Bathinda, February 18
“The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has started threatening all eight Congress MLAs in the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency to stop canvassing or face dire consequences,” alleged general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Raninder Singh, son of former chief minister Amarinder Singh, here today.

Raninder, a front-runner for the Congress ticket from the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, lashed out at Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, saying the Vigilance Bureau was acting at his behest.

The fear of losing the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat had been forcing him to issue such orders, he charged.

Naming Congress MLAs Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Mangat Rai Bansal and Jeet Mohinder Singh, all close confidants of Capt Amarinder Singh, he said they had received threats from the VB about implicating them in fake scandals.

When asked about the statement made by CM Parkash Singh Badal that during the reign of Capt Amarinder Singh, he and his son Sukhbir Badal were implicated by Vigilance Bureau, Raninder said, “At that time, they were interrogated once and the VB sleuths had visited their premises just once. But here, we have been called a number of times to the police station. I have appeared more than 13 times in the Ludhiana City Center case.”

“All this is being done to harass me so that I am unable to conduct the election campaign,” he added.

About the recent VB case related to his company named Teg’s Masrado private limited and Bank of Baroda, he said the case was lodged to harass him as neither his company had got any subsidy from the state government nor the state government has any investments in the bank.

“I want to make it clear that neither me nor my father is afraid of these tactics of the Badals. We are ready to face cases with any allegation. If the time comes, we would court arrest but the Badals would not succeed in their aim,” he said.

Replying to a query related to Harsimrat Kaur, wife of Sukhbir Badal, a likely SAD candidate for Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, he said, “I treat her as sister and wish her good luck but the bureaucrats who are sanitising her election campaign would have to answer for their unconstitutional deeds.”

When asked why he focussed on Sukhbir in his allegations and spared Parkash Singh Badal, Raninder said, “These days, Sukhbir is the person, who runs the state like a super chief minister. So, the elder Badal cannot be blamed directly but he shares collective responsibility.”

Bathinda, February 18
The upgradation and beautification of Bathinda by hiring landscapists of international repute is all set to begin.

As per the information received, the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) has selected a US-based company, Urban Development Services (UDS) Pvt Ltd, that would work in collaboration with Delhi-based Kaimal Chatterjee & Associates (KCA) to beautify Bathinda.

The chief general manager of the PIDB has issued notice of award to the Delhi-based representative of the company on February 5, under reference number PIDB/CGM/09/986-88.

The PIDB had accepted their bid of Rs1,09,42,000 and asked them to release the letter of acceptance.

Under the terms, the company has to deposit Rs 5,47,100 as security within 15 days of the notice of the award.

The Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials have received the documents.

In the bidding for Bathinda, two other companies had participated, namely, OPUS International (M) Berhad of Malaysia and Zimmer Gunsel Frasel Frasca Architects of the United States.

There are 13 roads opted for in the project covering the GT road, Mall road, Bibiwala road, Barnala bypass road, Amrik Singh road, Goniana road, 11-Feet road, Power House road, Malout road, Mansa road, Dabwali road, Badal road and Multania road.

Under the assignment, the company will have to cover vehicular and pedestrian movements, landscape plan and layout, street lights, rotaries and junctions, furniture details, utility plans, relocation of services, façade treatment elevations, carriageway and footpaths etc.

The amount would be released in phased manner in percentage of work completed.

Confirming the details, BMC Commissioner K.K. Yadav said, "It is an appreciable step of the state government. We would contribute as much as is required to make the project successful and on time."

It may be mentioned that earlier in July 2008, two companies, namely, the UDS PVT Ltd and Zimmer Gunsel Frasca Architects had applied for tender quoting Rs 4.65 crore and 4.67 crore, respectively. Due to high bidding, the project was deferred.

Bathinda, February 18
The board exams of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) are beginning from February 21.

The education department has announced that it would take strict steps to check cheating by students during the exams.

