Amritsar Town Hall to go into private hands despite HC order
Amritsar, July 16
Despite a High Court notice to the Punjab Government on July 9, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has entered into an agreement with the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board to vacate the 143-year-old Town Hall building to be further leased out to private hands for commercial purposes through the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board.

Patiala, July 16
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has ordered three hospitals to shut down after finding them guilty of violating the norms under the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998.

PPCB chairman KS Pannu said the hospitals that had been served the closure order with immediate effect included Delhi Heart Institute and Research Centre, Bathinda; Navjiwan Nursing Home, Sarhali Road, Tarn Taran and Shahi Hospital, Amloh.

Besides, M/s Jindal Nursing Home, Railway Road, Malerkotla, has been restrained from any clinical activity for seven days.

Notably, on July 2, the PPCB had conducted surprise checking of 108 hospitals and health care facility centres across Punjab, out of which 54 hospitals and heath care centres were found violating the BMW Rules.

Subsequently, the PPCB issued notices to these erring hospitals and the health care centres. According to the authorities, the hospitals that were indulging in serious violation of the BMW Rules had been told to shut down.

However, the Board had obtained a bank guarantee, varying from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh, from 34 hospitals and health care centres that were found not complying with the BMW Rules but whose nature of violation was not that serious.

The PPCB chairman said that eight erring hospitals had been prosecuted under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. "Once the charges are proved in the court, the chief executive of the guilty hospital concerned will be liable for imprisonment up to five years or fined up to Rs 1 lakh. Bank guarantee amounting to more than Rs 20 lakh had been obtained from 34 hospitals, with a strict condition that if any of these hospitals is found violating the BMW norms during the next one year, the bank guarantee will be encashed as penalty without serving any notice," he added.

PPCB officers informed that as many as 23 hospitals with minor violations were let off after obtaining an undertaking from them that they will comply with all the rules and regulations laid under the BMW Rules in future.

Chandigarh, July 16
Kamaljit Singh, the main witness in the infamous Harpreet murder case, is on the run. He was to appear before the CBI Court, Patiala, yesterday for cross examination, but could not do so, as policemen in plain clothes were all over the court looking for him.

He has been named as one of the accused in an FIR registered three days ago i.e. July 13 at police station Begowal. The FIR pertains to a minor scuffle way back on April 30 last year between Kamaljit and some supporters of Bibi Jagir Kaur.

Talking to The Tribune, Kamaljit Singh, who is deposing against former SGPC President Bibi Jagir Kaur for the alleged murder of her daughter Harpreet Kaur, said, “I have been forced to go into hiding as I would be arrested before I complete my cross examination in the CBI court.”

Fearing arrest, he moved an application seeking exemption from appearing before the CBI court yesterday. In his application to the CBI Judge, Kamaljit has demanded protection as he apprehends a threat to his life from Bibi Jagir Kaur and other leaders of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance.

Interestingly, in the FIR, a copy of which is available with The Tribune, the investigating officer has written that though the incident pertains to April last year, the complainant had refused to make a statement to the police, despite several visits to his house. He had maintained all along that he would do so in their presence of his parents, who were away to Uttar Pradesh.

In the FIR, the complainant, Malkiat Singh, had alleged that Kamaljit, along with Kuldeep Kumar and Devinder Singh, had assaulted him on April 30, 2010.

The doctors had declared that the injuries sustained by the complainant in the scuffle were “grievous” on May 5, 2010.

But as Kamaljit had decided to resile in favour of Bibi Jagir Kaur, neither was any action taken against him nor was an FIR registered.

In fact, in an inquiry held last year at the direction of the IG Zonal, the police had stated that the matter had been compromised between the parties. Even the District Attorney (Legal) has purportedly given an opinion that no FIR was made at that stage.

Kamaljit said that he had earlier been pressurised by Bibi Jagir Kaur into bailing her out of the murder case involving her daughter Harpreet (who was married to Kamaljit).

