Faridkot, April 5
One person died while at least 75 others, including children, were taken ill due to suspected food poisoning after having jalebis served at a religious function held in Kothe Santa Singh Wala village, near Jaito, here today. The deceased has been identified as Gurjant Singh of Guru Ki Dhab village. He died on his way to a hospital.

Faridkot District Magistrate (DM) Balwinder Singh said the langar was served after the bhog of an akhand path organised by Gurmail Singh, a panchayat member, in the village this morning. After consuming jalebis, people complained of nausea and giddiness. Some of them even fell unconscious.

As the news about the suspected food poisoning spread in nearby areas, activists of many NGOs reached the village and rushed the patients to the Seth Ramnath Civil Hospital at Jaitu and other hospitals at Kotkapura and Faridkot.

Later, many of them were taken to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot. “As many as 67 persons are under treatment in this hospital. The condition of three is critical and they have been shifted to an ICU,” said the DM.

He said eight persons were under treatment at a hospital at Kotkapura and at a local hospital in Jaito. “All the 72 patients, except those in the ICU, are out of danger,” he added.

The DM, along with the SSP, also visited the hospitals to enquire about the well-being of the patients. He also asked the health authorities to collect samples of the food that was prepared and served at the function while SSP GS Randhawa has asked SP (D) Paramjit Singh Parmar to conduct a thorough inquiry into the incident.

“We have sealed a local shop from where the food items were purchased and also taken a few samples,” he added.

Meanwhile, the SSP has ruled out any criminal conspiracy in the incident. “We will conduct a thorough inquiry with the help of the health authorities and register an FIR accordingly,” the SSP added.

Talwandi Sabo, April 5
The main rival political parties in the state - the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress - are preparing for yet another bout of show of strength in the town during the Baisakhi fair on April 14. Both parties will hold separate rallies on the occasion.

The newly set up Punjab Peoples’ Party (PPP) of former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has decided to remain out of the show here.

This would be the second trial of strength in the Malwa region within three months with the earlier being in January during the Maghi mela at Muktsar. The Congress ended up at the third place as far as participation of people was concerned in the political conference.

The parties are taking the conference seriously as elections for the state Assembly are about 10 months away. However, this time the Congress leadership is leaving nothing to chance.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has taken the reins of organising the show of strength into his own hands and has flown to several places in the Malwa region to mobilise SAD activists for the purpose. He visited various areas of Muktsar district today.

The Congress leadership has also started holding meetings at district level to mobilise their supporters for the political conference here. A meeting of Bathinda legislators will be held on April 7 to formulate the strategy. However, differences among party legislators have started coming to the fore even before the meeting is held.

The Baisakhi fair is organised every year at the Takht Damdama Sahib here to celebrate the Birth of Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in 1699 and to mark the formal beginning of harvesting of the wheat crop.

The SAD has this time chosen to hold the rally at a bigger venue in the grain market where a larger number of people could be accommodated. The party had earlier been holding its rally in the Diwan Hall near Gurdwara Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.

Congress legislator Jeet Mohinder Sidhu is touring the villages in the area to mobilise maximum crowd for the ?s rally that would be addressed by state Congress chief Amarinder Singh and leader of the opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. The party in charge appointed by the AICC, Gulchain Singh Charak, is also expected to be there.

Congress legislators, including Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Makhan Singh and Harminder Singh Jassi, are touring villages of their respective constituency to prepare the people for the rally.

Raninder Singh, general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, who recently organised a party rally at Rampura Phul, will supervise arrangements for the rally.

A close aide of Capt Amarinder Singh claimed that no special efforts were being made for the rally, but it would be a good show.

PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal said: “We took a conscious decision at Khatkar Kalan on March 27 that we will not participate in the mela politics. These are religious and festive occasions and as such we do not want to pollute the atmosphere.”

Various other political parties, including the Lok Bhalai Party of Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, leftists and farm unions are also expected to organise their respective rallies on the occasion.

Amritsar, April 5
In an effort to integrate community policing with the existing policing, the state government would set up as many as 450 community police suwidha centres in the state under the banner of SAANJH.

“The idea is to make policing more people friendly. The common man would not have go to police stations on minor issues after opening of these centres,” Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said here today. Punjab would be the first state in implementing the system that would commence in a few days, he claimed.

Sukhbir was speaking on the first day of the conference on Citizen-centric Police Station Reforms.

The CPR centres would be assisted by district-level committees, which would be autonomous registered societies in partnership with representatives of the police, administration and civil society.

Stressing that the government was serious about upgrading the policing in the state, he said trained staff at these centres would provide every facility other than law and order to the people through a single window. He said the government had finalised the design and model of the centres having a corporate look.

