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Bereft of staff, Lokpal almost defunct
BJP core committee finalises route of Advani’s rath yatra
Video chat facility for NRIs a non-starter
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‘Unwanted’ and named so, these girls continue to face trauma
Cabinet sub-panel constituted to look into employees’ demands
1,159 dengue cases in state
Post
office fraud
Gurdaspur police to monitor vehicles from J&K
16 grenades found
60 pc key posts vacant in Agriculture Department
Deliveries in Patiala govt hospitals more than double in five years
VAT
Evasion
IET Bhaddal to have energy park
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Bereft of staff, Lokpal almost defunct
The office of the Lokpal has intimated the government repeatedly about the lack of staff, especially investigating officers, but to no avail. The office has, in a recent letter, claimed that if this trend continued, work in the office would come to a complete stop soon. According to RTI information solicited by former Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board RR Bhardwaj, the Lokpal has not submitted any report to the Punjab Governor as is mandatory under the Lokpal Act since January 2010. Earlier in 2007, the Lokpal submitted three reports, followed by 88 reports in 2008 and 17 reports in 2009. The Lokpal is hardly receiving any complaints either. This year, it has received only four complaints. In 2010, it received 6 complaints, in 2009, 5 complaints, in 2008, one complaint and in 2007, three complaints. All complaints have to be accompanied by an affidavit as per the Lokpal Act. According to the information received, the Lokpal office has recently written a letter to the state government stating how its staff strength has been reduced in the past two years. The letter states that one post of Superintendent of Police (SP), one post of senior stenographer, two posts of clerks and that of one ‘sewadar’ have been reduced. It states that in October 2009, PS Khaira, who was posted as SP in the investigation cell, was transferred out and no replacement was given. It said the senior stenographer posted with the Inspector General in the investigation cell was also transferred in May 2009. It said one senior assistant was transferred in 2009 and two clerks were promoted but their vacancies were not filled. The Lokpal office has informed the government that its work is expected to suffer further with two more officials on the verge of retirement. It has informed the government that permission was not given in 2011-12 for posting of one SP, one constable, one senior assistant, one junior assistant, two clerks and one ‘sewadar’. It has said that against a sanctioned strength of 110 employees, it only has 30 employees posted in its office presently. Meanwhile, former Planning Board Deputy Chairman RR Bhardwaj said it was ironic that the SAD-BJP government was talking about removing corruption, but deliberately not posting any employees in the Lokpal office. He demanded that the Lokpal office, headed by Justice DS Dhaliwal (retd) be strengthened immediately.
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BJP core committee finalises route of Advani’s rath yatra
Phagwara, October 20 The meeting was attended by Punjab BJP in-charge Shanta Kumar, election in-charge Jagat Parkash Nadda, assistant in-charge Kumar Abhimanyu, and Punjab BJP president Ashwini Sharma, among others. According to the schedule, the rath yatra will enter via Bathinda and proceed towards Ludhiana. The next day, the yatra will proceed towards Amritsar on November 14 with brief halts at Phillaur, Phagwara, Jalandhar, and Beas. On November 15, it will proceed towards Pathankot and the next day to Jammu.
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Video chat facility for NRIs a non-starter
Jalandhar, October 20 Meanwhile, NRIs facing problems or those having suggestions for the betterment of NRIs would now be able to hold video conferencing with Gurpreet Deo, Chief Inspector General, NRI affairs wing, on all working days. Earlier, the video calling facility was available just for an hour a week, but from now on, the NRIs would be able to participate in video chat on the basis of a prior appointment with the NRI wing. “From now on, they (NRIs) can seek a prior appointment for seeking redressal of their grievances either by way of calling at our office or via email at nri.pbpolice@gmail.com or at the Punjab Police website. During the past one month, we have observed that the one-hour long video chat from 4 pm to 5 pm on Mondays was not convenient for people residing in some countries. So we have come out with an alternative in the shape of a prior appointment,” said Deo. The NRIs could contact Deo directly at landline phone no. 0172-2749353 or its helpline no. 0172-2748100 for fixing an appointment for video chat. “The only requirement for video chat on all working days at nri.pbpolice@gmail.com is that the caller should be having a google mail account and he or she should be having a prior appointment fixed with us,” said Deo. Interestingly, the NRIs have evinced little interest in availing the facility containing aimed at extending help to them. Only two NRIs, including a woman from San Jose, US, came forward to participate.
