Jalandhar, November 30
The infighting in the Congress ranks resurfaced once again when the president of the District Congress Committee, Rural, Baba Rajinder Singh Johal, today complained to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, against his arch rival Managing Director of the Jalandhar Central Cooperative Bank governing body Mr Anil Dutta for joining hands with the Shiromani Akali Dal “for sake of winning the MD’s post of the Bank governing body.”

Demanding disciplinary action against Mr Dutta, Mr Johal said this would help in restoring the confidence of the party workers.

Mr Johal, in his complaint to Mr Dullo, said there were seven directors each of the Congress and SAD for the election of office bearers to the bank’s governing body while one member was an independent. “Mr Anil Dutta for the sake of winning the MD’s post connived with the former SAD minister and Akali Dal district president Mr Ajit Singh Kohar and sealed a deal that his son Mr Naib Singh Kohar would be appointed as the chairman of the bank and the rest of the Akali members were sent as representatives to the rest of the cooperative departments,” he alleged.

He said such actions of the party workers were against the interests of the party at both the state and national level. “The elections have dampened the image of the party in the region.”

Mr Dutta, on his part, said he would answer to the complaint if and only when the high command of the party would ask him for reply.

Mr Dutta said he had questioned Baba Rajinder as to why the rural party chief supported him in the last meeting of the Congress in which November 16 was fixed as the date for elections and did not say anything when the party decided to field him as the candidate.

He said it was Baba who voted for the president as well as the vice president of the banks’ governing body but only when the independent candidate proposed his name that he backed out. He said he was not going to complain against Baba Rajinder Singh and wanted everyone to implement the democratic set up in the bank’s functioning. He said the cooperative bank elections did not follow party lines and all parties should work together on the democratic principles.

He also denied that yesterday’s function was a flop show. On the absence of party leaders on the occasion, he said “Avtar Henry was not well, Rana Gurjit was attending Parliament’s session, and four ministers had gone to Pakistan.”

Mr Randhawa had been asked to stay back to attend the function on their behalf, Mr Dutta added.

The rivalry between the close confidante of the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Mr Johal had forced the Congress party to join hands with the SAD under a secret pact to help Mr Dutta win in the Bank’s governing body elections.

As a result, the majority of the posts of the governing body had gone to the Akali Dal. Mr Dutta was voted to the MD’s post when all seven directors belonging to the Akali Dal voted for him.Mr Ashwini Julka had proposed Mr Johal’s name for the post but Mr Dutta managed to win with Akali support.

Jalandhar, November 30
The Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, is likely to become the nodal centre for providing free treatment to AIDS-inflicted patients across the state.

While a Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre has already been set up at the premises of the Civil Hospital, there are plans to set up another major centre in which the patients will be offered anti-retroviral treatment. The treatment, which usually costs almost Rs 1100 to 1400 per month per patient, would be available free of cost at this centre as per the directions of World Health Organisation (WHO).

While Mr Ramesh Chander Dogra, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, feigned ignorance, Dr S.P. Sharma, Civil Surgeon, confirmed that the decision was under consideration but the final verdict on the proposal was yet to come from the Central government. He said that the decision, if implemented, would be a part of the WHO directions to all countries to offer free treatment to the patients.

“While all developed countries had readily implemented the WHO directions in the year 2001, many developing countries, including India, are still formulating policies over the issue,” Dr Raman Trehan, District Health Officer,said

Giving the statistics of the victims of the disease in the state, the DHO said, “As many as 2,444 HIV positive patients and 387 AIDS patients have been detected in the state so far. Of these, 281 HIV patients are from Jalandhar district. Over 40 residents in the district have died of AIDS since r 1987.”

A study conducted by the district health department has revealed that the men comprise two-thirds of the total patients. The most probable mode of infection was transsexual which caused 85 per cent of the patients got infected, the study revealed. Other modes of transmission include prinatal and use of infected syringes, the study indicated.

The district officials are planning to hold a state-level function at Red Cross Bhawan tomorrow which will be presided over by the minister Before this, he will flag off a rally of school children and NCC cadets who would carry placards and banners to spread awareness on the issue.

Various NGOs and educational institutes are also organising their programmes to spread AIDS awareness. Pehal, an NGO, had held a rally of 3000 college students from Akal Takht Sahib to Khadoor Sahib on Monday. Mr Lakhbir Singh, President of the NGO, said to encourage awareness on the issue he was conducting a written quiz for the college students who had been distributed questionnaires in this regard. He said pamphlets were also being distributed among the residents.

Mr Lakhbir Singh pointed out that Khela Khera village, 4 kms from Kartarpur, had a high number of HIV victims and at least 10 residents had died due to AIDS in the recent past. He said many truck and cab drivers hailed from the village and many of them had come back from Arabian countries carrying the infection back home.

Mr Anoop Vatts, President of Citizens’ Welfare and Protection Council, also held a week-long AIDS awareness programme. Today, a poster making competition on the subject was organised in Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1. Paramjit Singh from Swami Sant Dass Public School, Sudhir Kumar from Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 3 and Shikha from Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 were declared first, second and third, respectively. 

Jalandhar, November 30
The Punjab College Non-Teaching Employees Union held a state-level rally here today.

Raising slogans against the state government for non fulfilling their long pending demands, hundreds of members converged at DAV College this morning. From there, they moved to Company Bagh, passing through HMV College, Patel Chowk, Basti Adda Chowk, Jyoti Chowk and Milap Chowk. The rallyists were joined by representatives from Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union.

Mr M.L. Khullar, chairman of the union, said the members were demanding merger of 50 per cent DA with the basic pay, continuation of grant-in-aid to the colleges and payment of pension and gratuity to the retiring staff. 

Phagwara, November 30
Ending nearly a year-long moratorium on its spending, the Nagar Council, Phagwara, would now spend over Rs 2.43 crore on various developmental projects in the city.

The Council had stopped taking up any fresh projects before clearing its old financial liabilities to the tune of Rs 3 crore. However, sources revealed today that the council has now planned to spend Rs 243,60,000 on various development projects, including the repairing of roads and streamlining of drainage and sewerage system.

It was also learnt that the Council president, Mr Malkiat Singh Ragbotra, had received a letter from the Directorate of Local Bodies yesterday allowing the body to spend Rs 1.7 crore more on development.

When contacted Mr Ragbotra confirmed that the Council had been allowed to undertake fresh development projects.

He also disclosed that tenders were being invited for various development projects and the works would be taken up on war footing.

The Directorate had instructed Council to first clear its old liabilities which it did in a phased manner.

The moratorium had paralysed the development in Phagwara.

When contacted, the local ruling party MLA and Chairman, Punjab Agro and Foods Corporation, Mr Joginder Singh Mann, also confirmed the development.

Trying to playdown the moratorium matter, Mr Mann said it was a routine exercise to ask the Council to clear its old liabilities and it should not be construed as a ban. — OC