Jalandhar, September 8
Punjab health and family welfare minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla is planning to start a 24-hour helpline soon to receive complaints from the public related to female foeticide, hospital staff and other related issues. This was disclosed by the health minister, who was here today, to preside over a seminar on “Impact of food technology in present scenario” at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts.

Revealing her idea behind the helpline, the minister said, “I have been receiving numerous calls on my phone. These calls are generally complaints from the public and it is really tough to handle them.”

The helpline would be run round the clock and the minister would be regularly informed about the complaints received. “I have already applied for a Connect line with a fax provision and I am expecting the connection in a day or two,” Laxmi said.

While outlining her agenda, the health minister said, “We have decided not to dismiss or suspend any employee from services. Instead, the erring employees will be posted to far-off locations.”

Talking about the ministry’s projects, she said a pilot project of trauma centre along districts falling on highways had been started. The aim was to ensure quick relief for the accident victims. Laxmi said, “A grant of Rs 4.5 crore has been received for the purpose. The project has already been initiated in Amritsar at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore and two centres in Jalandhar and Pathankot are also in pipeline.” The next ones are being planned for Bathinda and the Kandi areas along the Hoshiarpur-Himachal highway. The centres would be set up within the existing government hospitals in the areas, the health minister added.

Chawla said a grant of Rs 161 crore was being expected from the National Rural Health Mission. The amount would be doubled by next year and within five years the state government could expect it to be touching Rs 2,000 crore, the minister added.

Nawanshahr, September 8
DSP Dilbagh Singh Pannu, while addressing mediapersons here on Thursday, said a police party, led by city SHO Rakesh Kumar, unearthed a scam of preparing fake “farads” (revenue documents) and selling them to persons seeking bail in court cases here or 
their advocates.

Kulwant Singh of Palli Uchchi village, presently residing in Fateh Nagar locality here, was booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120 B of the IPC and 34 fake “farads” were seized from him, said Pannu, adding that the “farads” were related to the land ownership records of different villages by putting fake signatures of patwaris.

Rakesh Kumar, city SHO, giving details of the case to The Tribune, on Saturday, said during interrogation, the accused Kulwant Singh admitted that he had been preparing ‘fake farads’ for the past about one and half years and a lady panch of the village attested the farads. The accused said he sold about 250 such farads at the rate of Rs 1500 to 2000 to a few advocates. The lady panch has now been made co-accused in the case and two advocates have also been brought under the purview of investigation. Besides, records pertaining to bails obtained by misleading the court by producing fake farads have also been sought by the police, SHO Rakesh Kumar said.

Jalandhar, September 8
The local branch of the Sant Nirankari Mandal organised a blood donation camp at the local Nirankari Sat Sangh Bhavan.

The camp was inaugurated by civil surgeon J.P. Singh, who was the guest of honour. The function was presided over by Sant Nirankari Mandal general secretary Gobind Singh.Teams of blood bank from the civil hospital, Jalandhar and Nakodar, collected 250 units of blood at the camp. — TNS