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Fuel scam tip of iceberg, says VB Ludhiana, February 26 Sources in the Vigilance Bureau said the estimated figure of Rs 7 crore loss to the public exchequer in the fuel scam was ‘nothing’ in comparison to the amount involved in other frauds. The figure might go beyond Rs 500 crore mark, which was much more than the Rs 300-crore yearly budget of the MC. Investigations into these scandals have been almost completed and shocking facts about the level of corruption in the civic body have come to light. Regular Vigilance inquiries are conducted only after the preliminary investigations established substance in the allegations of corruption. The preliminary report is examined by senior Vigilance Bureau officials and the government and only then a regular inquiry is ordered. “Simply mind boggling”, said a senior official of the Vigilance Department while giving sketchy details of the scandals. “While the fuel scam has brought to light that a clerk of the MC was possessing property worth about Rs 1.25 crore, other 11 inquiries have revealed that there were dozens of other such persons in the employment of the corporation,” he said. At the top of the list is an alleged Rs 250-crore scandal that has been going on since late 1960s. The scandal exposes how in the past four decades the MC had given advance payments to private contractors and MC employees and how the amount remained unaccounted for. Several officials of the MC, including some gazetted officers, have since retired and some have even expired without clearing the accounts in the ensuing years. Sources said the records for 2003 and 2004 (till date) were yet to be checked and if any other discrepancies were found, the scandal amount could swell beyond Rs 300 crore. Another scandal pertains to missing transit pass books, cash books and other documents pertaining to octroi and collection of taxes by the MC. The scandal includes alleged fraud committed by some employees of the civic body, who pocketed payments made by residents and businessmen instead of depositing these in the accounts of the corporation. The employees allegedly thrived by making fake entries and forging documents. The scandal is pegged at Rs 16 crore for records pertaining to two years only. Another scandal pertains to alleged non-collection of rent in respect of several MC buildings by senior civic body officials. According to Vigilance sources, the scandal reveals how the officials concerned did not do their duty causing huge losses to the civic body. Yet another racket involves some officials forcing city residents to pay bribe for not facing civil or criminal action. Some officials allegedly used to change non-cognisable
offences into cognisable ones for money. Sources said the Vigilance Bureau had got documentary proof of the scandal. |
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Street brawl turns communal Ludhiana, February 26 Mild lathi-charge by the police prevented the situation to turn worse as hundreds of members of both communities gathered at the place. The police has rounded up several persons and was deployed in large number at the place to prevent any untoward incident. According to sources, it all started when a car hit a man crossing a road. The car driver beat up the pedestrian who called his friends and attacked a shop owned by some relative of the car driver. As both groups belonged to different communities, a communal colour was given by some antisocial elements, who resorted to blocking of traffic and damaging of shops. |
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Love triangle claims youth’s life Ludhiana, February 26 Both the youths had clashed with each other along with their friends last evening also. It was alleged that both were trying to woo a girl and saw each other as rivals. It could not be ascertained if the girl was interested in any of the two. The accused Deepu was booked under Section 302 of the IPC by the police late in the evening on the statement made by the victim’s family. The aggrieved family of the deceased, who worked as a roadside dentist, was inconsolable. The accused cornered the victim in the street on finding him alone. The victim was beaten and then stabbed in the neck and abdomen. He died on the spot. |
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Man booked for bid to inject
HIV +ve blood Khanna, February 26 The police said the victim had stated that she had an illicit relationship with the accused, Bahadar Singh, who practiced at Samrala some years ago. This came to the knowledge of her husband, Hari Singh, who beat the accused up and handed him over to the police. After the incident, the accused left the town. The victim said the accused came to her house on a scooter, on Wednesday evening. He tried to inject her with a syringe, but she resisted and in the scuffle that ensued, the syringe fell down injuring her. She raised the alarm, on which the accused fled on his scooter leaving behind the syringe containing blood. The woman, accompanied by a man, who was later found to be her paramour, came to the local Civil Hospital with the syringe. She was admitted to the hospital and the blood was tested by the hospital’s blood bank. The blood tested positive for HIV.
— OC |
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Chicken rates slashed Ludhiana, February 26 As per the new rates, the heavy broiler would be sold for Rs 45 instead of the present rate of Rs 70 and light broiler for
Rs 55 instead of Rs 80. Similarly, there would be a discount of Rs 25 on tandoori and butter chicken. The retailers said after their free distribution of chicken on Saturday, the sales of poultry products had gone up. The scare of the bird
flu had been removed from the minds of residents to some extent. So the poultry dealers had decided to woo the consumers by offering huge discounts. This is for the first time that the discounts are being offered to the consumers directly. Otherwise, the poultry farmers were suffering losses
but the rates of chicken had remained the same for the public. The meeting was attended by Capt P.P.S. Gill, president of the Poultry Farmers Association, Mr Satinder Bakshi, Mr Rajesh Gandhi, Mr Surinder Singh, Mr
Piara Singh Dhillon, Mr Sanjiv Bassi and many others.
