Nawanshahr, December 11
The swine flu threat in the district has become all the more grave with two more cases of the H1N1 virus being confirmed by the PGI, Chandigarh. The report of another suspected swine flu case from the PGI is awaited.

About a week ago, a patient, belonging to Dhadwarh village, who was brought here for treatment, was found to be H1N1 positive.

She was shifted to the PGI after getting the confirmation report, where she died of swine flu.

District Health Officer Dr Ashok Guru, while giving details, told The Tribune that Aswinder Kaur (52), resident of the local Arya Samaj Road, who herself belongs to the medical fraternity, was found to be a confirmed case of H1N1 virus by the PGI yesterday.

Another patient, Balram, resident of Banga Road, was getting treated from Dr Anuvabh Gupta here for the past few days.

Suspecting a case of H1N1 positive, Dr Gupta advised him to undergo a clinical test from the PGI. He also informed the District Health Department and the IMA about the suspected case.

The PGI has confirmed that the patient had been suffering from swine flu.

Dr Gupta also informed about another suspected case of swine flu - Jaspreet Singh (22), resident of Nai Abadi.

Report on Jaspreet’s samples, which were sent to the PGI yesterday, was still awaited, said Dr Guru, adding that after receiving confirmation, the rapid response team of the district Health Department had sprung into action.

The patients have been isolated and the medicine has promptly been provided to them.

The residents should take preventive measures to keep themselves safe from the disease.

Dr Paramjit Mann, general secretary of the district unit of the IMA, and Dr Jaswinder Singh, a senior doctor of the town, stressed on the need to increase the number of laboratories for testing the H1N1 virus as well as the centre of treatment for ensuring early detection and treatment of swine flu.

“So far, in Punjab, the test for the H1N1 virus is being done in PGI, Chandigarh, only. In Andhra Pradesh, there are as many as eight centres for the detection of the virus. The Punjab government should take immediate steps to provide the facility of conducting H1N1 virus test in some big cities in the state on the pattern of Andhra Pardesh,” they said.

Besides, preventive measures should also be taken and concerted efforts by the Health Department as well as private hospitals should be launched to create awareness among the people so that the spread of the virus could be checked.

Jalandhar, December 11
The CIA staff today seized counterfeit Indian currency notes of Rs 500 denominations worth Rs 8.64 lakh from two persons at Puranpur village on the Talhan road, near here.

They have been identified as Lakhwinder Singh and Joga Singh. They were riding a motorcycle bearing a temporary number PB02 (Temp) 9371 when a police party, on a tip off that the duo were en route to deliver the currency, nabbed them at around 1 pm.

Superintendent of Police (Detective) Parambir Singh Parmar said the duo were wearing cloth belts underneath their jackets carrying the counterfeit currency. “The currency notes are as good as original Rs 500 notes with water mark as well. We are verifying the case and efforts are on to nab the kingpin in this case,” he added.

Preliminary interrogations revealed that the duo received the consignment about three-four days before at Dosanjh Dhaba at Tangra on the Amritsar road. Joga Singh was carrying Rs 4, 24,000, while Lakhwinder Singh was carrying Rs 4, 40,00 in the cloth belts. The duo were facing criminal charges of murder and loot. The police had registered a case under sections 321 and 489 of the IPC against them.

Hoshiarpur, December 11
Factionalism in the Congress came to the fore when Rajya Sabha member and DCC president Dharam Pal Sabharwal, PPCC vice-president Ram Rattan, former ministers Naresh Thakur and Surjit Kaur Kalkat, PPCC secretary Jasbir Singh Pal and former chairman of Market Committee, Garhshankar, Pankaj Kirpal, abstained from the workers’ rally of the party here today in which former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh participated.

Talking to this correspondent, Ram Rattan said that all the old Congressmen had not been informed or invited to the rally, therefore, the question of their participation did not arise.

When asked about factionalism in the Congress, Capt Amarinder Singh expressed his ignorance about the matter.

Jalandhar, December 11
During his tour to the Doaba region, which is specially aimed at strengthening the party base among the rural and urban youth, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh halted at Adampur.

Interacting with the supporters hailing from Adampur and surrounding villages, he asserted that all those who are involved in harassing common people, especially workers of the Congress working at the ground level, will not be spared if Congress comes to power in the next term.

“People of Punjab should join the Congress and should generate mass debate and public opinion against the atrocities inflicted by the ruling Akali-BJP coalition-led government,” added the former CM.

This brief function was organised by the local unit of the District Youth Congress under the presidentship of Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary. Captain Amarinder Singh was accompanied by former Minister Santokh Singh Chaudhary, MLA Jit Mohinder Singh, former MLA Arvind Khanna, Joginder Singh Mann and former General Secretary of Punjab Youth Congress Monty Sehgal.

Jalandhar, December 11
The Territorial Army Dogra will organise a recruitment rally for general duty soldiers and tradesmen (safaiwalas and washermen) at Kalka on December 15.

The rally, which will start at 8.30 am, will be carried out only for the candidates belonging to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh. Screening of the documents and 
medical test will be held on the same day.

The candidates appearing for the general duty soldiers should have passed matric examination with a minimum 45 per cent marks in aggregate and 32 per cent in each subject. Candidates with higher qualifications need not have 45 per cent marks.

The candidates appearing for washermen should have passed class X while those appearing for safaiwalas should have passed class VIII.

Hoshiarpur, December 11
Health and Family Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla inaugurated Jan Aushdhi Kendra at the Civil Hospital here this evening.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Chawla said the kendra would be run by the District Red Cross Society for providing medicines on cheaper rates to the general public. The Department of Pharmaceutical, Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers would open Jan Aushdhi Kendras throughout the state before December 31. As many as 280 types of different medicines were being sold in these centres.