But as Kamaljit moved an application under Section 311 CrPC to get his statement recorded again, political as well as police pressure had started mounting on him again.

After Kamaljit wrote a letter on July 13 to the Superintendent of Police, CBI, New Delhi alleging that SAD leaders, including the former SGPC president, were threatening to kill and involve him in a false police case and sent copies to SSP, Kapurthala, an FIR was registered against him.

Kamaljit told The Tribune that under the circumstances, he would not be able to appear before the CBI court as he might be arrested by the Kapurthala Police.

SHO Begowal could not be contacted despite several attempts.

Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress MLA from Bholath, said that he was aware that an FIR had been registered against Kamaljit to pressurise him to resile as a witness in the case. He described this as a typical case of misuse of the police for political gains.

Bathinda, July 16
Several persons with criminal background (history-sheeters) have successfully made it to the rolls of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) apparently by concealing their criminal background. The SGPC has "unknowingly" recruited several such persons who were involved in criminal activities and cases against them have been registered at various police stations in the state.

There are more than 10 persons who are criminals in police records and have been recruited by the SGPC. Many of these have already returned to mainstream but still they are criminals in the police records. The only difference is that the police treats them as 'silent' presently, but many of them have still not changed their ways.

A petition filed under the Right to Information in the office of the DIG (Border Range), Amritsar, reveals that many persons with criminal background are working with the SGPC.

According to records of police station Kila Lal Singh, one of the persons with criminal background is on duty at the Golden Temple from the past several years. And as per rules, the police has to keep an eye on him.

A person who has three cases registered against him at the Majitha police station is an employee of the SGPC. And the SGPC did not find it important to verify his credentials before giving him a job.

Similarly, another person succeeded in getting an SGPC job despite being booked at Kalanaur police station and is working as a sewadar. A person booked at the Sarai Amanat police station is also on duty at a historic gurdwara.

According to the information provided by the Bathinda SSP, one of the persons against whom cases under theft and arms Act has been registered at the Maur police station is employed with the SGPC.

Another such person is working at Gurdwara Mastuana Sahib, Talwandi Sabo. Interestingly, head of 'dhadi jatha' at this gurdwara has a tainted background.

Also, there are persons on the SGPC rolls in other gurdwaras against whom cases have been registered at Banur, Faridkot, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur police stations.

Amritsar, July 16
Despite a High Court notice to the Punjab Government on July 9, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has entered into an agreement with the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board to vacate the 143-year-old Town Hall building to be further leased out to private hands for commercial purposes through the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board.

The Principal Secretary, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Geetika Kalha, said: “We have not received any court notice in this regard... The tourism board is sensitive to the need of preserving heritage buildings.”

She said the Town Hall site would be re-used in a manner as to enhance its historical value. “We plan to house a well-stocked library of rare books, a museum on the city’s history, an art and craft centre and a food court and café at a later stage. The site will cater to a large number of tourists because of its proximity to the Golden Temple,” she said.

But Dr Krishan Thakur, on whose PIL the HC has issued a notice of motion to the government, smells a rat. “It is against the norms of the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites Act:1958 and the Punjab Ancient Historical Monuments Remains and Sites Act:1964 to hand over any such site to private hands for commercial use,” he maintained.

The Amritsar Municipal Corporation Commissioner, DPS Kharbanda, said the corporation had signed a pact with the tourism board as per the decision of the government.

“It is their baby now. Moreover, the revenue proceeds from the reuse of the Town Hall will come back to us. It will be ploughed back into Amritsar’s development projects,” he explained.

Chandigarh, July 16
Condemning the heavy load-shedding on power intensive induction furnaces and rolling mills by announcing four-day power cuts per week in Punjab, Congress state vice-president and Barnala MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon today said that the SAD-BJP government had mismanaged power available to the state.