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Meat sold in ‘unhygienic’ conditions
Ludhiana, February 26
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Cong to focus on
employment Ludhiana, February 26 Stating this here today, party spokesperson and Youth Congress leader Ragini Nayak said, “The Congress, in consultation with youth leaders form all sections of society and renowned economists, is working on a programme that will impart quality education designed to turn the Indian youth into skilled human resources.” Talking to reporters here today, Ms Nayak said, “The party has formed a core group of young leaders from various parts of the country to understand the problems that the youth of the country are facing and their possible solutions. “our agenda is to turn the Indian youth into skilled human resources so that they become competitive at the global level. To achieve this, drastic restructuring of the Indian education system and a stable, harmonious environment is required and only the Congress can provide this,” added Ms Nayak. Criticising the BJP and the NDA governments for their “pro-rich” policies, she said, “The government is reducing fee for the elite Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) when a majority of children in the country do not have access to even basic quality education. Unemployment has increased to an unprecedented level and farmers are committing suicides in various parts of the country even in a year when we had bumper crops. The Central Government has failed to protect the interests of the farmers and the youth. In the BJP-NDA rule, only the rich have become richer while a majority of Indians suffered.” |
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Birmi promises 24-hr power to villages Ludhiana, February 26 The minister also said that this year was being celebrated as the Village Development Year and various new schemes to bring the standard of living in villages on a par with the cities had been undertaken. As many as 25,000 new connections would also be released by March 31. He said a sum of Rs 161.58 crore had been earmarked for the schemes as compared to Rs 148. 28 crore spent during the previous year. Grants totalling Rs 31 lakh were also distributed by the minister for 33 villages of the district which include Bhagat Charan Singh Nagar (Rs 2 lakh), Mangli Ucchi (Rs 1.25 lakh), Jassar, Mundian Khurd, Gobindgarh, Dangora, Shrinh, Jaspal Bangar, Sangowal, Bulara, Parampura Colony, Sujatwala, Jamalpur Laili, Nurwala, Hazuri Bagh Colony, Kutbewal Raiian, Phulanwal, Dharor, Umaidpur, Dashmesh Nagar, Kaneja, Sattowal, Bajra Colony, Paddi and Sahnewal (Rs 1 lakh each), Mangli Neechi (Rs 75,000), Kanganwal, Kotla Afghana, Jandialai, Gaddapur, Rawat, Duleh and Dharor (Rs 50,000 each). Mr Birmi said 40 railway overbridges and 879 km of roads would be constructed by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board soon. Besides, bridges over the Beas and the Sutlej would be built and 300 km of major roads would also be widened. A sum of Rs 1,500 crore had been earmarked for constructing bypasses in various districts. All this was aimed at the overall development of the state and would be completed in about two and a half years, he added. He also said that a sum of Rs 800 crore was being spent on remetalling 2,000 km of existing link roads in the state. The minister said the Aashirwad scheme for SC girls had been launched wherein the government would deposit Rs 5,000 in the name of the girl and also give Rs 6,100 at the time of her marriage. The government would also spend Rs 20 crore for providing housing for SC families across the state on the Maharashtra pattern. To ensure that the targeted persons make optimal use of the plan, self-help groups had been created. |
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MLA distributes pension cheques Amloh, February 26 A record production of paddy last year was the result of uninterrupted and regular power supply to the farmers. The power was purchased from the
neighbouring states by the Punjab Government to meet the challenge of power shortage in the state, he said while addressing a gathering. District Planning Board Member Joginder Singh Naraingarh, member of the Zila Parishad Surjit Singh Baronga, block Congress president Joginder Singh Salana, Sarpanch of Ania village Pargat Singh, CDPO Amloh Satish Kumar and block samiti chairman Dilbagh Singh Bhambri also addressed the gathering. |
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Striking mill workers booked Ludhiana, February 26 The case was registered on the statement of one their non-striking colleague Chander Bhan. He had stated that the accused had stopped him near Giaspura and asked him to join the strike. When he refused to do so they reportedly beat him up. Man run over, killed:
Migrant killed:
Forgery alleged:
Confinement alleged:
Recovered:
Breach of trust:
Driver booked:
Liquor seized:
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