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Inflation, new dose of taxes even before budgets
Did Ghandy plan to sow seeds of Naxalism?
Hoarded Sugar |
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11 technical academies to be set up
Jalandhar, February 7 Eleven multi-disciplinary technical academies will be set up in Punjab. The state Technical Education Department has prepared a proposal in this regard.
‘Keep Akali leaders
happy’
PAU to honour Dr Swaminathan
Malerkotla veggie growers sore over govt ‘apathy’
6 nurses for 100-bedded govt hospital!
Road Encroachments
Plan to decongest Patiala roads soon
Now, free coaching for competitive exams
Salary of MC official attached
Visiting India, Pak
Wakf board forms panel to complete hospital
Nursing college to get new building
Rs 5 lakh aid for Sufi studies centre
Newly born girl found abandoned
Ramoowalia to launch anti-dowry campaign
Wildlife Protection
Self-immolation bid by education volunteer
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Inflation, new dose of taxes even before budgets
Chandigarh, February 7 While the Punjab is proposing to hold its Budget session from March 4, the Haryana session starts on March 9. The Union Rail Budget is expected on February 23 or 24. Since it is conventional to present the central Budget in Parliament on February 28, it happens to be a Sunday this time. Punjab is also yet to fix the date for its Budget of 2010-2011. Going by indications, the Badal-Kalia committee report has already taken the sting out of the budgetary proposals with multi-dimensional resource mobilisation recommendations. For the new Governor, Shiv Raj Patil, it will be the first time when he will address the Punjab Assembly on March 4. Next day will be reserved for obituary references as the Budget may be presented in the second week of March. Poor fiscal health has been used as a ploy by both Punjab and Haryana governments for replacing the existing four per cent VAT slab by five per cent slab thus making the items of daily use costlier. While Punjab used the Badal-Kalia resources mobilisation committee report in support of its new tax blow, Haryana followed it up with a resolution by the Council of Ministers to revise upwards Value Added Tax to bring it on a par with its neighbours. As a part of the Badal-Kalia Committee recommendations, Punjab has raised bus fares by seven paise a kilometer. Though Haryana, Himachal Pradesh or Chandigarh Administration may not have hiked the bus fares, but those travelling to Punjab from these states will have to pay higher fares, on a par with the revised fares notified by the Punjab government. For example, those travelling from Chandigarh to Ludhiana now pay Rs 7 more for a single journey by an ordinary bus. Even buses of Haryana, Himachal, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chandigarh playing in the Punjab territory will have to charge fares as notified by the Punjab government. The revised fares have already been introduced since the last week of last month. Punjab has also introduced entry tax. As a sequel to this resource mobilisation measure, the rates of petrol and diesel have gone up in Punjab. The state has also started levying 10 per cent surcharge on VAT. There have been protests against both increase in VAT rates as well as imposition of 10 per cent surcharge and introduction of entry tax. Intriguingly, the Punjab Council of Ministers not only unanimously endorsed the recommendations of the Badal-Kalia Committee report but also decided to go for their immediate implementation. This is why all relevant notifications were either issued in the last week of January or the first week of February. As of today, almost all recommendations have been implemented thus pinching “aam aadmi” harder than his more affluent counterparts, both in urban and rural areas. With prices of essential commodities, including sugar, atta, rice and pulses refusing to come down, the new dose of taxes has added to the price rise besides making the road travel, by private or public transport, costlier.
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Did Ghandy plan to sow seeds of Naxalism?
Patiala, February 7 “Though the police has gathered some ‘relevant’ information about Ghandy’s stay in Punjabi University, Patiala, they want to collect more information pertaining to Ghandy’s activities in Patiala”, said a senior police official, preferring anonymity.
