The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	A First in Punjab Nawanshahr police scientifically destroys 6,300 kg of narcotics Varinder Singh & Parmod Bharti Tribune News Service Toansa (Nawanshahr) June 2 More than 6,300 kilograms of deadly narcotic substances like charas, poppy husk, smack and manufactured drugs were incinerated by the Nawanshahr police kick-starting the Punjab Police’s campaign for scientific destruction of contrabands for the first time in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court. Seized under the NDPS Act, huge quantities of narcotic substances, it was learnt, were piling up in different districts of Punjab for more than three years as the Supreme Court had directed the police to do away with the age-old practice of consigning these to open flames due to pollution caused by this method. While, poppy husk was being smuggled into Punjab mainly from Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir, heroin was landing into the Punjab territory from Pakistan via international border points in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts. Nawanshahr had become an important transit point due to its strategic location forcing the Nawanshahr police to launch repeated drives against smugglers and drug carriers. The Punjab Police had no incinerator facility till the Nawanshahr police tied up with Ranbaxy Laboratories for destruction of contrabands in latter’s incinerator. The destruction process carried out under the supervision of M.F. Farooqui, DIG, Ropar. In fact, the exercise was the brainchild of Nawanshahr SSP Narinder Bhargav who sought cooperation of private entrepreneurs for destruction of narcotics in a scientific way and without causing any pollution in the area. “The gesture shown by Ranbaxy Laboratories is laudable. In fact, it will go a long way towards preservation of environment,” said M.F. Farooqui. “We had to do a lot of groundwork and at the same time, persuade the management of Ranbaxy Laboratories a lot and they agreed to our initiative. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) was also roped in,” said Narinder Bhargav. The Ranbaxy Laboratories had not only borne the entire cost of destruction of the huge quantity of narcotics substances seized by the district police but, had also provided the services of its expert officials including, Vivek Madan, Director (Manufacturing) and Asim Kumar Dutta, Manager (Environment Health Security). Harbir Singh, Senior Environment Engineer, and Jagdish Lal, Assistant Environment Engineer of Punjab Pollution Control Board, Dharam Singh Uppal, SP (Operation), Nawanshahr, and Swarndeepp Singh, SP, Ropar were also present. Dr Narinder Bhargav said about 6,300 kilograms of narcotics, which were put to flames, were seized in as many as 143 different cases in the district. The ashes of the destroyed narcotics substances would be dumped at Nimbus complex at Mohali to ward-of any possibility of the substances turning into a health hazard. The event culminated with the planting of saplings on the premises of Ranbaxy Laboratories by M.F. Farooqui and Narinder Bhargav.
	Fee Waiver Scheme Now, 5 pc seats mandatory for poor students Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 2 Aimed at fulfilling career aspirations of hundreds of poor and bright students, the AICTE has made it mandatory for every engineering, pharmacy and architecture college affiliated to the Punjab Technical University to offer 5 per cent additional seats over their sanctioned intake under the fee waiver scheme from this year. While it was optional for the colleges to have additional 10 per cent seats for such students for the past two years, just 10 colleges out of a total of 112 had followed the scheme. Nearly 800 students had managed to draw the benefit as their tuition fee to the tune of Rs 49,500 was waived off. (Tuition fee has been raised to Rs 60,000 this year). The remaining colleges had refused to admit poor students claiming that the scheme was only optional. Another major reprieve for the poor students is that the seat allotment result of such students would be out six days ahead of the remaining students so that the eligible candidates could be clear about their status and do not remain in a quandary on whether they would be able to get the benefit or not. PTU Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora said, “The changes have been made on the basis of problems faced last year. Since the fee waiver admissions were held at the fag end of the counselling, many poor students had already taken admission in other cheaper courses or had to borrow money for payment of fee.” As per the scheme, all those candidates whose parents’ annual income from all sources does not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh would be able to get admission. These students would have to register themselves twice - once in the normal course as is being done from May 23 to June 7 with payment of counselling fee of Rs 3,000 and again from June 8 to 14 for registration under scheme and choice filling via www.ptuonline.in. The VC made it clear that the candidates have to be very clear while filling choices as the seat once allotted would not be changed and any student adamant on changing college would have to forgo the benefit of the scheme.
