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Emotional goodbye to CM’s wife
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Tributes paid to Bibi Badal
Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal lights the pyre of his mother Surinder Kaur Badal in his native Badal village on Wednesday
Jalandhar man in Mamata Cabinet
Govt yet to begin work on Lodhipur bundh
Waterlogged fields in a village in Anandpur Sahib. A Tribune photograph
Nursing schools take to unhealthy practices
Camp office to monitor Kala Sanghian drain
Officers’ body to oppose merger of banks
Headley disclosures vindicate India’s stand: Preneet
Residents forced to put up with stench
Tripartite pact for power corps staff notified
Funds for border villages ‘embezzled’
Bathinda centre JEE result may be out on June 8
Goods worth lakhs destroyed in factory fire
From kitchen to BSF outpost
Recruited on compassionate grounds, these appointees have taken the BSF challenge with grit. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
HC refuses to vacate stay on mortgaging public land
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Emotional goodbye to CM’s wife
Badal, May 25 Her son Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy CM, lit the pyre in the cremation ground of the Badal clan as hundreds of men and women braving the heat attended the funeral. Bhog on June 2
The ‘angitha sambhal’ of Surinder Kaur will be held at 9 am on May 27 at the cremation ground in Badal village. Bhog and antim ardas will be held on June 2 between 12 noon to 2 pm Sukhbir Singh Badal, Food Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Bikramjit Singh Majithia and Manpreet Singh Badal shouldered the bier to the cremation site. Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat Kaur, sister Preneet Kaur, her husband, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, and Surinder Kaur’s grandchildren stood near the pyre when the body was consigned to the flames after performing ‘ardas’. Surinder Kaur Badal, who played a key role in Akali politics for more than four decades, passed away at the PGI, Chandigarh, on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir broke into tears when Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, who is an old family friend, reached their venue. He was accompanied by his son-in-law and Union Minister for Communications Sachin Pilot. Gurdas Badal, father of PPP supremo Manpreet Badal, sat next to his brother Parkash Singh Badal by the side of the body of Surinder Kaur the entire morning. The Governors of Punjab and Haryana, Shivraj Patil and Jagan Nath Pahadia, Chief Ministers of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Prem Kumar Dhumal, former CM of Haryana Om Parkash Chautala, former Union Home Minister Buta Singh, chairman of the Anti-Terrorist Front Maninderjit Singh Bitta attended the cremation. Congress leaders - Tej Parkash Singh, former minister, Sunil Jakhar, MLA, Arvind Khanna, general secretary; and Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, president, Lok Bhalai Party, also offered condolences to the Badal family. Among others present at the cremation included Ashwani Sharma, President, BJP, Punjab, Tikshan Sud, Punjab Local Bodies Minister, Manoranjan Kalia, Master Mohan Lal (former ministers), Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Jagdish Shawney, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhunder and other SAD and BJP leaders. The Sikh clergy, including Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, Giani Tarlochan Singh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib along with Avtar Singh Makkar, president, SGPC and Baba Gurinder Singh, head, Dera Radha Swami, Beas, were also present. Chandigarh: Arvind Khanna, General Secretary attached to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh, today attended the cremation on behalf of the Congress. While most Cabinet ministers and bureaucrats from Punjab attended the cremation, Central leaders from across various political parties conveyed their messages of condolence to the family. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni said, “I am aggrieved to know about the demise of Surinder Kaur. It is an irreparable loss to the whole Badal family.” Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has also condoled the passing away of Surinder Badal. Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu, said, “I pray to Akal Purkh to give peace to the departed soul and solace to the family.” Inside the residence * The bereaved CM and his son Sukhbir broke into tears several times * Top bureaucrats and politicians were seen standing in a long queue * The air-conditioned hall where the body was kept was packed to capacity * Due to the long queue of visitors offering tributes, the cremation was delayed for more than one-and-a-half hours Outside residence * Long queues of VIP vehicles along the road leading to the Badal residence * Due to the jammers, mobile phone connectivity was almost choked Security in the village * Multi-tier security arrangements across the village * Most shops remained closed * The PSPCL rest house in the village where several Cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats halted was abuzz with activity At the cremation * Hundreds of persons, including women, sat on the floor in the adjacent grain yard waiting for the ceremony since morning * Sukhbir travelled to the cremation ground along the body in a flower-decked ambulance van * The pyre was lit by Sukhbir at 2.25 pm
