Hoshiarpur, June 7
The oil price hike has added to the woes of the state government which is already reeling under a financial crunch. Feeling the heat, the government has now decided to initiate some major cost-cutting exercises.

Chief secretary Romesh Inder Singh has been asked to collect information about the number of vehicles with the government officers and politicians so that the extra vehicles could 
be withdrawn from them to save petrol or diesel.

This was stated by CM, Parkash Singh Badal at a press meet here today.

Badal said he had also asked Inder to collect information about the number of security personnel provided to a politician so that the security of all the politicians and public men who were not in much need of it could be withdrawn to cut out on the expenses.

Holding the UPA government fully responsible for the appalling conditions in which the common man had been forced to live due to inflation, the CM said by increasing the rates of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, the former had further aggravated conditions.

Referring to the PM's appeal to the state governments to take some steps for bringing down the enhanced rates of petroleum products, Badal said state governments were already facing financial problems and had limited funds for development.

However, he would take up the issue in the meeting of his cabinet for granting some relief to the public, he said.

The CM said the SAD-BJP combine would contest elections of the municipal councils jointly for which district leaders of both these parties had been assigned to select prospective candidates in their respective areas.

Committees consisting of one member each of the SAD and BJP had been constituted in all the districts of the state for monitoring the municipal elections and to mobilise all the party workers.

When asked to comment on the demand of Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira for appointing a commission of inquiry, headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, to probe all excesses committed under a well planned political conspiracy during the 15-month regime of the SAD-BJP, the CM challenged all the Congress leaders and claimed that no excesses had been done against any of the Congress leaders or workers. Unlimited excesses, however, had been done against the SAD leaders and workers during the last Congress regime in state.

Replying to a question, Badal said his government had cleared the backlog of more than Rs 100 crore of capital subsidies to the industrialists, pending since the last Congress regime. Further funds were being given for this purpose, he added.

Jalandhar, June 7
Following serious allegations levelled by the owners of Grand Lilly Motels against Sadar SHO Sarabjit Rai of purposely tarnishing the motel’s image, DIG Narinderpal Singh said the entire matter would be thoroughly probed after getting a formal complaint in this regard.

In their allegations, motels directors Jatindra Lilly and Dharmendra Lilly said the SHO manipulated the raid and caught three couples from the motel rooms under the Immoral Trafficking Act on Thursday night as the motel staff had been demanding Rs 14,241 due from him.

When contacted, the DIG said he had not got any complaint from the representatives of Lilly Motels against the SHO. At the same time, he said the entire episode would be inquired only when the motels owners submit a formal complaint.

Earlier, talking to mediapersons, Jatindra and Dharmendra Lilly said they were going to lodge a formal complaint with Punjab DGP N.P.S. Aulakh and Jalandhar range DIG Narinderpal Singh.

Providing copies of the bills, they said a bill of Rs 7,000 was due from the SHO as he had got arranged a party of 25 persons in the motel on April 1, whereas the other bill of Rs 7,241 was due from him as he had got booked three rooms in the name of his friends and relatives on April 20.

The motel staff had been demanding the payment of the bills from the SHO, but he was delaying the payments on one pretext or the other, they said, adding that the SHO had threatened to teach a lesson to the staff and the motel owners for demanding the amount. When contacted, the SHO, Sarbajit Rai, rubbished the charges terming them just a bundle of lies.

They were levelling these allegations just to save themselves, he added.

Nawanshahr, June 7
The “action committee” formed by various political parties in the Sandeep murder case has decided to go on a hunger strike from June 13 if the police failed to arrest the accused. The decision was taken during a meeting at Balachaur on Friday.

Talking to The Tribune, former MLA Ram Krishan Kataria said the police has been given June 12 deadline to arrest the accused. “If no arrests are made by that time, we would go on a mass hunger strike in front of the SDM office from June 13 onwards,” he added.

He said since the civil and police administration had assured them that they had virtually succeeded in getting some important clues, the committee members do not want to divert their attention towards handling law and order by continuing 
their agitation. “We have already apprised DC Ajit Singh Pannu and SSP Shashi Prabha Dwivedi that the ‘action committee’ had no hand in the attack on the SDM,” he added. — OC

Amritsar, June 7
The Ajnala police has booked commission agent Avtar Singh for allegedly raping a woman of Karial village, falling under the Amritsar rural police district today.

According to the complaint lodged by the victim, the incident took place on May 29. But she did not report the matter earlier due to social stigma. However, when she narrated the incident to her sister-in-law, she persuaded her to report the matter to the police.

She stated that her husband Narinder Singh used to work for the commission agent and was a liquor addict due to which she had to go to Avtar Singh to settle the account. She said on the pretext of showing her a plot, the commission agent took her to the back of his godown, where he raped her. A case had been registered. — OC