Chandigarh, August 3
Punjab Civil Services (Judicial Branch) aspirants, who failed to attach with their forms the detailed marks sheet of matriculation examination, still stand a chance to take the preliminary examination.

For, the “selection committee” constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court has resolved that the candidates will still be issued the roll numbers, if they submit the requisite document to the PPSC by August 6. The examination is scheduled to be held on August 8.

Giving details, high court Registrar (Recruitment) Gobinder Singh Matharoo has asserted: “The PPSC and the High Court of Punjab and Haryana are jointly conducting the preliminary examination of PCS (Judicial Branch) - 2010.

“For this purpose, a selection committee consisting of Judges of the High Court has been constituted. The PPSC has rejected candidature of some of the applicants on the ground that though the candidates have attached their matriculation certificate, they have not attached with their forms the detail marks sheets to show that they have passed Punjabi at matriculation or its equivalent level.”

Matharoo has added: Now, the selection committee has resolved that in case such candidates produce before the Punjab Public Service Commission their detail marks sheet on or before August 6, 2010, showing that they have passed Punjabi in matriculation or its equivalent level, the PPSC will issue roll numbers to them.”

Ludhiana, August 3
After two decades of launching several operations for cleaning the Budda Nullah, the state government today announced yet another project and gave yet another deadline for cleaning the polluted water body.

This time the state government has come up with a new project -- River Green Bridges System -- allotted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and announced that the nullah would be cleaned within one and a half years.

"The state government is committed to clean the nullah at the earliest. We have visited the nullah from various points along with senior officials of the PPCB, MCL, Irrigation, Sewerage and Drainage departments. From Koomkalan to Jamalpur, there is just rainwater flowing into the nullah, which indicates that it is clean.

Starting from Jamalpur up to Sutlej, where it falls, industrial effluents gets mixed in the nullah. These are various points, which have to be cleaned. Once the nullah is cleaned, the water will be used for irrigation," said Darbara Singh Guru, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Punjab.

He said the government was taking the project very seriously and he had asked the officials of all departments not to pass the buck on cleaning of the Budda Nullah issue. He said it was a state problem and all departments needed to pull up their socks in making the nullah pollution-free.

Giving more details about the project, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Rajat Agarwal, said the technology for cleaning was brought from the Srishti Environment Research Institute, Pune, which was eco-friendly. The solids in nullah will be screened. Five points have been identified where bridges of stone/sand will be built, which will be vacant from middle. These points will prevent the flow of effluents into the nullah. "About Rs 16 crores will be spent on cleaning the nullah," said Aggarwal.

Guru added that cleaning alone would not serve the whole purpose. CETPs and STPs are to be funtional by then, he said. "We have fixed a deadline (November 30, 2011) for completion of the two Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and three Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) in Ludhiana. Once the plants become operational, the nullah will get treated water," said Guru.

Guru visited Macchiwara, Gaunspur, Balloke, Bhattian, Ballipur villages along with senior officials to give the project a final shape.

Chandigarh, August 3
Cutting across party lines, leaders from all walks of life and different political parties attended the funeral of Jaswant Kaur, widow of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, whose mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours here today. The pyre was lit by her son and Congress MLA Tej Parkash Singh.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his ministerial colleagues, and Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal were among those who attended the cremation.

Earlier, Badal and his ministerial colleagues placed wreaths on the body of Jaswant Kaur, who passed away yesterday at the age of 80. The cremation was held near the Memorial of Beant Singh at Sector 42, Chandigarh.

Badal was accompanied by Local Government Minister Manoranjan Kalia, Health and Family Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla, Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal. The leaders shared their heartfelt sympathies with the members of the bereaved family.

Badal also expressed his condolences with the grandson of the deceased, MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib Ravneet Singh Bittu.

Fatehgarh Sahib, August 3
The SGPC’s ambitious project of World Sikh University at Fatehgarh Sahib has been carrying on construction without getting its building plan passed from the Municipal Council and has not submitted building application fee to the tune of Rs 2.76 crore for the past two years.

As per the officials of the local bodies, the fee must have been submitted even before laying the foundation stone of the university. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal laid the foundation stone of the university in September 2008. Spread on 84 acres, the university is likely to begin its first batch in January 2011.

The SGPC president is its ex-officio chancellor and project has been undertaken by Sri Guru Granth Sahib Fourth Centenary Memorial Trust, which is a constituted unit of the SGPC and other members, including CM Parkash Singh Badal, Sirhind MLA Didar Singh Bhatti, Punjab advocate general HS Mattewal and few other scholars and academicians.

