Bathinda, December 7
More than 100 employees and officials were found to be absent from duty during surprise raids conducted in schools, hospitals, dispensaries and other offices of different departments in the district here today.

About a dozen offices were found locked and certain other irregularities and lapses were also detected.

The raids were reportedly conducted in the aftermath of the recent meeting of deputy commissioners held at Chandigarh on December 2, in which Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had said the DCs would be held accountable for speeding up development works and implementation of the administrative reforms.

In the light of these orders, the Deputy Commissioner Bathinda, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, today constituted various teams to conduct raids, which were led by the ADC (G), ADC (D), SDMs of Bathinda, Talwandi Sabo and Rampura Phul.

After the officials submitted the details of their raids conducted, it was revealed that culture of absenteeism was high in Bathinda district, now said to be the home turf of the ruling Badal family. The details of the absent staff not only shocked the raiders but also the Deputy Commissioner and some senior bureaucrats monitoring the raids from Chandigarh.

Speaking to The Tribune, DC Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said, "Taking a serious note of the reports, we are going to issue show-cause notices to all the absentees, with a condition to reply within three days. Whosoever fails to satisfy the reason for absence, would have to face the music."

According to details collected, during the raid, ADC (D) C. Sibin found 11 employees of the district food and supply office and 24 employees of the assistant excise and taxation office absent from their offices.

Further, SDM Bathinda, KPS Mahi reported that during his surprise visit to the chief agriculture office, 14 officers were missing, while the raid at the CDPO office came as a shock as the whole staff, except one who too was standing in the corridor, was found absent and the office was locked.

Meanwhile, submitting his report, the SDM Talwandi Sabo reported that a number of Tehsil level offices at Talwandi Sabo including welfare office, employment office, CDPO office, food and supply office, horticulture office were found locked, when he conducted the raid. He also mentioned that the BDPO office, Talwandi Sabo, was open but as many as seven employees of the office were found absent from duty.

During his surprise visit to some dispensaries, schools in the Phul sub-division, the SDM Rampura Phul Uma Shankar found a number of irregularities and lapses for which he pulled up the officials concerned on the spot, besides submitting his report to the Deputy Commissioner.

It may also be recalled the Deputy CM himself accompanied by his MP wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal had conducted surprise nocturnal raids at Civil Hospital Bathinda, Civil Lines police station and a complaint centre of the Powercom, a couple of months back.

Today's development is also as an effort to send the right signal to people about the government's seriousness on governance reforms a day before the Deputy Chief Minister is scheduled to hold a massive Sangat Darshan of a number of villages at Kotbhai in Gidderbaha, the stronghold of estranged cousin and former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal.

Ferozepur, December 7
Former Member of Parliament and senior Congress leader Jagmeet Brar has decided to start workers’ meeting in a part of the Malwa region, considered as stronghold of the ruling SAD (Badal) from December 15 to galvanise them for the 2012 assembly elections.

Malwa region, which has got the maximum number of assembly segments and has always been politically important, has witnessed Jago Punjab Yatra being taken out by the former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Nav Inqalab Yatra, taken out by Ravneet Singh Bittu, President, Punjab Youth Congress and 
Member of Parliament (MP) from Sri Anandpur Sahib.

In the series of meeting to be held by Brar in all assembly segments of Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozepur parliamentary constituencies, he would mobilise workers for conference to be held at Muktsar in the second week of January 2011 on the occasion of Maghi by the party.

“It is time that the workers should be asked to gear up for the big fight of the 2012 assembly elections to throw the ruling SAD-BJP alliance out of power and ensure deliverance to people of Punjab from the atrocities, political vendetta, misrule, corruption and violence, which they have been facing for the past four years,” he told TNS today.

“My main aim is to bring the Congress to power in Punjab in 2012 by projecting a united face of the party to the people. I would start with my first meeting at Surewala village from Gidderbaha assembly segment on December 15 and subsequently would cover a major part of the Malwa region,” he disclosed.

