Sunday, January 17, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Sunday, January 17, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Jaundice
epidemic in Sangat Tohra
"invited" for SAD conference |
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Nodal
officers to monitor cases WHO
finds faults in polio drive Tewari
for review of retirement age Bathinda
to have school for disabled Permanent
Lok Adalat inaugurated |
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Jaundice epidemic in Sangat FARIDKOT KOTLI (Bathinda), Jan 16 — Jaundice seems to have acquired epidemic dimensions in the Sangat block of this district as the Health authorities have detected 41 cases in the past two days (58, according to unofficial sources) from this village alone. Official sources said that out of 41 cases of jaundice detected by the district Health authorities, 20 patients were found suffering from hepatitis-B (positive). Nine patients who had been admitted in Bathinda Civil Hospital yesterday are recovering. Sources said that one or two cases of jaundice from each village of Sangat block were reporting daily in various private hospitals in Bathinda and Dabwali (Haryana) for the past many days. Interestingly, to check the spread of jaundice, the district Health authorities would check water samples of all villages of the block from Monday. Dr Bawa Ram, Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, told TNS that medical teams were visiting the affected village regularly. He said that yesterday during the door-to-door survey in the village, 373 persons were checked and only 41 were found suffering from jaundice. He said that drinking water of the village had been chlorinated and people advised to boil water before drinking. He pointed out that about four "fake" registered medical practitioners (RMPs) were running their shops in the village and the hepatitis-B might have come in the village due to "used" syringes being reused by these practitioners. He said that scale of bilirubin in patients varied from case to case. He said that last year, hepatitis-B spread in Sirsa district of Haryana neighbouring Faridkot Kotli and the "used" syringes might have come from that city. Mr Harminder Singh Jassi, MLA, and Mr Kewal Krishan Aggarwal, Senior Congress leader, alleged that jaundice spread because the Punjab Government was supplying untreated water in most villages of Sangat. They further alleged that ruling politicians were more concerned about their 'kursi' than the health of the general public. This is the second incidence of epidemic in this region in the past three months. Earlier, in October gastro-enteritis claimed the lives of 15 persons in the Kotkapura town in the Faridkot district. It may be mentioned that
the water of the Bathinda branch of Sirhind canal which
is the main source of drinking water for almost all
villages of this district is polluted and it is being
supplied untreated to the villages as number of water
works in rural areas are not functioning. |
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Tohra "invited" for
SAD conference CHANDIGARH, Jan 16 — Using very kind and soft words for the SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said today that Mr Tohra was "a very respected leader" and he should attend the political conference of the party. Talking to TNS here this morning, Mr Badal said that he had sent a written invitation to Mr Tohra for attending the next important meeting of the party. The meeting would be held on January 18 here for finalising the programmes with regard the tercentenary celebrations. Important party and SGPC functionaries, members of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation and others concerned with the celebrations had been invited for the meeting. Mr Badal was saying this in context of a statement made by close confidants of Mr Tohra, who had said that the SGPC chief was not invited for the political conference organised by the party at Maghi Mela in Muktsar on January 14. Mr Tohra had stayed away from the conference and he had organised a parallel conference at Van village in Amritsar district. "There is no tradition of sending written or even informal invitations for participating in the political conference organised by the party at historic occasions like Hola Mohalla, Baisakhi or Maghi Mela", said Mr Badal. All leaders of the party participated in such conferences on their own, he added. "I was not invited either for the Shaheedi Jor Mela conference held at Fatehgarh Sahib in the last week of December or for participating in the Khalsa March organised by the SGPC. But even then I participated in both", said Mr Badal. Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, Senior Vice-President of the SAD, who was sitting close to Mr Parkash Singh Badal, intervened to say that a copy of the poster published in connection with the Maghi Mela conference of the party was mailed to Mr Tohra. He claimed that Mr Tohra's name was on the top in the poster in which the list of the leaders participating in the Maghi Mela conference was given. The soft tone adopted by Mr Badal with regard to Mr Tohra seems to be part of the strategy adopted by the Badal camp to deal with the ongoing turmoil in the party. The Badal camp does not want to provide any opportunity to the Jathedar of Akal Takht for initiating action against leaders of this camp on any count. There are reports that pro-Tohra leaders had complained to the Jathedar that the Badal camp was violating the "hukamnama" issued in connection with keeping unity in the party till the tercentenary celebrations. Meanwhile, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, who is considered a very close associate of the Chief Minister, has stated that the appeal made by the 10 Executive members of the SGPC to the Jathedar of Akal Takht for withdrawing the 'hukamnama" was not a violation of the "hukamnama". He said that every "Gursikh" had a right to make an appeal to the Jathedar. Whether to accept the appeal or not was the prerogative of the Jathedar, he added. He said that even 140 members of the SGPC would also make an appeal in writing to the Jathedar for withdrawing the "hukamnama". He said that process in this connection had already begun. He claimed that SGPC members were doing so on their own and none was forcing them to do so. He said that if some persons could appeal to the Jathedar for issuing the "hukamnama" others could appeal to him for withdrawing the same. Talking about Tohra's political conference organised in Amritsar district, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal said that Mr Tohra should not have done so. Mr Tohra's action would provide opportunities to Opposition parties to criticise the SAD and its leadership. He said that Mr Tohra was a senior leader and he should not provide any opportunity to the opposition parties to weaken the SAD. He said that Opposition parties would be strengthened if Mr Tohra continued to organise separate political conferences. He appealed to Mr Tohra to
participate in the next meeting of the party convened by
the Chief Minister. |
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21.5 kg of heroin seized at Wagah WAGAH BORDER (Amritsar) Jan 16 (UNI) — The customs staff seized 21.54 kg of heroin valued at Rs 21 crore hidden in dry fruit boxes at this joint Indo-Pakistan road check post last night. Disclosing details the Customs Commissioner (Amritsar commissionerate) D.S. Sra said here today that the heroin had been smuggled from Afghanistan as imports from Pakistan were not permitted through this route. This is the first time in the history of this check post that narcotics had been seized from imported cargo. The last seizure of heroin here took place in 1996. But it was in the baggage of a passenger. The seizure assumed significance as it has taken place at a juncture when India and Pakistan were working out details on starting the bus service between New Delhi and Lahore. Currently a Pakistani delegation was in Delhi to finalise the details of the service. Expressing doubts about a possible Pakistani hand in the smuggled heroin, Mr Sra said that all dry fruit which passes through this checkpost was imported from Afghanistan. The dry fruit was packed in Afghanistan and Pakistan is only a transit point for the imported item, he added. To substantiate his claim, the commissioner said that the exporter who had sent the dry fruit boxes from which the narcotic was recovered had been identified as Abdulbari, a resident of Kandahar in Afghanistan. The heroin was packed in plastic paper pouches each weighing about thirty grams and these were in turn concealed in specially designed grooves of the wooden dry fruit boxes, he added. He said that Abdul Bari had in all sent 45 boxes of dry fruit, but the narcotic was only found in 24 boxes containing apricots. The Indian importers of the dry fruit consignment was A.G. Trading Company based in New Delhi, he said. Denying that any arrests had been made in this incident, Mr Sra said that checks were being made to establish whether the Indian importing company had a hand in the smuggling. He said that in the last three years this company had not imported or exported any item through this road barrier. Regarding the Afghan exporter, the commissioner said that in the past three months he too had not sent any consignment through the check post. He claimed that the yesterday's recovery was made on specific information obtained by his staff. Mr Sra indicated that after today's incident checking of imported cargo goods which was mainly Afghanistani dry fruit would be more stringent. Besides using X-ray
machines for checking, certain dry fruits boxes were also
being checked manually, he added. |