Sirhind MLA Didar Singh Bhatti said only 20 per cent of the construction work of the university is remaining and it will soon get its first batch of students in 2011 academic session. When questioned about the site plan, he initially claimed to have got it cleared from the government. However, when confronted he added that the SGPC buildings do not need any kind of sanctions or approvals. “All buildings of the SGPC do not require any sanctions. The government is likely to waive off the entire amount soon,” he claimed.

However, local bodies deputy director Ashok Kumar Sikka said he had already sent two reminders to the executive officer concerned of the Municipal Council to issue notice to the university officials under Section 195-A of the Punjab Municipal Act 1911. Executive Officer SK Gulati said he had joined just a few days back and a notice in this regard has already been sent to the university.

“Notice, issued on July 7, is penalty for disobedience without getting sanction of building plan,” he said. The officials of the Municipal Council said the university officials sought a provisional no objection certificate (NOC), which was denied. They added that in a recent communiqué to the MC, the university officials had stated that the government-level talks were on in this regard, wherein the fee for the site plan might be waived off and they should not be issued notices in this regard.

Area residents and the Municipal Council officials said pending building fee of Rs 2.76 crore would help in completing pending developmental works in historical Sirhind City.

Phagwara, August 3
It was a memorable moment for Mukhwinder Kaur of Phagwara on July 29 when she met her son Harjinder Singh in a Sharjah jail with the help of the Indian Punjabi Society of the UAE. Harjinder, along with 16 other Punjabi youths, is facing death sentence for allegedly murdering a Pakistani national, Misli Khan.

Salman Mohammad and Bindu-Chetu, both lawyers engaged by the Indian Government to plead their case, besides society members helped her to meet her son while the society arranged a visa of the UAE for her.

Though her meeting with her son was short, she met Harjinder after five years. After returning from the UAE, Mukhwinder Kaur, while talking to The Tribune today, said the society was sending financial help of Rs 2,500 each to the families of all Punjabi youths facing death sentence while the Lok Bhalai Party had sent 10 bags of wheat to every family of the victims.

Mukhwinder Kaur said she along with social activists would urge Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to initiate efforts to save the lives of the innocent Punjabi youths.

She said another youth of nearby Khangurra village was also seen in the jail of the UAE.

Harjinder Singh of Phagwara had gone to the UAE in search of greener pastures in 2003 and got a job of carpenter there.

Mukhwinder Kaur said her son was sending money regularly since 2007, but his whereabouts could not be known after that and the family was worried for his mysterious disappearance.

She said one of their family friends called them up from the UAE in April and informed them that he had seen Harjinder at a police station of Sharjah. She said they were trying to contact their relatives when they received a phone call from Harjinder, who disclosed that he was in trouble and lodged in the Sharjah jail on the charge of killing a Pakistani national.

Amritsar, August 3
With the arrest of five persons, the Amritsar Rural police today claimed to have cracked the kidnapping case of 81-year-old Joginder Singh, a landlord of Butala village in Beas, within 24 hours of the crime. He was abducted yesterday when he had gone to withdraw money from the village post office. The alleged kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh for releasing Joginder.

The accused have been identified as Pardhan Singh of Yodhe village, Harinder Singh and Lakhbir Singh of Patti Sekhon Ki village and Gurdial Singh and Gurcharan Singh of Rayya. The police has also seized two pistols and four live cartridges from their possession.

District police chief Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said, “The accused took Joginder Singh on pretext of showing some plots. They kept the victim at a dhaba in the night before they were arrested by the police near Vazir Bhullar village today,” the SSP.

He added that the accused opened an account at IDBI Bank at Beas by forging documents, where they asked his family to deposit the ransom amount.

Sukhdial Singh, nephew of the victim, asked for some time to deposit the amount. Meanwhile, a resident of the village Harbhajan Singh saw Joginder Singh along with two of kidnappers in a Santro car (PB-33-A-0092). Following this, police teams were dispatched to trace the culprits and one of the teams headed by DSP Lakhbir Singh was stationed at Dhilwan toll plaza, where the car was spotted again and the police managed to arrest the accused.

Pardhan Singh, Harinder Singh and Lakhbir Singh were arrested from spot while Gurcharan and Gurdial were nabbed on revelations made by the three accused.

Mohali, August 3
In the cancer belt of Punjab where people were being forced to drink water unfit for human consumption and also causing various water-borne diseases, the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) has approved installation of Reverse osmosis (RO) plants in 573 villages of Faridkot, Tarn Taran, Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar and Sangrur districts.

