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Jail inmate dies of ‘negligence’
Suicide in custody |
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 City-London flight revives exports
Amritsar, November 2 Introduction of the BMI’s flight on the Amritsar-London circuit has revived the operations of perishable cargo centre at Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport. A view of the cargo terminal at Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar. A Tribune photograph
rural to the core
Covering Ganda Nullah will serve no purpose: residents
In-laws booked for harassing woman
More funds sought for R&D
Govt to open eight new colleges, says minister
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Jail inmate dies of ‘negligence’
Amritsar, November 2 Despite the recommendation of the Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla - who visited the jail three days ago and came across the wife of the inmate just by chance - to refer the patient to the Civil Hospital, the jail authorities did not pay any heed to it. The deceased, 40-year-old Rajan Uppal, was behind the bars under the NDPS Act. There was a fracture in the right leg of the inmate and he had recently developed a wound over the affected portion of his leg. This morning, he was rushed to the Civil Hospital and before he could be examined and admitted to the hospital, he died. His wife, Mehak Uppal, alleged that her husband died due to negligence of the jail authorities as they did not respond to his illness timely. Meanwhile, the body of the inmate has been sent for post-mortem. When contacted, Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla confirmed that she had told the jail authorities to refer the inmate to the Civil Hospital. She suspected that there must be many more such inmates who were suffering due to negligence of the jail authorities. “I just went there by a chance and came across the wife of this inmate who along with another woman was sitting outside the jail entrance gate. When I enquired, she told me about her husband’s health. I went in and met some inmates. While one was suffering from jaundice, the inmate under question had a deep wound on his leg and his condition was pathetic. I instantly asked the jail superintendent to refer him to the Civil Hospital because he was in a desperate need of medication. But today, I received a call from the same woman who told me that her husband was sent to the Civil Hospital this morning only and he died,” said the minister. Jail Superintendent TS Maur denied allegations of negligence. He, however, confirmed that the minister had visited the inmate and had also asked us to arrange for his medication. “We go by the recommendation of our doctor on duty, who did not foresee any emergency situation. The exact cause of the death can be ascertained after the post-mortem report,” he said. Dr Manjit Singh, the jail doctor, said the inmate was suffering from an old ortho injury and was already operated upon before being brought to the jail. “I examined him and it was found that he had developed an infection where he was operated upon. Since his immune system was weak, we took him to the Civil Hospital this morning,” he said. The SMO, Civil Hospital, BS Dhillon said the patient died before he could be examined by a doctor here.
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SHO, ASI, four head constables booked
Were placed under suspension for negligence PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 2 Sarabjit Kaur, alias Shabbo, was nabbed on charges of theft and was suspected to be a member of a gang of burglars. During police custody, she reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself on June 19, 2010. Terming it a gross negligence on the part of the police, the then Commissioner of Police, Varinider Kumar, had immediately placed six police personnel, including the then SHO, under suspension. A judicial probe was also ordered. However, the cops were later reinstated. Now, a case under Section 304-A of the IPC has been slapped against the cops following an inquiry conducted by the then Judicial Magistrate, Jagdeep Sood, after taking the opinion of DA legal. The police authorities said that during investigations, it was found that the accused were responsible for the death of 17-year-old Sarabjit Kaur. The case has been registered on the statement of Satnam Singh, in charge of the litigation branch. Those booked include Sukhwinder Singh (SHO), Mukhtiar Singh (ASI), Yograj Singh, Baldev Singh, Simarjit Kaur and Ranjit Kaur all head constables. The police had already taken departmental action against the policemen for adopting negligent attitude that led to the incident. Police sources said a case had been registered on the recommendation of the SC-ST Commission which had ordered to initiate a legal action against the accused police officials. Sarabjit had committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan inside a cell on the jail premises. She along with her mother had been remanded in one-day police custody. Ravinder Kaur, younger sister of the Sarabjit, had alleged that her sister died due to police torture. Her family members along with residents of the area had held a demonstration against the police in this regard. She and her mother Joginder Kaur, residents of Phatak Baba Jiwan Singh locality, were alleged to be active members of a gang of burglars comprising Avtaar Singh Tita of Bhanwan in Jandiala and Shankar Kumar of Jandiala. The gang was wanted in a series of burglaries in Amritsar and surrounding areas. While Avtaar Singh Tita and Shankar were apprehended at a naka in the city on June 6, 2010, Joginder and Shabbo were arrested on June 17, 2010, after their involvement was revealed by the two other accused.