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Cops facing trial PATIALA, Jan 16 — Nodal officers have been appointed by the Punjab police to monitor cases against police officers facing trial in terrorism-related cases. Disclosing this here yesterday, Punjab police chief P.C. Dogra said a decision to this effect had been taken by the Government recently. Mr Dogra said the nodal officers, who included inspectors-generals, deputy inspectors-general and senior superintendents of police, would submit monthly reports to him personally regarding cases allotted to them. He said the officers had been given a small number of cases each so that they could do justice to them. The nodal officers would monitor the cases at different stages, including filing of writ petition, investigations and trial in court. Mr Dogra said 123 police officers of the state, including eight superintendents of police, six deputy superintendents of police, six inspectors, 23 sub-inspectors and 11 police officers, were facing trial in terrorism-related cases. He said the state police was fully committed to defending the officers facing trial. Because of the staunch support extended to them, only three of the policemen had been convicted so far while one inspector, Lakha Singh of Hoshiarpur, had been acquitted recently. The DGP said while a total of 1678 writ petitions were pending in the Supreme Court and different high courts, 1233 writ petitions had been dismissed by the high court. He said the Central Bureau of Investigation was investigating 63 cases against policemen while judicial inquiry was in progress in another 27 cases. A total of 12 cases were under trial in different courts, he added. Mr Dogra said 18 police officials had been acquitted by different courts so far and 99 police officials were currently on bail. Nineteen cops were in jail at the moment. The police chief, however,
made it clear that the nodal officers would only take up
the cases of police officers who had cases registered
against them due to the stand taken by them against
terrorism. He said those charged of excesses would have
to fend for themselves, he added. |
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WHO finds faults in polio
drive PATIALA, Jan 16 — Even as district health officers are gearing up for the second round of the pulse-polio immunisation (PPI) programme tomorrow, a report on the first round held on December 6 at Rajpura and Bhunerheri blocks by a monitoring team appointed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has pointed out certain shortcomings in the arrangement made in these areas. Certain polio cases were reported from Bhunerheri and Rajpura blocks recently where the WHO had assigned the job of monitoring the programme to a team of doctors from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Rajindra Medical College, here. Expressing satisfaction at the arrangement, the report said certain discrepancies were found like the absence of proper publicity, large distance of PPI posts from certain areas and bad stage facility leading to the damage of polio vaccine. At Rajpura, it found that residents of Gandhi Colony were not aware of the PPI day. Due to this, vans from the post had to go from house to house to immunise children below five years. In six posts, ice for maintaining the temperature of vials of polio vaccine had melted. As a result, the vials were exposed to sun and their quality was affected. The team also found two posts unmanned and workers posted in six posts absent. In Bhunerheri block, the team found there were no vehicles and no leaflets informing about the programme. When contacted, an
official of the Civil Surgeon Office Termed the
shortcoming as "minor". He said the supply for
the second round of polio vaccination had been thoroughly
checked and vaccine viable monitor stickers had been
found on each of them. |
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Tewari for review of retirement
age CHANDIGARH, Jan 16 — Mr Manish Tewari, President of the All-India Youth Congress, while addressing a meeting organised by the Punjab Youth Congress at Punjab Congress Bhavan here today, urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to review the increase of two years made in the age of retirement of Central Government employees. He said that such an act of the Central Government had impeded the employment opportunities of lakhs of unemployed youth in the country. While the earlier retirement age was 58 years it had been enhanced to 60 years by the Central Government while implementing the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission. Mr Tewari said that it would have been better if the Government would have come out with a concrete proposal for providing more employment opportunities to youth instead of increasing the retirement age. He said that there was lot of resentment among youth due to this action of the Vajpayee Government. Today's meeting was organised for installing Mr Devinder Singh Babbu as the new President of the Punjab Youth Congress in place of Mr Jasbir Singh Dimpa, who has been taken as office-bearer in the Punjab Congress Party. Speaking at the conference
senior Congress leaders, including Mrs Rajinder Kaur
Bhattal, Mr Santokh Singh Randhawa, Mr Jagmeet Singh
Brar, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Chowdhary Jagjit Singh, Mrs
Gurkanwal Kaur, Mrs Jaswant Kaur, Mr Venod Sharma, Mr
Sant Ram Singla, Mr Harry Mann and others, called upon
the youth to work hard for the uplift of the needy and
poor sections of society which had remained the backbone
of the party. |
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Bathinda to have school for
