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Red Cross Society row Audited balance sheet of M/s Red Cross Medical Store run by the District Red Cross Society of
Moga. |
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Spy ring
Fungus and erratic wiring on this streetlight pole outside Swami Keshwa Nand Ayurvedic Hospital
in Abohar. Photo by writer
New thermal plants will aggravate coal scarcity, say brick kiln owners
‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’ team meet youth
Noted actors (from left) Jimmy Shergill, Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi and Kulraj Kaur Randhawa adressing media at an educational institute in village Deon near Bathinda on Thursday. Tribune photo: Malkiat
Singh
Exams on, college busy with high-profile functions
Fire fighters dousing the fire that broke out in a wagon loaded with gunny bags at the railway station in Bathinda during the wee hours of Thursday.
Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Poll code
Distribution of ‘single batti meters’
‘Indian economy not affected by global meltdown’
Docs bring smile back on patient face
Scene from play "Wrong number" staged in Abohar recently.
Man gets 2 years jail in cheque bounce case
Ferozepur admn reviews poll preparations
Stolen crane recovered
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Probe ordered into society ‘bungling’
Drug controller summons record while drug inspector slaps notice on society Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service
Moga, March 19 Talking to The Tribune DM Satwant Singh Johal revealed that he has asked the additional deputy commissioner Mahinder Singh Kainth to inquire into the alleged misappropriations in the drug store run by the Red Cross society and submit the report to him within 15 days. The Tribune had highlighted that Red Cross society, which is not a commercial organisation had been running a drug store in the local civil hospital by setting-up a business firm without a valid drug licence for the past over two years and also purchased a luxury car worth Rs seven lakh, besides, a plot for an employee deployed on the drug store out of its earnings. The licence to run a drug store had expired on January 24, 2007, after which the secretary of the society applied for renewal that was still pending in the office of the licensing authority. Besides this, the balance sheet of M/s Red Cross Medical Store as on March 31, 2006 had also pointed out irregularities in the funds of the drug store. A car worth Rs 7,05,867 and a plot worth Rs 90,500 were purchased for a contractual employee of the drug store by raising loan from banks. Meanwhile, the drug inspector Balram Luthra said that he had served a notice on the society through its secretary to submit fresh permission of the health department to run the drug store on their premises in the civil hospital so that their case of renewal of the license could be decided accordingly. On the other hand, taking a suo motto notice of the news item, the state drug controller Bhag Singh had also summoned all relevant records pertaining to the controversial drug store from the licensing authority to inquire into the matter. There were also reports of sub standard drugs being sold in the drug store. The drug inspector had raided the store on March 16 and collected few samples of the medicines the report of which was still awaited.
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10-day police remand for ‘ISI agents’
Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service
Faridkot, March 19 A police party headed by DSP Gurbax Lal produced the arrested alleged ISI agents Naib Singh, Baldev Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Randhir Singh before the court of BR Garg CJM and demanded a police remand of ten days, which was granted by the court. The court has also ordered proper medical examination of the accused. The police claimed before the court that ISI officials had given a sim card of 'Jaga' a Pakistani Mobile Company to Naib Singh that was yet to be recovered from him. "There is also a possibility of the recoveries of few more sensitive documents relating to military installations, photographs and diaries containing telephone numbers of ISI and military officials of Pakistan from them, which could lead to more arrests", the DSP stated before the court. The DSP also brought into the notice of the court that officials of the ISI had sent money to their agents through the world-known Western Union money transfer company on 10 occasions, the record of which was yet to be procured from them for investigations. Meanwhile, family members of Naib Singh and Baldev Singh who were present in the court alleged that fake cases of spying had been registered against them. No matter, they were involved in militant activities during the militancy period but after the state government granted them general amnesty they lived a peaceful family life. It may be mentioned that they were arrested by the special narcotics cell of Amritsar and counter intelligence units of Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Patiala districts and a case was registered against them under the Official Secrets Act and few other provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). After producing them in the court, the police party straightaway took them to the joint interrogation centre at Amritsar for further investigations.