Education minister Upinderjeet Kaur had recently announced that her department would extend full support to schools to check cheating cases.

Sources in the PSEB, Mohali, said special duties were already assigned to the PSEB staff for visiting schools while exams were on.

Bhuvan Chand from the PSEB said, “Flying squads have been assigned special duties. Apart from teachers and supervisors, DEOs have been asked to maintain constant vigil to check cheating.”

The education department has taken measures to curtail copying in schools. Sources stated that not more than four people would be allowed together within the radius of 200 metres.

Baljinder Singh Mann, DEO (Secondary), said, “We are preparing for exams to tackle cheating. I would personally go around to ensure that nothing wrong takes place.”

Sources in the education department also stated that the police would be on duty to tackle the menace.

However, when SSP Ashish Chowdhary was contacted, he said, “We have received no list as of now. So there is no plan for deploying police force. Generally, one to two policemen are deployed outside schools and at important places. The DEO should approach us and we would plan out accordingly.”

The teachers have also been banned from taking mobile phones to classrooms.

Bathinda, February 18
District Congress leaders today accused each other of indulging in malpractices in presence of Ratna, chief of Punjab Congress Mahila wing, at a public meeting here.

She was here to observe the claims of Mahinder Kaur Rani and Ranjeet Kaur Romana for the presidentship of the district unit of the women’s wing.

Romana is the outgoing president and had arranged a meeting of supporters at the Congress Bhawan here. Her rebel Rani also showed her strength at a meeting held at an inn near Des Raj School.

After the meeting, when Ratna along with Tehal Singh Sandhu, PPCC general secretary went to Congress Bhawan, leaders present there namely, K.K. Sharma, Inder Singh Sahni, Vipan Bubby, Manohar Lal and others had a verbal duel with Tehal Singh as he asked them to leave as it was a meeting of women only.

They objected. A scuffle followed. Ratna later said it was a petty issue.

Bathinda, February 18
Gold is glittering. The shine, however, comes with a price, which is stretching beyond the common man’s expectations with each passing day and may soon go out of his limits.

The unabated rise, however, has failed to dampen the spirits of the people of the region, particularly women, to buy the precious metal.

The gold dealers and experts contacted by TNS came out with a piece of advice in unison — it is the right time to buy the bullion as its price will not come down ever for its ‘shortage’ in market.

Gold was priced around Rs 13,000 (22 carats per 10 grams) and around Rs 13,500-13,600 (24 carats per 10 grams) about a month back.

Though its price keep fluctuating daily, nowadays the precious metal could be purchased at about Rs 15,500.

“Though the number of customers halved during this period and though there is a general slump in the market, there has hardly been any fall in quantum of sales,” said Subhash Singla of Super Jewellers in Post Office Bazaar.

Saurabh Jaura of Maharaja Jewellers in Dhobi Bazaar has some dim hopes about a reversal in prices.

“Actually, gold prices are linked with dollar rates, and if dollar rates come down, the prices of gold also come down,” he added.

Ashok Singhal from Dwarka’s Jewellers in Post Office Bazaar, however, has a different opinion. He maintains that only need-based customers were purchasing gold from the market.

“There is no chance of gold reversing to its earlier position. So, one should go and lay one’s hands on the precious metal as soon as possible,” says Singhal.

Not only gold, silver prices, too, have been registering uneasy jerks. If a kg of silver was priced at Rs 17,000 a month ago, it is available for around Rs 22,500 today.

Though the mind-boggling upward spurt in price has limited the sphere of buyers
and has virtually restricted gold as a commodity for few, the lust for gold is still unending among women and those who want to hoard the precious metal to sell it later at higher price.

However, there are some people even selling gold and gold ornaments with a purpose to buy the yellow metal again once its price begins a southward journey.

Mansa, February 18
Family members of the former minister of Punjab and leader of SAD (1920) late Baldev Singh Khiala joined the Congress party in the presence of PPCC general secretary Raninder Singh.