Compiled by Rajay Deep
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Tributes paid to Bibi Badal Bathinda, May 25 Ex-servicemen wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has expressed grief over the demise of Surinder Kaur Badal. National president of the wing Gurjinder Singh Sidhu said she had always extended helping hand to her husband Parkash Singh Badal and son Sukhbir Singh Badal. The members of the Punjab Private Schools Sikhiya Sewa Manch at a meeting held under the presidentship of its president Rajinder Guddu here today observed a two-minute silence and paid tributes to the deceased. Senior Additional Advocate General Punjab Sukhdeep Singh Bhinder and Talwandi Sabo MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu also expressed shock and grief over the death and expressed sympathy with the bereaved Badal family. Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, chief whip of the Congress Legislative Party in Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Congress MLA from Guru Harsahai condoled the death of Surinder Badal. He said she was a pious and respected lady in the region and had played a vital role in the success of her husband. Abohar: Most of the state government offices including the sub-divisional complex wore a deserted look today as the officers were away to village Badal to attend the cremation of Surinder Badal. Sukhpal Singh Sidhu, former president, Bar Association, said advocates decided to mourn the untimely demise of Surinder Badal. Rajasthan unit of Shiromani Akali Dal has also expressed condolences. State president Surjit Singh Kang said she did a commendable job also by mobilising thousands of workers to run langar at the Golden Temple even when she was suffering from cancer. Moga: The Roko Cancer Charitable Trust has expressed sorrow over the demise of Surinder Badal after her prolonged fight against cancer. Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, international roving ambassador of the Trust, shared sympathies with the bereaved Badal family on behalf of the Trust. Dhaliwal said, “The core vision of the Trust is to bring awareness among the masses and provide early detection facilities leading to treatment of the deadly disease.” In separate statements, the senior vice-president of the ruling SAD and former education minister Jathedar Tota Singh, his son Barjinder Singh Brar, president of the local Municipal Council and many other local leaders of the party also expressed their sympathies with the bereaved family.
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Jalandhar man in Mamata Cabinet
Jalandhar, May 25 As the reports of Rachpal Singh, a former IPS officer, making it to the Cabinet reached here last evening, people celebrated the occasion by distributing sweets. Jaspal Singh, who distributed ‘ladoos’, said Rachpal Singh had done his village proud. “Earlier, he became the first IPS officer from the village. And now, he has achieved distinction in political arena also.” Having joined the Trinamool Congress in 2008 after his retirement, he defeated CPM’s top shot Pratim Chatterjee from the Tarakeshwar (Hooghly) constituency by a margin of 25,000 votes. Before joining as an IPS officer in West Bengal in 1974, Rachpal Singh served as a teacher at Kukar village (here he studied too) and also at a nearby school at Jandiala village. He graduated from the local DAV College. Considered a confidant of Mamata, to whom he provided security cover after joining her party, he has now settled in Kolkata. He hails from a family that had meagre resources in the 1960s and 70s. “Rachpal has promised that he would visit the village soon. Also, he would be coming to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple,” said Jaspal Singh. Notably, Kukar village boasts of an astro-turf in the village and Rachpal is an ardent follower of hockey.
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Govt yet to begin work on Lodhipur bundh
Anandpur Sahib, May 25 The bundh with a faulty design could not withstand the gushing waters of the Sutlej last year and was washed away, resulting in a wide breach and consequent flooding of nearby villages. As the breach widened, crops in hundreds of acres of land were destroyed. The breach has not been mended yet. Water from the Sutlej has again entered the fields in Lodhipur, Mataur, Nikkuwal and Ballowal villages. The water level in the river has risen owing to the increased inflow of water in the Nangal dam. With the glaciers melting and the Met Department predicting normal monsoon this year, villages on the banks of the river have become vulnerable to floods. This month, the water level in the Bhakra has crossed 1,575 ft and a large quantity of water is being released into the Sutlej to maintain the dam water level. Last year nearby villages were flooded because of the bundh’s faulty design and BS Dhaliwal, Adviser (technical) to the Chief Minister, had conducted an inquiry into the lapse. “The bundh had no stirrups. No bundh is complete without these. So we had suspended the then XEN-drainage,” he said. Drainage department officials said that work on the bundh would begin in 15 days. “We do not want to start work without technical expertise and are waiting for the report of the Irrigation and Power Research Institute, Amritsar,” the officials added.