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City-London flight revives exports
Amritsar, November 2 Operating thrice-a-week, the BMI launched its to and fro direct service on the London-Almaty-Amritsar circuit on October 14. The centre has been lying defunct for the past over a year following the withdrawal of the Air India’s Amritsar-London-Toronto flight on October 30 last year. In the absence of any alternative in the region, the exporters shifted their operations to the Delhi airport. Officials with the Council for Value Added Horticulture (CVAH) operating the temporary perishable cargo centre, said except an attempt to export fresh vegetables through a flight of Qatar Airways, the centre did not export any merchandise. The centre exported nearly 7,000 kg of vegetables, especially baby corn, to the UK from October 14 to October 31. With winter round the corner, the exporters are gearing up to export green coriander, snow peas, sugar snaps and green chilly, which are famous in the UK. Airport director Sunil Dutt said gradually the export of perishable items to Europe would pick up as industrialists were coming to know about the new direct flight to London. He said the perishable cargo had exported 9.08 lakh kg fresh farm produce in 2009-2010 and was expected to surpass all previous exporting figures in the next financial year. He said since the airport cargo centre was now equipped with the electronic data interface (EDI), it would provide an opportunity for the exporters to get subsidies in their account within a week or two after exporting the merchandise. Field Fresh Food Private Limited was the first to resume the export of green vegetable during the past fortnight while another exporting major from here Namdhari Farm Fresh Private Limited is expected to start exporting from tomorrow. Field Fresh Food Private Limited general manager RPS Dhaliwal said the response garnered from the industrialists based at London following resumption of export from the Amritsar airport was encouraging. He said that it reduced their
investment cost on transportation. He said exporting merchandise through the Delhi airport was not an easy way. En-route Delhi, the vehicles have to grapple with frequent stoppages in shape of traffic snarls, toll plazas and restricted entry into Delhi for commercial vehicles as they were barred from entering from 8 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 9 pm. Breakdown on the way made it a gigantic task to salvage the cargo. On the other hand, on the route from Ludhiana to Amritsar, they could salvage the produce by pressing in an alternative container. He said at least Rs 15,000 per truck would be saved. Both the leading farm fresh exporters have their processing units at Ludhiana. The distance between Ludhiana to Amritsar Airport is about 150 km while the distance between Ludhiana and Delhi is about 350 km. Following a lot of hue and cry, the national carrier, Air India, replaced the Amritsar-London-Toronto flight, utilizing Boeing 777 aircraft, with hub and spoke model by introducing four daily flights on the Amritsar-Delhi circuit in a smaller A-321 aircraft. As against Boeing 777 with 24 tonnes perishable cargo capacity and almost equal for the ordinary cargo, the A-321 is a pigmy one as it has two tones for cargo and three tones for bag and baggage of passengers.
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Kabaddi fever grips city, stadium spruced up for Nov 11 matches
GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 2 Kabaddi fever has gripped Amritsar too. Residents, especially youth, are looking forward for November 11 when international teams would vie for the World Cup Kabaddi title-2011 at Guru Nanak Stadium.
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Covering Ganda Nullah will serve no purpose: residents
Amritsar, November 2 Des Raj, a local resident, said though it was a welcome step to have the Ganda Nullah covered, there is no drainage system in the area and the stagnant water serve as a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. “The covering of Ganda Nullah is not the solution to our problem. Moreover, it will take at least six months to complete but our immediate problem of stagnant water remains as it is,” he said.
Endorsing his views, Darshana, another resident, said their area was exposed to dreaded diseases but the authorities have turned a blind eye to it. “Here, you will find the maximum cases of water-borne diseases and the authorities are well aware of it, yet no thought has ever been spared to redress our grievances,” she said. Pointing towards a holy place located in their vicinity, Ashok Kumar said that the filth and dirt has become the part and parcel of their lifestyle. The filthy ponds in the area also contributed in the contamination of underground water. “I have been born and brought up in this locality and I have never seen any development here. Only a handful of residents here collectively make the arrangement for draining out the dirty water with their own contributions, but the authorities never paid any heed to our grievances. A number of the politicians and local ministers have made many promises to make proper disposal of water arrangement in our area but nothing has yet fructified,” he said. The social welfare minister, Laxmi Kanta Chawla, inaugurated the work of covering Ganda Nullah from Lohgarh Gate to Lahori Gate falling in the south constituency. The work which would incur a cost of Rs 5 crore will be completed by February 2012. The project of covering the nullah was initiated in 2007. The Punjab government had sanctioned Rs 13 crore for the purpose, out of which Rs 9.5 crore had already been utilised to cover most part of the east constituency. The CM sanctioned schemes worth Rs 1.5 crore, out of which Rs 1.2 crore were be contributed by the government while the remaining cost was borne by the MC.
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In-laws booked for harassing woman
Amritsar, November 2 Levelling serious allegations the victim in her complaint alleged that her brother-in-law (elder brother of her husband) had forcibly tried to establish physical relations with her. She also alleged that when her parents could not meet their demand of dowry, her in-laws family threw her out of the house. The accused include Yusuf Gill, Raman Masih, Hansa Masih, Seeta, Rani, Asha and Satpal of Batala. However, no arrests have been made so far. Sukhpal Singh, SHO Mattewal police station, said going by the seriousness of the charges levelled by the victim, the police has registered a case under Section 312, 376, 406, 498-A, 506 and 120-B of Indian Penal Code in this connection. “Initially, it seems to be a case of marital dispute. But going by the serious nature of the allegations levelled by the victim we have launched further investigations and anything concrete can be said only after completion of probe,” said SHO. The victim, who hails from Lahori Gate area in the walled city of Amritsar, said she was married to Yusuf Gill, a resident of Bhoewal village. She alleged that her in-laws used to harass and beat her for bringing less in dowry. She said when she got pregnant twice, but her in-laws under a conspiracy gave her some tablets that led to miscarriages. She alleged that on October 31 she was brutally beaten up by members of her in-laws family who threw her out of the house. They also disposed off the dowry material which her family had given at her wedding. Sukhpal Singh said they were yet to receive any medical reports regarding the alleged miscarriages. “We will conduct a medical examination of the victim to corroborate the charges levelled by her,” he said.