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Hassle-free drive to Golden Temple soon
Amritsar, October 20 The work on 0.9-km stretch starting from Burj Baba Phulla Singh gurdwara on the GT Road to Chowk Phuwara had been hanging fire since long and its deadline had been extended four to five times in the past. However, this time the authorities seem determined to finish the work and throw it open for the public use by October 30. The devotees using the ramp would straightaway land up in the multi-storey parking and from there they could easily walk the remaining half-km stretch to the Golden Temple. Earlier, they had to pass through the city traffic in the Bhandari Bridge and the Hall Bazaar areas to reach the parking. The elevated road project was conceptualised during the previous Congress regime in 2006. While the project cost was pegged at Rs 210 crore, it was supposed to be completed by October 2009. However, it is yet to be over even after surpassing its deadline by two years. The main elevated road, which is 3.5-km long, was inaugurated by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal in May 2010. At that time he had announced that the work on the ramp leading to the Golden Temple will be over by December 2010, but it didn’t happen. Later, its deadline was extended to April, June, September and now finally October 30. While this ramp is nearing completion, the work on other two ramps is still underway. Meanwhile, the opening up of this ramp will only benefit the devotees visiting the Golden Temple. It will give no major benefit to the holy city residents. A section of people feel that had the ramp merged into a road adjacent to Saragarhi Parking it would have immensely benefited the local populace. On the other hand, Municipal Commissioner Dharam Pal Gupta said the ramp was designed so in the detailed project report (DPR) itself. He said thousands of pilgrims visit the Golden Tempe everyday and it would bring a huge respite to them. Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said he didn’t have much idea about the exact planning of the project as he took the charge this year only. “As far as I know this ramp was especially meant for the pilgrims visiting the Golden Temple,” he said. Both the officials confirmed that the road will be thrown open to traffic on October 30.
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‘Unwanted’ and named so, these girls continue to face trauma
Chandigarh, October 20 While Maharashtra has taken the step to rechristen 222 girls in Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s home district during a public renaming ceremony scheduled on October 21, the “unwanted” girls and women in this state will continue to live with a feeling of forsakenness owing to their names. “It is a common phenomenon among couples to nickname their daughters as ‘Rajji’, ‘Mukki’ and ‘Akki’, especially those who have more than two daughters. Punjabis are particularly not known for their love for daughters, a fact established by the skewed sex ratio of 893. Such names are the outcome of this hatred for the fair sex,” said Dr Shalina Mehta, a sociologist in the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh. It is not difficult to come across women addressed with such names. “I was nicknamed ‘Mukko’ the moment I was born since I was the sixth daughter of my parents. They did not want another one and hence my name. As a child, I used to remain very upset that I was not wanted. But I studied and grew up to become a teacher,” said Mukesh Sharma, (34), a teacher based in Raikot in Ludhiana district. Similar is the case of Vaadhu Singla, (25), (her full name being withheld on request), who grew up to become a doctor and runs a clinic in Nakodar, near Jalandhar. “As my name suggests, I was not required in the family. I grew up with this feeling and a part of me always resented to be named liked that. I resolved that I would not be less than a son to my parents and I am now a qualified doctor,” she said.
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Cabinet sub-panel constituted to look into employees’ demands
Chandigarh, October 20 A decision to this effect was taken here at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. A spokesman said the sub-committee had been asked to submit its report by October 30 so that a final decision on implementation of employees’ demands could be taken. In another decision, under the new excise policy for 2012-13, the Cabinet has decided to discourage consumption of liquor. Now, liquor vends will open at 9 am instead of 7 am and close at 10 pm instead of 11 pm. The Cabinet also approved revival of the prescribed cadre of 2,369 posts in 48 categories aimed at the restructuring and re-constitution of Forests and Wild Life Preservation Department, of which 603 posts will be filled in a phased manner in the next two years. As many as 242 posts will be filled during the current fiscal and the remaining in 2012-13. The Cabinet also approved to release Rs 1 crore for the extension of the langar hall building in Sri Harimandir Sahib, besides exempting entry tax imposed on the construction material and food items for devotees, procured from outside Punjab in the Dera Radha Soami Satsang Beas. The Cabinet also approved new rates of motor vehicle tax for four-wheeler personalised vehicles in different slabs as per the actual price of the vehicle. For personalised four-wheeler motor vehicles costing up to Rs 5 lakh, the motor vehicle tax will be 2 per cent of the actual price of the motor vehicle in lump sum. Likewise, the rate of motor vehicle tax would be 4 per cent, 6 per cent and 8 per cent of the actual price of the motor vehicle in lump sum for vehicles costing up to Rs 5 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, respectively. The Cabinet also gave approval to levy lump sum tax on bakery units on the basis of the annual turnover according to the prescribed slabs. There would be no tax liability in case of a bakery having a turnover up to Rs 10 lakh. A lump sum of Rs 1 lakh will be levied on bakery units with a turnover of more than Rs 10 lakh. Units having a turnover of more than Rs 1 crore will have to pay tax on actual basis. The decision to impose lump sum tax on bakery units having turnover of less than Rs 1 crore would benefit nearly 3,500 dealers. The Cabinet also gave ex-post facto approval to all the Registrars of private universities and Principals of the private colleges or institutes affiliated to the universities duly approved by the University Grants Commission as the licencing authority to issue learner’s licence to students of their respective institutes. It also approved to upgrade the towns of Kot Isse Khan and Goniana Mandi in Moga and Bathinda district, respectively, as the new
sub-tehsils.