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Nursing schools take to unhealthy practices
Chandigarh, May 25 n
Shiv Shakti School of Nursing, Bhikhi, admits 40 students against the sanctioned 20 seats. And for its part, the State Research and Medical Education Ministry (the authority concerned), earlier headed by Tikshan Sud of BJP, failed to act against any of these institutes, thus limiting its role to mere issuance of warnings. In fact, the Punjab Nurses Registration Council even tried to block information on the subject when petitioned under the RTI Act by anti-corruption activist MR Dubey, though the delay later resulted in a penalty of Rs 15,000. The State Information Commission ordered that the fine be deducted from the April (2011) salary of the council’s registrar and superintendent. Not only this, the council provided “wrong” information at least in one case. While it revealed that the Khalsa Rural Hospital, Nangal Kalan (Mansa), admitted 48 students for the general nursing and midwifery (GNM) course in 2009 — against the sanctioned 50 seats — the institute issued roll numbers to 122 candidates in October that year (the college claimed it had admitted only 20 candidates). A month later, the Mansa civil surgeon also complained to the council that the institute had admitted 102 students. Dubey, meanwhile, claims that the school issued roll numbers to 201 students for the ANM course examination in November 2010. He said the racket was on since 2006. According to a government notification, each candidate could be charged Rs 25,000 for the ANM course and Rs 35,000 for the GNM course. There are around 200 private nursing schools in Punjab. Nurses Registration Council Registrar Kanta Devi initially feigned ignorance about the matter. But when reminded about the RTI replies submitted by her department, she admitted that no action had been taken in the matter. When asked to elaborate, she said she needed some time to give details but later refused to pick up her mobile phone. Research and Medical Education Director Dr Jai Kishan admitted that some institutes could have admitted candidates in excess but said that the practice had been stopped now. “We have issued public notices and also warned the institutes against the practice, he said, adding the checking of institutes was also being done.
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Camp office to monitor Kala Sanghian drain
Patiala, May 25 According to the information given by PPCB officials at the Patiala headquarters, the camp office would be headed by PPCB Chief Environmental Engineer Birinderjit Singh. He would be assisted by three Senior Environmental Engineers of the board. PPCB officials at the Jalandhar camp office will do door-to-door checking and identification of pollution sources, including the mapping of all the pollution sources. On May 19, Badal had directed PPCB authorities to set up a 24-hour camp office at Jalandhar to monitor the inflow into the drain.
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Officers’ body to oppose merger of banks
Patiala, May 25 Permod Sharma, secretary of the Punjab unit of AIBOC, today said that associate banks of SBI are serving well in their area of operations. “Associate banks like State Bank of Patiala, with business to the tune of Rs 1.2 lakh crore, have a network of 1,000 branches and gross profit Rs 2,122 crore. “It has played a major role in the economic development of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Also, the SBI is already a monolithic institution having 13,000 branches and hence merging associate banks with the SBI will not serve any purpose,” claimed Sharma. Sharma added that the proposed merger would affect the promotion avenues for the officers of the associate banks. “We also demand that the concept of five-day week in the banking sector should be introduced. Our confederation will also demand regulated banking office hours for bank officers and the compassionate appointments/financial compensation for the families of the employees who die in harness,” said Sharma. Sharma added that the AIBOC is also against the privatisation of the banking sector and outsourcing of bank jobs. “While the business volume in banks has gone up manifold and workload on employees and officers has increased enormously, adequate appointments are not being made,” he said.
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Headley disclosures vindicate India’s stand: Preneet
Patiala, May 25 Stating that the international community had already joined hands with India in its fight against terrorism, Preneet said the recent disclosures by Headley about an alleged Lashkar operative, vindicated India’s stand that terrorists had used Pakistani soil to launch an attack on Mumbai. “Pakistan must wipe out the terrorists in Pakistan responsible for the Mumbai attacks”, she said. To a query on the nuclear arsenal in Pakistan, Preneet said for the security of the Asian sub-continent, it is a must that nuclear arsenal in Pakistan is in safe hands. She described the attack by terrorists on Pakistan’s naval air station as
unfortunate.
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Residents forced to put up with stench
Malerkotla, May 25 The dump is right in front of the gates of Kali Mata Mandir dharamshala. Those going towards Government College, Sahibzada Fateh Singh Public School and the bus stand have to cross the dump too. Residents say garbage is being dumped into a huge plot, earmarked for shops-cum-offices at the rear-end of the bus stand. The value of the plot is more than Rs 30,000 per square yards. They say the dump has made their lives miserable with winds blowing pieces of garbage into the lawns of the temple dharamshala where marriage functions are held. The residents say that representations to the Municipal Council to solve the problem have been in vain. Inquiries reveal that vehicles of the MC dump the city garbage at the site daily without any check. Residents demand that the municipal authorities should stop this practice immediately.
