Hoshiarpur, June 22
Accused in an abduction and rape case, undertrial prisoner Nand Lal, alias Billa Gujjar, son of Dharm Chand of the local Mohalla Ravi Dass Nagar, fled from police custody in District Court Complex here this afternoon while he was being taken to be produced in a court.

According to police sources, ASI Naresh Kumar, along with head constable Harbhajan Singh and constable Narinder Singh, took Nand Lal to the court of Judicial Magistrate Karamjit Singh Sular in District Court Complex in connection with a case registered under sections 364, 394 and 506 of the IPC at the city police station on March 26, 2009.

At about 2 pm, Nand Lal asked the police officials to allow him to go to urinate. When policemen took him to a nearby abandoned place for urinating, a Tavera van, with three occupants, was already parked there. The handcuffed Nand Lal somehow succeeded in boarding the van and the driver of the vehicle sped away and escaped along with him.

SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said a case under relevant sections of the IPC had been registered in this connection. All the adjoining police stations had been alerted and raids were being conducted at Lal’s suspected hideouts. ASI Naresh Kumar, HC Harbhajan Singh and constable Narinder Singh had been suspended for negligence in duty.

Lal was also accused in a case registered against him under sections 366, 376, 506 and 120-B of the IPC in the Sadar police station on April 4, 2009. Besides, a number of criminal cases, including an attempt to murder and theft, etc., were also registered against him in various police stations of the district, said Aggarwal.

Jalandhar, June 22
Doing away with its set precedent, the opening session of the two-day BJP executive meeting, being organised at Kapurthala Chowk here, was thrown open to media.

State party chief Ashwini Sharma laid emphasis on strengthening the might of an ordinary party worker. “Take it as an appeal or as an order. All ministers and chief parliamentary secretaries of the party attending any function in the state must spare at least half an hour for holding a meeting with workers of the area,” he declared.

“They are the ones who form the backbone of the party. They are the ones who disseminate our policies door to door. In their honour lies the honour of the party,” he added.

He added that karyakarta (worker) and karyala (office) were two important assets for a widespread reach. “So we are planning to open 20 party offices in each district soon,” he announced.

In the presence of the media, he also dared to spell out that all party workers should stop building rapport with the media. “If at all there are any differences at any level, senior leaders should be approached. Just to grab limelight, many of you are trying to reach out to the newspapers. Stop the practice and discipline yourself,” he warned.

National secretary Navjot Sidhu, Punjab affairs in charge Balbir Punj, ministers Manoranjan Kalia and Laxmi Kanta Chawla, former state president Rajinder Bhandari and other senior leaders attended the meeting. Asked about Chawla-Sahni rift, Ashwini Sharma said the issue was not on the agenda of the meeting.

Chawla said that staff from her department had not taken any wrong step in the episode. She refused to comment further, saying that the matter had gone to the court.

Hoshiarpur, June 22
Social Democratic Party of India president Jai Gopal Dhiman, through his lawyer, has served a notice on the Chairman and Secretary of Punjab Powercom for not providing power connections, for their tubewells and to farmers in the general category who had applied up to March 31, 1991, in the subdivisions of Kot Fatuhi, Paldi, Mahilpur, Bassi Kalan and Saila Khurd falling in Mahilpur division.

According to information provided by the Executive Engineer of the Powercom division of Mahilpur to Jai Gopal Dhiman under the Right to Information Act, one case of providing power connection to tubewell is lying pending in Mahilpur subdivision, 75 in Paldi and 96 in Bassi Kalan subdivisions before March 31, 1991, in the general category.

The connection-seeking farmers had already completed the formalities but had not been given power connections so far.

In a press release here today, Dhiman stated that one farmer of Kot Fatuhi subdivision, who had applied on February 8, 1985, was still waiting for a connection. He pointed out that a number of farmers died during this period and others have been waiting for their turn to get power connections for the last 20 years.

According to information supplied by the Executive Engineer under the RTI Act, in addition to these pending cases, 586 cases in the general category, 132 in the deep bore category, 42 in the ex-servicemen category, three in regular and four in temporary SC category, two in the drip irrigation category and one in the panchayat category in Paldi subdivision were lying pending up to March 16, 2010.

Similarly, 141 in the general category, 134 in the deep bore category, 27 in the ex-servicemen category and five in the micro sprinkling category in Mahilpur subdivision up to the above said period and 390 in the general category, 143 in the deep bore category, 33 in the ex-servicemen category, 24 in the micro sprinkling and five in the Chairman of the board category in Bassi Kalan subdivision and 34 in the general category, four each in the ex-servicemen, Chairman of the PSEB quota, drip irrigation category and 102 in the Kandi area category in Saila Khurd subdivision had been lying pending since December 11, 2009.

He warned the Powercom authorities to release power connections in all the pending cases immediately, failing which he would knock the door of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Amritsar, June 22
Guru Nanak Dev University has extended the age limit for reemployment of principals/teachers (on contract basis) by two years from the existing age limit of 60 years.

However, the age limit could further be extended up to 65 years if suitable qualified persons were not found even after inviting applications.

Dr M.S. Hundal, Dean, College Development Council of the university, said the necessary changes and additions had been made in the ordinance regarding the superannuation of the college principals and teachers and their provident fund deposits.

“Though the age of superannuation of principals/teachers in an affiliated college is 60 years, but now as per new addition made in the ordinances concerned, in exceptional cases reemployment of a principal on contract basis may be extended up to another two years in the interest of the college,” said Dr Hundal.

“If no suitable qualified persons were found even after inviting applications through advertisement, such a reappointment in no case shall go beyond the age of 65 years,” he added.

He said the sum credit to the depositors monthly, under ordinances 4 and 5 in the Provident Fund Ledger maintained by the College Governing Body, would0 now be paid duly to the Provident Fund Commissioner’s office instead of depositing in the post office savings bank or other banks between the 1st and 4th of each month.