Ghandy is a Politburo and Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in September 2009. Notably, revelation about Ghandy’s alleged activities in Punjab came to light just a few weeks after Punjab DGP PS Gill’s statement that Punjab was facing a big threat from Maoists, who were gradually establishing their base in the state. Meanwhile, in the last week of January 2010, Patiala police officials got to know that prior to his arrest by the Delhi police last year, Ghandy had stayed in Patiala and was spotted inside the Punjabi University campus. Subsequently, the Patiala police registered a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention (Amendment) Act 2008 and several sections of IPC against Ghandy at Sadar Police Station on January 24. Following the FIR, the Patiala police initiated a probe into the matter and started gathering information about the stay and activities of Ghandy in Patiala. Though before Ghandy’s interrogation, the top brass of the police is “tight-lipped” over the matter but some senior police officials have confirmed that the main focus of the investigations is to ascertain whether Ghandy's visit to Punjab was to silently initiate a Naxalite movement in the state. Though so far Punjabi University authorities had expressed ignorance over the matter, highly placed sources said the police had got some relevant clues that Ghandy did stay in the university under a fake identity. “Some of the university staffers are under the scanner. We are also trying to identify the students’
organisations, with whom Ghandy tried to establish contact,” said one of the cops investigating the case. Patiala SSP Ranbir Singh Khattra only said that investigations into the matter were on and if required, he would be brought to Patiala on production warrant.
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1.15 lakh quintals to be auctioned
Kanchan Vasdev Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, February 7 “The auction has been ordered. The department will now see when to do the needful,” the DC said. Sources in the department said with so many quintals of crystals making way into the market, the prices might come down. A senior official of the department said the dates of auction would be decided soon and the department would advertise that the sugar would only be sold to traders in Punjab. “We will not allow it to be taken to other states as we want our people to benefit at large. Moreover, we will ensure that it is not hoarded yet again as we will keep track of it,” the official said. The department had seized 97,500 quintals of sugar hoarded by Khubi Ram Johari Mal; 8,516 quintal from Yashika International's godown and 9,780 quintal from godown of Chandi Mal Roshan Das in Seehra village, near here This is stated to be one of the biggest seizures in the state. The hoarders had specially rented godowns in city. Following raids, the Ludhiana police had registered a case under the Essential Commodities Act. Despite seizure of the sugar in September, it was not being auctioned. It took about five months to follow the legal procedures and finally order the auction. The department was worrying as sugar was a perishable commodity. “The law will take sits own course now. The hoarders will be dealt by the law as the case is in a court. We wanted sugar to be released in the market and we have achieved our goal,” the official added.
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11 technical academies to be set up
Jalandhar, February 7 There will be certificate, diploma and degree courses at the academies. Students will be admitted after matric in such academies. After passing plus two in the non-medical stream, students will be admitted in the certificate course. After passing the certificate course, students will have
the choice to take admission in the diploma course. After passing the diploma course, students will also be eligible to do degree course. The academies will function almost on the pattern of the Sant Harchand Singh Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, in Sangrur district. However, there is no provision of plus two- level science stream classes at the Longowal institute. “Our objective is that if any student wants to quit the course at any stage, he should at least get some certificate from the academy. For instance students interested in a short-term course can do certificate course and those interested in a bit longer course can do diploma course and later can also join the degree course,” said Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Technical Education. As students will be enrolled at the plus two level, they will have no problem in taking admission in certificate course
as continuation of their studies in the academies. There is a huge demand of skilled youth in the national and international market. Even well-trained drivers are not available in the market to operate heavy vehicles such as buses. After doing the certificate course in some of the trades such as turner, welding, motor mechanics, electrician etc, students could secure jobs in the
market.
