Jalandhar, July 26
Rakesh Kapoor, the main accused wanted in the culpable homicide not amounting to murder case of a local contractor, Naveen Randev, surrendered to the police here today.

Kapoor, who is said to be the district organiser of the Dharam Jagran Manch, was booked under Section 304 of the IPC, around a week ago.

In the FIR, the family of the deceased alleged that Naveen Randev died after being threatened by Kapoor, who was his business partner.

The case is in news since the death of the contractor as the police have also booked two senior BJP leaders of the region under same sections. The victim family alleged that the BJP leaders were also accompanying Kapoor when the incident happened. Besides, around 11-12 unidentified persons were also booked in the case.

Confirming the development, ADCP (Headquarters), Satinder Pal Singh, said Kapoor had been sent to the police custody and would be produced in the court tomorrow.

“After the arrest of main accused in the case, the police will also nab the other accused. Leads about their whereabouts are expected to come out during the investigation,” said the ADCP.

Amritsar, July 26
Agitating over the proposed direct recruitment of the accountants, superintendents (statistics) and assistant statisticians in the Health Department, the Punjab Health Department Subordinate Offices Clerical Association today threatened to go on strike from August 1.

Jagdish Thakur, general secretary of the association, in a statement issued here said the Director, Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, had issued advertisements in various newspapers regarding the direct recruitment of the staff.

He said these posts were reserved for the clerical cadres, who had been working in various departments for the past 25-30 years and waiting for their promotions. He said the direct recruitment would prove to be an obstruction in their promotions.

“Instead of filling the posts by promotions, the government is trying to seize their genuine rights by filling these posts through direct recruitment,” he pointed out.

The association threatened that if the government and Health and Family Welfare Department failed to immediately stop the process of the direct recruitment, all the clerical staff all over the Punjab would go on an indefinite strike and its whole responsibility would lie with the Punjab Government.

Hoshiarpur, July 26
The Punjab Government has almost achieved the target of supplying potable water to the residents in rural areas of the state. Out of 1,390 villages, potable water supply had been made available in 1,386 in the district. The work for providing potable water supply in the remaining four villages was going on a war footing, which would be completed shortly.

Disclosing this after inaugurating the water supply schemes of Rs 83 lakh at Allo Bhatti and Jandwal villages in the Mukerian segment of the state Assembly last evening, Punjab Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife and Labour Minister Arunesh Shakar said with the commissioning of these schemes, people of six villages of the adjoining areas would be benefited.

He inaugurated the Allo Bhatti to Ferozepur village link road, constructed at a cost of Rs 14 lakh. Residents of 10 villages of the area would be benefited from this road. — OC

Hoshiarpur, July 26
Rs 1,441 crore are being spent by the Punjab Government for providing education in government schools during the current financial year.

Disclosing this while addressing a function at Government Senior Secondary School in Chohal village, 8 km from here, last evening, Punjab Local Government and Industries Minister Tikshan Sud said that toilet facilities were being provided in all government schools in the state for which Rs 2 lakh were being spent on each school where such type of facility was not available.

The SAD-BJP government had recruited more than 60,000 teachers to fill all their vacant posts in the state. With these efforts, Punjab had secured the third position in education in the country, which was previously on number 17, claimed Tikshan Sud, adding that free education to girl students was being provided and free bicycles to all the girl students, who were studying in Class 11th and 12th, would be given on August 10.

He gave a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to Government Senior Secondary School, Chohal, for the construction of a toilet block.