Gurdaspur, August 6
A fired-up district administration today ruffled the feathers of the judicial community when it went ahead and demolished nearly a hundred chambers amidst vociferous protests by advocates here today.

A large police posse and officials of the district administration took over the judicial complex and commenced the demolition drive.

Hundreds of advocates, for the last two months, have been vehemently protesting the proposed demolition claiming that they had constructed chambers from their own pockets on land given to the Gurdaspur District Bar Association (GDBA) by the district administration through a lease deed signed in 2003.

“The PWD authorities have prepared false evidence just to pull wool over the eyes district administration. We will take up the matter in the Punjab and Haryana High Court soon,” disclosed a senior advocate, preferring anonymity.

High drama was witnessed in the evening when the PWD authorities brought in a couple of bulldozers in an attempt to raze the chambers. There are nearly 400 chambers and 133 were demolished in the first phase today. The drive was continuing till the filing of this report.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s Building Committee had recently decided to construct a new judicial complex at the same site where the old complex is situated following which the chambers had to come under the axe.

Some advocates started rumours today that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the demolition process. However, the rumours were short-lived when it became clear that there was no such order from the court banning the demolition. The Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner (DC), Mohinder Singh Kainth, personally supervised the demolition drive in the presence of the SDM Tejinder Pal Singh and senior PWD authorities including executive engineer PS Tiwana.

The advocates, owing allegiance to the GDBA, were on a dharna since June 14 in protest against the PWD’s proposed decision to demolish 400 chambers.

A majority of lawyers claimed that the PWD and District Administration’s decision on demolition “smacked of malafide intent.”

Amritsar, August 6
A teenaged girl, studying in Class XII, was repeatedly stabbed in her classroom by her classmate as she rejected his love proposal.The girl, who was accompanied by her father to lodge a complaint with the school authorities, was stabbed in her neck and arms. She was immediately rushed to a private hospital where her condition is stated to be stable.

However, she was still unfit to give her statement to the police, said Sohan Singh, SHO Sadar police station. The boy, identified as Harpal Singh (18), is absconding. A case under Sections 307, 323 and 326 of the IPC has been registered against him on the statement of girl’s father Surinder Singh.

According to information, the accused used to tease and harass the girl, who had rejected his proposal. Fed up, the girl informed her parents who came to the school for complaining against the boy.

Seeing her father, Harpal brought out a sharp-edged weapon and attacked the girl. He fled the scene after seriously injuring the girl.

Sohan Singh said a raid was conducted at the residence of the accused but he and his family absconded. He said police parties had been dispatched to possible hideouts to nab the boy.

Jalandhar, August 6
The Punjab State Human Right Commission (PSHRC) has sent a notice to the Department of Health and Family Welfare for alleged purchase of highly sophisticated laboratory equipment at inflated cost.

Taking cognisance of the news report ‘Rs 55 lakh paid for gadgets available at Rs 7 lakh’, published in The Tribune, the commission has asked the Principal Secretary, Health, to file the department’s reply regarding the alleged discrepancies highlighted in the news item by October 3.

The news appeared on June 16 and has been brought to the notice of commission by a Jalandhar-based Human Rights activist Kulwant Singh Nagra.

The news exposed that how the purchase had caused a loss of approximately Rs 48 lakh to the state exchequer as the department had purchased entire stock of gadgets for Rs 55 lakh, which were otherwise could have been bought for only Rs 7-8 lakh.

Meanwhile, the commission has also sought reply from the Director, Health and Family Welfare, regarding the issues highlighted in the news items ‘Cholera threat in Bathaan’ and ‘Rural area of Doaba, an epidemic zone’, appeared on June 9 and 10, respectively.

Satpal Gosain, Health Minister, said he would also initiate probes into the issues raised in the news items.

However, stating that some senior officers are not cooperating with inquiry officers probing the mismanagements highlighted in the media in the recent past, he said: “There is no dearth of strong political will to take strict action against such officials, irrespective of his or her hierarchical status.” 

Hoshiarpur, August 6
The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, has demanded postponement of the SGPC election terming it as a drama and mockery with the Sikh masses.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Bhattal also demanded a ban on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for “adopting two constitutions”.

She alleged SAD leaders, though, claimed to be secular, they always ruled Punjab in the garb of religion.

Bhattal made it clear that the Congress would not directly interfere in the forthcoming SGPC elections. However, it would not object any of its leaders, who support a true Sikh candidate in these elections.

Jalandhar, August 6
The Border Security Force (BSF) would soon have its women combatants as officers. Sources said to begin with, the women officers would be deployed at the eastern frontier of the country.

This move comes three years after the women battalion was formed and deployed at the sensitive borders at different frontiers across the country.

Talking to The Tribune, BSF Inspector General, Punjab Frontier, Himmat Singh said a need to recruit women officers was being felt ever since the women battalions came into existence in 2009.

“The MHA has already approved recruitment of women officers and this decision would go a long way in providing support and better management of the borders. The women constables are playing a vigilant role in manning the borders,” he added.

Last year, MHA had given the approval for recruiting 15 sub-inspectors (female) in the BSF. “The selected women sub-inspectors are at present undergoing training at Bangalore. Out of the selected 15, woman constable Simarjit Kaur posted at Khemkaran sector has been promoted as sub-inspector in the BSF. She is the lone woman constable from Punjab Frontier to make it to the subordinate level,” he added.

Till now paramilitary forces like the CRPF and CISF that had women at officer level. It was the women officers from these forces who have been coming on deputation in the BSF. “However, now BSF is would also join the ranks of other paramilitary forces,” sources added.

Amritsar, August 6
Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday raised the issue of opening of land route between India and Afghanistan through Pakistan.Raising the matter during the Zero Hour in Parliament, Bajwa said, “It has been reliably learnt that Afghanistan has been demanding Pakistan to allow access to India to use Pakistan land route for its goods to be transported to Afghanistan, as also the supply of goods being sent as humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged country.

If this request is acceded to by Pakistan, the delivery of goods will be faster and timely.”

He said the move would also reduce the freight cost of the material coming in from Afghanistan via Pakistan as ready return loads till Afghanistan would be available to the operating transporters. Bajwa urged the Union Minister of Commerce to take up this matter with his Pakistani counterpart as such a step would go a long way in boosting the Indo-Pak trade through the Wagah border. — TNS