The RO plants being installed at a cost of Rs 20 crore was in addition to the plants installed in 327 villages in the affected districts of the state. In all, 1,169 villages in the state would get pure drinking water, bringing down the cost of medical expenses incurred due to water-borne diseases.

Dr SS Sandhu, Managing Director, PIDB, said the RO plants were being commissioned in the villages where total dissolved solids (TDS) in the groundwater were more than the desired limit of 500 particles per millions (PPM).

In Phase-I, 327 villages have been identified where TDS level was more than 500 PPM. The villages having PPM level between 500-800 would be covered in the second phase.

The RO plants extract pure water from an impure solution, leaving all kinds of impurities behind, regardless of their source of their nature. The equipment is compact, easy to operate and energy-efficient in comparison to the distillation and freeze-thawing equipment.

Till date, the RO plants have been installed in 327 villages in Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Sangrur and Tarn Taran districts at a total cost of Rs 35.56 crore. The tenders for installation of another 246 RO plants with an outlay of Rs 28.41 crore in Mansa (24 villages), Ferozepur (100 villages), Faridkot (villages), Patiala (6 villages), Sangrur (56 villages), Barnala (8 villages) Moga (14 villages), Tarn Taran (4 villages) and Bathinda (26 villages) have been received and are under the process of evaluation. The work is likely to be commissioned by December 2010.

PIDB’s another project to cover 596 more villages with dual/ultra filtration plants in Mansa, Mukatsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Bathinda was under approval with NABARD for financial assistance. The plants shall be made operational within 9 to 12 months from the date of allotment at a cost of Rs 64.58 crore.

Against the RO plants, a nominal rate of 10 paise per litre was being charged from consumers. Panchayats are approaching the government to install the facility in their respective villages. The agencies engaged through the Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department would not only build, but also operate and maintain the plants for seven years free of cost. The agencies would payback Rs 451.87 lakh to the state government.

Jalandhar, August 3
Penn State University (PSU) in Pennsylvania (US) has extended an offer to Punjab Technical University (PTU) as well as to the Human Resources Development Ministry (HRD) with regard to fine-tuning research methods and techniques applied by Indian research scholars to prepare their projects, thesis etc.

Though it has not been conveyed officially, official sources said the PSU was prepared to guide, train and lead 1,000 Indian research scholars free of cost in their research projects for a year or so.

However, the research scholars concerned will have to bear living and travelling costs in the US while staying there for a year or so. Sources said the PSU had made an offer in this regard to the HRD Ministry also.

While universities in the US have produced world leaders in research, Indian universities have nothing to boast about in this regard. Research in Indian universities is in a bad shape. “We are preparing a list of about 20 research scholars keen to go to the US to seek guidance,” said Dr Rajneesh Arora, Vice-Chancellor of the PTU.

Research scholars will be sent to the US after getting a nod from the Union Government. Dr Arora had recently written to Dr Mukund S. Kulkarni, Senior Dean, Academic Affairs of the PSU, for a tie up with the PTU to improve the quality of education

He had suggested a joint PhD guidance by the faculty of the PSU and the PTU and for sharing research facilities by scholars of both universities. Principal Secretary (Technical Education), Government of Punjab, Suresh Kumar said there was an immediate need to upgrade research skills, programmes, methods and techniques in the country. Dr Arora had been told to take initiative for a tie up with the PSU. Suresh Kumar said the PSU was keen to extend all help in this regard.

Dr Arora had also suggested for starting a common faculty development programme at the PSU and the PTU by sharing the faculty of both universities. Dr Arora said he was expecting a written communication from the PSU soon.

Sangrur, August 3
Only one person guards 668 acres of a wildlife sanctuary here.

Sources as well as a visit to the S-1 Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Sangrur revealed that just one employee kept a watch during night in this wildlife sanctuary. They added that there were usually two employees who performed the watchman’s job. Whereas one employee kept guard from 8 am to 5 pm, the other employee kept a watch from 5 pm to 8 am on a rotation basis.

Local sources said the duties of both watchmen included to keep a watch on the illegal entry of any person, to ensure that there was no harm done to any wild animal inside and also to check that there was no theft of timber from the sanctuary. They added that there were no floodlights on the outer sides of the sanctuary and even the fencing was not of prescribed height (6 feet against the required height of 8 feet) which makes the job of a watchman even more difficult.

“Given the area of the sanctuary, there should have been around 12 watchmen to keep a watch on rotation, but it is a mockery that only one watchman has to discharge this duty,” says a local, asking not to be named. “It is too big a task for anyone. The government should employ more people for the job so that the sanctuary is managed properly and there is no risk to wild animals.”