disabled BATHINDA: Construction work on the Rs, 5-crore school for the deaf, dumb and blind children would start on February 10 with an initial sum of Rs. 50, lakh raised by the district Red Cross Society. To provide training and skills to help the handicapped to be rehabilitated in society, a 10-acre plot was donated by Mahant Sarup Nand of Dera Tapp about six years ago for building the school. The project has been hanging fire since then. The institute, the first of its kind in the state, will have separate school buildings for the 400 deaf and dumb children and 150 blind children, with special emphasis on imparting training through workshops. Apart from it, specially trained staff along with the latest educational techniques, involving the use of visual aids, would be employed. The institute will liase with similar institutions of national as well as international repute so as to keep abreast with the latest techniques for imparting training. The objective of the school is to ensure that the handicapped become a part of the mainstream. Mr S.R.Ladhar, Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, while talking to TNS said the institute would consist of a double-storeyed complex teaching block with an independent arrangement for boys and girls. Workshops would provide all types of trades to give training facilities. Hostels for boys and girls would provide all amenities along with a mess, games room, T.V. room and recreational equipment. An auditorium would be provided so that children could show their skill of music, dance and drama and exhibit their productions. He added that school which would have covered area of 1.25 lakh square feet. Besides, a modern hospital, it would have an administrative block and residential accommodation for staff members. Mr Ladhar said the first phase of the school would be completed within nine months. On completion of the first phase, the admission of deaf and dumb and blind children from Punjab and other states would be made. He added that initially the staff would be borrowed from an institute at Sriganganagar (Rajasthan) for one year. He said the recurring
expenditure on the project would be around Rs 4 lakh per
month and it would be met from donations. The Brick Kiln
Association had donated 85 trucks of bricks for this
project. More donations were coming, he added. |
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Permanent Lok Adalat inaugurated FEROZEPORE, Jan 16 — Mr Justice HS Brar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman of the Punjab Legal Services Authority, today inaugurated a permanent Lok Adalat in the District Courts complex here. Later, addressing a gathering of judges, advocates, administrative officers and others, he apprised them of the objects, benefits and rules and regulations of lok adalats and free legal aid. He said Ferozepore was the ninth district where a permanent Lok Adalat had been set up. Bathinda, Patiala, Ropar. Ludhiana, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Sangrur and Faridkot were the districts where such adalats were already working. Mr Justice Brar asked advocates and officers concerned to make the Lok Adalat scheme a mass movement so that people of all categories, specially those belonging to BCs and the poor, could get benefit of the schemes. The District and Sessions
Judge, Mr MM Bhalla, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Gurdev
Singh Sidhu, and the District Bar Association President,
Mr BS Sekhon also spoke. |
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Man
rapes
14-year old daughter TARN TARAN, Jan 16 — A case has been registered against one Joginder Singh under Section 376, 506 by the police of Goindwal police station for raping his 14-year old daughter. The case was registered on Friday. Police sources told this correspondent here today that Joginder Singh is an alcoholic. About five to six months ago he beat and expelled his wife and raped his 14-year old daughter. He also threatened her against disclosing this to anybody. The victim told the police that after this that her father regularly raped her off and on and as a result she became pregnant about five months ago. Some days ago she narrated
her plight to her mother who in turn informed Pritam
Singh, the girl's grandfather, who brought the matter to
the notice of the police of Goindwal Sahib, which
registered a case in this regard. Joginder Singh is said
to be absconding. |
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Polio awareness rallies JALANDHAR, Jan 16 — The Health and Family Welfare Department organised an anti-polio rally here on Friday. Dr C.P. Bansal, Civil Surgeon, flagged off the rally. Mr Bansal said 2.6 lakh children up to the age of five years would be administered polio drops tomorrow by 6000 workers and NGOs in 1318 camps to be set up in the district. The rally started from the Civil Surgeon's Office and passed through main bazars and culminated at BMC Chowk. TARN TARAN: College and school students along with other prominent persons of the area participated in the pulse polio awareness rally organised here on Friday jointly by the Health Department and Civil Administration. The local SDM, Dr G.S Sahota (PCS), Dr Karanjit Singh, SMO of the local Civil Hospital, and others addressed the rally. FEROZEPORE: A large
number of school children took part in the rally
organised by Health Department to make people aware of
the pulse polio programme. The Civil Surgeon, Dr V.K.
