J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Data on cancer patients to be ready in two years
Patiala, December 24
To generate a data on the magnitude and pattern of cancer in Punjab, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Government Medical College, Patiala, have joined hands with the Department of Health and Family Welfare to prepare an atlas of cancer cases in Punjab, which is likely to be completed in two years.

SAD may field Baba Kashmira Singh from Qadian seat
Gurdaspur, December 24
Come election time and religious leaders, who have the ability to sway votes in favour of candidates, turn-out to be a hit among political bigwigs. A senior SAD leader said the party leaders were inclined to give religious leader Baba Kashmira Singh the Qadian seat.

Successive govts overlooked our grievances: NRIs
Chandigarh, December 24
Apart from political rhetoric, serious problems being faced by Punjab, including environmental biodegradation, pollution, drug addiction, female foeticide, flight of industry, growing incidence of cancer and corruption, were raised at the Vision 2012 convention organised by the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) here today.

PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal at the Vision-2012 convention, in Chandigarh on Saturday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Six booked for cheating
Tarn Taran, December 24
On the instructions of local court of Additional District and Session Judge, six persons have been booked for cheating the court in order to obtain bail in a case registered against them. The police said here on Saturday the accused had been booked under Sections 181, 193, 420 and 120B of the IPC by the city police.

Undertrial’s escape: Police begins probe
Patiala, December 24
The police has started a probe into the circumstances under which an undertrial escaped from the police custody. Police believed that the cops had concocted a story after the undertrial escaped and claimed that three unknown persons had attacked them near the Central Jail here and managed to escape.

17 framer unions meet
Amritsar, December 24
To get their demands implemented, the representatives of as many as 17 farmer unions held their meeting at the state headquarters of Kissan Sangarsh Committee here today. Satnam Singh Pannu, president of the committee, said the members of the unions today got together to finalise the future course of action.

Residents protest against NC president
Phagwara, December 24
The Nagar Council president Balbhadhar Sein Duggal faced tough time when the residents of the local Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar Tibbi, led by the BJP leader Kamaljit Kaur, held a demonstration against him today. Duggal, who went to inaugurate development works worth Rs 14.5 lakh, left the venue in haste due to the strong protest.

Data on cancer patients to be ready in two years
Gagan K Teja/TNS

Patiala, December 24
To generate a data on the magnitude and pattern of cancer in Punjab, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Government Medical College, Patiala, have joined hands with the Department of Health and Family Welfare to prepare an atlas of cancer cases in Punjab, which is likely to be completed in two years.

The Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, had written to all the civil surgeons two months back to order all persons concerned in hospitals (private or public), pathological, clinical and radiological laboratories and institutions imparting medical education and providing diagnostic, treatment and any other healthcare related facilities to report online diagnosed or suspicious cases of cancer and send a hard copy to the Head of Pathology Department, Government Medical College, Patiala.

The investigating agencies have called a meeting of all civil surgeons of the State on January 11 to ensure that all such cases without any exception be reported to the College. "This would help us in collecting reliable data, which will be used for undertaking epidemiological studies and help in planning cancer control activities.

We have already started registration of individual cancer patients with the help of social workers, data entry operator and a research scientist. After collecting data, we will send it to the headquarters of the National Cancer Registry Programme, Bangalore, where it would be processed according to the requirement," informed Dr MS Bal, Principal Investigator of the Population-Based Cancer Registry Programme, Government Medical College, Patiala. He said the project had been initiated to gather information regarding number of cancer cases and the pattern of the disease in Punjab. “Though most of the medical practitioners are cooperating, but a few are little reluctant to disclose about their practice. This is where we are facing certain problems, but we hope to resolve it soon with the help of the Health Department," added Dr Bal.

SAD may field Baba Kashmira Singh from Qadian seat
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, December 24
Come election time and religious leaders, who have the ability to sway votes in favour of candidates, turn-out to be a hit among political bigwigs. A senior SAD leader said the party leaders were inclined to give religious leader Baba Kashmira Singh the Qadian seat.

This assumes significance because post delimitation, no SAD leader, including Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan and Qadian sitting SAD MLA, was inclined to contest from Qadian.

In Jalandhar, Baba Kashmira Singh runs 300-bed SGL charitable hospitals. Such is the reverence he commands that during the Chotta Ghallughara function held here recently, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and several Cabinet ministers stood up and escorted him back to the seat after he completed his speech.

However, Kashmira Singh said he would not contest the elections as that would affect the construction of his Cancer Research Centre coming up near SGL hospital. Kashmira Singh, whose followers are spread all over the world, has built a Mandir, Gurdwara, Church and Mosque, all under one roof, on the top floor of his Jalandhar hospital.

Politicians of all hues are now flocking to him to catch his attention. A top Congress functionary disclosed that Kashmira Singh has the capability to sway 4,000 to 5,000 votes in each of the 10 Vidhan Sabha seats of the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency. “A candidate stands to win if he manages to garner a minimum of 5,000 votes in favour of the candidate,” said the Congress functionary.

