Sunam (Sangrur), July 31
Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal today announced grants worth Rs 2.10 crore for the institutions named after the martyr in this town, while Punjab Local Government Minister Manoranjan Kalia announced setting up of a fire brigade here.

These announcements were made by both ministers while addressing a state-level function organised to observe the 70th martyrdom day of Udham Singh at the new grain market here. Kalia was the chief guest at the function, while Manpreet presided over the function as a representative of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Due to the absence of the Chief Minister at the function, a large number of chairs in the pandal remained unoccupied.

Manpreet announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the construction of an auditorium and some rooms in Shaheed Udham Singh Government College, Sunam, a sum of Rs 10 lakh for the maintenance of the Shaheed’s ancestral house and the Shaheed’s samarak at the stadium here. He also announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the Shaheed Udham Singh Olympic Stadium, Sunam, which would be given during the next financial year, but before the next martyrdom day (July 31, 2010).

Kalia said the state government was taking up the matter with the Union government for bringing the belongings of Shaheed Udham Singh from abroad to India. A museum in memory of the martyr would also be set up here, he added. On the occasion, relatives of Shaheed Udham Singh, namely Inder Singh, Khushi Nand, Dayal Kaur and Inder Kaur, were honoured and presented with shawls. The ministers also laid wreaths at the statue of Shaheed Udham Singh.

Patiala, July 31
The selection of 100 doctors by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has run into a cloud with a vocal section of the medical fraternity alleging that candidates with clout in high places but having inferior qualifications and less work experience have been favoured over more eligible ones.

They are particularly critical of the PPSC’s decision to award 50% of the marks to the candidates on the basis of personal interviews conducted by the Commission. This, they say, allowed the Commission members to ask less relevant questions, even personal questions, and give high marks to candidates who otherwise would have lagged far behind. They also claim that the selection criteria was posted on the PPSC website after the results were declared on June 12 this year, reason enough to suspect foul play.

In the latest twist to the controversy, the Public Service Commission has claimed that it cannot furnish details of marksheets, certificates and work experience of the selected candidates as they have all been sent to the government.

Kusum Bector, Public Information Officer at PPSC, told The Tribune that the Commission does not even have photo copies in its records. That is why, she said, PPSC has been unable to entertain an application under the Right to Information ( RTA) Act. But other details like the names of the selected candidates, the merit list and the criteria followed in previous recruitments made in the years 1997, 1998 and 1999, she added, were available and the RTI applicant, Dr Vikas, had been asked to deposit the required fee of Rs 590 for the copies.

The applicant, however, said though he had filed the application on June 20, till July 31 he has not received any response from the PPSC. He also questioned the claim that PPSC does not maintain records of selected candidates. He would file an appeal as well as a complaint, he fumed.

Even more significantly, the PPSC apparently failed to entertain another application under the RTI Act seeking details of the ‘selection criteria’ for the recruitment. This application, filed by one Dr Deepak, was filed in April this year, almost two months before the results were declared in June. But on that occasion the PPSC took the plea that the selection criteria were confidential and could not be disclosed till the selections were finalised.

Secretary and official spokesperson of the Commission Gurpreet Kaur Sapra said, “What can I say to this” when asked why the selection criteria were disclosed after the results were declared. Asked about the personal nature of the questions asked at the interviews, she said, “I was not present at the interviews and my knowledge is as good as yours”.

Chandigarh, July 31
The Centre has stepped in with financial aid of Rs 2 crore for fighting cancer in the Malwa belt.

The Government of India has, in fact, released the “central assistance” for the purchase of simulator and treatment planning system. Punjab’s Joint Director, Health Services, says the process is on to purchase the systems. Besides, a slew of measures have been taken to combat the problem, including release of Rs 47 lakh by the PWD for the construction of radiotherapy block at Faridkot Government Medical College.

Punjab has also asserted that the government has signed an agreement with Max Lifecare for establishing Greenfield Super-specialty hospitals at Bathinda and Mohali. As a mobile medical unit with mammography facilities at Bathinda was not feasible, it has been set up at the civil hospital there.

The state illness fund scheme too has been launched to provide assistance to the below-the-poverty-line families; and the beneficiaries include persons issued yellow cards on the basis of a survey conducted by the department of panchayati raj; and rural development and state urban development authority.

The state laboratory too has been performing qualitative testing of potable water; and kits have been issued for the quantitative testing of water samples for arsenic, copper, cyanide and chromium. Some samples of potable water had failed, but efforts were on to ensure “potable water was within permissible limits”.

Punjab’s Additional Advocate-General Rupinder Khosla added it was technically and realistically possible to establish a regional cancer center at Amritsar Government Medical College, as recommended by a team of expert doctors constituted by the Center. The building was under construction, and the equipment was being purchased.

Apparently, satisfaction with the steps taken by the state, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia today disposed of a petition by the Cancer Peerat Kissan Committee with a direction to the state “to continue with its endeavour to take preventive measures to contain reoccurrence of cancer disease and educate and make people at large aware regarding the ill-effects of overuse of pesticides”. 

