J A L A N D H A R

JIT scam being closely examined: Sukhbir
Phagwara, April 22
After the infamous Ludhiana City Centre scam, now it is the turn of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust to come under the purview of a high-level enquiry, being instituted by the state government which was examining the scam of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust minutely.

GUILTY WON’T BE SPARED: Acting president of SAD Sukhbir Badal interacts with mediapersons in Phagwara on Sunday. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Sticky chairs to be history Get ready for reshuffle, health minister tells long-timers
Jalandhar April 22 Government doctors, who have managed their postings in urban areas for long periods, seem to be heading for trouble now as the Punjab government is contemplating to shift them to rural and distant areas. Punjab health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla addresses a conference of surgeons in Jalandhar on Sunday. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Jalandhar Bus Stand
Use of ‘poor’ building material to be probed
Kapurthala, April 22
Punjab transport minister Master Mohan Lal on Sunday said a probe will be conducted into the allegations of use of sub-standard material in construction of Jalandhar bus stand. The report would be prepared within a week, said the minister, while talking to mediapersons at BJP district president Hira Lal Dhir’s house here.

Man robbed of scooter, cash, mobile
Hoshiarpur, April 22
Three unidentified youths robbed a man of his scooter, a mobile phone and Rs 3,000 here last evening. According to police sources, after meeting his friend at Banga town, Ved Raj, a resident of Pandori Ladha Singh village, was returning home when, near Behbalpur, he was confronted by two clean-shaven youths who had wooden rods in their hands.

Manager booked in postal scam
Kapurthala, April 22
Following a complaint received from the postal department, the district police have registered an FIR against Deepak Kumar, a system manager with the postal department, for allegedly committing a scam of Rs 8.31 lakh.

Regularise our service: Teachers
Kapurthala, April 22 Demanding regularisation of service, a large number of teachers, who had been appointed as daily wagers under Sarv Shikhsha Abhiyan scheme a few years ago, staged dharna on Kapurthala-Sultanpur Lodhi road today.

JIT scam being closely examined: Sukhbir
Ashok Kaura

Phagwara, April 22
After the infamous Ludhiana City Centre scam, now it is the turn of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust to come under the purview of a high-level enquiry, being instituted by the state government which was examining the scam of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust minutely.

This was disclosed by Shiromani Akali Dal acting president Sukhbir Singh Badal while talking to newsmen after attending a function organised by the Shri Ram Navmi Utsav Committee headed by Hind Samachar group of newspapers Editor-in-Chief Vijay Chopra at Mayfair Resorts, near Phagwara, today.

Sukhbir Badal, while answering a question, said the state government was examining the scam and would act according to law. It may be recalled that local bodies department principal secretary D.S. Bains, along with other officials, visited Jalandhar and discussed with local bodies deputy director Sarojini Sharda about the scandals of the JIT on April 20, and it was also learnt that the CM’s office had summoned some important documents related with the JIT scam.

Replying another question, Sukhbir Badal said all scams of the Congress regime would be exposed and the guilty punished, but the SAD-BJP government would not adopt vindictive attitude.

When asked about the status of inquiry against former Punjab local bodies minister Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Badal expressed his ignorance about the status of the inquiry, but said that all actions would be taken strictly according to law. When his attention was drawn towards the arrest of Congress MLA Sukhpaul Singh Khaira in a minor theft case, Badal said nothing would be done in vindictive manner, but the police was following the rule of law only.

When asked whether a personality like Khaira could commit a minor theft, Sukhbir said no body had any doubts before the arrest of BJP MP Babubhai Katara in “kabooterbazi” episode.

Answering a question about dual policy of the SAD, which had described itself a secular party before the Election Commission of India, but described itself a party of Sikhs before the Gurdwara Election Commission, Sukhbir expressed his unawareness on the issue.

When asked about the possibility of his cornation as the next Chief Minister of Punjab, Badal quipped and said he would not be the Chief Minister as his father Parkash Singh Badal would serve the state as Chief Minister for the next 15 years.

When his attention was drawn towards withdrawing the name of Parkash Singh Badal from the joint coordination committee of the SAD-BJP alliance while the CM was also the leader of the SAD legislature party, Sukhbir said the CM was the national president of the SAD and he would sit with national president of BJP Rajnath Singh, not with state president of the BJP. Sukhbir, however, claimed full coordination between the SAD and the BJP and described the alliance as strong as rock.

Earlier, Badal, along with ministers Kanwaljit Singh and Vikramjit Singh Majithia felicitated more than 1,800 representatives of 600 organisations which had organised Dasehra, Ram Lila and Bhagwati jagrans throughout Punjab. Among others present were Mohan Lal, Tikshan Sood, AIATF chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta and Rana Gurjit Singh.

Sticky chairs to be history
Get ready for reshuffle, health minister tells long-timers
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar April 22
Government doctors, who have managed their postings in urban areas for long periods, seem to be heading for trouble now as the Punjab government is contemplating to shift them to rural and distant areas.

