Jalandhar, November 5
Bollywood-hit “Munnabhai MBBS,” it seems, has been a great inspiration for the students of Punjab Technical University. In fact, the students seem to have outdone the character.

Many uncommon, daring acts of the students during their examination conducted in May/June this year came to light during the hearing of the students by the Unfair Means Committee that met on the campus here today.

In one of the cases, an examinee had used the hands-free system of the mobile phone stitched upwards through the button seams of his shirt with mike near the second button and earphones stitched inside either of his collars. This helped him use his phone discretely and conveniently.

An invigilator got suspicious when he found the boy murmuring a bit louder and too frequently. A complaint was lodged and the student was physically checked to ascertain the matter. Investigations revealed that the student had been sharing the “hi-tech shirt” with his close friends appearing in examinations on different days.

A yet another serious incident came into picture in which an Amritsar-based student, who had appeared at a centre in Tangori, near Mohali, took an unlicensed revolver with him in the examination centre. The student deposed before the panel that he had seen the revolver lying in a heap of garbage while he was on his way to the centre.

The student urged that the case against him be cleared as his complaint with the police in the same case had also been closed. While the panelists believe that carrying arms in the centre was a fit case for a ban against the student on appearing in the examination in the next few years, they called him for a second hearing with copies of the police records to ascertain his point.

There were several other odd cases put up today in which the students had destroyed the chits used by them by swallowing them or throwing the pieces after 
tearing them off.

In a yet another case, a student had managed to flee from the centre escaping from the hands of the examiner carrying with him the evidence in the form of chits. The committee members said while in an ordinary cheating case, the students faced a restriction of appearing in examination for two semesters, the punishment in such cases was a bit more harsh.

Interestingly, many girls also appeared before the panel without the slightest of inhibition. The committee meets first Wednesday of every month. Dr Siby John from Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh, and Mr Chhina, a retired sessions judge, today heard over 150 cases. A retired GOC, Lieut-Gen S.S. Sangra, and Dr M.S. Grewal, former PTU registrar, were not present today.

Begowal, November 5
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is satisfied with the allocation of just four seats to his political party, by its alliance partner BJP, for the ensuing assembly 
elections in Delhi.

Right before his sangat darshan programme at Begowal, Badal said he was fully satisfied with four seats despite the party’s demand of allocation of fifteen seats as the main motive of the SAD-BJP alliance was to defeat its archrival Congress. Claming that none of the three regions (Doaba, Majha and Malwa) of the state were being discriminated against, he said Rs 2 crore was being provided to each of the 117 assembly constituencies for different works and at least 20 km new link roads would be constructed in each constituency every year.

Similarly, three, two and one crore would be provided to all A, B and C class MCs of the state, respectively, for development, he added.

Later Badal heard the grievances of the people and redressed several of them on the spot during the sangat darshan programme at the diwan hall of Dera Prem Singh Murarewale in Begowal.

Former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur and mandi board chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the sarpanches and panches of 132 villages of block Nadala and Dhilwan in the Bholath constituency on the occasion, he said gram panchayats with five to ten acres of panchayat land would be provided power connections for tubewells on priority basis. He announced grants worth Rs 1.70 lakh for various development works for these villages.

Besides, Rs one crore would be given to each nagar panchayat of Nadala, Bholath and Begowal, he added.

Badal said Rs 21.94 crore had been spent in the Bholath constituency for construction of 177. 20 km and repair of 72.96 km link roads.

Bibi Jagir Kaur thanked Badal for his generosity and for the overall development of the Bholath constituency.

Earlier, Badal laid the foundation stone of a two-kilometer-long link road to be constructed at a cost of Rs 32 lakh at Miani Bhagupurian village, new grain market at Begowal to be built at a cost of Rs 10.60 crore and the 1.75-kilometer-long approach road to this proposed grain market. The CM also laid the foundation stone of a new building at the Begowal police station on the occasion.

Amritsar, November 5
The Red Ribbon Express flagged off by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation National AIDS Control Society and Nehru Yuva Kendra to spread AIDS/HIV awareness reached Amritsar here today.

Inaugurating the Red Ribbon Express exhibition, deputy commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said people from all sections of the society should come forward to spread the word on AIDS. The role of NGOs is also vital in this regard, he added.

Pannu said it was heartening to learn that number of AIDS/HIV patients has come down in Amritsar. The survey was conducted by UNO AIDS Control Society at Delhi. The Red Ribbon train has seven coaches with facilities of HIV/AIDS testing, counselling and conferencing with specialised doctors and counsellors. The campaign focuses on high-risk groups, including truck drivers, rickshaw pullers and drug addicts. The artistes, accompanying the train, would give performance in cluster of 12 villages on Attari Road, Ajnala Road, Batala Road, Majitha Road, Mehta Road and Jalandhar Road. The campaign would cover a total of 72 villages. Citing details of the three-day programme, the DC said local artistes have also been enlisted to boost the campaign.

