Amritsar, December 19
The district administration yesterday served seven-day notices on scores of employees of the education, health and veterinary departments for dereliction of duty as they were found absent from their places of reporting.

The massive absenteeism came to the fore following an elaborate drive to detect absenteeism in government offices across the district.

Deputy Commissioner K.S. Pannu said he had constituted 11 teams to simultaneously conduct raids at various offices to check absenteeism.

He said these employees would have to submit their replies within the stipulated period and those with unsatisfactory responses could be suspended and chargesheeted.

Sources in the district administration revealed that residents, especially belonging to remote areas, of the district had been complaining of large-scale absenteeism. The absenteeism, especially in schools, dispensaries and other government offices located in remote areas, rose during winter.

Consequently, people, especially from lower income groups, have to suffer the most as they have to travel a long to get the basic health facilities.

A team, headed by Pannu, visited the institutions at Fatehgarh Sukarchak village. He found Dr Sunita Arora, Medical Officer of the PHC, and Rajinder Singh, MPHW, absent. He also visited Milk Plant, Verka, and found 20 employees absent.

Baba Bakala SDM Tejinderpal Singh found Dr Rahul Arora, Medical Officer, Civil Dispensary, Rattangarh, absent. Similarly, Dr Rajinderpal Kaur, Medical Officer, Harjinder Singh, pharmacist of the Mini-PHC, Bhinder, were found absent. In the same village, Mohinder Singh, ETT teacher, was found absent. He found Hardip Kaur, anganwari worker of Bhorsi Brahamanan, absent.

SDM-I Sandeep Rishi conducted raids at Kathunangal, Dhadde and Gopalpura villages and found the health sub-centre, Dhadde, locked. In the same village, Veterinary Officer Dr Kuldip Singh was stated to be on leave without sanction. Similarly, at Gopalpura village, Dr Jagmohan Singh, RMO, was found to be on leave without sanction.

SDM-II Paramjit Singh found Gurpreet Singh, drawing teacher, Guru Ki Wadali school, Lavjeet Kaur, Meenu Pathak and Ravinderjit Kaur of Government Elementary School, Khaparkheri, absent. Similarly, at the village’s health centre, Parneet Kaur and Jasbir Kaur, both ANMs, and Jaswinder Singh, MPHW, were found absent.

The Assistant Director (Animal Husbandry) raided veterinary dispensary at Kotli Amb village and found it locked and veterinary inspector Rajwant Singh absent.

DEO (Elementary) Sukhwinder Singh raided 11 schools in the morning and found Rekha Joshi of Jhalari village, Harvinder Singh and Bikranjit Singh of Thanewal village, Hargopal Singh of Mode and Vandana of Attari absent.

Anganwari workers of Dashmeshnagar, Bohru, Sangna, Mandiala, Mulechak, Nawanpind and Chhappa Ram Singh and two of Gehri were found absent.

Jalandhar, December 19
Demanding Indian citizenship, scores of Pakistani Hindu families settled in Jalandhar today handed over a memorandum to the president of the All India Shiv Sena, Surinder Kumar Billa.

The families gathered at the local Milap Chowk, highlighting their plight in the absence of any citizenship rights to them.

Demanding citizenship rights, they urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to take up their issue and appealed to Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh to listen to their genuine grievances, as they have been residing in India for the past 15 years.

“In the absence of any citizenship rights, we have no ration cards, licences, voter cards, homes and employment, no education and health facility and we face problems everywhere. We consider India as our motherland and this is the only and last resort available for us,” said Ashok Kumar a Pak Hindu.

The Pakistani Hindus said it was due to political turmoil and unrest in Pakistan that they shifted base to India, in search of a safe abode, many years ago. “If no action is taken, we would meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to register our citizenship rights”, they added. 

Amritsar, December 19
Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla announced that an ayurvedic cluster, with an investment of Rs 14 crore, would soon be opened at Ramtirath Road (Amritsar), while an ayurvedic hospital would be inaugurated at Verka.

She, along with renowned environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, inaugurated a four-day AROGYA mela, including ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) which kicked off at Dasehra Ground here yesterday.

Organised by the department of AYUSH, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a Central Government department, in collaboration with the state department of health and family welfare and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the fair is the fourth of its kind in the state.

Sant Seechewal advocated the ancient system of treatment which was based on nature, for permanent cure of all ailments and other health imbalances.

Major-Gen Virender Kumar suggested formulation of an act for promoting the cultivation of herbs in the state.

B. Purushartha, Additional Secretary, Health and Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, Punjab, said Punjab was the only state which was organising an Arogya mela for four consecutive years. He said the fair would certainly throw light on different issues in ayurveda concerning education and research, drug development and manufacturing, medicinal plants and conservation, keeping global scenario in view.

Later, Sant Seechewal inaugurated exhibition stalls on AYUSH and other departmental stalls under the NRHM.

Phagwara, December 19
The Phagwara police has solved the mystery behind a murder case of migrant labourer Parmod Kumar who was killed by three armed assailants, including his employer Mandeep Singh, in a nearby Hardasspur village in 2005.

SP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon, while talking to The Tribune here, said Mandeep was suspicious about the character of the deceased and suspected that Mandeep had illicit relations with his wife Ranjit Kaur.

He explained the entire episode to his in-laws and on the night of July 8, 2005, Mandeep along with his father-in-law Maha Singh and mother-in-law Narinder Kaur struck at the servant quarter situated in the fields near a tubewell and attacked and murdered the migrant servant Parmod with sharp-edged weapons.

Sadar SHO Ravinder Singh said the police had registered a case under sections 302, 201 and 34, IPC, against the three killers and arrested Mandeep and his father-in-law on December 9.

He said that the accused had confessed their crime. Both the accused were produced before the Judicial Magistrate who sent them in judicial custody, while the third accused Narinder Kaur was still at large.

The SHO said the police had registered the case on the complaint lodged by an eyewitness, Dev Raj, who could not open his mouth for the last five years as he was being threatened by the accused.

Jalandhar, December 19
Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Manoranjan Kalia today laid foundation stones of development works worth Rs 46 lakh in Ward 16, 21 and 45 of the city.

The minister gave Rs 21.60 lakh to Mohalla Dashmesh Nagar for the construction of streets, drains, streetlights and revamp of park, while Rs 16 lakh was given to Mohalla Rishi Nagar for digging up of a deep tubewell for potable water, streetlights, streets and drains.

A grant of Rs 8.30 lakh was given to Mohalla Abadpura for the reconstruction of roads, streets and drains.

Kalia said the state government had decided to grant a whopping amount of Rs 1,100 crore for the development of urban areas in the state. “Out of this amount Rs 100 crore each would be given to municipal corporations, while the rest would be disbursed among nagar councils. And another separate grant of Rs 100 crore would be given for development of Jalandhar alone,” he added.

He also highlighted that at present Rs 20 lakh were being utilised for the reconstruction of roads with reflectors and footpaths in the city. The minister was accompanied by MC Joint Commissioner, Rahul Gupta, SE Kulwinder Singh, party workers and many other officials.