Jalalabad, July 31
With one day of campaigning left, the Akalis are talking about the likely victory margin and devising strategies to ensure maximum voters reach the polling station on August 3. On the other hand, the Congress, whose poll campaign never really lifted off, is still trying to catch up.

The election management has been taken to a new level by the SAD in its bid to ensure a resounding victory for its president Sukhbir Badal. The Badal family trio of Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir and Harsimrat Kaur Badal has followed a punishing schedule during the entire campaign period.

The Congress, on the other hand, literally left its candidate Hans Raj Josan to fend for himself. No senior leader campaigned for him and even PPCC Mohinder Singh Kaypee campaigned for him only for one day earlier and came to the constituency again today. CLP leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is still to campaign in the constituency while Capt Amarinder Singh made his maiden appearance yesterday. Though the meeting drew a good response, it may be a case of too little too late.

It seems the Akalis have “persuaded” most local leaders in Jalalabad town to either keep away or act like disinterested parties. In the border belt of Rai Sikh villages, sources disclosed the Congress was finding it difficult to appoint polling agents.

Despite such shortcomings, Josan is putting up a brave face. In the absence of a well-organised campaign, he is depending on Ferozepur district leaders to do the trick for him. Both Guruharsahai legislator Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi and former Fazilka MLA Mohinder Rinwa have come to his help. A team consisting of party general secretary Parminder Singh and Youth Congress president Ravneet Bittu has been conducting ‘nukkad’ meetings.

Development has emerged as the main poll issue with the Congress failing to make the ‘outsider’ tag a major issue in the elections. The people are definitely enamoured by Akali promises but how well this converts into votes is to be seen. This is because a section of the electorate is looking for more permanent inducements rather than promises of development alone as tales of the “largesse” bestowed on Bathinda voters in the parliamentary elections are in circulation in the constituency.

Rai Sikhs, with a population of 80,000 out of the 1.66-lakh voters, hold the key to success. The Akalis are depending on their Ferozepur MP and former legislator from this seat Sher Singh Ghubaiya to turn the community to the party.

The Congress has also put its faith in a number of Rai Sikh leaders who are telling community members that they have been betrayed by the SAD which has given “their” ticket to an outsider. The urban voter is not coming out openly in favour of any party though in the rural areas Akali flags dominate and SAD meetings are well attended.

Chandigarh, July 31
Taking victory of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal from the Jalalabad Assembly segment as a foregone conclusion, the party has started making plans for his swearing-in as Deputy Chief Minister of the state for the second time.

Highly placed sources said instructions had been issued to make all preparations for the swearing-in at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on August 8.

He was, earlier, sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister in January this year in a well-attended public rally at Amritsar, in which majority of the national leaders of the National Democratic Alliance had participated. But, as he could not get elected to the Punjab Assembly before July 21 for technical reasons, Sukhbir had to resign this month. He is currently the SAD nominee for the Jalalabad Assembly segment. Jalalabad fell vacant after SAD legislator Sher Singh Ghubiya got elected to the Lok Sabha.

Invitations for the August 8 ceremony are being sent to NDAs national leadership, but since, it would be his second term as Deputy Chief Minister if gets elected from Jalalabad, the ceremony may not see so many faces from the NDA as there were in Amritsar.

According to the sources, the swearing-in has been kept soon after the declaration of the results as Sukhbir’s brother-in-law and former Punjab minister Bikram Majithia is getting married in Delhi on August 11. Majithia had resigned as Punjab Information and Public Relation Minister in January to pave way for Sukhbir’s induction into the Punjab Cabinet.

Jalandhar, July 31
As the Punjab government has failed to set up any medical commission to find out why cancer has become a major killer and what is leading to its spread, especially in the Malwa region, experts continue to differ on the cancer-causing agents there.

Joining the debate with other scientists, who fear the presence of uranium in the soil as well as in the water in the Bathinda belt of the Malwa region, Dr HS Virk, Director, Research, DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology, here today said experts should not create a scare among people without reaching a definite conclusion on cancer-causing agents.

Dr Virk, with PhD in nuclear physics from Marie Curie University, Paris, said, “A research group headed by me collected data from soil samples all over Punjab in 1997-99 under a national project sponsored by the Board of Research in Nuclear Science (BRNS), an agency set up by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The result of the survey were published in Current Science, Bangalore, on June 25, 2000,” said Dr Virk.

“The average radon concentration was measured over a period of one year in 300 houses spread over the state. We found the highest concentration of radon in indoor air in Bathinda district, 20 per cent higher than the average concentration of radon in Punjab. But this concentration was much lower than the recommended value by the International Commission of Radiation Protection (ICRP) for taking remedial action in residential areas”. The reason for higher radon concentration in Bathinda district was attributed to sandy soil with high porosity and not to some uranium content anomaly of the soil, he added.