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Tripartite pact for power corps staff notified
Patiala, May 25 The engineers and various employees unions have hailed the Punjab government for notifying the tripartite pact. Speaking to The Tribune, president of the PSEB Engineers Association HS Bedi said it was good that the government has notified the tripartite agreement, but the same should be implemented without delay. “According to the agreement, the PSPCL/PSTCL should immediately create separate funds to the tune of Rs 250 crore for provident fund. Likewise, a separate fund should be created for pension and other benefits of the officers/employees working with the two power utilities,” he demanded. Leaders of the association added that though the pact had been notified, they would not call off their proposed agitation until all the demands put forward by them are accepted. “However, in wake of the demise of Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of the Chief Minister, we have deferred our protest march in Bathinda scheduled for June 2,” said association general secretary Bhupinder Singh. Spokesperson of the PSEB Employees Joint Forum Manjit Singh Chahal also welcomed the notification. * The government, PSPCL and PSTCL guarantee that there will be no retrenchment of any employee for any reason * Any employee found surplus will be trained by the power corporations and will be re-deployed * All the existing welfare measures prevalent in the erstwhile PSEB like medical reimbursement, electricity concession, group insurance, compensatory appointments, LTC etc will continue in PSPCL and PSTCL
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‘We dared to dream big’
Sangrur/Ludhiana, May 25 “I got the news from the media. I feel on top of the world. My son securing 94pc and 80 pc marks in Class X and XII, respectively”, said Raj Kumar while accepting congratulations from his customers. “I got my four children educated by selling kulchas. We dared to dream big and the dream has come true,” he said with pride. A karyana shopowner of Dhadhrain village in Sangrur, Ashok Kumar, too has a reason to celebrate. His son Satish Kumar has made it ti the IIT ( ranked 2,041). “Last year my son qualified the AIEEE examination and made it to NIT-Jalandhar, but he didn’t join there.Today he called me from Patna to give me the good news. I am proud of my son, said Ashok Kumar, tears of joy in his eyes. Ludhiana girl Priyanka Sharma has made it to the IIT. She is ranked 5324. A resident of Sham Nagar here, Priyanka's father, Ram Kumar Sharma, runs a small mobile shop at 33 Foot Road. "I did not think twice before sending her miles away to Patna as it was a question of her career. I was aware of Super 30 ", said the proud father.
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Funds for border villages ‘embezzled’
Amritsar, May 25 An amount of Rs 15 lakh was released for Attari, Rs 11 lakh for Neshta, 11.05 lakh for Ranike and Rs 3 lakh for Baghria. “These funds, which were supposed to be utilised for development purposes through their respective gram panchayats’ cash books, were diverted to bogus accounts with two banks located in Amritsar. “A total of Rs 38.86 lakh was later withdrawn,” he said. Police Commissioner PPS Sidhu confirmed that a case has been registered. To embezzle Rs 11 lakh, released for Ranike village, an account (0119-T-22224-001) was opened on November 8, 2008, in the name of the then sarpanch Dalip Singh with IndusInd Bank, Mall Road. Dalip Singh said that he had no inkling about the account. “I wonder how my photo got pasted on the application form when I never approached the bank to open such an account. Even my identity card was misused in this connection,” he said. Similarly, an amount of Rs 14.96 lakh, meant for Attari village, was deposited in account (81022010000490) opened on December 1, 2008, with the Ranjit Avenue branch of Syndicate Bank. The amount was later withdrawn through six cheques posted between January 27, 2009, and March 17, 2009. The account had been opened in the name of one Inder Singh, son of Maan Singh, shown as sarpanch of Attari gram panchayat, whereas the sarpanch then was Kashmir Kaur. This amount was never received by the gram panchayat. The block development and panchayat official stated that no recommendation was ever made by him to open such an account. It was the same modus operandi in Neshta and Baghria villages.
The Scam
* Funds meant for development of border villages Attari, Neshta, Baghria, Ranike *
Amount transferred in bogus bank accounts * Rs 38.86 lakh of Rs 40.05 lakh withdrawn
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Bathinda centre JEE result may be out on June 8
Bathinda, May 25 Meanwhile, the authorities have kept a clause in the announcement that if the things in the detailed investigation report, which is to be submitted by June 5, remain intact in accordance with the preliminary probe, only then results will be out otherwise it could go for further decision also. Speaking to The Tribune from Kanpur over the phone, legal officer (of IIT-Kanpur) CP Singh, who is also a member of the two-member investigation committee, said, “The decision would be taken after the submission of the investigation report but tentatively it will be out on June 8 as we are not emphasising the ugly side of the picture.” Earlier, lending credence to the allegations of cheating and unfair means used in the examination, the authorities concerned had blacklisted the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology (GZSCET), Bathinda - once a prestigious engineering college of the region. Besides, the IIT authorities had debarred three teachers of the GZSCET, including the centre in-charge, from participating in any administrative work of the IIT. CP Singh cleared that except the decision to declare the result, all other matters, including the blacklisting of the college and debarring the staff, would remain same till further decision. As per allegations, the whole unfair practice was made in the examination centre to favour a college staffer’s daughter who took the exam conducted on April 10.