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More funds sought for R&D
Amritsar, November 2 She said this while addressing students and faculty members of various departments at her alma maters Khalsa College and Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) here today. Turning nostalgic on her visit to her alma maters, she said the funding for science is liberal in US. “To meet the new challenge of latest research in science and technology, more funds have to be earmarked for the field in India too,” she stressed. Mantej, who after completing her PhD in bio-sciences-genomics and bio-technology from George Mason University (GMU), Fairfax, US, in a record time, was inducted as Professor in the same varsity, has become first non-resident PMF in her field following a rigorous recruitment process. Apart from being an administrator as she is Consumer Safety Officer in the FDA. Her research revolves around developing the drugs for lungs cancer patients by re-generating the tissues. She said, “The memories of my two years spent at Khalsa College, its vast classrooms where I studied as science students and then the years spent in the laboratories of the GNDU’s Human Genetics Department are still fresh in my mind,” she said.
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Govt to open eight new colleges, says minister
Amritsar, November 2 He was here today to take part in the fresher’s (Hostel) welcome function of Mai Bhago Government Polytechnic College for Girls. He said the government provided employment to about 25,000 students studying in various polytechnic colleges of the state. He said the globalisation had thrown new challenges and in order to compete in the changed circumstances people of the state had to equip accordingly. He said the baton was to be accepted by the youth who would gradually become the engine of growth. He said technical education was the way to excel in the new world. He said keeping in view its importance the SAD-BJP combine had made special emphasis to impart quality technical education. He exhorted students to excel in their chosen subject of technical education to take their hometown, state and country to new heights. Also holding transport portfolio, Jiyani said 300 new buses, including AC buses, would be added to the fleet. He said contractors and drivers were being recruited on contract basis and would be regularized after three years of their service.
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Amritsar, November 2
Almost one-and-half-year after the suicide of a girl at the Gate Hakima police station in custody, the city police has booked the
SHO, an ASI and four other head constables holding them responsible for the
incident.
Amritsar, November 2
Karanbir Singh from Dugri village viewed it as a positive step to promote kabaddi at the international level. “It’s a rural sports and that’s why they have announced to present tractors, one each to best raider and best catcher of the final match. Besides the lucrative prize money, it’s a lucrative offer which has never been seen in the past. The government has taken a very thoughtful step to promote this game. Kabaddi has become our topic of discussion since last year when the world cup meet was conceptualised,” he said. 
Loveroop, a student of DPharma said the government should adopt some policy to search for the hidden talent in rural areas. “I am a kabaddi player. It is exciting to learn that kabaddi is being recognised by the government as some players of last year’s tournaments who were known to me got government jobs. But the government needs to chalk some mechanism to find the talent in this sport which lies mostly in rural areas. I played in the 58-kg category at the college level and even today, I am a proficient player as a stopper. However, I see no such platform to uphold myself. There is a lack of policy on searching and grooming the talent in this sport,” he rued. 
Expressing his views,
Sukhbir Singh, a class XII student, felt that the school as well as the college level kabaddi tournaments should be conducted under the tutelage of state government and best talent should be picked for the national as well as international tournaments. “Though tournaments are organised at school level here, but the achievement of the players remain constraint within the boundary wall of the school only. The players only get some grace marks. I suggest that the government should form kabaddi clubs in various pockets of the state to facilitate those who aspire to continue this sport after studies,” he said.
Though
Nitika, another sportsperson from BBK DAV College, was excited to have an international-level kabaddi tourney in the holy city, she felt that the ground realities still call for immediate attention. “Though, I am enthralled to see foreign players vying for the title, I feel it’s more like garnering the vote bank by politicians. What was the point of spending crores just to invite Shahrukh Khan on the inaugural day, who would hardly play any role in raising the standards of our sports. They had spent multi-millions on the inauguration whereas the ground reality is that other than cricket, a sportsperson associated with any other game would not even get his dues for diet expense,” she said. 
Sukhbir
Kaur, district sports officer, said policies are being framed to uplift the standard of sports in the state and the kabaddi event was a beginning in this direction. “Look at the infrastructure which is being provided here. It will be a multi-sports stadium which will also house eight-lane running track and tracks for kho-kho, athletics and even hockey. So, in a way, it has become our permanent flood-lit multi-sports centre which would later facilitate our upcoming sportspersons to hone their skills in various disciplines.”
