEE Advanced examination. She has stood first among girls.
With a penchant for mathematics since childhood, she says she had decided to opt for engineering when she was in Class IX. Born to a doctorate couple teaching at Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology here, Aditi says the ability to focus and steer clear of distractions enabled her to make it big in the examination.
The SGPC seems to have sarted a drive against the Haryana Government’s move to set up a separate gurdwara panel. The SGPC president, Avtar Singh
Makkar, has held several public meetings in Haryana over the past few days.
Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had announced during a Sangat Darshan outside Sayeedwala village, 11 km from
Abohar, on September 15 that the national highway bridge, which was washed away, would be replaced within three months, the construction is going on at a snail's pace.