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Goods worth lakhs destroyed in factory fire
Bassi Pathana, May 25 Bhim Sen, owner of Radheshwar Enterprises, claimed that goods like notebooks, sweetmeat boxes, paper and raw material worth lakhs were gutted. He said their servant informed them around 10:30 pm that smoke had engulfed the factory. He said they rushed to the factory and found the factory godown up in flames. He added that they informed fire officials and fire tenders reached the spot within half an hour. He stated that a short circuit might be the cause of the fire.
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From kitchen to BSF outpost
Jalandhar, May 25 Recruited on compassionate grounds, Anita Rani has been appointed as a woman constable. At present, she is undergoing training at the Subsidiary Training Centre, Kharkan, near Hoshiarpur. A mother of three, Anita, whose eldest daughter got married four months ago, is part of the 25-member batch. Of these, 21 recruits have been taken in on compassionate grounds. They would pass out in August. Her husband died in 2000. And despite her age, she is as active as any other young recruit. “I am happy with my decision to join the BSF… my family is happy too,” she said. From handling the INSAS assault rifle to jumping with ease, she has turned out to be a cynosure of her batch. “After I lost my husband, my family became financially weak. I got my elder daughter married and then decided to join the BSF.” And hers is not the only case. Rekha Rani (37), of Jhajjar (Haryana), was not looked upon with respect at her village when she had decided to join the BSF. “When I left my house, many villagers started talking about my integrity as a woman. But now, I will proudly return as a proud constable.” Then, there were cases like that of Davinderjit Kaur (40) of Gurdaspur. A mother of two, she was all thanks to her in-laws who turned out to be a big support. “My mother-in-law motivated me to join the BSF and to lead a proud life instead of crying over my fate.” Subsidiary Training Centre Commandant DIG Dilbagh Singh Sidhu said though earlier too they had recruited women on compassionate grounds, this was the almost full batch (sparing four) of such appointees. “We have given age relaxation to these women. They are full of determination and the job has made them financially and socially secure too,” he maintained.
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HC refuses to vacate stay on mortgaging public land
Chandigarh, May 25 It means that the state, for the time being, cannot take over public utility properties for the purpose of raising loans. The properties include parks, water works, jails, and even a mayor’ house. As the petition came up for hearing this morning, the High Court deferred the matter to the last week of August. Till then, the stay shall remain operational. Acting on a petition filed in public interest by four “public spirited persons”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had on the previous date of hearing not only issued notice of motion to the State of Punjab and other respondents, but has also stayed the move. In their petition, the Finance and Revenue Secretary, Punjab Infrastructure and Development Board and Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company, Sunita Rinku of Jalandhar and three others had said that they were aggrieved by the “action of the respondent state in squandering the property of the municipal corporations”. This, they contended, was "in complete violation of the various provisions of the Constitution of India and the Act/rules framed therein under”. Giving details, counsel for the petitioners DS Patwalia said: “It is quite shocking to see that in the name of raising funds for public development, instead of utilising enormous income generated through levy of fees and taxes, public land and properties meant for public use and utility were being mortgaged with the banks/private institutions so as to raise loans purported to be distributed to the self-governed municipal corporations. “It is un-understandable as to why does the respondent not use the income of the state for developmental purpose, and why is it hell bent to encumber the public properties”.
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To pay tributes to late Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the District Bar Association held a condolence meeting under the presidentship of its president Rajan Garg at the Bar Room here today. A two-minute silence was observed to pay respect to the departed soul. The meeting also expressed grief with the bereaved family.
Jalandhar,
May 25
The
government is yet to begin work on the bundh at Lodhipur village for which a sum
of Rs 90 lakh has been sanctioned. The project was to be readied before the
monsoons. The bundh with a faulty design could not withstand the gushing waters of the Sutlej last year and was washed away, resulting in a wide breach and consequent flooding of nearby villages. As the breach widened, crops in hundreds of acres of land were destroyed.
Private nursing schools in Punjab have allegedly been violating norms on the number of students they can enroll for auxiliary and general nursing courses with impunity since several years. So much so that, some institutes have even crossed the permissible mark by two times. The unhealthy practice could well be gauged from the following stats (of 2009-10 course) in Mansa and Sangrur districts, gathered under the RTI
Act
Patiala, May 25
Malerkotla, May 25
Jalandhar, May 25