He said he always welcomed the decision of the party president Sonia Gandhi in connection with the appointment of Captain Amarinder Singh as president of Punjab Congress unit. He was of the view that to make the party stronger, all the important leaders of Punjab must be taken into confidence by the state leadership in important matters.

“I have no difference with any leader of Punjab as of now and I am working with the sole aim to establish Congress rule in Punjab in 2012 with thumping majority. It is easy to defeat members of the Badal family now as their house is divided. Even the Badals can be trounced in their respective home turfs,” he claimed.

He said the Maghi rally of the Congress would be a turning point in the political scene of Punjab and mark the beginning of an end of the era of the SAD-BJP combine government, which had lost the confidence of people belonging to all walks of life. 

Panjgrain/Jaito, December 7
Former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal has requested the people to attend a state-level conference proposed to be held under his leadership on the eve of Maghi on January 14 at Muktsar in the Malwa belt of the state.

He addressed a series of public rallies at Panjgrain, Jaito and a couple of villages in the newly carved out Jaito assembly segment in the Faridkot district as part of his Jago Punjab Yara today. The present Panjgrain assembly segment would now be called Jaito assembly segment after the recent delimitation of constituencies.

Though Manpreet did not utter even a single word on the agenda of January 14 conference, however, he clarified that he was not likely to announce some political outfit on that day until the completion of his yatra. Therefore, it was assumed that a face-to-face rally in front of his political opponents was being held at Maghi to testify his political presence in the state, particularly the Malwa belt.

He advocated a sustainable model of development model for the state. "To conserve our water, we need to change our agriculture and recycle our waste water. Both the goals are important as well as urgent, because if we fail to achieve it, Punjab would turn into a desert soon," he said.

Manpreet, while saying that it was necessary to subsidise the right agricultural practices, said, "Research and development must be re-oriented towards pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetable and organic farming, with which, a dramatic shift in cropping pattern can be achieved with available technologies, training and marketing support."

He said Punjab should fund a mega project with international assistance for complete water cycle management. Manpreet reiterated his stand on clean politics, administration, environment and quality education to the youths. Former MLA of Faridkot Kushaldip Singh Dhillon, many sarpanches and panches of the area also accompanied him during the rallies.

Bathinda, December 7
The Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR) has inducted eminent medical experts on its faculty.

Dr Ravinder Singh, former vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and ex-principal, Government Medical College, Patiala, has joined as professor, general surgery and advisor to the management.

Dr Kiranjeet Kaur Gill, former principal, Government Medical College, Patiala, and ex- director principal of PIMS joined as professor, biochemistry and dean, research and postgraduation programmes. Dr Surinder Singh, who also retired as principal from Government Medical College, Patiala, has joined the institute as professor, general surgery.

Dr HS Gill, Chairman, Adesh Group of Institutions, and Dr GPI Singh, Director-Principal, welcomed the professionals. — TNS

Bathinda, December 7
To check the red sandstones from flaking off the outer walls of the Mini-secretariat here, the PUDA officials have resorted to screw fasteners to affix at the right place.

But the measure is not only costing PUDA in lakhs but also threatens to affect the beauty of the entire ornamental structure made of red sandstone because of the embedded metal screw caps on each of the thousands of stones.

It has also raised question about the quality of material used in the construction as the complex was constructed only a few years back.

The red sandstones were fixed on the outer walls of the Mini-secretariat to give it a distinctive look, but due to lack of proper maintenance, they started crumbling and proved to be the cause of accidents on many occasions.

Taking notice of it, the Deputy Commissioner is learnt to have told PUDA officials that the flaking of the stones posed a threat to those entering the Mini-secretariat and if any mishap took place, the responsibility would lie on PUDA as they had constructed the Mini-secretariat.

Fearing an untoward incident, PUDA officials had earlier also awarded the contract for fastening the red sandstones as well as some white stones on the walls of Mini-secretariat with screws to a private constructor.

Facing public resentment as it was spoiling the grace of the Mini-secretariat, the work was withdrawn. Besides, the contractor also left the work midway.

On the other hand, due to constant pressure from the DC, PUDA officials have again awarded a contract for the work that would cost them above Rs four lakh. The contractor has started the job about three days back and it is expected that work would be completed within a fortnight.