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Sahitya Sadan complex vicinity poor lit
Abohar, March 19 Swami Ji, initially known as Birma an orphan from Bikaner, had settled here after loosing his parents due to a severe famine. He had got tremendous support from senior social activists including Bal Ram Jakhar, Hazari Lal Rinwa and Chandi Ram Verma for raising Sahitya Sadan complex at Abohar to run his comprehensive campaign for lighting each house with literacy by providing primary books and writing material free of cost. He later founded Gramothan Vidyapeeth at Sangria in Rajasthan which has now attained the status of a university. He was worshiped by thousands and nominated as member of the Rajya Sabha in recognition of his untiring selfless services. The Sahitya Sadan complex founded by Swami Ji has got an Ayurvedic hospital, senior secondary school, girls' college and library. Not only the students and patients but scores of other people visit the complex in the evening hours also but face complete darkness outside the complex. The turning point cornering the local Gaushala, facing the girls' college, is known as accident prone zone but none of the street light works around it. The municipal council had been contacted at least ten times during the past two months to get the damaged tube rods replaced. Separate letters addressed to the president and the executive officer in this regard remain unattended. The council has chosen to increase security risk even as the local police had failed in nabbing any of the chain and purse snatchers during the past six months. Fungus and erratic wiring on the poles speak volume of the neglect. The council has got Rs 9 crore annual budget and had last month sanctioned Rs 3.5 lakh for purchasing street light material, sources said. The sectional officer in-charge of street light maintenance when contacted on cell phone said "At the moment I do not have time to discuss such complaints, talk to me later." |
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New thermal plants will aggravate coal scarcity, say brick kiln owners
Bathinda, March 19 The Punjab Brick Kiln Owners’ Association today said the coal, which is the basic raw material of the brick kilns, had become costlier by over Rs 4,000 per tonne in four months. Over 60 per cent of the input cost is spent on coal and is priced between Rs 9,800 and Rs 10,000 per tonne which was Rs 6,000 per tonne last year. As a result, the prices of bricks have also gone up considerably. “Till last year, 1000 bricks were available for Rs 1,800 and now the price has risen to Rs 2,500. The sudden and steep increase in coal prices has disturbed the industry and would adversely affect the state economy,” said the association president Kuldip Makkar. Notably, there are around 2,500 brick kilns in Punjab, out of which 180 exist in Bathinda. Over the issue of the use of highly-polluting fuels, including discarded tyres, alkaline battery shells and waster obtained from discarded mobile oil, in the kiln, Makkar said there might be isolated instances and it was not that all brick kilns were using these pollutants. “Action should be taken against the ‘erring’ persons,” he added. “Another problem plaguing the industry is labour. The government has increased the cost of labour by 25 per cent last year, which has added to our woes,” said Makkar. Moreover, highly-skilled labour required for kilns was not easily available, he added. Regarding exploitation of labourers, he said proper remuneration was being given to the workers. There was no government policy to save the industry from closure, he said. |
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‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’ team meet youth
Bathinda, March 19 Among others, leading stars Jimmy Shergill and Kulraj Randhawa were present along with Navaniat Singh (director) and Gurpret Singh Ghuggi, a renowned Punjabi comedian. They all hailed the story and music of the film, which they said was a romantic one. Sketching an outline of the story, they said Meet (Jimmy) was a Punjabi fun loving and adventurous chap, who lives in Vancouver. At a wedding, he meets Rajjo, a girl who lives in Amritsar and gave much importance to traditional values. For Meet, saying the words ‘I Love You’ is not a big deal while Rajjo believed that saying the three words would be the biggest moment of her life. Going through a topsy-turvy ride, how Meet manages to win Rajjo’s love was the crux of the screenplay, said the team. Meanwhile, when media asked Jimmy about the aim of political parties approaching cinestars to encash their fan following during elections, he said, “It varies from person to person and benefits both the parties.” However, he categorically denied having any plan to enter politics. Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi pleaded the gathering against buying pirated stuff, which is ruining the entertainment industry. The young crowd present on the college campus was so passionate to see the cinestars that they kept on whistling and cheering them up. Before leaving, each of the team members urged all to watch the movie, which would release on April 10. Complimentary audio CDs of the film were also distributed to youth. |
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Exams on, college busy with high-profile functions