An employee of the Forest Department posted in the area said that they required at least 12 persons for keeping guard in the sanctuary on a rotational basis. “In Patiala for a sanctuary of 1,300 acres, there are 12-13 watchmen. Here also we need at least 12 persons for keeping a watch in the sanctuary,” he said.

Harneet Singh Diwana, Range Officer of Sangrur forest division that manages the sanctuary, while admitting that the number of watchman was too less to look after such a large sanctuary, said that they needed more people to carry out the job. He also confirmed that the sanctuary had no lighting arrangement and needed floodlights in the outer areas. However, he said the fencing of the sanctuary was as per the specification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Patiala, August 3
Patiala has become first district in the state to start the process of the disbursement of compensation to farmers for the crop damaged due to the recent floods. Compensation amounting to Rs 1.92 crore has been disbursed among farmers of six villages situated near the Hansi-Butana Canal, from where the maximum damage was reported.

After handing over compensation cheques, chairman of the District Planning Committee Surjit Singh Rakhra while addressing farmers in one of the flood-hit villages Sassi Thhey here yesterday, said the state government had sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 63 crore to be disbursed as compensation among farmers of Patiala, whose crops damaged due to the recent floods. He said the amount would be disbursed among affected farmers within a week.

Today, a compensation of Rs 49.18 lakh was given to farmers of Dharmheri village; Rs 27.98 lakh to farmers of Sassi Bahamana village; Rs 15.36 lakh to farmers of Hasanpur Mangata village and Rs 34.03 lakh to farmers of Sassi Gujara. Cheques for Rs 32.81 lakh and Rs 32 lakh were distributed among flood-hit farmers of Bibipur and Ramnagar Bakhshishwala villages, respectively.

Ropar, August 3
A place meant for bird lovers, Dr Salim Ali ornithological track has turned into haven for addicts and anti-social elements. Situated near Katli village, along banks of the Sutlej, the track was developed in the 1995-96.

This ornithological track does not have any particular department to oversee its functioning. Being nobody’s baby, the place remains largely neglected. Even during daytime, people are seen consuming liquor without anyone to stop them. The area residents, especially women, do not deem it fit to venture alone in the area out of fear of anti-social elements.

Bearing the vagaries of time, the place stands, albeit sans any facilities or even proper benches to sit. During the tenure of Deputy Commissioner Seema Jain, it was decided that the place be given a facelift.

It had proposal of setting up more benches, an open hut and extending the railings along the Sutlej. It was also proposed to connect the area directly with a road that runs along the river from main bridge. But none of the proposals got materialised.

The so-called informative board, bearing a list of the migratory birds, has got damaged beyond recognition and is in urgent need of overhaul. Students frequent the place, especially during winters when winged-visitors come to this international wetland.

“The wetland offers a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It is the most sought after place for taking students for an excursion, especially during winters,” said Jaspreet Singh, who is a teacher and a bird watcher for past three decades. DC Arunjit Singh Miglani said he would look into the issue and ensure that the place remains safe for bird watchers.

Patiala, August 3
The city police today nabbed two Government Rajindra Hospital employees who allegedly used to charge money for causing injuries to persons who wanted to get their opponents booked under fake cases. Shedding light on their modus operandi, the police said the accused used to inflict injuries (a cut with a blade) on those who approached them. The latter then used to procure medical certificates showing grievous injuries, on the basis of which the police used to register a case under Section 326 of the IPC (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means).

The accused, safai sewak Monu and ward attendant Bikram Singh, have been booked under Sections 167, 211, 120-B and 420 of the IPC. An amount of Rs 20,000 and some blades used for inflicting wounds have also been recovered. Four other accused, all hospital employees, are still at large. The motive behind the act was to earn a quick buck, the police said.

So far, the accused had managed to get register about 40 to 50 such illegitimate cases. Notably, the development assumes significance in view of the fact the crime was being committed at Rajindra Hospital, a government institution.

Patiala SSP Ranbir Singh Khatra said the matter came to light following a complaint by Avtar Singh of Chaprar village, who accused the hospital employees of inflicting injuries on their rival party -- co-villager Baljit Singh -- following which he (Avtar) was booked under Section 326 of the IPC.

“When DSP (Rural) Harvinder Singh investigated the matter, he got to know that Monu, Bikram Singh and an employee of hospital cycle stand, Mangal Singh, had taken Rs 20,000 from Baljit Singh for inflicting a deep cut on his (Baljit’s) left hand with a blade,” the SSP said.