Bassi, said about 2.60 lakh children below 5 years of age
would be given polio drops, at as many as 1325 camps in
the district. |
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Residents demand roads, sewerage PATIALA, Jan 16 — Residents of Krishna Colony, Kartar Colony as well as Bazigar Basti situated in Ablowal near the PRTC workshop on the Nabha road today represented to deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir to get metalled road passing through their colonies completed at the earliest. In a representation here, which was also released to the press, the residents also requested for provision sewerage and drainage in their colonies. The representation said earlier appeals to the municipal corporation, public health authorities and the BDPO, Patiala had not borne fruit. They said the situation in the colonies turned critical during the monsoon with water submerging the roads completely. They said residents also had to drain out their waste water on the roads in front of their houses in the absence of any drainage system. This, they said, resulted in creating round for mosquitoes to breed on. The residents said all
this was happening despite Krishna Colony and Kartar
Colony being approved colonies of the municipal
corporation. |
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Tohra accepts Badal's invitation AMRITSAR, Jan 16 — Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra has decided to attend the meeting of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation convened by Mr Parkash Singh Badal at Anandpur Sahib on January 18. Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta,
secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee,
today confirmed that they had received the formal
invitation for the meeting. |
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SAD human rights wing flays
Badal AMRITSAR, Jan 16 — The SAD human rights wing has criticised Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President of the SAD, for dragging Akal Takht into a controversy. In a written press
statement yesterday, Mrs Parmjit Kaur Khalra, widow of Mr
Jaswant Singh Khalra, has alleged that instead of
conceding the genuine demands of the Punjabis and
fulfilling the promises made during the elections, the
SAD government had adopted a dilly-dallying attitude. She
said it was a matter of grave concern that Mr Badal had
started "attacking" Akal Takht like the
Congress. She urged Mr Badal not to take any step which
would lower the status of Akal Takht. |
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FIR against 3 MC officials LUDHIANA, Jan 16 — The Municipal Corporation has filed an FIR against three of its officials on charges of corruption and embezzlement of funds. The Municipal Corporation
has alleged in its complaint that an Xen, an SDO and a JE
had embezzled money in a construction work a year ago by
overdrawing funds. More work had been claimed to have
been done than the actual. The payment for this work had
been made. The fraud was detected when the file for the
release of security for the contract was put up before
Municipal Commissioner S.S. Sandhu, who ordered an
inquiry into the work done, which finally nailed the
three accused. |
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Populist schemes led to crisis:
traders LUDHIANA, Jan 16 — Traders and industrialists have taken strong exception to the recent statement of the Chief Minister, saying that the financial crisis in the state was due to large-scale tax evasion. Mr Harish Khanna, President of the local Shimla-scale manufacturers Association, said this statement had tarnished the image of the industry. If the administration had been aware of this tax evasion, why were no steps taken to check it, he asked. He alleged that the
state's coffers were empty because of various populist
schemes started by the Chief Minister to woo voters. |
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