Dhillon claimed that the government has been running propaganda through mass media making an impression that the state has enough electricity and therefore no power cuts were being enforced, whereas the reality was that the industry was being starved of power so that it could be supplied to domestic consumers.

In an effort to “appease” voters just before the elections by making an impression that power cuts had been done away with, the government had bought costly power from outside the state, due to which power plants in the state had to be shut down, thus causing huge loss to these units and also the state exchequer.

Chandigarh, July 16
Signalling an aggressive approach, the Punjab Congress will monitor the implementation and execution of the flagship programmes of the UPA Government at the Centre.

Keeping in view the possibility of early elections in the state, the party decided to intensify its programmes in the coming months and expose the failures of the Akali-BJP Government. Besides the routine programmes, the party will be regularly holding demonstrations all across the state against the government.

There was a general consensus among the members of the Punjab Congress Coordination Committee, which met for the first time here today under the chairmanship of state in charge Gulchain Singh Charak, that the Akali-BJP Government was falsely claiming credit for the Centrally sponsored schemes.

Today’s meeting was attended by PCC president Capt Amarinder Singh, CLP leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, union ministers Ambika Soni and Ashwani Kumar and senior leaders Jagmeet Singh Brar, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Manish Tewari, Santosh Chaudhary, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Brahm Mohindra.

The meeting began after observing two minutes silence in memory of those killed in the Mumbai bomb blasts and the train accident in Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing the meeting, Charak said the party had perfectly geared up in the state and the cadres had been mobilised well. He said, the PCC was doing well with its mass contact programme. While underlining the need for discipline, he said the party had entered a crucial stage as the elections were less than eight months away.

He said, “Given the resentment prevailing against the government across the state, the situation is fit and perfectly conducive for the return of the Congress to power.” However, he cautioned against complacency and maintained that the party workers and leaders must work hard and put in added efforts.

Briefing the meeting, Capt Amarinder stated that he had so far covered 71 assembly segments, where he had direct interaction with the party workers. He said, “This was preceded by 24 big district-level party rallies that set the tone for the mass mobilisation.”

Chandigarh, July 16
With the Congress announcing to go it alone in the next assembly elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has begun to re-draw its election strategy.

Besides getting more aggressive in the run-up to the elections, the ruling SAD-BJP alliance has announced a series of reforms and administrative measures (such as the Right to Service Act from August 15) which it hopes will bolster its victory chances.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s statement that he is open to a poll pact with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party is clearly being seen as a change of strategy by the ruling alliance.

Owing to the delay in installing Harish Rai Dhanda as Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission, the proposed re-shuffling of assembly segments between the SAD and the BJP may be put on hold.

Dhanda was elected MLA from Ludhian-West. With the delimitation of the assembly constituencies, it has now become a predominantly Hindu constituency.The BJP has been asking for this segment for long. Once Dhanda takes over as the PPSC chief, the seat is almost certain to be given to the BJP.

Former state president Rajinder Bhandari is likely to contest from here. The BJP may concede some other seat to the SAD in return, possibly Garshankar.

Not just these two seats, the alliance is learnt to be open to shuffling more seats too. “It is going to be a do or die battle for the alliance. So any ego clash is ruled out”, a senior SAD leader said. With Badal publicly admitting that he is open to an alliance with the BSP, the ruling alliance seems to be prepared to adopt any course, until recently considered unthinkable, to improve its victory prospects.

It also shows the ruling alliance is ready to share power with a third party. Under the circumstances, PPCC president Amarinder Singh’s remark that Badal’s feelers to Mayawati betrayed his nervousness does not seem exaggerated.

With nearly all 117 assembly segments having been affected directly or indirectly by the delimitation exercise, all political parties have started working on a fresh strategy for the next elections.

Ludhiana, July 16
It may seem strange that even the most secured prisons in the United States and the Central Jail in Ludhiana have similar problems.

