J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

BJP takes Ram naam only during poll: Sheila
Jalandhar, February 18
An issue-starved BJP has fallen back on its old Ram Mandir line and is unnecessarily trying to politicise the Mumbai terror attacks. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who was in the city to preside over the convocation function of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, took a dig at the BJP and said the latter always banked on Lord Rama to save their day. The plank is more of a prop to be dusted and exploited during elections and is conveniently forgotten once in power.

KMV students get degrees
Jalandhar, February 18
As many as 850 girls were today conferred degrees at the annual convocation of KMV, Jalandhar. Chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit was the chief guest on the occasion.

Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit awards degrees to a KMV student. Photo: Suryakant

Challaning spree: VIP violators face music too
Jalandhar, February 18
The challaning spree by the newly appointed ASP Inderbir Singh has set the pulse of the high and mighty racing as VIP violators are also being pulled up along with the general public. The daring shown by the ASP has come in for praise by the people who had been feeling that influential persons got away scotfree, while they had to face the music.

Accompanied by ASP Inderbir Singh (left), SSP R.K. Jaiswal inspects a naka put up for challaning violators in Jalandhar on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Sick coop sugar mills to produce power
Batala, February 18
Trying to revive sick cooperative sugar mills in the state, the Punjab government would set up electricity generation units in the mills. Punjab cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljeet Singh laid the foundation stone of 12-MV cogeneration plan on a “built own operate and transfer (BOOT)” basis in Batala Cooperative Sugar Mill, 5 km from here today.

Amendment to CrPC
Lawyers observe strike
Jalandhar, February 18
On a call of the Delhi Bar Association, the district bar associations (DBA) of Jalandhar and Kapurthala observed strike today against the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). DBA Jalandhar secretary Prubjyot Singh Sidana said no lawyer attended court to express resentment against the amendment as part of nationwide strike.

GNDH blood bank to be upgraded
Amritsar, February 18
Guru Nanak Dev Hospital Blood Bank would be upgraded to first model blood bank in the state with a grant of Rs 1.5 crore by National AIDS Control Organisation.

BJP takes Ram naam only during poll: Sheila
Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 18
An issue-starved BJP has fallen back on its old Ram Mandir line and is unnecessarily trying to politicise the Mumbai terror attacks. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who was in the city to preside over the convocation function of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, took a dig at the BJP and said the latter always banked on Lord Rama to save their day. The plank is more of a prop to be dusted and exploited during elections and is conveniently forgotten once in power.

She said instead of presenting a united face of the country in the aftermath of the attacks, the BJP leaders chose to draw political mileage of the grisly act. This was nothing but a means to fan the passion of the masses, she pointed out.

The three-time CM said the development agenda of her government had clicked all these years since the people knew that actual development was taking place in Delhi. They would see to it that the pace of development was accelerated during her current term, she added.

Besides, certain prestigious Centre-sponsored schemes like NREGA and the Bharat Nirman Programme had paid rich dividends since they had been ably executed at the grassroots level and the people had benefited from such schemes. The people too had appreciated the N-deal, she said.

Sheila Dikshit added that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was an able leader who had taken the country to greater heights. He would continue to lead us in the coming years, she added.

Challaning spree: VIP violators face music too
Bipin Bhardwaj/TNS

Jalandhar, February 18
The challaning spree by the newly appointed ASP Inderbir Singh has set the pulse of the high and mighty racing as VIP violators are also being pulled up along with the general public.

The daring shown by the ASP has come in for praise by the people who had been feeling that influential persons got away scotfree, while they had to face the music.

With the challaning of the wife of a top police official, besides the wife of a political leader, for using red beacons, Inderbir Singh has set an example for the traffic rule violators. Talking to The Tribune, Inderbir Singh said a majority of the violators who he challaned in the last couple of days were VVIPs and children and wives of people from well-to-do families.