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1,159 dengue cases in state
Bathinda, October 20 Dr JP Singh, director, Health Services, said he had been ordered by the CM and the Health Minister to assess the situation in Bathinda, Ludhiana and other districts. He said other districts where dengue cases had been reported included Faridkot (31), Ferozepur (15), Jalandhar (13), Moga (12), Barnala (8), Mansa (7), Hoshiarpur (5), Patiala (4), Gurdaspur and Kapurthala (3 each) and Mohali and Amritsar (2 each). He said two dengue deaths had been reported in Ludhiana district and one in Kapurthala district. He, however, said some private hospitals in Ludhiana had been creating panic regarding dengue even as the majority of the patients were not having dengue fever. The director also said the department had purchased sufficient number of rapid cards, platelet rich plasma (PRP) bags, Mac Elisa kits etc to serve the patients.
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Post
office fraud
Ferozepur, October 20 Nachattar Singh, sarpanch of the village where Rakesh had been posted for years, said many villagers had subscribed to post office saving schemes through him. “Over the years, he had earned the trust of the people and no one suspected him till he vanished with their money,” he said. He added that Rakesh had even issued them pass books and deposit receipts, which were probably fake. Though no case has been registered against Rakesh, Surjit Singh, SSP, said the matter was under investigation. Sources said that till now, the police has received complaints of misappropriation to the tune Rs 85 lakh. However, unofficial sources put the amount at over Rs 3
crore.
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Gurdaspur police to monitor vehicles from J&K
Gurdaspur, October 20 The decision assumes significance since the registration number of the car parked at Ambala was found fake. Varinder Pal Singh, SSP, said the decision had been taken since the explosive laden car might have passed through this district or the adjoining Pathankot on its way from Jammu to
Ambala.
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16 grenades found
Ferozpur, October 20 Surjit Singh, SSP, said the origin of the hand grenades was not clear yet.
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60 pc key posts vacant in Agriculture Department
Ludhiana, October 20 In the absence of any fresh recruitment in the department since 1999, about 60 per cent of the key posts, including those of agriculture development officer, horticulture development officer, agriculture engineers etc, are lying vacant. Despite requests by the agriculture technocrats and the Punjab Agricultural University Students' Association (PAUSA), no step has been taken to fill the vacancies. Birinder Singh Sidhu, president, PAUSA, said the government, which claimed to be working for the improvement of agriculture, had been paying no attention towards the working of the department. “It is through agriculture officers that all kind of knowledge is shared with the farmers at grass-roots level. Besides, they are the ones who get the actual feedback from the farmers about the problems and progress in agriculture. Due to the vacant posts, various services are not being provided to the farmers in a proper manner. The input costs are being increased while the returns from agriculture have squeezed in the recent times,” said Sidhu, adding that the government, which had the approval to fill the posts, failed to initiate the recruitment process. PAUSA members also said due to the dilly-dallying attitude of the government, the agriculture technocrats and those pursuing various courses in agriculture were up in the arms against its wrong policies. Meanwhile, Sucha Singh Langah, Agriculture Minister, said the file had already been sent to the secretary, agriculture. “I have come to know that the secretary, too, has cleared the file and the Agriculture Department will finalise the modalities for filling the posts in consultation with the PAU authorities,” he said.