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‘Keep Akali leaders
happy’ Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 7 In a statement issued here today, he said “the biased orders of favouritism to Akali workers by Sukhbir, who also happens to be SAD president, have also vindicated charges of nepotism, favouritism and unfair working of the SAD-BJP government”. Khaira said recently while addressing delegates of his party, Sukhbir had made a public promise of issuing party flags and stickers for the vehicles of important Akali workers.“Issuing such stickers and flags for vehicles clearly meant that the police and administration should not prevent plying of these vehicles at any cost. There have been wide spread allegations against Akali workers and leaders of being couriers in the drug trade in the state particularly opium, illicit liquor and smack in Punjab”, he has alleged. Flaying Deputy CM, Khaira said, “Sukhbir is also on record of making public speeches prior to the Assembly elections in 2007 of instigating people to openly indulge in theft of electricity and disobey police and administrative orders. All this only shows that the junior Badal has scant respect for the rule of law”. He has sought the intervention of the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to intervene and take a suo-moto notice of what he calls “gross and dangerous proposition of none else but the deputy CM of the state”. Further, he has demanded the resignation of Sukhbir as the Deputy CM for violating the oath taken by him under the Constitution to be a custodian of law and be fair in his working. He has also asked the CM to intervene and instruct all DCs not to carry out such illegal orders and a thorough inquiry must be conducted into this unconstitutional episode.
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PAU to honour Dr Swaminathan
Ludhiana, February 7 Dr Manjit Singh Kang, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, has described Dr Swaminathan “as a crop geneticist, your contributions to the Indian agriculture have led to your being commonly referred as an architect of the Green Revolution in India. Your active support to the cause of sustainable agriculture on evergreen revolution and women empowerment in India has made you a popular leader in the mission for sustainable agriculture and food security.” Dr Swaminathan has been described as one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20th century by “Time” magazine and one of the only three from India, the other two being Mahatama Gandhi and Rabindra Nath Tagore. Dr Swaminathan has also been recognised by the international organisations for his contributions to the development of agriculture and has been awarded a number of prizes including the Raman Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1971, the Albert Einstein Science Award in 1986 and the first World Food Prize in 1987. According to Dr Kang, Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, renowned rice breeder of the world, and Dr Bikram Gill, University Distinguished Professor at Kansas University, USA, will also be present at the convocation.
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Malerkotla veggie growers sore over govt ‘apathy’
Mushtaq Basti (Malerkotla), February 7 The office of the Deputy Director, Horticulture, is in Sangrur, but it has only confined itself to organise camps for Rabi and Kharif crops in collaboration with the office of the Chief Agriculture Office, failing to reach out to these growers. Muhammad Bashir, a vegetable grower of Mushtaq Basti, grows vegetables on 35 bighas, which he has taken on a lease at the rate of Rs 3,800 per bigha. Along with two of his four sons, he works day
and night and to maintain the quality of vegetable on the pattern of organic manures, he has to purchase poultry manure at Rs 2,500 per trolley for a bigha. Though vegetables prices have spiraled in recent times, he is unhappy over the “apathy” of government in enhancing the production as well as proper market. “If the PAU or the Horticulture Department imparts proper assistance regarding modern techniques,
then we may be able to increase our produce. Even we are finding it hard to get loan from banks as we don’t have our own land. Arhtiyas advance loans to us on exorbitant interest rates,” said Bashir. Faqira of the same area, who grows vegetables on
15 bighas of the rented land, also expressed unhappiness over the “indifferent” attitude of the government as well as the PAU in helping them to raise vegetable production. “Whatever little knowledge we get from our ancestors about the vegetable production we are using that.
The only difference now is that with the passage of time we have started growing hybrid varities and using fertilisers and pesticides. But the credit for this doesn’t go to the department as we got to know about these from the market not from the department or PAU,” Faqira says. Dr Bhuta Singh Ramana, District Extension
Specialist of PAU in Sangrur, at present on deputation with the Punjab State Farmers Commission, said: “We do organise five camps in a month in Sangrur. Even in Malerkotla, we organised camps for growers for imparting latest training to them.” Deputy Director, Horticulture, Sangrur, Tek Chand said the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of PAU for Sangrur held a meeting a few days ago, where it was decided to organise camps for growers in Sangrur and Malerkotla. He added that though the Horticulture Department used to get money for organising district-level camps in Sangrur, it did not receive funds for the same last and this year.