He said ironically the people who ideally should be role models for others were violating the traffic rules with impunity. Out of 10 violators, four to five belong to high-profile families of the area, said the ASP.

Tightening the noose around traffic rule violators, especially those using red and blue beacons, black films, pressure horns and using mobile phones while driving, SSP R.K. Jaiswal pulled up traffic police personnel by conducting surprise inspections of various nakas this evening.

Accompanied by ASP Inderbir Singh, the SSP visited the Model Town area, GTB Nagar, Lambra and certain other places and directed the traffic police personnel to challan the violators without any kind of pressure and fear.

He inspected the PCR vans and directed the officers concerned to maintain the books.

Jaiswal claimed that his priority was to solve sensational cases and streamline the traffic system. Patting Inderbir Singh, he said the ASP had done well by enforcing traffic rules following the Punjab and Haryana High Court guidelines. He said the police would soon be made fully computerised and lodging of complainants would be a mouse click away now. The toll-free helpline number (1073) would be made functional shortly. Alcoholmeters would be reintroduced to check drunken driving. CCTVs would be put up with the help of different welfare associations at strategic points in and around the city, the SSP added.

Sick coop sugar mills to produce power

Batala, February 18
Trying to revive sick cooperative sugar mills in the state, the Punjab government would set up electricity generation units in the mills. Punjab cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljeet Singh laid the foundation stone of 12-MV cogeneration plan on a “built own operate and transfer (BOOT)” basis in Batala Cooperative Sugar Mill, 5 km from here today.

The government has tied up with Suraya Industries, New Delhi, which will be spending Rs 60 to 80 crore for the project. The minister said the sick mills would produce electricity worth Rs 200 crore annually. Besides that they would earn additional income of Rs 2 crore annually. The companies would purchase agricultural waste, including paddy wheat straw, through cooperative societies which would be used in the generation of power. — OC

Amendment to CrPC
Lawyers observe strike
Tribune Reporters

Jalandhar, February 18
On a call of the Delhi Bar Association, the district bar associations (DBA) of Jalandhar and Kapurthala observed strike today against the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). DBA Jalandhar secretary Prubjyot Singh Sidana said no lawyer attended court to express resentment against the amendment as part of nationwide strike.

The cases listed for Wednesday were adjourned to different dates for next hearing.

Hoshiarpur: A complete strike was observed today by the Bar associations of Hoshiarpur, Dasuya and Garhshankar against the “anti-public and anti-society” amendments to sections 41 and 309 of the CrPC as well as in section 2(e) of the Limited Liability Partnership Act.

President of the District Bar Association (DBA) R.P. Dhir stated that the amendments brought about by the parliament were not in the interest of society and also demanded from the Punjab Chief Minister not to enforce the same in the state because the law being imposed upon the public would have disastrous affect on the society as well as on the legal fraternity.

Members of the DBA also submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner.

GNDH blood bank to be upgraded
P.K. Jaiswar/TNS

Amritsar, February 18
Guru Nanak Dev Hospital Blood Bank would be upgraded to first model blood bank in the state with a grant of Rs 1.5 crore by National AIDS Control Organisation.

A two-member team of National AIDS Control Society (NACO) led by Dr Savita Basu, professor and head of pathology department, GMC, Chandigarh, today visited and inspected blood bank of government-run GND Hospital (GNDH) here in this regard.

She was accompanied by Dr Sukhwinder Singh, joint director Punjab State AIDS Control Society. Dr R.P.S. Boparai, medical superintendent, GNDH, said the team inspected the machines in the blood bank besides checking records, methodology and working of the department.

He claimed that the team was happy to visit the blood bank and would submit its report to NACO. The team also visited old blood bank at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, he added.

Under the funds of Rs 1.5 crore from NACO, about Rs 60 lakh would be spent on procurement of latest equipment for the bank that include special blood storage refrigerators, component separator machine for separating four components from blood, agitators and vehicles. The remaining amount would be given to the bank in installments of Rs 25 lakh for three years.