Meanwhile, emphasising on the need of modernisation and efficient policing, Governor Shivraj Patil said every state should have more police stations as per the police-population ratio that was not very satisfactory in India. For a population of 1.2 billion, there are less than 13,000 police stations, he said.

Patil also advocated adopting a system to provide compensation to the victims of crime as provided in the law. He also viewed that the state governments should recruit more female officials in the police for providing justice to the women.

During the conference, Sadar police station Ludhiana was awarded being No 1 in Asia in implementation of people-friendly practices. Among other police stations that were awarded during the conference included Seme police station (Nigeria); Krasnoslobodsky Municipal police station, Mordovia (Russia); 38th station of Puente Alto, Chile; and 14th police station Varzea, Brazil; and Palmdale Sheriff’s Station, US.

Amritsar, April 5
The Golden Temple entrance plaza will now have 33 per cent of its area under green cover to curb pollution as well as to facilitate devotees visiting the holy shrine during harsh summers. Earlier, the entire 1.75 acre area of the plaza was supposed to have flooring.

Talking to The Tribune here today, Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu confirmed the amendment made in the plan. “The plan approved by the government earlier had the area under flooring with some trees on either side of the plaza. However, later we thought the plaza should be given a softer look and decided to have a touch of green. Now, 33 per cent of the area will have trees, which offer a green canopy so that the pilgrims can rest under their shadow during summers.” He said the green cover has been introduced to check pollution, facilitate devotees, and give a soothing ambiance to the place. Earlier in another move aimed at facilitating pilgrims, the authorities had decided to go for flooring equipped with a radiant cooling and heating system in the plaza so that the devotees can walk barefoot without any discomfort during extreme weather conditions. The system will keep the floor warm in winters and cool in summers.

This will not be the shrine’s first brush with the greenery. The SGPC had resorted to a green drive by putting up huge flower pots around the parikarma in 2006. However, around 3,000 plants of 51 varieties, most of which find mention in the Gurbani, were removed in view of the repair work of parikarma rooms in 2008. Meanwhile, construction work of the plaza has started in full swing. The work related to temporary “jora ghar” (shoe keeping facility), construction of duct for services and re-routing of sewerage and water supply lines has begun. Pannu today inspected the ongoing works and directed the executing staff to complete the work within stipulated time. Design Associate Inc, Noida, has prepared the design of the project 

Sangrur, April 5
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today slammed the Central Government for its “failure” to start new schemes for the welfare of the farmers of the state. He was speaking at a sangat darshan function at Dirba that was attended by MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Parminder Dhindsa, and Sangrur Deputy Commissioner.

The Chief Minister lamented that the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat fixed by the Centre at Rs 1,020 per quintal was a joke and urged the government to hike it to Rs 1,400 per quintal. He also announced DDPO block and Market Committee for Dirba besides announcing Rs 4 crore for development of 52 villages falling under it. Chief Minister also inaugurated a power grid station of 66 KB grid station at Gandua village.

Meanwhile, the police rounded about six unemployed ETT teachers from Chajjli village while they were heading towards Dirba to hand over a memorandum of demands to the Chief Minister for giving them employment. As the unemployed teachers were not allowed to meet Badal, some of them climbed atop a water tank in Sunam. — TNS

Amritsar, April 5
While stating that most of the police stations in the state had received excellent grades during the Police Station Visitors’ Week, Director General of Police PS Gill said as many as 100 police stations in the state would get ISO: 9001 certification by the end of the year.

Talking to mediapersons, the DGP said the Police Department had stepped up its efforts to improve policing in the state by making it more accountable and transparent.

Appreciating the award received by the Sadar police station Ludhiana for topping in Asia for providing more people and eco-friendly policing, he said this would be followed in other police stations of the state as well.

Gill said during the Police Station Visitors’ Week programme, members of different countries visited over 100 police stations in the state and majority of these police stations scored excellent marks.

“This would encourage police officials to adopt more citizen-centric approach,” said the DGP. While questioned about the change of attitude and mindset of the police officials towards the people, he said special training programmes would be held in this regard while adding that already a number of steps have been taken under police reforms in this direction.

Ludhiana Commissioner Ishwar Singh said at the Sadar police station, Ludhiana, the reception desk had both male and female officers so that the women coming to report a crime or seek assistance could be comfortable in approaching a female officer for help. The police station also has the facility of registering FIR online. A special electronic beat system tracks the movements of officers in the community and enables them to receive and send digital photographs of a crime scene or other incident to the Police Commissioner’s Office, he added. 

Chandigarh, April 5
The Census data for 2011 on Punjab will be released by Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal on Friday. It is being released in the form of a book with the complete analysis of all the data. Sources said tabulation work was almost completed and was being sent for publication.

