Bathinda, May 6
Hitherto reeling under scorching heat, the residents of Bathinda and its adjoining areas today heaved a sigh of relief with the region witnessing a considerable amount of rain causing the northbound mercury to nosedive.

Change in weather’s mood came as a respite to residents from heat wave conditions prevailing in the region over the last few days.

The region experienced 10.8 mm rain on Thursday, as recorded by the Agro-met advisory services, PAU regional station, Bathinda. The downpour caused the mercury to plummet nearly 15 degrees Celsius besides springing a ‘cool’ surprise to them in the month of May.

The weathermen attributed activation of Western Disturbances (WD) as the reason for the change in weather.

The maximum temperature recorded for today was 28.4 degrees Celsius. The day’s low was 24.5 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature recorded on Wednesday was 43.3 degrees Celsius.

Abohar, May 6
The simmering discontent within the saffron party against the working of its own municipal council president Shiv Raj Goyal came to the fore today as the vigilance team of local bodies department stormed the council to probe allegations levelled in a complaint signed by some of the BJP councillors and organisational functionaries.

It is believed that the dissidents early this week had met Local Bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia and top brass of the party during three day Chandigarh visit. They reportedly explained the circumstances under which election of vice presidents of the council could not be held for past six months and even no meeting was convened to approve the annual budget. As first slot, the dissidents are believed to have insisted on transfer of the executive officer Devinder Goyal.

As per information received here last evening, Goyal was asked by the directorate to swap position with Sukhdev Singh posted as EO at Rama Mandi. However, when it was revealed that the latter is a close relation of a SAD MLA, the order was withheld. The new incumbent is yet to be named.

As per information gathered by The Tribune, senior vigilance officers Ajay Kanwar and Rajinder Singh were among the five officials who stormed the municipal council office here today. The dissidents submitted their complaint listing about 20 allegations. The signatories included BJP councillors Suversha Narang (former president Mahila wing), Geeta Chaudhary (former president city unit), Ravi Makkar, Kamal Nagpal, Buta Singh and Kaushal Pihwal (former MC vice-president), organisational secretaries Anil Khetarpal and Vinod Juneja and Ravtash Singh (husband of councillor Manjeet Kaur).

Interestingly, the dissidents have targeted executive officer Devinder Goyal and avoided naming president but accusing fingers have been pointed at the latter by making oblique references. The complainants said Rs 3 crore had been received from the Chief Minister as grant for development works but a major part of it was diverted to unknown tasks resulting in anguish against the alliance government among citizens. Rs 60 lakh was paid to one contractor; others filed cases in the court burdening the council.

As per the complaint, an amount of Rs 42 lakh was received in two installment out of Urban Development Fund but only Rs 3 lakh was utilized for purchasing hand pulled rehris for sanitation department, fate of rest of the money needs to be investigated. The Chief Minister had released Rs 40 lakh for laying premix carpet in Suraj Nagari and Nai Abadi but the funds were allegedly misutilised some where else. Similar instances have been quoted concerning development works in slum area.

Eyebrows have been raised over lifting of dead animals across the sub divisional town even when the council had not auctioned the contract. Questions have also been raised over using Rs 40 lakh grant under the MP Local Area Development Fund in an arbitrary manner. Rs 1.5 lakh was spent on getting Xerox copies of several documents. The RO system sponsored by the Chief Minister with Rs 9.50 lakh grant has not become functional so far.

The vigilance team said, “EO has been asked to submit detailed explanation, we will submit the preliminary report to the chief vigilance officer soon.” Meanwhile, outgoing EO Devinder Goyal refuted all the allegations and claimed all actions were within the set rules and regulations. 

Ferozepur, May 6
The lust to become rich by collecting money through illegal means has landed Balwinder Singh, Child Development and Project Officer (CDPO), 
Ferozepur, into the Vigilance Bureau (VB) net as he was caught taking bribe from member of the Zila Parishad, today.

Balwinder today allegedly demanded bribe from Sampuran Singh, a member of the Zila Parishad belonging to the ruling SAD (Badal).

Sajjan Singh Cheema, SSP, Vigilance Bureau, when contacted, said that Sampuran Singh approached Balwinder for executing the upgradation of Aaganwari centre located in his native village Behak Khas of Fazilka.