	Head constable booked for duping youth Tribune Reporters Phagwara, June 2 The police has registered a case under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC against head constable Kuldip Singh and his daughter Prabhjot Kaur of Satnor village, district Hoshiarpur, on the charges of duping Surinder Singh of Sangatpur village on the pretext of sending him to Canada. DSP Sandip Sharma said the complainant, Surinder Singh, alleged that a deal of Rs 8 lakh was settled with the duo last year for sending him to Canada and he gave the amount and his passport to them. But he was neither sent abroad nor they returned his money despite repeated requests. The DSP further said the complainant approached the DGP on August 31 last year and his complaint was marked to SSP Kapurthala Sukhwinder Singh Maan. Surinder Singh said during the inquiry, the accused duo reached a compromise with him twice and promised to return his money, but they did not fulfil their promise. Man kills wife Amritsar: Nutan (26), a resident of Guru Ram Das Nagar, Kot Khalsa, was brutally murdered by her husband Sarabjit Singh last night. The incident came to light when employees of a computer centre in the building, where the victim was living on rent, saw her lying in a pool of blood today morning. They informed her sister and brother-in-law living in nearby area who further informed to the police. A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against Sarabjit Singh on the statement of victim’s brother-in-law Upinder Yadav. The accused has absconded after committing the crime. The body was handed over to the relatives after conducting the post-mortem examination. Hastir Singh, investigation officer, revealed that the accused killed Nutan by hitting on her head with some blunt weapon. He said the victim was married to Sarabjit Singh for last 7 years and had two children from their relationship. Bank manager looted Amritsar: Two unidentified persons looted Janak Raj, a manager at Oriental Bank of Commerce, Shakti Nagar, while he was returning home on Wednesday evening. The miscreants snatched away his briefcase containing Rs 3 lakh cash besides FDRs of Rs 2.5 lakh of different family members and keys of bank locker, pan cards, credit card of SBI and several documents. The police have registered a case under section 379 and 34 of the IPC. Dowry: 2 booked Hoshiarpur: A woman has got her husband and mother-in-law booked under Sections 498A, 406 of the IPC for allegedly beating and torturing her for bringing less dowry. According to the police sources, Harwinder Kaur, daughter of Gurbachan Singh of Garhshankar, alleged in her complaint that her husband Jasbir Singh and mother-in-law Manjit Kaur of Babhali of Gurdaspur used to torture and beat her for not bringing dowry. The Garhshankar police has booked mother and son under Section 498A, 406 of the IPC. Rs 25,000 snatched Hoshiarpur: Two unidentified persons snatched Rs 25,000 in cash and a mobile phone from Devinder Singh, son of Ajit Singh of Kotla Naudh Singh, while he was going on a motorcycle to his village near Bassi Kasso last evening. According to the police, the snatchers stopped the motorcycle of Devinder and assaulted him with a sharp-edged weapon. After looting, both of them fled away. The Hariana police has registered a case under Section 394, 120, 34 B of the IPC.
	BCom Result Jalandhar students make cleen sweep Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 2 In a major achievement, students of B.Com (Professional)-III from various city colleges bagged first seven consecutive merit positions in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. As many as 15 students out of total 17 merit positions went to Jalandhar students. The results were declared today. Sonika Seth from DAV College stood first in the varsity by scoring 1,784 marks out of 2,150, Sumit Ahuja of Lyallpur Khalsa College bagged second position in the university with 1,769 marks followed by Mitali Rana of Apeejay College of Fine Arts who secured 1,757 marks. While Anshu Arora of DAV College bagged fourth position in the varsity with 1,755 marks, Manavta from Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya stood fifth with 1,750 marks, Amandeep Singh from DAV College bagged sixth position and scored 1,733 marks followed by Nitika Kapila from Lyallpur Khalsa College who secured 1,732 marks.
	Peasants’ protest enters 2nd day Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 2 A three-day protest launched by a group of 17 workers and peasants organisations today entered second day. To register their protests against the ‘anti-people’ policies of the state government, the organisations had started the protest at all the district headquarters across the state. The protesters have been demanding that the government should concede to their long-pending demands of providing residential plots to the landless workers and Rs 5 lakh compensation to each of the kins of farmer leaders Sadhu Singh Takhtupura, Pirthipal Singh Chakk Ali Sher and two farmers of Khanna Chamiara village of Gurdaspur district, who were allegedly killed over the peasants’ issue at various points of time. The speakers also demanded that electricity bills of landless workers should be completely waived off.
	Three killed, 18 hurt in mishaps Our Correspondents Hoshiarpur, June 2 Two persons, including a woman, were killed and 18 injured in three road accidents in the past 24 hours in Hoshiarpur district. According to the police, Vishal Kumar, son of Naresh Kumar of Bhol Badhmania, died on the spot while his friend Manish Kumar was injured when a Maruti car hit their motorcycle near Palahar village when they were going for tuition yesterday. The Talwara police has booked driver of Maruti car, Amit Kumar, son of Sukhdev Singh of Sukhchainpur, under various section of the IPC. In another incident, Mohinder Kaur, wife of Kartar Singh of Dehriwal Dharoga, was killed while her son Mangal Singh and her cousin were injured when a speedy truck hit their Maruti car near Adda Sikri last evening when they were going to their village from Mohali. The injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital Tanda. The driver of the truck, Satish Kumar of Bhangala village was booked by Tanda police under Sections 304K, 279, 337, 338 of the IPC. In a third accident, a drunken driver of the Punjab Roadways Nangal depot lost control of his bus No. PB-12C-9122 due to which the bus fell into a gorge on the Garhshankar-Nangal road, about 7 km from Garhshankar town. As many as 15 persons travelling in the bus were injured. All injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital Garhshankar. The bus driver fled after the accident site leaving his vehicle there. The Garshankar police has booked the driver under Section 279, 337 and 338 of the IPC. Tarn Taran: Om Parkash (45) was crushed under his own road roller near Balachak village here on Thursday. The police has lodged a report under Section 174 of the CrPC in this regard.