Nawanshahr, December 10
For officials of the local post office, shifting from the old building situated on Rahon Road to the newly constructed building near the district administrative complex here has been proving to be more of a bane than a boon for want of basic amenities like drinking water, sewerage, etc.

Though the construction of the new building of the local post office was completed about one year ago, the post office is still awaiting the day when it would formally start functioning in the ultra-modern building.

“Though everything is ready in the building, which would house a number of facilities like a fully computerised post office, money transfer facility for NRIs and a generator set to make up for the shortage of power, etc., the local officials have to undergo a nightmarish experience in getting connections of electricity, drinking water, sewerage, etc.,” rued post office inspector Kailash Sharma while talking to The Tribune.

Earlier, they had to make several rounds for about six months before succeeding in getting the power connection, now they have been running from pillar to post to get drinking water and sewerage connections, though each and every formality, including depositing of requisite charges - Rs 16,898 for sewerage connection and Rs 14,658 for water supply connection - were completed in May and June this year, respectively, post office employees said.

Due to undue delay in the provision of water supply and sewerage connections, the new post office building is yet to be made operational. The people of the district have been the worst sufferers as presently the post office is situated in a dilapidated building.

Besides, as the level of the Rahon road has been raised, the drain passing along the post office building has virtually become defunct in draining out the water. Consequently, the water floods the post office, creating a big problem for the employees and the residents.

Interestingly, the road cutting for giving water connection was started, the municipal councillor concerned allegedly objected to it as it would damage the newly constructed road in her locality. The post office officials say since they have deposited the road cutting charges, it is the responsibility of the municipal council to repair the road. However, municipal councillor Kulwant Kaur denied the allegations, saying she was not aware of any such incident.

Executive officer V.K. Mehta and municipal engineer S.P. Sharma, when contacted on the phone, while trying to evade the issue said the connections would be released soon. Deputy commissioner Nilkanth Avhad, when contacted, said he would enquire into the matter and the authorities concerned would be asked to release the connection immediately.

Gurdaspur, December 10
The factionalism in the Congress, which has come to the fore in the past few days ever since former Chief Minister and chairman, state election campaign committee, Amarinder Singh has started undertaking his mass contact programme, has left a large number of party’s leaders and workers disappointed.

After getting fed up with the “irresponsible” attitude of a section of party leaders during these days, a few party leaders have written to national party chief Sonia Gandhi to handover the “command” of the Punjab Congress affairs to one leader only, who could deliver the goods.

They said presently Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Capt Amarinder Singh were three power centres in the state Congress units. As all of them had been running the party affairs with their own style and separately, the party leaders and workers were absolutely confused and did not know what they should do in such situation.

A senior leader of the Congress, on the condition of anonymity, said the situation prevailing in the state Congress unit had been weakening the party instead of strengthening it. He added that a section of senior party leaders had been pulling the legs of another senior leader, who was popular among the people and was a main vote catcher for the party in Punjab.

On the other hand, Raman Bhalla, former minister, while talking to TNS this evening, said the time had come when party leaders should put up a united face to the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, which had been committing atrocities on the party workers.

He claimed that as of now Capt Amarinder Singh was the only leader in Punjab, who could lead the party to its betterment and could manage to win maximum number of Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections and hence could facilitate the formation of the Congress government in the centre.

He said those leaders, who were trying to “sabotage” the mass contact programme being carried out by Capt Amarinder Singh, must learn a lesson from the fact that Capt Amarinder Singh’s rallies and workers’ meetings had been drawing huge crowds.

Ashwani Shekri, convener, state election campaign committee, said the mass contact programme being carried out by Capt Amarinder Singh was a programme of the Congress and hence all leaders should participate in it so that the hands of Sonia Gandhi could be strengthened keeping in view the coming Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, Capt Amarinder Singh will be holding party workers’ meetings in Gurdaspur and Batala towns tomorrow.

Jalandhar, December 10
Scores of transporters organised a rally to demand further reduction in the prices of petroleum products. They burnt the effigy of the union petroleum minister here today.