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6 nurses for 100-bedded govt hospital!
Samana, February 7 Against the 24 sanctioned posts of staff nurse, there are only six on rolls as of today while there are only 17 doctors against the sanctioned strength of 20. The class IV employees are also at the receiving as there only 13 employees against the sanctioned strength of 40. Half of the posts of pharmacists have also been lying vacant. Not only this, the blood bank, which is equipped with all instruments and appliances, had been lying closed for the past many years due to absence of the required staff. The hospital was upgraded to the 100-bedded hospital from 25 about five years ago. Senior Medical Officer
(SMO) Amarjit Singh said the higher authorities were aware of the problem. He, however, maintained that the staff was doing its best to provide best possible medical care to patients. Incidentally, the hospital falls in the constituency of Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur and is
located a few km away from former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s home town, Patiala.
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Patiala MC report rejected
Umesh Dewan Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 7 During a meeting with the officials of the Patiala MC, the body’s director SK Sharma asked the civic functionaries to ensure that the report being prepared by them was “flawless”. Now, the Patiala MC will again prepare a fresh report. According to reliable sources, the said instructions were passed by senior officials in wake of the fact that a report had to be submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “The authorities do not want that any unreliable or factually incorrect report is submitted to the HC,” said highly placed officials. As per the norms of the corporation, there are specified guidelines for construction activity on these roads. In Patiala, the five scheduled roads are Sirhind Road-Rajpura Bypass, Main Sirhind Road, Nabha Road, Rajpura Road and Sangrur Road. Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had sought a detailed report about the violations by commercial establishments on the scheduled roads of different cities of Punjab. Subsequently, the Local Bodies Department had provided a performa to all civic bodies of the state, so that the survey is conducted in a proper manner. Following these directions, Patiala MC constituted five different teams that were asked to conduct the survey.
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Plan to decongest Patiala roads soon
Patiala, February 7 Besides making several city roads one-way, the main highlight of the plan includes construction of three-foot over bridges and installation of the inverters at all traffic light points, so that there is no traffic chaos during power failure. The plan would be implemented in the city within a few days time. The plan, which was formulated after a lot of brainstorming sessions by the officials of the district administration, Municipal Corporation and the district police, would be implemented in various phases. Giving further information, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Deepinder Singh told that their main motive was to ensure that commuters do not have to face any hassle on account of the frequent traffic jams and also to avoid road mishaps. The construction of three-foot pedestrian over bridges that have got administration’s nod would come up near Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib, Kali Mata Temple and bus stand. Besides, in order to regulate the traffic movement within the municipal limits, many roads that have been made one-way in the plan include road from
Tabakali turn to Anardana Chowk, road connecting District Court to Mata Kaushaliya Hospital. Apart from this, road from Fountain Chowk to Sheerawala Gate and Polo Ground road would be declared one-way. The main highlight of the plan is the installation of the battery-operated inverters on the traffic lights. “Because of the power failure, the traffic lights stops working leading to a virtual chaos but with the inverter backup, this problem would lead to no more traffic woes,” said a senior official of the district administration. The plan also proposes to impose heavy fine on the vehicles parked on the road and no parking areas. The MC recovery vans would challan the violators.
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Now, free coaching for competitive exams
Patiala, February 7 This will be done by the education department with the help of an NGO, Gian Sewa Trust. This NGO would provide trained teachers for these courses and help students prepare for various exams through the Education Satellite system. Director General School Education (DGSE) Krishan Kumar informed that as soon as class XII exams would be over, all senior secondary schools would begin these crash courses in the school. The timings of the programme would be the same i.e. from 9 am to 3.20 pm. In order to make the programme successful, the DGSE has directed the district education officers and school headmasters to make necessary preparations for proper implementation of the scheme. Also they have been directed to ensure that maximum students should take part in these courses. Talking to The Tribune, the DGSE said competitive coaching nowadays was very expensive. “Many students can not afford this coaching due to which they are not able to perform well. Therefore, in order to help such students, we have taken this initiative”. “We have collaborated with professional teachers so that the students could perform their best. Though our teachers are good, yet they are not fully aware of the way these entrance tests are framed, due to less exposure and opportunity,” the DGSE added.