Once the data is released, several new facts about changes in the Census figures during the past decade will become known. As per the data released so far, Punjab’s child sex ratio (CSR) has improved from 2001. In the past 10 years, the CSR has risen to 846 females born for 1,000 males in the state.

Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla has attributed several reasons for the increase in the CSR. Strict adherence to implement the PNDT Act is what she rates as the number one factor coupled with growing awareness. Increased vigilance by officials of the Health Department has further improved the CSR by 48 points, she feels. — TNS

Jalandhar, April 5
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), which is developing improved varieties of various crops, will put a nutritionally fortified rice variety in the release process next year.

“We are developing iron rich, nutritionally fortified and high-yielding variety of rice,” said a senior PAU scientist, adding that they were also developing a hybrid variety of rice for the first time in the country, which would be a short-duration variety and mature within 115 days. “With this, farmers will be able to save water and some input costs also,” the scientist added.

The PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Manjit Singh Kang, said a new direction had been given to the research at the PAU, which had started giving results. “We are evaluating the germ plasma of certain exotic varieties of soyabean to provide an alternative of paddy to farmers in the country,” added Kang.

“In collaboration with Washington State University, we are engaged in developing a dwarf variety of wheat. The PAU has also taken up a wheat genomics project”, said Kang.

He said the PAU had developed pests, especially rust disease, resistant PBW 621 variety of wheat. A summer moong variety had also been released. “The PAU has released 78 improved varieties of different crops in the past four years. It has developed 62 technologies for crop production and 68 for crop protection,” he claimed. It has also launched a “save water and save Punjab” campaign. A school of agriculture biotechnology had also been set up to give a boost to the research. Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, an eminent scientist, has donated Rs 3.5 crore for research to the PAU.

A school of information technology and state-of-the-art electron microscopy and nanotechnology labs had also been set-up.

The PAU has prepared a road map for the agricultural development 
in Punjab. It has created an agriculturalmarket intelligence centre for farmers.

It has been adjudged the best agricultural university of 2011 and has bagged ‘Krishi Shiksha Samman’ for making purposeful contributions in the field of agriculture.

Out of the 22 nominations from various parts of India, PAU was selected for the Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Awards- 2011.

Patiala, April 5
The Patiala district administration has detected 10 students suffering from cancer and studying in rural government schools following medical camps held in various schools here. More than 2.35 lakh schoolchildren had been medically examined in the past nine months.

At a meeting held here, Patiala DC Dipinder Singh said out of the 2, 35, 964 students examined in the district, 42 were diagnosed with heart ailments, 10 were suffering from cancer and 16 were found to be suffering from thalassaemia. They were now being given free treatment as per schemes of the government.

The number is alarming as Patiala is not situated in the cancer belt, but the rising number of cancer cases is largely due to increasing pollution menace. The cases have been detected in villages and the financial background of a majority of these students was not well off.

“Due to our ignoring attitude towards the increasing pollution menace, it will soon spread in all parts of the state as water flowing into our rivers is deteriorating fast,” said noted environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal.

“Due to the failure of the Punjab Pollution Control Board in checking the menace, the spread of cancer is increasing at an alarming pace in the entire state”, said Seechewal, also an appointed member of the PPCB.

The DC has pulled up officials of the Health Department for not fulfilling the targets and their lackadaisical approach. He has also directed officials to ensure safe drinking water in schools and take samples of water and send reports.

Meanwhile, the DC said under a special scheme for students, medical examination would be conducted twice a year in primary schools and once in secondary schools. Under the National Insurance Scheme, 27,793 smart cards were being prepared for BPL families.

Anandpur Sahib, April 5
Gurdwara Manji Sahib, situated at Dera Baba Vadbhag Singh in Una (Himachal Pradesh), should be handed over to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) like all other gurdwaras. This was stated in a letter written to the Himachal Pradesh administration by the SAD (Amritsar).

Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, SAD (A) general secretary Gursewak Singh Jwaharke said the administration could not run gurdwaras efficiently and the SGPC could take better care of the same.

“Sikhs are being ill treated in Himachal Pradesh, especially at the hands of Himachal police. It is high time that the neighbouring state rises to restore dignity of the Sikhs,” he said. Jwaharke said youngsters from Hoshiarpur were ill-treated by the police at Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib. They were allegedly beat up and their cash and motorcycles were snatched.

He alleged that the Himachal Pradesh government was trying to take over the gurdwaras in the state to pocket donations from them. Party members, including Jawaharke, district Ropar president Ranjit Singh Santokhgarh, Mansa district president Gurpreet Singh Jhabbal, Surinder Singh Kalgarh and Ranjit Singh Rana, also met the Deputy Commissioner, Una.

