A member of the Unemployed Physical Training Instructors (PTI) Teachers Union, who protested against Harsimrat Badal during the function, being taken away by the police in Phagwara on Monday. Tribune photos: Malkiat Singh

Unemployed teachers protest

As Harsimrat Badal took to the dais at the opening of the function, a few members of the Unemployed Physical Training Instructors (PTI) Teachers Union started raising slogans against the government. They had been quietly sitting among the audience. Two members of the union Manpreet Singh and Rakesh were taken away by the police.

Nakodar, March 28
After the death of an NRI due to swine flu, the medical authorities have initiated an awareness campaign in Bir Pind village, an NRI belt near here, for precautionary measures.

The deceased has been identified as Kulbir Singh. After returning from Italy a few months ago, he was suspected of having symptoms of swine flu. Shashi Ahluwalia, Senior Medical Officer, Mehtpur, said the victim was under treatment at a private hospital in Jalandhar and the day he was tested positive for swine flu on March 17, they initiated a precautionary drive to prevent further spread of the virus.

“I was informed by Integrated Disease Surveillance Project Officer Dr Satish Sood and District Health Officer (DHO) R.L. Bassan about the status of the victim and got instructions to initiate an awareness drive and to do regular checking of all the persons who came in contact with the victim,” Shashi said, claiming that their team was giving regular medical treatment (including vaccination) to 19 persons, of which two are sisters of the victim. — OC

Tarn Taran, March 28
A CRPF jawan, Ranjit Singh (35), resident of Gandiwind village, died, while his wife and a motorcyclist were injured in a road accident near Kasel village, 25 km from here, today.

According to information, the Sarai Amanat Khan police has registered a case under Section 304A, 279, 337 and 338 of the IPC against the motorcyclist, Sachin Kumar, resident of Chhehtra.

Ranjit Singh, who had come on leave just a few days ago, was going to his village along with his wife Manjit Kaur and one-and-half-year-old son. When he reached near Kasel village, a motorcycle being ridden by Sachin Kumar hit him from the front.

Ranjit was taken to SGPC-run Baba Budha Sahib Hospital, Beer Sahib in a serious condition, where the doctors declared him dead.

Nawanshahr, March 28
A scam in the purchase of glycerine and ORS powder for Red Cross Medical Stores by the District Red Cross Society has surfaced here.The matter has been brought to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh, who has stopped the payment of bills and asked the ADC to conduct an inquiry into the alleged misappropriation in the funds for the purchase of medicines meant for helping the poor and needy.

As per whistleblowers, the Red Cross Society has not only compromised on the quality of the products, but also the rates of these items have been shown more than double in the bills. "The Jalandhar-made glycerine, which is available in the market at Rs 50-55 per bottle, has been shown purchased at the rate of Rs 160-170. Besides, the ORS powder, which is available at the rate of Rs 2.50 per packet in the market, has been shown purchased at Rs 5.50 per packet", alleged the whistleblowers.

They urged the DC to ensure impartial inquiry into the shady purchase based on the points whether the proper procedure, including inviting quotations and quality check by the team of experts, etc, were followed while making the purchase amounting to Rs 5-6 lakh.

They also demanded strict action against the persons found guilty of the shady purchase.

Gurdaspur, March 28
The raging controversy surrounding the new site of the judicial complex was given a quiet burial with the Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ranjit Singh yesterday laying down the foundation stone of the new complex at the same site from where the present complex functions.

This means that the old complex will now be pulled down and a new building will come up in its place providing a sigh of relief to nearly 400 lawyers who had vehemently opposed the shifting of the complex to some other site.

The foundation stone was laid by Justice Ranjit Singh, who is also the Chairman of the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s Building Committee, in the presence of Justice Rakesh Kumar Garg, Administrative Judge, Sessions Division, Gurdaspur and members of the Gurdaspur District Bar Association (GDBA) including its president Pushkar Nanda.

The new complex, which is expected to come up within a year’s time, will be constructed in an area of 8.58 acres at a cost of Rs 40.27 crore.

Earlier, there was talk of shifting the judicial complex to the outskirts of the city. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s Building Committee finally decided in November to construct the new complex at the present site.

At that time a general body of the GDBA was held in which it was unanimously decided to ask the Building Committee to allot at least 500 chambers “keeping in view the strength of lawyers.” However, the High Court has decided to allot them 421 chambers.

Pushkar Nanda said that although the GDBA had nearly 400 advocates as its members, the Association has requested for a hundred additional chambers, each one measuring 10 feet by 12 feet, as the “strength of advocates was likely to increase by about a hundred judges in the near future.”

Before demolition of the old complex starts shortly, the district courts will be shifted to the nearby Bar room, record room, main office and the GDBA’s Conference hall.

Pushkar Nanda said it had been a long-pending demand of the lawyers to get the new complex constructed at the old site because of its “connectivity and proximity to the bus stand and the railway station.”

Meanwhile, Raju Gharala, Congress Block President (Gurdaspur), welcomed the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s building committee to construct the new judicial complex at the present site. “It is a moral victory for the advocates,” he said in a statement.