Bathinda, March 19 It may be mentioned that a former MLA of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (B) is among the top members of the institution’s board. Reason better known to the authorities concerned, during the past 12 days the institute has organised three functions, one after another that were presided by the ruling party leaders and some cine star personalities and that too ignoring the fact that the examinations of students have already begun. Further, it has been informed that the authorities at the institute have scheduled one more function for March 24. In such sequence, on March 7, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, wife of Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister was the chief guest of a function arranged in the college. Then on March 14, Sukhbir Singh Badal was the chief guest of an eco-friendly programme, where noted singer Harbhajan Mann presented a number of songs from his collection and the event was stretched for couple of hours. Today, whole team of a Punjabi movie was in the college for their movie promotion. Talking to a number of students, it has been observed that examinations of some classes were on going, while for many classes are to be started within few days. When asked, the principal of the college, Pardeep Kaura, said, “I agree that the examination days are on but no student has been forced to attend the programmes. We are also worried about their studies but by attending such functions, they would hardly suffer any loss in their preparations as many of them are free from classes. Meanwhile, session for some classes has started recently, so we urge only freshers to attend the functions.” |
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Gunny bags burnt as wagon catches fire
Bathinda, March 19 According to the railway sources, the fire was noticed when the goods train - 21+O BCM - was undergoing TXR examination. The train was going from Sirsa to Budhlada via Bathinda. The bags carried mark of Markfed on it, sources added. Sources, however, said the incident did not affect the movement of other trains, including passengers, at the station. Fire fighters took about two hours to control the fire and it took another two hours to completely douse it. According to the sources, the railway staff engaged in the TXR examination of the train noticed the smoke coming out from the wagon at around 2.30 am. Later, they informed the senior railway officials about the incident. Senior railway officials at Bathinda station superintendent, deputy station superintendent, loco inspector, SSE CNW, traffic inspector, AEN and other staff reached spot soon after getting the information. Railway officials called the fire fighters to handle the incident. The Bathinda railway is carrying out an investigation to find out the reason behind the fire. The actual loss could be ascertained after the investigation, railway officials said. The incident, meanwhile, is being considered as a blow to the state government’s efforts to arrange gunny bags before the wheat procurement season as the same are in short supply nowadays. |
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Former SAD (B) minister replies to ECI query
Rajay Deep Tribune News Service
Bathinda, March 19 On the orders of the chief electoral officer, Punjab, the deputy commissioner-cum returning officer, Rahul Tewari, issued a show cause notice to Malooka. Meanwhile, an enquiry was also marked to the sub-divisional magistrate, Bathinda. Though the reply has been submitted to the chief electoral officer, this evening it is sans some points related to the allegations. While Malooka was asked to file his reply on Wednesday, he took plea for being away from the station and got a relaxation of one day. Sources in the DC office said Malooka had filed his reply this evening. In his reply, Malooka termed the incident as a normal affair and mentioned that some people visited him in his office along with 'laddoos' and sweets. He added that he paid the bills of tea offered to them from his own pocket. Though he denied any violation of code of conduct, he did not give any explanation about the tandoor and stalls installed outside his office (inside the Mini-Secretariat) to prepare lunch for the visitors. He specifically denied any questionable paraphernalia was used on the day. Ironically, the report of the sub-divisional magistrate too does not have details about such a point. After receiving the versions of Malooka and the sub-divisional magistrate,deputy commissioner Rahul Tewari today submitted his report to the chief electoral officer for consideration. It may be mentioned that though Malooka is denying the inauguration of the office, but on March 16 the press secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) issued a release stating that on the day, a number of SAD-BJP leaders welcomed and congratulated Malooka for becoming chairman of the district planning committee. It has also been reported that in general, the chief electoral officer is not much satisfied with the investigation reports being sent to the CEO office regarding the complaints of Bathinda district.
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Distribution of ‘single batti meters’
Bathinda, March 19 Sources in the district administration today informed that after investigations, the deputy commissioner, Bathinda, was not convinced with the statement of the XEN. According to information, the DC has received the report of the investigating team from additional deputy commissioner (development), C. Sibin, who is also the assistant returning officer (ARO). After gathering information from the villagers, a number of officials reportedly felt that meters were not distributed on March 17. However, the statement of the XEN raised ample doubt. In his reply, the XEN had stated that the department had sent a truck of meter cover boxes to the village on the day but not meters. The ARO mentioned in his report that despite knowing that the Election Commission of India had ordered that no execution, whatsoever, of pending cases of the single batti meters should be done, the XEN took such a controversial step. Being well aware that almost every day, complaints about distribution of single batti meters were pouring in from all quarters, there was no reason for him to send a truckload of covers to the village, Sibin added. Mentioning all details, the DC has clearly stated in his report that the XEN, by sending such truck to the village, had not acted properly. DC Rahul Tewari, however, preferred not to divulge the details and told TNS over phone, "We have submitted our report to the chief electoral officer for further action."