Instead of doing that work, Balwinder started demanding a bribe of Rs 10,000 from Sampuran to do the needful.

Harassed by Balwinder, Sampuran filed a complaint with the Vigilance Bureau.

Cheema said a team of Vigilance Bureau led by DSP Talwinder Singh was constituted after a complaint was received from Sampuran. The team caught Balwinder immediately after he received the bribe money of Rs 10,000 from Sampuran.

The bribe money was recovered from the pocket of the shirt of the accused. Two government witnesses accompanied the raiding team. A VB team was also sent to carry out search of the house of the accused so that some other incriminating documents could be recovered.

A case had been registered at the local Vigilance Bureau police station under the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

Abohar, May 6
The Congress has got a shot in the arm with BJP dissidents’ move against the alleged malpractices in the municipal council that is ruled by the saffron party.

A deputation led by Congress MCs Prem Kalra and Suman Taneja met the vigilance team this afternoon and alleged that contracts to lift dead animals and collection of publicity tax were not auctioned to amass money by underhand means. Hundreds of goats are butchered and meat sold through a hundred unlicensed kiosks besides hotels but only Rs 20 was deposited as slaughter fee in the municipal council. This, the Congress workers, said speak volumes of corruption that haunts the working of the BJP-ruled council. 

Moga, May 6
Difference of opinion whether to run the liquor business or not between the liquor contractors of the Moga town has come to the surface over the payment of the first instalment of the excise duty after realising in the very first month that they are running into losses.

Taking a serious view of their differences, the excise department has initiated the process to issue show-cause notices to some of the contractors for recovering the first instalment of the duty due on May 15.

The difference of opinion between the contractors has cropped up just a couple of weeks after they adopted the “illegal practice” of pooling in to join hands together in the business.

The situation has become so dicey for both the state government and the contractors that on one hand some of the contractors and their partners are not interested in continuing with the business while on the other the excise department is worried over the revenue collections.

The difference of opinion among the contractors is quite evident from the fact that a liquor contractor Sadhu Singh shut down his five Indian Made Foreign Liquor and five Country Made Liquor vends in the town on Thursday without assigning any reasons.

When contacted, SJS Beesla Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC) of the Moga district confirmed that they have initiated the move to issue notices for recovering the first instalment from the liquor contractors. The due date of recovering the first instalment was April 30 but keeping in view of the 'internal conflict' of the contractors the department has become vigilant so that the government does not lose. In reply to a question, he said that as per the rules the department cannot issue notices to them before May 15 because two weeks of extension is given to them with the condition to pay 1.5 per cent per day.

The AETC said it has security deposits of the contractors and if they fail to pay their dues by May 15 they will deduct the dues from security deposits. 

Ferozepur, May 6
Sonia, wife of Joginder Kumar, a constable in Punjab police, was allegedly kidnapped from the local Police Lines by three persons with the intention to kill her.

Though Sonia was kidnapped on April 22 in the afternoon, when she was alone in the official residence of her husband, a case under sections 364 and 34 of IPC was registered at the police station, Cantonment, only yesterday.

“We have been conducting raids at the suspected hide-outs of the kidnappers and are hopeful that Sonia would be recovered safely,” said the SHO of the police station.

He added that as per Joginder Kumar, Sonia was allegedly kidnapped by Chinder Singh alias Chinda along with his two unknown associates. Joginder Kumar had also alleged in his statement that the accused had kidnapped Sonia with the intention to kill her.

Chinda and Joginder Kumar were living in neighbourhood in the city area before Joginder shifted his residence. Whether Chinda had committed the crime to settle personal scores with Joginder Kumar or not could not be known.

He said that Chinda was working as a skilled labourer in the city and both Joginder Kumar and Chinda had developed friendship when both were living in neighbourhood. Sonia had left behind two children, a son and a daughter.

When asked that how Sonia was kidnapped from the Police Lines, which was given effective security cover, the SHO said that the crime could not be noticed by the security personnel as sometimes they did not check all those who come and leave at the gate.

Moga, May 6
Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will reach New Delhi from Dubai on Saturday night and will then travel to Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Mandir followed by a meeting with his party supporters and well-wishers but the SGPC has clarified that it will not honour him with a siropa, a religious ritual of the community.

