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Govt indecisiveness hits dist administrative complex project
Gurdaspur, February 7
Despite the fact that nearly four years have elapsed since the foundation stone of the much-awaited District Administrative Complex (DAC) was laid, not a single brick has been put in place, leaving residents fuming over the Punjab government’s indecisiveness in kick-starting the prestigious project.

Delay in promotion irks school lecturers
Nawanshahr, February 7
The delay in implementation of the recommendations of the Departmental Promotions Committee (DPC) regarding promotion of 724 school lecturers as principals has led to a strong resentment among the teachers, who have been waiting for raise in ranks for the past many years.

Doctors’ neglect costs youth’s life
Batala, February 7
MBA student Sunil Kumar (23), resident of inside Achli gate, succumbed to his accident injuries after he was left unattended for four hours at the Batala Civil Hospital.

Dharamshala Controversy
BJP leader brokers deal between MC, panchayat
Gurdaspur, February 7
The controversy surrounding the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a Dharamshala at Preet Nagar has now subsided, with the district BJP President Rakesh Jyoti, and other party leaders, brokering an agreement between the Nabipur gram panchayat, under whose jurisdiction the Preet Nagar locality falls, and the local Municipal Committee.

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	Gang of frauds busted, couple nabbed from Dehradun February 7, 2010
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	MC employees assault Senior Deputy Mayor February 5, 2010
	Drug peddling: BSF officer at it again February 4, 2010
	Five murders rock Majha, Doaba February 3, 2010
	Rein in fake travel agents: Ramoowalia February 2, 2010
	Computer teachers hold protest march February 1, 2010
	Army displays weaponry January 31, 2010
	86 primary schools to be upgraded January 30, 2010
	Drunken cop injures 4 school kids in accident January 29, 2010
	Tough job market: Govt thinks skill devp centres may hold the key January 28, 2010
	X-ray units send radiographers’ health for a toss January 26, 2010