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‘Indian economy not affected by global meltdown’
Abohar, March 19 The Bank of Baroda too will provide an ATM here soon, he assured. Speaking during the agricultural loan distribution function today, Lakhanpal said the global meltdown had forced 14 banks in USA and 2 in Europe to close down but its affect on Indian economy was not substantial. The Indian banks are always on sound footings and also survive by investing savings in LIC and postal schemes. Since India is the second biggest country after China, where the economy centered on agriculture, there could be no threat perception in the coming days also. Elaborating on performance of his bank, the DGM said Bank of Baroda did a business of Rs 3 lakh crore last year and hopes an increase of 25 lakh this time. The bank offers free accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh to all the saving account holders. He distributed loans to 70 farmers worth Rs 2.70 crore during the function. Branch manager
V.K. Miglani and loan in-charge R.K. Gupta explained the significance of financial assistance to the agriculture sector. |
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Docs bring smile back on patient face
Faridkot, March 19 Ask Arshveer Singh (18) who underwent this trauma till he was successfully operated upon by Dr. Vikram Prabhakar, professor and head, department of oral and maxillofacial surgery and his team at the Dasmesh Institute of Research and Dental Sciences, Faridkot. Arshveer was suffering from a debilitating condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Ankylosis. His lower jaw bone-mandible: was fused to the base of the skull since birth, limiting his mandibular growth and causing deformity and underdevelopment of the lower jaw. This gave him a typical "birds face" appearance and lead to inability to open his mouth, masticate and speak properly. The malformation of the jaw also leads to social and psychological disturbances. The most common cause of this condition according to Dr Prabhakar is neglected trauma of the developing lower jaw, and middle ear infections. The most vulnerable age group is from 5 to 10 years. Surgery in such a condition becomes more challenging and difficult if it is left to persist for a longer time. There is a misconception amongst most that the child should be operated after facial growth is |
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‘Wrong number’ staged in Abohar
Abohar, March 19 Prof Gaurav Vij directed the play which opens vistas to the new Punjabi theatre. But for this play "house full" situation had rarely emerged in this sub-divisional town, Vimal Thathai, a senior member of the local municipal council and regular viewer in all such presentations observes. Physically challenged Aadi (Ruby Sharma) confined to wheel chair during most of the day in the lonely house develops suspicions about his wife Satya (Balwinder Kaur) due to wrong-number calls. But when he dials his own number and interacts with his soul, the fault stands realized. Ravi Parihar, a PU student, plays one of the key roles supported by Ashish Gagneja, Vikram and Ginny Phutela. Shanu mesmerised the gathering with background music while Pawan Kataria got applause for arranging lights. Sahil Wadhwa was honoured with "Best theatric of the year" award. Principal Dr B.B.Sharma of the DAV College said "the presentation touches each heart.” Dr Neelam Arun Mittu said “In a small town like Abohar such quality play speaks volumes.” — OC
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Man gets 2 years jail in cheque bounce case
Bathinda, March 19 The orders were pronounced by a fast track court while deciding on the complaint filed by Jaswant Singh, managing director, Deep Finance Company, Bathinda. The complainant submitted that the accused had taken a car loan of Rs 9.60 lakh from the company and had issued cheques for repaying the loan in equated monthly instalments (EMIs). However, one of the cheques got dishonoured due to lack of sufficient funds in the bank account of the accused. A legal notice was served requesting the accused to make the payment. But, he ignored the notice. After going through the evidence on record, the court found Ajit Singh Kanakwal guilty.
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Ferozepur admn reviews poll preparations
Ferozepur, March 19 The DC was presiding over a meeting called to review the the poll preparedness. In the meeting, DC instructed the officials to ensure strict implementation of the model code of conduct which came into force on March 2,2009 after the announcement of the polls by the Election Commission of India. DC further said that the polls should be conducted in free and fair manner for which all necessary arrangements for its smooth conduct should be worked out at the earliest. DC said that any official found violating the model code will attract stringent disciplinary action besides his report would be sent to the ECI. The meeting was attended by ADC Mohan Lal, all SDM's and departmental heads of the district. — OC
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Stolen crane recovered
Abohar, March 19 As per information, Ram Chand, a junior engineer in the irrigation department had lodged complaint with the Khuikhera police station that the Escorts brand crane was found missing from the Ramkot drain. City police ASI, Satwant Singh, on a tip off carried raid in Dhaani Karnail Singh on the outskirts of the town last evening and recovered the crane. Junk dealer, Pawan Kumar, has been arrested under section 411 while his accomplice managed to escape, sources said.
— OC |
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Science Day
Bathinda: The Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology here celebrated the 28th National Science Day on Wednesday. Inter-college competitions on paper presentation and poster making were also held on the occasion.
— TNS |
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in the drug store run by the Red Cross society while the state drug controller has summoned record from the drug licensing authority and the drug inspector has slapped a notice on the society.
To promote their forthcoming Punjabi movie ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’, some team members of the movie met youth and media at a private college near here today.
Among others, leading stars Jimmy Shergill and Kulraj Randhawa were present along with Navaniat Singh (director) and Gurpret Singh
Ghuggi, a renowned Punjabi comedian. They all hailed the story and music of the film, which they said was a romantic one.