The family members of late Khiala who joined Congress included Gurdial Kaur, widow of Baldev Singh Khiala, sons Nirmal Singh and Jagwinder Singh, grandsons Rimpal Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Babaljeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Avtar Singh, son-in-law Lal Singh Makhawala, Gurpartap Singh (Dohta) and daughter Manjeet Kaur.

Raninder also addressed public meetings at Khiala Kalan, Gharangna, Jhunir, Birewala and Karandi villages.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of a function at village Gharangna, Raninder said that the party was ready to face every challenge.

He said the Congress wanted a peaceful atmosphere for elections but if SAD used any illegal means in the elections then the Congress would give a befitting reply.

He said that a political alliance would also be formed with like-minded forces to defeat the SAD-BJP combine.

He declined to give any comment on Dera Sacha Sauda issue but said the Congress wants unity in society. He said the party wanted to know who would be SAD candidate from Bathinda.

Among others who addressed the meeting were MLAs Ajit Inder Singh Moffer, Sher Singh Gagowal, Mangat Rai Bansal besides district youth Congress president Gurpreet Singh Vicky and Youth Congress leader Bikram Singh Moffer.

Ferozepur, February 18
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ferozepur, imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on an executive officer of the local Cantonment Board and the principal of a school run by the board for adopting “unfair trade practice” by recommending the parents of the students to purchase books and copies from a particular shop.

A complaint in this regard was filed by a local resident Pankaj Sharma before the forum that he got admitted her daughter in nursery at the Sunshine Public School
in March 2008.

However, when he found that the school was not affiliated to any Central or state board, he shifted his daughter to another school.

Although the complainant had also levelled the allegations of misleading the parents by the board authorities that their school was affiliated but the consumer forum rejected this allegation by giving the verdict “that this fact seems to be not plausible” on the ground that nothing such was written in the school prospectus.

He alleged that the school authorities recommended him to purchase books and copies from Army Stationery Mart Modern Book Depot that charged Rs 10 extra per book for as many as eight books purchased by him as binding charges.

The forum, during the course of discussion, found that the MRP of the books was written on the cover, which seems to include all types of binding charges.

The president of the forum Sanjay Garg and Member Parveenjit Kaur in their verdict last week asked the Education Officer of the board and principal of the school to refund the admission fee of Rs 1,690 with the direction to stop unfair trade practice.

They were also slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 to be payable to the complainant for adopting such unfair trade practice.

The in-charge of the Army Stationery Mart Modern Book Depot has also been directed to pay a sum of Rs 3,000 for selling books at a higher rate than the MRP.

Dharamkot (Moga), Feb 18
A demolition squad of the Dharamkot Municipal Council led by its executive officer Davinder Singh Toor demolished encroachments on the Moga-Jalandhar national highway near the bus stand here on Wednesday morning and launched a drive against the illegal constructions in compliance with the orders of the High Court.

An official of the district administration claimed that no untoward incident was reported in the town as most of the encroachers remained a mute spectators to their structures being demolished and did not resist the demolition drive.

The MC squad began their exercise in the morning and continued demolishing the illegal structures for about two hours. They removed as many as 13 illegal structures from around the national highway.

Some of the encroachers submitted affidavits before the MC authorities on the spot and got relaxation for a week promising that they would themselves remove the encroachments. The MC authorities granted them the time period to remove the encroachments themselves.

It may be mentioned that the MC first served notices to the encroachers on June 27, 2007 but no one removed the encroachments.

For the second time, the notices were served on October 28, 2007 followed by verbal warnings on many occasions during the past two years.

The municipal council authorities then resorted to a demolition drive after having failed to convince the encroachers to remove the encroachments on their own.

Faridkot, February 18
The Vigilance Bureau has booked a woman teacher for fraudulently getting the teaching job, under the reserved quota for Scheduled Castes, on the basis of a fake caste certificate, 16 years after getting the job.