Kashmira Singh, who is the first to reach the spot during natural calamities, is not aligned to any political party.

However, politicians cutting across party lines are hovering around him. During the 2007 elections he solicited votes for half a dozen SAD candidates and all of them won their respective seats. Congress insiders said during the 2002 elections Kashmira Singh was instrumental in the victory of many candidates.

Successive govts overlooked our grievances: NRIs
Prabhjot Singh/TNS

Chandigarh, December 24
Apart from political rhetoric, serious problems being faced by Punjab, including environmental biodegradation, pollution, drug addiction, female foeticide, flight of industry, growing incidence of cancer and corruption, were raised at the Vision 2012 convention organised by the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) here today.

Though People's Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal kept his date with the select audience comprising retired and serving bureaucrats, academicians, industrialists, farmers' representatives and the media, top leaders of other political parties, including the SAD, BJP and Congress, gave a miss to the debate that continued for over three hours.

While the NAPA representatives not only assailed both the politicians and the bureaucrats for the present slump of Punjab from top to 17th position in the country, but also warned the political leadership of growing alienation of second and third generations of overseas Punjabis from their grassroots.

This, they explained, was the reason that not many overseas Punjabis were evincing any interest in the ensuing political battle that would chose rulers for next five years. The second rung leaders of major political parties, on the other hand, dabbled in rivals bashing blaming their opponents for the poor fiscal health and deteriorating healthcare, education and civic services in once prosperous State.

Interestingly, Punjab NRI Minister Balbir Singh Baath wondered as whether the whole exercise was focused only on coming elections or for building Punjab in the next 10 to 15 years. Winners and losers in the coming Assembly elections, he said, would be the people from Punjab.

Former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh said that there was no place for honest and committed political workers, they get shunted out for raising fingers against their corrupt leaders and colleagues.

Manpreet Singh Badal, who wanted police, bureaucracy and legislators accountable, education revolution, correcting urban development and infrastructure, cutting administrative flap, bringing Vigilance under Lok Pal, also gave a call to electorates to send 100 good people to the Assembly so as to restore the glory the State.

Taking a dig at Manpreet, Sunil Jakhar of Congress said that he had been a part of the present ruling alliance and lost an opportunity to cleanse the system.

Six booked for cheating
Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, December 24
On the instructions of local court of Additional District and Session Judge, six persons have been booked for cheating the court in order to obtain bail in a case registered against them. The police said here on Saturday the accused had been booked under Sections 181, 193, 420 and 120B of the IPC by the city police.

The accused have been identified as Sawar Kumar, his brother Hanif, father Raj Kumar, mother Reema and Rajjo and Parminder Kaur.

According to sources, the accused Parminder Kaur had fell in love with Sawar Kumar. On the mid-night of 16-17 August, she gave intoxicant to her father, mother and brothers and run away after stealing cash, gold jewellers and a mobile set from her home. She committed the crime in connivance with the other accused, said police.

The case was registered four months back. and the court rejected their bail application. But the accused withheld the fact while submitting the bail application again.

Undertrial’s escape: Police begins probe
Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 24
The police has started a probe into the circumstances under which an undertrial escaped from the police custody. Police believed that the cops had concocted a story after the undertrial escaped and claimed that three unknown persons had attacked them near the Central Jail here and managed to escape.

According to the FIR lodged at Tripuri police station, accused Baljit Kumar, a resident of Haibowal, Ludhiana, was taken for a court hearing in Ludhiana on December 21. "When two constables accompanying him reached Patiala, three unidentified persons attacked the police team and fled with Baljit, injuring the cops", reads the FIR. "We are probing the matter and initial probe suggests that two constables Rajiv Kumar and Pardeep Kumar had taken Baljit Kumar to Ludhiana, where they were duped and the accused managed to escape ", said a senior police officer. SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill confirmed that they were probing the matter following the suspicion statements of the two constables.

17 framer unions meet

Amritsar, December 24
To get their demands implemented, the representatives of as many as 17 farmer unions held their meeting at the state headquarters of Kissan Sangarsh Committee here today. Satnam Singh Pannu, president of the committee, said the members of the unions today got together to finalise the future course of action.

“It has been unanimously decided to meet the Chief Engineer of Border Range on December 28 to implement the dialogue that was concluded between the government and the farmers,” he said. The farmers, who blocked the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway for five consecutive days from December 4, are demanding 200 units of free power and waiving off power bills Rs 357 crore. — TNS

Residents protest against NC president
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, December 24
The Nagar Council president Balbhadhar Sein Duggal faced tough time when the residents of the local Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar Tibbi, led by the BJP leader Kamaljit Kaur, held a demonstration against him today. Duggal, who went to inaugurate development works worth Rs 14.5 lakh, left the venue in haste due to the strong protest.

The residents were protesting against insufficient sanitation arrangements in the locality and alleged that no steps were initiated by the Nagar Council to drain out the stagnated water of blocked sewerages in the locality.

They alleged that the residents were suffering from various water-borne diseases.