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Deliveries in Patiala govt hospitals more than double in five years
Patiala, October 20 Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr Varinder Singh Mohi informed that in the year 2006-07, the number of children delivered in government institutes was 4,952. “Then in 2007-08, it increased to 5,349. In 2008-09, the number was 7,949 whereas in 2009-10, it was 9,659. Interestingly, the figure in 2010-2011 (11,136) is even more than double the number of deliveries five years back. This data clearly indicates that the credibility of government institutes is increasing,” he added. Dr Kiranjot, in charge of PHC, Kauli, gave credit of this to improved health services under the National Rural Health Mission. She said, “Our staff nurses and Asha workers are doing remarkable work in apprising women of the facilities being provided at the government hospitals. Secondly, the government has initiated many financial schemes for women, who get their children delivered in government hospitals, which certainly attracts more women.” The government has recently started Mata Kaushalya Scheme under which any woman who gets her child delivered in a government hospital gets Rs 1,000. Then, we also pay Rs 200 referral transport charges for bringing the patient to hospital at the time of delivery. An additional Rs 700 is given to women who are from BPL or reserved categories. One can clearly notice the difference. While women have to pay around Rs 4,000 for a normal delivery and Rs 15,000 for a cesarean at a private hospital, they take away Rs 1,900 back home in case they deliver the child in a government hospital,” she added.
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VAT
Evasion
Patiala, October 20 The department has now decided to tighten noose around them and ensure that all customers get a proper bill from the bakeries or they could complaint against it. The bakeries are evading taxes worth crores, even as the Excise Department has proved to be a toothless tiger. With Diwali round the corner, only VAT runs into crores. Inquiries made by The Tribune revealed that most of the bakery shops refuse to give a bill for purchase of any item. Speaking about the modus operandi of these shopkeepers, an excise officer said when a customer purchases any item, a slip is issued in lieu of money received and when the slip is given at the delivery counter, the items are delivered without giving any bill. “I have a marriage at my place and I bought bakery items worth lakhs from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Patiala to be delivered for the marriage and despite my requests, I was not issued any bill. Even for the biscuits and dry cakes, they did not give any bill and the only slip they issued was collected by the delivery counter,” claimed Karamjot Singh, a Patiala resident. DETC (VAT) H. Bansal said the bakeries are levied 12.5 per cent tax and despite repeated reminders to them, there is no adherence. “We can check them and issue challans but the competent authority for that is the Enforcement Wing of our department,” he stated. In this regard, a few bakery owners, preferring anonymity, told TNS that as the sweet shop owners are not levied any tax they also have demanded exemption. Director Enforcement KVS Sidhu said all district heads have been issued instructions to ensure that regular checks are maintained at bakery shops falling in their respective domain. “Though we also have powers, we would tighten our grip around them if they are found evading VAT by not issuing proper bills for every purchase as prescribed under VAT,” Sidhu warned.
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IET Bhaddal to have energy park
Chandigarh, October 20 Kulwinder Gurcharan Singh, chairperson of KF Education Trust that runs the institute, said the park would be developed on lines of the Pushpa Gujral Science City
Kapurthala.
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Murder case
Ludhiana, October 20 He is accused of killing Kamaljit Singh, a taxi driver and resident of Chander Nagar, Ludhiana. Delivering the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Mandeep Pannu held that since he was found guilty of murdering a person with restricted weapon (carbine), he is ordered to be hanged till death. The court also sentenced co-accused Tejinder Bawa, alias Happy of Neelkanth Taxi stand, Upkar Nagar, Ludhiana, of rigorous life imprisonment. However, the court acquitted Suraj Ahluwalia's gunmen Gurpem Singh of Hoshiarpur finding no evidence against him. A case under Sections 302/34 IPC and 25,27,54,59 of the Arms Act was registered against the accused persons on September 5, 2008, at Division No. 8 police station following the statement of Baldev Singh, a cousin of victim. The complainant had stated to the police that on the fateful day, Suraj Ahluwalia along with his gunmen came in a black Bolero jeep and entered the office of Neelkant taxi stand. Happy gave a note of Rs 20 to him and asked him to bring cigarettes. When he came back after buying cigrattes, he saw the accused persons were having argument with his cousin Kamaljit Singh. Meanwhile, Happy fired a shot at Kamaljit from his revolver. Thereafter, Suraj Ahuluwalia snacthed the official carbine of his
gunmen and fired shots upon Kamaljit leaving him dead. However, the Shiv Sena leader stated that he was implicated by his political opponents just to tarnish his political career.
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Bathinda, October 20
Chandigarh, October 20