	Govt indecisiveness hits dist administrative complex project Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, February 7 Despite the fact that nearly four years have elapsed since the foundation stone of the much-awaited District Administrative Complex (DAC) was laid, not a single brick has been put in place, leaving residents fuming over the Punjab government’s indecisiveness in kick-starting the prestigious project. Ever since former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone of the DAC in the complex of the Assistant Director (animal husbandry) on the jail road on May 17, 2006, the project has been hanging fire. To complicate things, local SAD MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehali has thrown his hat into the ring and is now urging the authorities to move it out of the city to the proposed Urban Estate area on the national highway. The government had acquired nearly 10 acres of land on the Jail road to facilitate the construction of the DAC multi-storied building. However, four years down the line, not a single brick has been laid with the foundation stone standing out like the proverbial sore thumb in the Assistant Director’s (Animal Husbandry) office. Gurdaspur DC Dr. Karamjit Singh Sra admitted that the issue is being discussed with the officials of the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) officials. Sources disclosed that the local MLA was keen on taking the Rs 35 crore project out from the narrow by-lanes of the city to the more spacious Urban Estate area, where there were four wide approach roads and where the facility of sewerage was also available. It is pertinent to mention here that the MLA held a meeting with Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal and PUDA officials at Chandigarh in November last year, where he urged the authorities to shift the DAC to the Urban Estate area. The MLA was keen that a residential colony should be constructed where Capt Amarinder Singh had laid down the foundation stone. Residents are irked over the delay in the construction of the DAC as they have to move to various far away places to get their work done. On his part, Gurbachan Babbehali said he had absolutely no vested interest in getting the DAC shifted as was being claimed by some people. Interestingly, when Capt Amarinder Singh had laid the foundation stone, Babbehali was the President of the Gurdaspur District Congress committee and he had accompanied the CM to the foundation stone-laying ceremony. His detractors point out that at that time Babbehali never objected to the original site. They also pointed out that the MLA had a vested interest in the shifting of the project which, however, was vehemently denied by the MLA.
	Delay in promotion irks school lecturers Tribune Reporters Nawanshahr, February 7 The delay in implementation of the recommendations of the Departmental Promotions Committee (DPC) regarding promotion of 724 school lecturers as principals has led to a strong resentment among the teachers, who have been waiting for raise in ranks for the past many years. “Though the committee cleared the promotion cases last month, the process of issuance of orders is left unfinished,” said lecturers Balihar Singh Bains, Sunita Salhan, Ranjit Kaur, Harkanwaljit Kaur, Bhupinderjit Kaur, Anil Sharda, Amrik Singh, Gurmail Singh, Manohar Lal. “At some point of time, Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur had attributed some legal wrangles for the delay in implementation of the DPC recommendations, but now these hindrances had also been cleared by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Even then, the process of issuance of orders was being delayed on one pretext or other,” they added. Earlier, DPC working had also come under scrutiny as its meeting was postponed for a record 17 times. Finally, the department issued the final seniority list in February last year after amending the list as per the claims and objections by the aggrieved lecturers twice. SC teachers union criticised Jalandhar: The School Principal Promotion Front, Punjab, has condemned the statement issued by the Scheduled Caste and Backward Class Teachers Union and appreciated the efforts of Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur for holding a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee. In a press statement, the front said no promotion of school lecturers has been made effective since year 2001 and it is only after approximately after 10 years that total 725 lecturers, including 174 reserved candidates, have been promoted. “Those raising voices on behalf of reserved candidates have their vested interests as they do not want to pave way for senior lecturers as regular principals,” he added. Computer teachers threaten protest Jalandhar, February 7 Representatives of the Computer Teachers Union (Contractual) today give an ultimatum to the state government to meet their demands by February 21 failing which they would resort to statewide protest. They also threatened gherao of the Chief Minister on March 7. State president of union Gurvinder Singh said all computer teachers, who are working under contract, should be regularised at the earliest. He said teachers, who were inducted as substitute teachers, should also be regularised. Demand to end disparity among the pay scales of different categories of computer teachers was also the part of demand charter of union. — TNS
	Doctors’ neglect costs youth’s life Our Correspondent Batala, February 7 MBA student Sunil Kumar (23), resident of inside Achli gate, succumbed to his accident injuries after he was left unattended for four hours at the Batala Civil Hospital. Sunil met with an accident near Partapgarh village on Saturday when a truck had hit his motorcycle. He was taken to the civil hospital with critical injuries but the doctors did not bother to attend to him. Finally, after the hue and cry from the parents, the doctor referred Sunil to Amritsar. But the delay proved costly for Sunil, who succumbed in the way to Amritsar.
	Dharamshala Controversy BJP leader brokers deal between MC, panchayat Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, February 7 The controversy surrounding the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a Dharamshala at Preet Nagar has now subsided, with the district BJP President Rakesh Jyoti, and other party leaders, brokering an agreement between the Nabipur gram panchayat, under whose jurisdiction the Preet Nagar locality falls, and the local Municipal Committee. Public Relations Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan was on his way to the venue of the ceremony to lay the foundation stone, yesterday. However, some Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders rang him up to inform him that all was not well at the venue, forcing the minister to skip the ceremony and drive straight to the PWD guest house. The bone of contention was the land on which the proposed Dharamshala was to be built. The Nabipur gram panchayat claimed that it had given the land to a Trust named after Baba Moti Lal Mehra, who gave food and drink to the Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh, defying the orders of the Nawab of Sirhind, for the construction of a Dharamshala. The panchayat members said a resolution to this effect had been passed on January 11. However, the Municipal Committee, which has 10 Bharatiya Janata Party councilors out of a total of 22, protested and claimed that the local MC had rights over the land. The MC President Santosh Riar and Executive Engineer Manjinder Singh reached the venue and stopped the work of the preparation of the foundation stone-laying ceremony. This forced a senior Akali leader to ring up the PR minister who was on his way to the venue. Later, the minister held a marathon meeting at the PWD guest house where BJP President Rakesh Jyoti hammered out an agreement in which the MC authorities adopted the gram panchayat’s resolution, donating land to the Baba Moti Lal Mehra Trust. On the other hand, Jyoti assured his party cadres that they would be involved in running the trust. Sekhwan also called in former Punjab BJP treasurer Balkrishan Mittal to diffuse the potentially volatile situation. Once an agreement was reached at, Sekhwan reached the venue and laid down the foundation stone of the Dharamshala. The SDM JP Singh was also involved in the confabulations.
	Woman murders husband, three booked Hoshiarpur, February 7 With the arrest of three persons, including deceased Kul Bahadur’s wife, the district police has claimed to solve a blind murder case within 24 hours of the crime. Hoshiarpur SSP Parmod Ban said the body of Kul Bahadur of Bruti Bag, Kathmandu, Nepal, presently residing along with his wife and children at NRI Karnail Singh’s house at Hakumatpur village, was found in the village fields yesterday. Marks of strangulation were found on the neck of the deceased. The Mahilpur police has registered a case under sections 302 and 34 of the IPC. During investigation, it was found that deceased Kul Bahadur’s wife Tara Devi had illicit relations with Maninder Singh of Alawalpur. Bahadur tried to stop Tara Devi on many occasions but to no avail. At some times Bahadur also beat his wife for which Tara Devi complained to her paramour Maninder Singh. Later, Maninder, along with his friend Jagmohan Singh of Kharudi and Tara Devi hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Kul Bahadur. Tara Devi gave sleeping pills to her husband on the night of February 5. When Bahadur fell fast asleep, Tara Devi called her paramour Maninder Singh and Jagmohan Singh. Later, they strangulated Bahadur with a handkerchief. After murdering him, they took his body on a bicycle and dumped it in the fields, alleged Parmod Ban, adding that the police today had arrested all the accused. — OC
	16,000 kids get polio drops Our Correspondent Phagwara, February 7 As many as 16,083 children were administered polio drops during the Pulse Polio campaign today. Technical Education Minister Ch Swarana Ram along with Kapurthala Civil Surgeon Dr Ranbir Singh inaugurated the drive in Phagwara Civil Hospital. Senior Medical Officer Phagwara Dr Rajiv Gupta said total 7,544 small children out of 13,000 were given polio drops in urban localities and as per SMO Panchhat Dr Kailash Kapoor, 8,539 kids were administered drops in rural areas.