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Salary of MC official attached
Chandigarh, February 7 Office-bearers of the Shubh Karman Society (Regd), Hoshiarpur, had filed a compliant before the commission alleging that the sewerage system near the Lajwanti Petrol Pump and Khed Stadium, Hoshiarpur, was not working properly. The matter was also reported to Deputy Commissioner and executive officer of the municipal body, but no action was taken. Taking up the matter, the Commission called for report from Municipal Council, Hoshiarpur, however on the next date of hearing, no report was received. Taking note of this, the Commission asked some officials from the Municipal Council’s office to appear personally before the commission. On next date of hearing, AME from the office of Hoshiarpur MC Yashpal Kaura appeared before the commission and requested for extension of time for submission of the report. The request was granted and the report had to be submitted yesterday. However, yesterday again the official concerned submitted no report. Taking strong note of this failure, the commission member Avinash Rai Khanna has directed DC Hoshiarpur to attach the salary of Kaura, till he appears before the commission along with the report as sought by the commission.
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Tarlochan for special permit scheme
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, February 7 Tarlochan Singh reiterated that this move would help develop people-to-people contacts with strong nostalgia. “The people-to-people movement cannot be developed until and unless special privileges are extended, while shunning political frictions. A majority of them have expressed their keenness to visit their ancestral places on both sides,” he said. Both governments had earlier agreed in principle, as part of the confidence-building measures, to allow ‘on the spot visa’ for senior citizens who were keen to visit either side of the border. The move could not materialise due to lack of intention on the part of both the countries. Alleging discrimination and political hindrance, Tarlochan Singh said the proposal to name the Amritsar airport after Guru Ram Dass, the founder of the holy city, had been hanging fire for so long. “It is the only airport in the country which has not been officially named till date,” he stressed.
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Wakf board forms panel to complete hospital
Malerkotla, February 7 The hospital was started by the Wakf board about eight years ago, but it was yet to be completed. To complete the hospital at the earliest, the board has formed a committee to look after the completion work. Alam said the committee would look after the completion of construction, purchase of hospital equipment and requirement of doctors. The committee members include Amjad Ali, Usman Sadiqqui, Mohammad Ubes, Tufail Malik, Chaudhry Umar Deen, Saraj Malik, Ranjit Sidhu, Mumtaj Ahmed Shah and Faquir Mohammad, all prominent industrialists of Malerkotla, and Dr Mohammad Shabbir, Dr V P Goyal, Dr Sanjeela Khan, Dr Vijak Kakkar and Dr Sangeeta Kakkar, all prominent doctors of Malerkotla. Alam said whatever be the expenditure for the completion and running of the hospital, the Wakf board would bear it.
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Nursing college to get new building
Patiala, February 7 He also instructed the officials concerned to submit necessary project details by February 20, so that work could be started soon. At present, the college is housed in a six-decade old building. Earlier, it was a nursing school, but was recently upgraded as the nursing college.In the wake of repeated requests by college students, the college authorities had taken up the matter with the state government.
Bajaj said the new state-of-art building would comply with all rules laid down by the Nursing Council of India. Computerised laboratories would also be set up, he added. The new building would be completed before the start of the next academic session.