The transporters also threatened to launch an indefinite strike by observing a complete “chakka jam” if the prices of petrol and diesel were not reduced till December 20.

Leaders of the All-Punjab Truck Operators Union (APTOU), while addressing the gathering, said the prices of crude oil in the international market had come down to $40 per barrel from $147. The Indian government had played a joke with the common man and transporters by cutting down prices of petrol and diesel by only Rs 5 and Rs 2 per litre, respectively.

They had been demanding a reduction of Rs 15 per litre in petrol and Rs 10 per litre in diesel prices, claimed APTOU president Happy Sandhu.

Nawanshahr, December 10
Activists of the Human Empowerment League of Punjab (HELP), led by Parvinder Kittna, submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner for onward submission to the Chief Minister of Punjab, urging him to consider the deaths in road accidents as a violation of the human rights to mark the Human Rights Day, here today.

“Every year, around 5,000 persons have been losing their lives and thousands becoming physically handicapped in road accidents in the state. The roads of the state are not safe enough for the people and no traffic safety rules are being enforced,” rued the HELP activists, adding that it amounted to the violation of section 2-D of the Human Rights Act, 1993.

Meanwhile, the local unit of the Human Rights Forum organised a seminar on human rights at RMB DAV Public School. Deputy commissioner Nilkanth Avhad presided over on the occasion. 

Jalandhar, December 10
Three persons were crushed to death and a woman was injured when a truck ran over the two vehicles they were riding on the Phagwara-Hoshiapur road in the Chahal Nagar area, near Phagwara, this morning.

According to the police, the truck went out of control and knocked down a cycle and a scooter leaving three persons dead on the spot. Cyclist Ram Lubhaya, a resident of Meta village, died on the spot, while his wife Kamla Rani, who was riding pillion, had a close shave. However, she sustained serious injuries.

After crushing the cycle, the truck ran over a scooter, leaving its riders Surinder Singh of Manawali village and Surjit Singh, an NRI from Chakka Bendal village, dead.

After coming back to his country from the USA, the NRI (Surjit Singh) had been running a fast food centre in Phagwara.

The bodies were handed over to the families after post-mortem examinations at the Phagwara civil hospital. Seriously injured Kamla Rani has been admitted to the civil hospital.

Phagwara DSP Harkanwal Singh Khak said the truck driver had been arrested for rash driving and causing death of three persons and leaving one injured. A case under sections 304 of the IPC has been registered against him. The police has also impounded the truck.

Amritsar, December 10
Two persons were killed in the Beas area here today when Army jawans were destroying the expired explosives.

According to information, the deceased were hiding in the wild grass to pick up the brass remnants of the explosives in the Army area. The army authorities had even issued prior warnings to the residents of all the adjoining villages.

However, as per police authorities, the middle-aged victims, identified as Ujagar Singh of Sheron Nigah and Aroor Singh of Khanpur villages, crossed the barbed fencing of the restricted area to collect brass and copper remnants of the explosives.

No case has been registered as the villagers were of the view that the two deceased died due to their own misadventure. Their bodies were handed over to the villagers as they don’t have any family. — TNS

Amritsar, December 10
The thefts witnessed on the Guru Nanak Dev University campus during the last couple of years were actually being committed by a Nepali person who had been working as a servant with a senior official of the university.

Ritesh (22), a resident of Nepal, who had been employed at the residence of a senior faculty member for the past more than 12 years, was the main culprit behind thefts on the university campus. His designs came to light when the wife of the officer noticed a gold bangle in his possession which, he said, had been found by him while he was returning to the house from the market. This led to suspicion that he may be involved in some thefts.

Today, when Ritesh against brought some other stolen item and tried to hide it in a shrub near the house, the family caught him red-handed and handed him over to the chief security officer of the university, who further handed him over to the police.

Later, during investigation by the security staff, he confessed to several thefts on the university campus. — OC