According to sources in the Bureau, the accused Paramjit Kaur, daughter of Roor Singh, a resident of the village Kotli Abu under Muktsar district, got a fake certificate of Scheduled Caste made in 1992 and subsequently got the job of a Hindi teacher on the basis of the document under the reserved category.

She was now posted in Government High School at Bageana in the Faridkot district.

The District Superintendent of Police of the Bureau Gurmej Singh conducted an inquiry into a complaint against her and found during the course of the inquiry that she got a fake certificate made to get the job.

Subsequently, an FIR under sections 201, 420 of the IPC and 13 (1), 13 (2), 88 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against her at the Bureau's police station in Bathinda on Wednesday.

However, she was yet to be arrested, confirmed an official of the Vigilance Bureau.

Faridkot, February 18
The district and sessions court has rejected the bail applications of the alleged kingpin Dr Ajmer Kalra and four of his associates in the infamous Pre-Medical Entrance Test scam.

Twelve other co-accused were granted bail here on Wednesday. While taking up the case of 17 accused persons, the district and sessions judge Varinder Kumar has rejected the bail applications of Dr Kalra, Bikesh Kumar, Sonal Jain, Pandip Kaur and Ridhma, who had applied for bail.

A criminal case was registered against them in June 2008 on a complaint filed by S.S. Walia, registrar of the Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences.

More than 30 persons had been arrested in this scam so far. It was alleged that these youth had paid huge sums to pass the PMET test with good numbers.

However, the court granted bail to Mohit Sharma, Shivam, Narinder Kumar, Arjan Chawla, K Gaurav, Naveen Malik, Dr Surjit Singh, R Upadhaya, Amit Kumar, Piyush Chaudhary and two others.

Hanumangarh, February 18
The week-long horse fair on Sangria-Suratgarh bypass in Hanumangarh has so far attracted about two dozen buyers from Uttar Pradesh.

Sale of 25 horses on Sunday and 30 on Monday was confirmed by the managing committee. Registration of horses, mares and children several areas of Punjab and Haryana has crossed 325 by now.

Most of them are of Marwari, Gujarati and Kathiyawadi breed. Highest price quoted so far for mare was Rs 65,000 and average price for male was Rs 18,000, S.D. Suthar, secretary of the district horse fair committee said.

Fazilka, February 18
The Education Department under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) distributed artificial limbs, hearing aids, tricycle and wheelchairs among physically challenged students up to 14 years of age at local Government Senior Secondary School for Boys.

District coordinator of the SSA, K.S. Walia and the in-charge of the programme, Ashok Monga, the principal of the Government Girls Senior Secondary School Sandeep Dhuria, president of the Social Welfare Society, Raj Kishore Kalra, were also present at the occasion.

Walia said camps would be held at Jalalabad (W) on February 20 and at Guruharsahai on February 21.

Bathinda, February 18
Students of Dasmesh Girls College of Education, Badal, brought laurels to the college by winning 11 prizes in Panjab University zonal level skill-in teaching and on the spot teaching-aid preparation competitions-2009 at Abohar, Fazilka and Jalalabad.

The competition in languages was held at M.D. College of Education, Abohar, and in this, Kanchan stood first in skill in teaching in Hindi.

Rajveer Kaur got first position in teaching of Punjabi and Khushbeer got third prize in on the spot teaching aid preparation.

The competition in science, economics and commerce was held at Fazilka on February 16. Amanjot Kaur won in on the spot teaching aid preparation in Science.

Meenakshi of commerce bagged first position in skill-in teaching competition. Babita stood first in on the spot teaching aid preparation in commerce.

Gurbinder Kaur took first prize in skill in teaching in economics. Parveen came second in on the spot teaching aid preparation in economics.

Anita Midda of History was selected first in skill in teaching at Jalalabad. Navpreet got first prize in political science.

Manjinder Kaur stood third in History on the spot teaching aid preparation competition. Principal Dr S.S. Sangha lauded the students for their achievements.