Jalandhar, May 24
Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia today announced new extended deadlines for various ongoing projects in the city.

At a function held at Red Cross Bhawan to mark the foundation stone laying of BMC Chowk flyover, Kalia was making announcements to appease the public but there was no applause at all from the harried lot.

In his full pitch, he said the Domoria underbridge would be ready in March 31, 2011. But people were actually wondering as to how big an achievement it was if a flyover under construction since the past over 10 years would take another 10 months to complete. The deadline of DAV College railway overbridge announced by him was May 20, 2011. Again, there was no ovation as the people going past the construction site have suffered a lot during the past more than five years due to improper service lanes and no diversions.

His declaration of starting solid waste treatment plant in December 2010 also did not yield any good response for public who must have been thinking as to when the facility would actually begin and why the city was devoid of any such facility for the past so many decades.

Kalia also said the Company Bagh, currently being beautified, would be completed on March 31, 2011 at a whopping cost of Rs 3.25 crore. No big deal again, thought many saying that the same amount could help the government spruce up 30 other parks in the city.

He even announced at the Lyallpur Khalsa College flyover would be completed by next month end. But observers feel that there would hardly be an advantage of the same as passing through it hurriedly, they would get stuck up again at the BMC Chowk flyover construction site, the foundation stone of which was formally laid today.

Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal talked about power projects and international airports getting started in the state. His visit to the city was one hour behind schedule. Everyone in the city including the media, police personnel and general public had to bear the brunt for the same bearing the hot sweltering heat.

Jalandhar, May 24
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today launched a web-based scheme monitoring software (SMS), an initiative to monitor the progress of various central and state sponsored schemes, at the District Administrative Complex. The software would help the common people monitor progress of schemes like MPLAD funds, Indira Awas Yojna, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation schemes, discretionary quota, development fund, MGNREGS, Sarv Shikya Abhiyaan (SSA) and much more.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Priyank Bharti had launched the web-based scheme at Ropar during his stint as DC, Ropar. “At times, it becomes difficult for the common man to access the actual stage of the work and delay occurs in taking corrective measures and to check corruption. The SMS would help in making the system transparent”, he added.

Talking about the scheme, he said that the software has been developed, passed and certified by National Informatics Centre (NIC). “We received a good response through SMS as people were able to access various progress reports from time to time,” he added. The web-based scheme would include details like review of ongoing works, regular updation of financial expenditure and physical progress along with pictures of each work undertaken, Bharti added. The web-based scheme can be accessed at http://jalandhar.ni.in/DSMS/default. aspx.

The Deputy CM also inaugurated a gymnasium and Sadhu Singh Harmdard Library in Punjab Press Club, and donated Rs 5 lakh to update the library. — TNS

Amritsar, May 24
With the arrest of three persons, the Amritsar rural police today claimed to have solved the blind murder case in which a couple was found dumped in ganda nullah near Mulla Behram village on May 21.

The deceased were identified as Pardeep Singh and Kiranjit Kaur of Chabal (Tarn Taran) while their car (PB-10-AX-0244) stained with blood was found abandoned near Lopoke.

The police has arrested Jagtar Singh, a resident of border village Muhawa, his servant Basant and maternal uncle Lakha Singh in this connection while his other two uncles identified as Kewal Singh and Davinder Singh were absconding.

Giving details, Amritsar rural police SSP Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said Pardeep often visited the house of Jagtar. On May 20, Jagtar saw Pardeep teasing his sister who had come to the tubewell. Pardeep was bathing in the water tank adjoining the tubewell at that time. This infuriated Jagtar. He told the whole incident to his maternal uncles who decided to eliminate him. They first strangled him to death and later slit the throat of Kiranjot and threw their bodies near the nullah.

“It was the discarded mobile SIM found in the car that helped the police trace the ownership of the abandoned car and later the identity of the two deceased. The calls made from the SIM helped us track the friend circle and other persons connected with Pardeep,” said SSP Chauhan.

During investigations, the police team zeroed in on Jagtar Singh. It is learnt that Pardeep, a drug addict, had illicit relationship with the mother of the accused due to which he was an often visitor in their farm house. Jagtar used to object his stay in the house.

Hoshiarpur, May 24
The Punjab Government has sanctioned Rs 120 crore for providing potable water in 112 villages of the district under Backward Regions Grant Fund.

Disclosing this in a meeting of the District Advisory Committee of Public Health Department here today, Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj said to get the benefit from this scheme, scheduled caste families of Kandi area would have to deposit Rs 200 each whereas general caste Rs 400 each.

In other areas of the district, SC families would have to deposit Rs 400 each and general class Rs 800 each for this purpose.

He appealed to the NGOs and prominent persons of the rural areas to make their contribution in the ongoing schemes of the government. He further appealed to adopt at least one village so that facilities like potable water and toilets etc could be made available in all the houses.

To ensure the regular supply of potable water in Bet area, some spare motors had also been made available at water supply sources. He instructed officials of the Public Health Department to get repaired all those water supply lines which were leaking. He further appealed to the farmers to diversify their cropping pattern for gaining more profits. 

Nakodar, May 24
Up in arms against the opening of liquor shops adjacent to religious places and educational institutions, women protesters under the banner of Istri Jagriti Manch, Jalandhar, today blocked the Nakodar-Jagraon road for over four hours.

The protesters assembled in Bara Salam village and raised slogans against the local administration and the state government for allowing the liquor mafia to open shops at the cost of the sentiments of general public.

They also shouted anti-drug slogans and demanded shifting of these shops from the locality alleging that the government was forcing the youth to be drug addicts instead of providing them employment, said manch convener Anita Peter. They said repeated representation to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Nakodar, over shifting of these liquor shops to other places have failed to yield results. — TNS

Amritsar, May 24
Vigilance sleuths nabbed a Junior Engineer of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited for allegedly demanding bribe of Rs 5,000 for shifting electricity pole from his plot.

Though the complainant, Amarjit Kumar, who has a residential plot in Sandhu Colony (Chheharta) deposited the requisite amount with the corporation, the accused identified as Tirlok Singh, Junior Engineer (West), asked him to shell out more money.

“Tirlok had already taken Rs 2,000 from him in this regard, but he demanded Rs 5,000 more from him. He lingered on the process of shifting of the pole,” said Randhir Singh Uppal, Superintendent of police, Vigilance.

He was arrested in presence of two witnesses --- Paramjit Singh, XEN, Punjab Pollution Control Board, and Daljit Singh, stenographer in the same department.

Other members of the raiding party include Paramjit Singh, DSP, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, SHO and inspector Jasbir Singh. A case under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against him.