During 2001, Dr Virk said a team led by him conducted the survey to check the radon and uranium content in water of the Bathinda area. And that the report prepared in this regard was published in international journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London. The latest equipment was used to check the radon and uranium content.

“Our report contradicts the report published by Dr Surinder Singh. Our result showed the normal distribution of radon concentration in sub soil water of Bathinda district”, said Dr Virk.

Again a comprehensive survey was conducted during 2002 to check the anomalies in the soil and water from where high uranium concentration was reported by Dr Singh. The highest value of uranium content in water was observed in Thermal Colony at Bathinda (16.61+0.13 microgram/per litre). The result of the final survey was published in international journal during 2005 for radon concentration in water samples collected in Bathinda district.

“All values of radon in water were reported in the range of 2-8 Bq/ per litre, much lower than the same limit 400 Bq/litre determined at global level,” said Dr Virk.

He said one of the experts, who was claiming that high concentration of uranium and radon was causing cancer in Bathinda region, was contradicting his own report which he co-authored and was published in 2005.

Patiala, July 31
Ashwani Kumar, a small-time tailor, is in dire straits - his 11-year-old son Harsh has been suffering from thalassemia major, a blood disorder, and he urgently needs to undergo surgery that is likely to cost Rs 17 lakh.

He told The Tribune today doctors detected his son’s ailment when he was 18 months old, after which he required blood transfusion every two months with the frequency increasing gradually. Now Harsh needs a transfusion every ten days.

Dr Joseph John of CMC at Ludhiana has advised Ashwani his son should immediately undergo surgery or have a bone marrow transplant. Ashwani’s 2-year-old daughter Harshita, whose bone marrow matches that of his son, would be the donor as soon as funds become available for the surgery.

He along with his wife, Gurwinder Kaur, has been looking around for donations to raise funds for the operation. Gurwinder told The Tribune they had contacted charitable organizations and philanthropists among others for financial help.

Both of Harsh’s parents, who live in Adarsh Colony near Thapar University, were also carriers of thalassemia. They said the surgery at CMC is expected to cost nothing less than Rs 10 lakh. However, Harsh will have to be in an ICU for over six months. The postoperative treatment would mean an expenditure of another Rs 5 lakh.

Amritsar, July 31
After a minor scuffle among activists of the All-India Youth Federation and the police, the administration of Jallianwala Bagh allowed them entry to the memorial in small groups to pay tributes to martyr Shaheed Udham Singh today. Earlier, the activists attempted to break the police cordon to gain entry to the memorial.

Leaders of the federation negotiated with SDM Sandip Rishi, who said as per the resolution of the Jallianwala Bagh National Martyrs Memorial Trust, no protest or sit-in could be allowed inside the memorial and there was a ban on carrying flags and banners and using loudspeakers inside the bagh. Even delivering speech was prohibited in the memorial. However, the administration allowed them entry to the bagh in groups.

Earlier, the activists drawn from Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and local areas took out a “rojgaar prapti march” from the historic Gol Bagh. On the way to Jallianwala Bagh, they halted at Hall Gate and garlanded the statue of Shaheed Udham Singh. The federation urged the government to bring Udham Singh’s pistol here from London.

Till the matter was sorted out through negotiations, the memorial remained out of bound for visitors. 

Ludhiana, July 31
Even as the tehsildar, Major GS Benipal (retd), has expressed disappointment over the failure of the police to recover his belongings, including a turban, which were allegedly taken away by the accused during an assault on him, the police has stated the investigation into the case is satisfactory.

In its report submitted to senior police officials, the police has stated that the investigation into the case is satisfactory. The report states after listening to complainant and witnesses and going through the FIR, the investigation has been found to be up to the mark.

The report claims the police has got issued arrest warrants from the court against those accused who have not been arrested in the case yet. Police sources said obtaining arrest warrants in a criminal case was a routine matter. No new arrest has been made in the case, they added.

Meanwhile, Major Benipal has expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of police to recover his wristwatch, licensed revolver and his turban that was taken away by miscreants after the attack on him.

‘‘I clearly stated in my complaint that my turban, revolver and wrist watch were taken away by the accused. Though the accused were arrested long ago, my belongings were not yet recovered. They should have at least recovered my turban. I have nothing else to say,’’ said Major Benipal.

Patiala, July 31
Punjabi University, Patiala, has amended its re-evaluation rules. As per new rules, all candidates can apply for re-evaluation irrespective of the marks obtained by them. The fee for re-evaluation has been fixed at Rs 500 per paper. A provision for acceptance of the form with late fee of Rs 500 after the expiry of stipulated period in the next seven days has also been made.

In case of difference of marks of up to 10 per cent between the first and second evaluation, the total marks awarded by the second examiner will be given to the candidate and if, the difference between first and second evaluation was more than 10 per cent, third examiner will be appointed and the candidate will be given average marks awarded by the second and third examiner.

In the results of April 2009 declared by the university, the candidates who were not eligible for re-evaluation according to previous rules, can now submit their forms and fee for re-evaluation within 14 days, a university statement said.