“If the Himachal Pradesh government does not take immediate action against the erring police officials within eight days, we would begin an agitation demanding justice for the Sikhs. We have also sent a letter of demands to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal,” he added.

Patiala, April 5
The Patiala Municipal Corporation (MC) has failed to ensure the registration of pet dogs in the city. Though the MC bylaws clearly mention that the registration of dogs by the registration authority appointed by the Municipal Commissioner is must for pet dogs, the Patiala MC has not initiated any drive for the same so far.

Civic functionaries claimed that hardly any one came for the registration of their pet and it was practically not possible for them to ensure checks across the city.

Section 325 (1) (Registration and control of dogs) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, mentions that every registered dog shall wear a collar, which shall be attached to a metal token to be issued by the registration authority. As per the Act, any dog which has not been registered or found without wearing token at any public place is liable to be detained at a place set apart for the purpose.

President of the Patiala Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA), an NGO, Ravee Singh Aahluwaliua said: “The registration of pet dogs is must, but the Patiala MC is not doing anything in this regard.” He added that since the NGO had limited resources, the civic body itself had to ensure the pet registration in the city.

Meanwhile, Section 325 (2) of the Act also mentions, “The commissioner may by public notice direct that dogs without collars or without marks distinguishing them as private property found straying on the streets or beyond the enclosures of the houses of their owner, if any, may be destroyed and cause them to be destroyed accordingly.”

Municipal Commissioner Manjit Singh Narang said they would soon draft a resolution in this regard and most likely, it would be tabled at the next general house meeting. He failed to give any convincing reply when asked why any resolution is required when the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, has vested powers for the registration and control of dogs with the municipal authorities. However, Assistant Commissioner, Patiala MC, Kamal Kant Goyal said, “The resolution is required to be tabled in the house to fix the fee for the registration of pet dogs. We will frame proper bylaws for pet dogs registration.”

Kharar, April 5
Residents of Kharar are paying a price for living in a town that offers entry to Chandigarh from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Most of the groups of dissatisfied government employees hold dharnas in the town adversely affecting traffic.

Today, the pharmacists’ union blocked traffic at Jhungian T point and sat on a dharna for two hours at the local bus stand in wake of their demands. While the agitators chose to raise slogans against the government, it was the commuters that were at the receiving end.

Worst to suffer were the schoolchildren, who were supposed to be at home by 2 pm, but got stuck in traffic and reached at 4 pm. “At around 2:30 pm, I got a call that my children have not reached home. I rushed to look for them at their school in Gharuan, but found their school van stuck up at the civil hospital road. All students were hungry and tired,” said Vishal of Dasmesh Nagar.

Similarly, buses, auto rickshaws and other vehicles remained stranded in the traffic chaos for more than two hours. Bus passengers were worst to suffer as many private bus operators refused to pay back the ticket amount and people had to walk long distances.

Earlier, disgruntled government teachers held traffic to ransom on several occasions. Last year, people poured on to roads protesting against long power cuts.

Irate over daily harassment, some area residents have decided to raise their voice against such protests. Some of the area residents, including sarpanch of Tripdi Kulwant Singh Kanta, municipal councillor Kamal Kishore Sharma, Paramjit Singh Riar, Jit Singh from Khanpur, have decided to convene a meeting on April 18 to discuss the issue wherein they would formulate a strategy to counter such protests.

“Even the cops could not do much today. Cautious over the incidence of cops-agitators spate near PCA stadium, Mohali, few days ago, which led to suspension of two cops, most of the policemen today chose to remain mute spectators,” added Harpal Singh of Sohana (Ropar).

Patiala, April 5
A local court today dismissed bail application of the main accused in a car smuggling case where a car showroom owner smuggled new vehicles in Punjab allegedly without paying any excise duty. The Excise and Taxation Department has begun a probe into the scam.

According to Additional Public Prosecutor Sanjeev Gupta, the bail plea of DPG Hyundai owner DP Goel came up for hearing in the court. “The nature of the case is such where the police needs to question him,” said Gupta while opposing the bail plea. Following this, the court rejected the bail application of the accused.

While the showroom started its operations after remaining closed for a couple of days, the police is yet to arrest the accused with the cops claiming that all the accused are absconding. “Efforts are on to nab the accused,” SHO Karansher Singh told The Tribune.

Following recovery of a car and preliminary investigations, the Patiala police had registered an FIR against the car dealer and employees of the Patiala-based car showroom — DPG Hyundai.

According to the FIR, the accused have been identified as owner of DPG Hyundai DP Goel, manager Bhupinder Singh, mechanic Varinder Singh, salesman Amrik Singh, and Parveen Kumar.

Senior officers said the duty evasion was a serious offence and the role of certain excise officers in the scam could not be ruled out as DP Goel was an offender in an earlier case also and has managed to evade arrest.