He said the local talent in rural areas would also be promoted to carry forward the program. — TNS

Hoshiarpur, November 5
Providing relief to Dara Singh of Mustpur village, the district consumer forum ordered the IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Company Limited, New Delhi, to pay a claim amount of Rs 1,10,237 to the former with interest at the rate of nine per cent per annum.

Dara Singh filed a complaint against the company that the latter had wrongly repudiated the claim of his insured Toyota Innova (No. PB-07S-3916), which met with an accident on the night of June 5, 2007 near Lajwanti Hotel, Hoshiarpur.

The necessary intimation was given to the aforesaid insurance company which appointed a surveyor who assessed the loss to the vehicle.

Thereafter, Dara Singh got the vehicle repaired from an authorised agency of Toyota and paid Rs 1,10,237 on account of repair charges. When he submitted the claim along with the repair bills, the aforesaid company repudiated the claim on the ground that the driving license (No. 3363) was not valid. The authorities of the company took the plea that the claim lodged by Dara Singh was registered and an independent, government-approved surveyor was deputed to assess the loss.

As per the surveyor’s report, the vehicle suffered a loss of Rs 88,237 subject to deposit of salvage. At the time of the survey, driving license No. 3363 was given to the surveyor which was valid up to April 19, 2007 whereas the accident took place on June 4, 2007.

Another driving license (No. 708) was not given to him and as per the Motor Vehicle Act (AVA), one person cannot keep more than one license at a time, so as such, the claim was not payable even if it is proved that driving license (No. 708) of June 1, 2008 is genuine.

The consumer forum held that driving license (No. 708) was issued by the DTO office, for scooter, car/tractor. If it is found that a person possesses more than one driving license at a time and has violated the provisions of the MVA, it is for the concerned licensing authority to take action against that person as per provisions contained in the MVA but the insurance company does not have any right to repudiate the claim.

Jalandhar, November 5
Renu Pandey (22), wife of sepoy Om Prakash Pandey, posted at 8 Mech Infantry Corps, today levelled allegations against the Commanding Officer (CO) of the regiment, Col Vikrant Singh, that he had forcibly declared her husband a mental patient and confined him to the psychiatric ward of the Military Hospital (MH), Jalandhar Cantonment.

She said she spoke to Col Vikrant over phone pertaining to the status of her husband but the later refused to comment on the issue. “I called him up in the morning but he did not reply properly. I am badly distressed. It seems there is little hope left for me now,” added Renu.

Meanwhile, in a written complaint (the copy of which is available with The Tribune) to Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, sepoy Pandey claimed that he was being pressurised and maltreated by the army authorities to accept that he was mentally abnormal. He also maintained that the army officials despite conducting his thorough medical examination and declaring him completely normal, admitted him once again for wrong reasons. Though the sepoy claims that he is mentally and physically normal, the army authorities have a different story to tell.

According to information available with The Tribune, sepoy Pandey always remained in news due to wrong reasons. Defence spokesman said the army officials took action against him due to dereliction in duty, disobedience, indiscipline and use of abusive language against fellow colleagues.

“Since his behavior was found rude while on duty not once but many times, therefore the officials concerned had to take a strict action against him. He refused to go for an exercise on the grounds that he is suffering from back injury. On the other hand, when he was given administrative job he failed to do that as well and created trouble everywhere with complaints of misbehaviour with everyone,” he maintained.

On being asked as to why he was referred to the psychiatry ward, the defence spokesman said, “This happened due to the continuous reports of his rash behaviour, dereliction in duty and use of abusive language with his colleagues. Above all he was nearly 80 days late in joining his duty as well.”

Sepoy Pandey was admitted to the hospital for the first time on August 17, 2007. Though he joined his duty later on but once again he was admitted last month on for similar reason. The army authorities also filed a chargesheet against him.

“My husband got his back injured during a military operation due to which he was not able to work properly. Due to his back pain he was placed in low medical category. When he refused to go for an exercise in April due to this problem, the commanding officer took a serious note of this and the problem became all the more grave,” said Renu.

Despite repeated attempts, Col Vikrant refused to comment on the issue.

Amritsar, November 5
The shopkeepers of Nehru Shopping Complex at Lawrence Road here today strongly resented the move of the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) to levy parking charges 
on all vehicles entering the complex.

The spokesman of the Nehru Shopping Complex Welfare Association said the complex has a multi-storey parking area that has remained unused for last several years.

He said the trust could use this place for paid parking and allow the shopkeepers and the customers visiting the complex to park their vehicles in the free-parking zone.

He said paid parking would discourage customers and spell doom for the business, which is already going through tough times.

The association urged the AIT and the district administration to review its decision which could hit traders hard.

The shopkeepers also alleged that the condition of the complex was pathetic and required urgent attention.