The modus operandi of sneaking a mobile phone or drugs inside jails is as prevalent in prisons in the USA as in India. And if you thought toothpaste and capsicum are used to transport drugs only into Punjab prisons, well think again, similar ways are being adopted in the US as well.

The Punjab Police is not the only one grappling with recidivist elements. The problem of habitual offenders is plaguing the US police as well.

These interesting facts came to light during a visit of a US delegation to Central Jail here today.

Michael C Walker, Associate Professor in John Jay College, New York, said, “Sneaking of drugs and mobile phones is a big problem in American prisons. That is why jail authorities in US prefer video conferencing. I am surprised a similar problem exists here as well.”

Similarly, inmates face tremendous social stigma as US society is reluctant to allow a person with a criminal past to enter into the mainstream. “That is why movements like Re-Enter were initiated in America, so that people start accepting such persons,” said Dr Maria Haberfeld, professor, John Jay College.

“In the US, a majority of criminals become habitual offenders when they do not find jobs outside. I am impressed that the government here is running so many skill-training programmes for jail inmates. But in America, there are no such skill-training centres inside the jails. That is a major reason behind inmates becoming habitual offenders,” said Dr Maria. The US experts will file a report suggesting improvements in the present prison structure to the Punjab government.

Rajpura, July 16
The students and teachers of the primary school at Parao village, 9 km from here, were forced to sit outside today as water entered their school following continuous rain since yesterday.

“Widening of the national highway and encroachment of the village pond has diverted the route of the polluted water into the school building. The problem aggravates every time it rains,” said Satpal Kaur, an ETT teacher deployed in the school.

“The stagnant water disrupts the studies of the schoolchildren. We are witnessing this problem since last year. Despite repeated requests to the authorities concerned, no action has been taken so far,” they added.

A letter in this regard has been sent to the District Development Panchayat Officer (DDPO), wherein a machine has been sought to disperse water. “The septic tank of the toilet, too, got blocked due to rains,” the teachers added.

DDPO Ravinder Kaur said she had already been apprised of the problem and a JCB machine had been pressed into service to immediately drain off the water from the school premises. She claimed that the measures had also been initiated so that water should not enter the school building in future. — TNS

Rajpura, July 16
High drama prevailed in the office of the Block Development Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Rajpura, when panchayat members and sarpanch from Manakpur village entered into heated arguments with the BDPO yesterday over delay in development projects in their village.

The panchayat members accompanied by some villagers alleged the biased attitude of the BDPO to be the reason behind the delay and raised slogans against him. However, the BDPO counter attacked the village sarpanch and accused him for not cooperating with the department in removing encroachment from the village pond.

BDPO Ravinder Kaur said, “Three or four family members have encroached upon the village pond for the past three or four years and a case in this regard is pending in the High Court. We get reprimands from the court for not removing the encroachment.”

“The case pertaining to the encroachment on the village pond by a few families is pending in the court and we are told to reply in this regard by July 18. I told the sarpanch to immediately remove the encroachment as their supporter’s or known people have encroached upon the pond, but he refused,” said the BDPO.

She alleged that the sarpanch instead entered into an argument over the issue of non-implementation of some development projects in the village. Sarpanch Pokhar Das and panchayat member Prem Kumar said the BDPO was not cooperating with them and dragging the issue of the encroachment unnecessarily. The panchayat members raised slogans against the BDPO and also sent a letter to the Patiala Deputy Commissioner in this regard.

Jalandhar, July 16
The much-awaited ballistic report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh, has substantiated that the bullet that killed a local hotelier, Gurkirat Singh Sekhon alias Gikki, was fired from the revolver that was recovered from the accused.

The police submitted the ballistic report today in the trail court as it was not attached to the chargesheet submitted yesterday. The development has allayed fears of the deceased's family that justice could be subverted or manipulated in the sensational murder case that became the talk of the region.