This will be his first visit to his home state after a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan on April 26 restored his membership to the state legislative assembly declaring that his ouster from the assembly on charges of corruption was unconstitutional.

Major Karan Pal Singh Sekhon (retd), a close aide of Captain Singh, while talking to The Tribune over the telephone, said that Captain Singh will leave for New Delhi immediately after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Mandir. He has also sought an appointment with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which is yet to be confirmed.

Avtar Singh Makkar, president of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC), told The Tribune, said there are no plans to honour Captain with a siropa. “As an ordinary Sikh, he is welcome to the Golden Temple to pay obeisance,” he added. 

Ferozepur, May 6
Rohit Vohra, district president, Youth Akali Dal (Badal), while alleging that Surinder Kapur, licence and passport clerk (LPC) at the Deputy Commissioner's (DC) office, was murdered by Vicky Sodhi, a resident of Guru Har Sahai, with a motive, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the same.

Vohra said that Vicky was known for his criminal activities including initiating thousands of youths of area into drug addiction by supplying them with smack, heroin and opium during the previous Congress government.

He was also involved in fake arms licence scam which surfaced in this district a few years ago.

Sriganganagar/Abohar, May 6
Rani Kaur, who was allegedly joined by her paramour Raja and daughter Pushpa in killing her husband Gobind Ram, have been arrested, Hanumangarh SHO Sanjay Bothra said on Thursday evening.

Police said that the accused served intoxicants to Gobind Ram (42) on April 20 and then strangled him to death using a dupatta. They conspired to throw the body on the railway track to project it as a rail mishap and severed his neck using a sharp-edged weapon. 

Moga, May 6
The District Magistrate-cum-Chairman of the Red Cross Society Satwant Singh Johal has placed under suspension an employee of the society who kept a cheque of Rs one lakh for more than two weeks in his possession.

The cheque was meant to be disbursed as immediate relief to the farmers who suffered huge losses of their crop in the fire incidents.

Moga, May 6
Dr Rajinder Samotra posted as a Deputy Director in the health department of Haryana and his son Dr Boban Samotra died in a road accident near Dagru village in the Moga district, late on Wednesday night.

Police sources said the accident took place at about 10.30 in the night when and Dr Samotra and his son were heading to Chandigarh from Faridkot. The Indica car in which both were travelling crashed into an oncoming Tata-407 mini-truck. The car has been badly damaged in the accident.

Dr Samotra had gone to Faridkot for the admission of his younger son in the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot. The police recovered a cash worth Rs 45,000 and some ATM cards from the car.

While the doctor died on the spot, his son died while being taken to the district hospital, here. The police identified them from the papers found in the car.

Bathinda, May 6
Giving vent to their ire against two SHOs of the Bathinda police, activists of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) burnt their effigies outside the bus stand here today.While burning the effigies and lodging their protest, the LJP activists accused the two SHOs of committing atrocities on Dalits and also of implicating the son and brother of state president of the LJP, Kiranjeet Singh Gehri, in false cases of eve-teasing and assault.

Addressing the gathering, Gehri alleged that the SHO Balianwali was trying to shield three youths, who had recently brutally killed a man at village Gehri Bara Singh.

“Irked over our pressure, which we were building to provide justice to the bereaved family, the SHO hatched a plan with SHO Civil Lines, Bathinda, to implicate my kin in a false case to tarnish my dignity," alleged Kiranjeet Gehri.

"Acting upon the plan, the SHO Civil Lines Gurpreet Singh illegally confined a youth and tortured him to give a false statement against my son and brother in an eve-teasing and assault case,” alleged Gehri.

Raising anti-establishment slogans, the activists of the LJP announced that they would intensify the protest and burn the effigies of the SSP Bathinda and the chief minister, if the police did not cancel the FIR against the kin of their state president.

On the other hand, police officials refuted the allegations and claimed to have evidence against the kin of Gehari for being involved in the crime.

Bathinda, May 6
Six persons were injured in three separate road mishaps today.According to information available, a person sustained injuries when he fell down from a bus at the ITI Chowk on the Bathinda-Mansa road here while boarding a bus.

On getting the information, the workers of the Sahara Life Saving Brigade reached the spot and got the injured admitted to the hospital.

In two separate motorcycle mishaps, five persons received injuries in the Model Town area and on the Bathinda-Dabwali road near here. — TNS