Meanwhile, to remove the grievances of patients and other people, the Department of Health, Punjab, is planning to install complaint boxes in the offices of civil surgeons under the supervision of Punjab health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla and the Director, Health Services, Punjab.

The health minister in a function organised by the Association of Surgeons of India (Northern chapter), the Indian Medical Association (Jalandhar) and Association of surgeons of Jalandhar, said that days were over when some influential government doctors could enjoy prolonged postings at their choicest stations in urban areas while, others remained posted for long terms in rural areas.

“Doctors serving in urban areas for more than 10-15 years would be shifted to rural areas, while, those serving in rural areas for long would be posted at urban areas. No ‘sifarish’ would be entertained in this regard and things would move solely on merit,” said Chawla.

Comparing the proliferation of drug addiction with ‘Ravana’, Chawla said time has come when this ‘Ravana’ should be burnt to its ashes. “Female infanticide is another monster to be tackled by all of us. The day is not far of when girls would become extinct in Punjab.”

At the conference, Chawla was accompanied by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander and senior office-bearers of the IMA and the Association of Surgeons of India, including, Dr P.S. Bakshi, Dr Kuldip Singh, Dr Abdul Hi and Dr Balraj Gupta.

Jalandhar Bus Stand
Use of ‘poor’ building material to be probed
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, April 22
Punjab transport minister Master Mohan Lal on Sunday said a probe will be conducted into the allegations of use of sub-standard material in construction of Jalandhar bus stand.

The report would be prepared within a week, said the minister, while talking to mediapersons at BJP district president Hira Lal Dhir’s house here.

Lal said the construction work would be completed within six months. Among other facilities, a restaurant would also be set up for the benefit of passengers.

Also a state-level driving training institute would be set up in Kapurthala. “A 25-acre land has already been acquired for the purpose,” he added.

minister further revealed that the new building coming up at Phagwara bus stand would be inaugurated within a fortnight.

No bus would be allowed to stop on the national highway for alighting and boarding passengers as it causes hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic, he said.

Responding to the demand of an evening bus service from Chandigarh to Kapurthala, he directed PRTC GM to do the needful.

Man robbed of scooter, cash, mobile
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, April 22
Three unidentified youths robbed a man of his scooter, a mobile phone and Rs 3,000 here last evening. According to police sources, after meeting his friend at Banga town, Ved Raj, a resident of Pandori Ladha Singh village, was returning home when, near Behbalpur, he was confronted by two clean-shaven youths who had wooden rods in their hands.

One of them assaulted Raj. When he fell down the two others snatched his mobile phone and cash. The accused also took his scooter along with them.

The police has registered a case under sections 382 and 34 of the IPC.

In another incident, two unidentified youths took away a bag containing Rs 5,300 and a mobile phone from Harpreet Kaur, wife of Manjinder Singh of Shergarh, last evening. The victim was going to her home when the incident took place.

Meanwhile the district police has booked five persons ,including a woman under various sections of the NDPS Act and seized 1.20 quintals of poppy husk and 10 gm of smack from them.

According to police sources, the Garhshankar police, on a tip-off, on Friday evening conducted a raid on the residence of Gurdev Singh and Kewal Krishan, both sons of Garib Dass of Badesron, and seized 1.20 quintals of poppy husk from their car.

The police arrested Inderjit of Denowal Khurd, on Friday evening and seized 10 gm of smack from her.

Manager booked in postal scam

Kapurthala, April 22
Following a complaint received from the postal department, the district police have registered an FIR against Deepak Kumar, a system manager with the postal department, for allegedly committing a scam of Rs 8.31 lakh. DSP Sukhdev Singh Chhina said that an FIR under sections 420, 409, 468 and 471 of IPC was registered against him on yesterday night. “Deepak was at large and raids were being conducted to nab him,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the postal department had found Deepak guilty during an inquiry conducted by its six-member team a few days ago. He was suspended after the inquiry report. He was withdrawing the amount from 17 fixed-deposit accounts and later on depositing the same in a fake account by using his computer skill. The department came to know about the fraud when he withdrew several thousand rupees from the fake account on two consecutive days. — TNS

Regularise our service: Teachers

Kapurthala, April 22
Demanding regularisation of service, a large number of teachers, who had been appointed as daily wagers under Sarv Shikhsha Abhiyan scheme a few years ago, staged dharna on Kapurthala-Sultanpur Lodhi road today.

Education Volunteers Teachers Union, which gave the call for dharna, had earlier planned to carry out the protest in front of education minister Upinderjeet Kaur’s house. However, they were stopped by the police at Kapurthala-Sultanpur Lodhi road.

Ishwar Dass, state president of the union, said that the volunteer teachers appointed under abhiyan in Himachal and J&K were being regularised after five years of service but in Punjab, they were still daily wagers. — TNS