When asked, the PUDA officials said it was the duty of the PWD (B&R) officials to maintain the building but as they did not do it on time and PUDA had to suffer the loss and earned a bad name because of it. However, they informed that after a detailed study, this was the only technique left to keep the stones affixed to the walls.

Bathinda, December 7
The Armed Forces Flag Day was observed here today with District Sainik Welfare Officer Lt Col (Retd) Shivdev Singh Mann pinning a flag to the jersey of Deputy Commissioner Gurkirat Kirpal Singh.

Officers and others donated money on the occasion.

The DC gave bank drafts of Rs 4 lakh to the widow and parents of martyr Lance Naik Jagdish Singh of Deon village as ex-gratia grant and financial assistance.

The DC also honoured two veterans of the Second World War by presenting them Rs 10,000 and a shawl each on the occasion of the War Veteran Day, which was also observed today.

Four widows were given a financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each.

Abohar, December 7
PUDA had no buyer for the commercial land that was put on auction here today after demolishing the Abohar Cooperative Spinning Mills Ltd near the new grain market.

After waiting for two hours, Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav declared that the auction stands cancelled as no bidder had shown interest. Others present included Manish Kumar, additional chief administrator of PUDA, district planning officer AK Jindal and SDM Jagdeep Singh Aulakh.

Some of the property dealers, who visited the site, questioned the propriety of the PUDA plan. They said each group that was offered for auction had about four acres of land with a minimum price of Rs 38 lakh. PUDA officials had pinned high hopes expecting Rs four crore for each group and 25 per cent of the final bid money was to be deposited for taking possession. As per the terms and conditions laid down by the PUDA, only 40 per cent of each plot could be used for construction, sources said.

A study of the previous auctions by the state government agencies would indicate that most of the successful bidders were trying to dispose of the plots even at a loss since the property boom had slumped. — OC

Fazilka, December 7
The closure of the Ferozepur-Malout chowk railway crossing due to the beginning of the final phase of construction on the railway track has resulted in traffic chaos in Fazilka.

The worst affected area is the SDM Court road railway crossing. The crossing is closed at least 18 times a day and the commuters have to wait for hours to pass through it. Besides, Guashalla road, Bansi Pakora chowk, Sarafan bazaar, Sanjeev Cinema road, Court road, Mehrian Bazaar and cycle bazaars have been witnessing traffic blockade and long queues of vehicles.

The administration has laid barricades at some places to regulate the traffic. However, it has not proved to be useful so far. SDM (Fazilka) Ajay Sood claimed that the traffic is running smoothly.

Barriers have been laid for the convenience of residents and the administration is making all efforts to provide better traffic facilities, he said.

Ferozepur, December 7
A business firm dealing in the procurement of food grains in Sande Hashm village of this district has allegedly committed a fraud with the Punsup department by disposing of its paddy worth Rs 25 lakh in the open market.

The matter surfaced when the officials of Punsup department, who were tasked to lift the paddy stock procured by it through commission agents, found that a business firm under the name of M/s Sukhwinder Singh and Sons, which had taken more than Rs 25 lakh from the department for purchasing 5600 bags of paddy for it (Punsup), had actually misappropriated it by conniving with an official of department.

A case under sections 420 and 406 of IPC was registered against M/s Sukhwinder Singh and Sons and an official of Punsup at Kulgadi police station. Harjit Singh Pannu, SP (D), said no arrest had been made in this connection so far.

Sriganganagar, Dec 7
A drug trafficker has been sentenced to eight years of rigorous imprisonment by the special court of Gopesh Chander Dixit and also a fine of Rs one lakh. If he fails to pay the fine, two more years would be added to his actual sentence.

As per the details, Mohan Lal Soni of Surjit Singh Colony here was nabbed by Raisingh Beniwal (SHO), old Abadi police station on February 11, 2007.

Two kilograms of opium and 700 gram smack was recovered from his possession. He was arrested under sections 8/18, 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act and remanded in the judicial custody. — OC