Jalandhar, June 5
Stung by the increasing complaints of verbal abuse and mistreatment by doctors at the civil hospitals in the state, the health department will organise seminars urging the latter to adopt a patient friendly manner at all times.

This was revealed by chief parliamentary secretary Avinash Chander, who paid a surprise visit to the local civil hospital and jail. He said verbal abuse and mistreatment of patients and their relatives by the doctors and other allied staff topped the list of the complaints received by him.

He also opened the complaint box installed by him and looked into the complaints, many of which detailed the state of affairs in the hospital, including the sale of intoxicants by outsiders, corruption by policemen in medico-legal cases and demand of bribes by doctors for treatment.

In one of the complaints, the complainant had alleged that two doctors posted in the emergency openly demanded money for treatment and even used foul language against those who did not fulfil their demands. All this was happening at the cost of the wellbeing of their patients, the complainant pointed out.

Another complainant alleged that the doctors were only prescribing medicines produced by MNCs that were beyond the reach of a majority of the patients. Similar medicines of other companies were not accepted by the doctors on the plea that they were not good. This was because the doctors were getting a hefty commission from such companies. The fact could be established after going through the prescription slips, the complainant alleged.

A patient who had recently got treatment from the hospital alleged that one Manjit Singh was openly selling smack on the hospital premises.

Similarly, city resident Priya Rajput, whose mother was discharged from the hospital some days ago, said bribes were demanded by all and sundry for even the most basic facilities, including timely medical help.

Another complainant alleged that she had been forced to part with a substantial amount by the midwife on the birth of her son.

There were also complaints that the cops on duty to handle medico-legal cases were demanding money to get the needful done. Some of the policemen turned abusive or threatened the relatives of the patients in case they did not bribe them. After going through the complaint, Avinash Chander called up the SSP and asked him to enquire into the matter. Patients admitted to the burns wing alleged that rats were a menace and often the patients ended up with other complication on this account.

Civil Surgeon J.P. Singh assured Avinash Chander that he would look into the complaints and submit a report in the coming days.

Avinash Chander also said he would go though the enquiry report and if need be get the matter probed at his level.He said the increasing incidents of ransacking of hospitals in the district were largely the outcome of the insensitivity shown by the doctors towards their patients and their relatives.

Jalandhar, June 5
In the wake of the recent Jaipur blasts, the district police held a series of meetings with the representatives of different sections of the society to direct them to be cautious against the possible activities of the militants.

But it seems to have forgotten to convene a meeting of the wholesalers and retailers of bicycles to ask them to maintain a record of the purchasers keeping in mind that newly purchased bicycles had been used to place explosives in public places in Jaipur.

One of the wholesalers, Rishab Khanna of Khanna Cycles located on railway road, told The Tribune that neither the district police had called any meeting of cycle sellers after Jaipur blasts nor had they been issued any direction to keep record of the purchasers.

According to available information, there are at least half a dozen wholesalers of bicycles on the railway road apart from hundreds of retailers in different parts of the city. When contacted, SP City I SK Kalia admitted that no such meeting of bicycle sellers had been convened by the district police as yet. Kalia further said a meeting of the wholesalers and retailers of bicycles would be held soon to issue directions to them to take copies of identity cards from the purchasers.

The SP said cycle sellers would be asked to take a copy of identity cards, ration cards, PAN cards, Voter I-cards or driving licenses from the concerned person for his or her identification before selling any cycle to that person. He said they would be asked to get only that proof of their identity as a record, on which their photo was attached.

Hoshiarpur, June 5
Punjab minister for medical education and research Tikshan Sud today demanded that the President of India should immediately disband MataVaishno Devi Shrine Board for hurting the feelings of crores of Hindus, by introducing the class system for those visiting the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi.

He said the priority darshan fee introduced by the board, to provide priority darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi to the rich and elite, was a cruel reminder of the jazia imposed by the oppressive Aurangzeb on Hindus.

Demanding an amendment to the constitution of the board to have an elected body instead of the present nominated board, Sud said Hindus all over the country should elect the board on the pattern of the SGPC.

Since the Congress government has taken control of this board, corruption and nepotism was ruling the roost, Sud said. Donation of hundreds of crores from the pilgrims was being siphoned out by a handful of persons controlling the board and hardly any money was being spent on providing facilities to the pilgrims, he alleged. — OC

Nawanshahr, June 5
DSP Satpal Singh Bhangu, while addressing mediapersons here on Thursday, claimed to have busted an inter-district gang of robbers involved in the theft of tube-well engines and other related accessories from fields and smuggling of poppy husk.

The police party, led by SHO Sadar Sulakhan Singh and Gurdial Singh, chowki incharge, Jadla, has arrested eight persons - Manmohan Singh alias Mithu and Ravinder Singh of village Ibrahimpur, Ashok kumar alias Shoki of Phagwara, Balbir Singh alias Beera and Deepak Singh alias Deepa of Garhshanker, Mukesh Kumar Pandey and Manoj Kumar both residents of district Palmu (Jharkhand) and Rachhpal Singh of Pakhowal village during a police naka.

The police recovered 6 engines, 2 power motors, 4 engine fans worth lakhs of rupees and 52 kg of poppy husk from their possession. Two separate cases under section 379 IPC and 15/61/85 NDPS have been registered against them at the Sadar police station.
The gang has been active for the past few months and has committed thefts in Nawanshahr, Rahon, Aur, Jadla and Garhshanker areas.

The farmers of the area had been complaining of frequent robberies in their field.

Following the complaints, the police constituted special police parties for patrolling in the rural areas, said the DSP, adding that all the accused were in the age group of 20-25 years and almost all were illiterate.

They had become so expert in carrying out thefts that they open the engines and other accessories within 30-45 minutes and load them in their Tata 207 vehicle. They used to operate within a time period of 10 pm to 4 am and frequently used to change their area of operation to keep the police guessing, further added Bhangu.

The gang leader, Manmohan Singh alias Mithu, had bought a Tata 207 on installments in December last year. But he was finding it difficult to pay its installments. Coincidently, he had carried scrap in his vehicle for a scrap dealer a couple of times. From here he got the idea about the scrap trade and in connivance with his accomplices he started committing burglaries at tube-wells and used to sell the stolen material to scrap dealers, Bhangu added. — OC

Hoshiarpur, June 5
The recent increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas has hit the common man hard but the owners of fuel filling stations and LPG gas agency holders in the district have largely been benefited by the hike.

According to unofficial sources, stock of more than 4.15 lakh litres for petrol and 5 lakh litres for diesel was available in the 111 filling stations of the district. The owners started the sale of petrol and diesel on new rates since midnight and earned lakhs of rupees.

Similarly, 22 LPG agency holders had a stock of thousands of filled cooking gas cylinders. With the LPG hike of Rs 50 per cylinder, the agency holders in the district have been benefited by Rs 20,000 to Rs 35,000 in a day.

District food and supply controller Rajnish Kumari said the department had no information about the current stock position of the filling stations and LPG cylinders. The department got the stock position of each petrol and diesel filling station and LPG agency holder after a period of a month, he said. — OC

Batala, June 5
Some labour leaders along with some workers allegedly entered the premises of B K Foundry on Wednesday. B.K. Khullar, owner of B K Foundry and chairman of the local Foundries Association, while addressing mediapersons here on Thursday said some labour leaders were creating hindrance in the smooth running of the industry in Batala, which was already facing crisis.

He has lodged a complaint to the police. Meanwhile, Bakhtpur, union leader, refuting the charge levelled by Khullar said the factory owners were implementing anti-labour policies.