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Rs 5 lakh aid for Sufi studies centre
Patiala, February 7 He announced this on the concluding ceremony of the two-day seminar on “Relevance of the Teachings of Saien Miyan Mir and other Sufi Saints of Punjab to Contemporary Society” here on Friday. Presiding over the seminar, Vice-Chancellor of the university Dr Jaspal Singh said a part of the building to be raised for the Sufi Studies Centre would be dedicated to Saien Miyan Mir. He made a special reference to a section of Guru Granth Sahib titled “Salok Sheikh Farid Ke” containing bani of Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Amar Dass, Guru Ram Dass and Guru Arjun Dev. President of Saien Miyan Mir Peace Foundation HS Brar urged for strengthening ties between the Saien Miyan Mir Peace Foundations of India and Pakistan. Dr Mohammad Habib, coordinator of the seminar, said 25 of the 300 scholars, who participated in the seminar, presented research papers that were divided into four academic sessions.
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Newly born girl found abandoned
Patiala, February 7 Harjas Kaur of Dashmesh Colony said, “Some children were playing in an empty plot in our colony when they heard a baby’s cries. They raised an alarm and we ran to the spot to find a nude newly born girl child in black polythene. I picked up the child and wrapped her in cloth and called the Tripri police station. The infant was taken to Rajindra Hospital.” The child is still admitted in the children’s ward where her condition is said to be stable. The police has not
been able to trace her parents so far.
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Ramoowalia to launch anti-dowry campaign
Ludhiana, February 7 Stating this here today, Ramoowalia said he would start the campaign on the first death anniversary of his father, Kavishar Karnail Singh Paras, at Ramoowalia village on Tuesday. He said he had decided to list at least 10 youths from every village and get an undertaking from them that they would say no to dowry and lavish marriages that were fast becoming a trend in the state. Experience gathered by me all these years after listening to miseries of NRI abandoned brides, convinces me that dowry is the root cause of all these evils.
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Advisory panels planned Rajay Deep Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 7 All DCs of the state have been empowered to constitute such committees. Issuing a copy of a notification, state financial commissioner (forest) RC Nayyar said such committees would focus on the protection of environment, forest and wildlife. Further, the committees’ members would work on issues like maximum trees plantation, protection of already grown trees, spreading awareness about forest and wildlife among every section of society. They would also be assigned jobs like giving advice for the betterment of the affairs of the forest department. Besides, any other suggestion or contribution, which might help in protecting and making people aware about forest and wildlife, would be welcomed from the members.
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Self-immolation bid by education volunteer
Kapurthala, February 7 Kirandeep of Faridkot sustained over 80 per cent burns when she made an attempt to immolate herself after pouring petrol on herself while climbing a water tank in the local Civil Hospital. She was taken to the emergency of the hospital where her condition is stated to be serious. It is learnt that five EGS volunteers, including four females and a male, climbed the water tank during the state-level rally of their union in favour of their demand of issuing notification for allowing them to re-appear in the 10+2 examination for improving their percentage of marks as required for getting admission in Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) course. While Kirandeep descended from the water tank after the immolation bid, the four volunteers were still there threatening to immolate themselves. Deputy Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary and SSP Ram Singh reached the spot and talked with the union leaders, asking them to persuade the volunteers to climb down. Earlier the police stopped most of the volunteers led by their state president Kulwant Kumari at Mall Road when they were trying to reach outside the residence of Education Minister Upinderjeet Kaur on Sultanpur Lodhi road. However, some of the volunteers managed to reach the Civil Hospital and five of them climbed the water tank. In the meantime, Kirandeep set herself on fire. The volunteers went out of control when they came to know about the self- immolation bid. While they reached outside the Education Minister’s residence to lodge their protest against the incident, the police personnel present at the Civil Hospital at that time were forced to flee to save themselves from the volunteers’ ire. The EGS Volunteer Union was staging a dharna at Shalimar Bagh here in favour of their demand of issuance of the notification. The representatives of the union said their demand of allowing them to re-appear in 10+2 to improve their marks was already accepted in principle by the authorities concerned.Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said the state government was going to issue a notification within a few days in connection with the already accepted demand of the EGS volunteers. Meanwhile, seeing her critical condition, Kirandeep was referred to a Ludhiana hospital. The DC has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He said the Kapurthala SDM would look into the matter. Efforts were still on to persuade volunteers to decend from the water tank, he added.
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