It was this fear that prompted the Sekhons to move an application in the trial court that the weapon used in the crime and the bullet recovered from Gikki’s body should be sent to the CFSL and not to any state-run laboratory. The sample was sent on May 5.

“I came to the conclusion that the .32 revolver bullet had been fired through the revolver MK-1, bearing No. B4172, and it could not have been fired through any other firearm,” reads the CFSL opinion report signed by the Deputy Director (Ballistics).

As per the chargesheet, the weapon bearing the same number was recovered from the accused, Ram Simran Singh Makkar, on April 25. On the basis of information provided by Makkar, the revolver was dug up from the lawn in his home, reads the chargesheet.

Meanwhile, the accused were produced in the court today and were served the copies of the chargesheet. Defence counsel Mandeep Sachdev said that July 22 has been fixed for the next hearing for scrutiny of the document. As it is a murder case, further proceedings will be transferred to the sessions court, he added.

Chandigarh, July 16
Strange are the ways of the Punjab Government. It nominates a proclaimed offender-cum-accused in a murder case as a market committee chairman, does not arrest him, and its Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) is caught on camera with him.

Taking a serious view of this ‘largesse’ on a petition filed by Major Singh Dhariwal of Tarn Taran, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has admonished the State of Punjab.

Justice Mahesh Grover verbally asserted in the open court room yesterday that it amounted to a complete breakdown of the law-and-order machinery in the state.

Justice Grover also directed DSP Om Parkash to remain present in the court on August 1. On the previous date of hearing, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, while taking up the case, had observed that DSP Ram Parkash had accepted that Gurdip Singh was a proclaimed offender; but in a photograph, the DSP was standing alongside him.

In his petition, Dhariwal had earlier alleged that Gurdip Singh and his co-accused were enjoying a senior Akali minister’s shelter and were roaming about freely. Dhariwal had also alleged that Gurdip Singh was nominated as Patti market committee chairman.

Going into the background of the controversy, the petitioner had claimed that when Dhariwal’s wife Randhir Kaur was contesting for the sarpanch’s post in the panchayat elections on March 26, 2003, Gurdip Singh and several others reached the spot. In the firing incident that ensued, the petitioner and his wife sustained serious injuries and another person Chanan Singh was killed.

A first information report on the incident was registered for murder and other offences under Section 302 and other Sections of the IPC on June 29 the same year. Gurdip absconded and was declared a proclaimed offender. Later, two other accused were also declared proclaimed offenders.

The petitioner went on to allege it was an open secret that “they were under the shelter of Akali leader Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, who was a Cabinet minister”.

Seeking protection of life and liberty for himself and his family, Dhariwal added that directions be issued to the state and other respondents to provide him with protection by the Central Reserve Police Force.

Abohar, July 16
The local police today arrested a smuggler after allegedly recovering 3.5 kg of heroin, worth over Rs 15 crore in the international market, from his possession. The contraband was smuggled from Pakistan via Hindumalkot border area in Rajasthan.

The heroin, kept in packets having stamps in Urdu language and marks of moon and star, was allegedly smuggled by Balkaran Singh (32), a resident of Hindumalkot town.

Notably, this is the second achievement of the local police in its drive against the smuggling of narcotics in the past one and a half month. Earlier, the police had arrested a smuggler after recovering 6.3 kg of heroin, worth Rs 32 crore, from his possession on May 28, 2011.

That consignment, too, was smuggled from Pakistan via the Hindumalkot border route. Then, Sukhwinder Singh alias Pappu, a resident of Dal village of Tarn Taran district of Punjab, was arrested even as his two accomplices, identified as Sarwan Singh alias Sama and Balwinder Singh alias Bhinda, managed to escape.

Naresh Arora, DIG, Ferozepur, said the heroin was seized by SHO Amarbir Singh while he was on a routine patrolling on the Killianwali bypass road. Amarbir Singh got suspicious when the accused tried to hide himself behind the embankment of a bridge after seeing the SHO in uniform.