J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Absconding murder convict held
Nawanshahr, January 2
The district police has arrested a murder convict, Gurjinder Singh a resident of Mehandpur village, who was serving life imprisonment in Faridkot Jail and had escaped from police custody from the Civil Hospital, Faridkot, on December 9 last year, here at a naka put up by the special surveillance team headed by DSP Satish Kumar Malhotra near village Charan. The police has recovered a stolen Lancer car (CH 03-K 2435) and a country-made .315-bore pistol from his possession.

Sports stadium site turns into filthy pond
Moga, January 2
Corroding plank of a foundation stone laid by the then Congress government more than 16 years ago to construct a sports stadium at Kot-ise-Khan town in the Dharamkot assembly constituency of the district is a silent witness to forgotten promises, which are a routine in politics to lure the electorate.

Liquor vend employee shot at by robbers
Hoshiarpur, January 2
After shooting an employee of a liquor vend, robbers decamped with Rs 2,500 at Pandori Atwal village last night.

Absconding murder convict held
Our Correspondent

Sports stadium site turns into filthy pond
Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS

The sports stadium, whose foundation stone was laid down in 1995, turns into a pond and garbage dumping ground at Kot-ise-Khan town in Moga. Tribune photo

Moga, January 2
Corroding plank of a foundation stone laid by the then Congress government more than 16 years ago to construct a sports stadium at Kot-ise-Khan town in the Dharamkot assembly constituency of the district is a silent witness to forgotten promises, which are a routine in politics to lure the electorate.

The foundation stone of Guru Gobind Singh Stadium was laid by the then Education Minister Lakhmir Singh Randhawa and the then Urban Development Minister Pandit Bal Mukand in the presence of the then Parliamentary Secretary Malti Thapar on February 17, 1995. All these years, the respective governments did not even bother to look at the project after laying the foundation stone.

The leaders may have forgotten this foundation stone, but the residents of this town remember the political betrayal and the youth are still living on hopes and promises. “I will be voting for the first time, but I will not caste my vote for those who betrayed us,” said a local youth, Rajinder Singh.

The foundation stone of the project has been lying defaced behind a garbage dump and the envisioned playground has virtually turned into a dirty pond where residents drain out sewage and waste water.

Ironically, Dr Malti Thapar, whose name also figures on this forgotten foundation stone, is aspiring to contest the ensuing assembly election on the Congress ticket from this constituency.

This constituency has been represented by SAD MLA and chief parliamentary secretary Sheetal Singh for the past 15 years, but he failed to convince the consecutive governments to take up the project. Now, the SAD has fielded its senior party leader Jathedar Tota Singh to contest elections from here.

The local SGPC member, Sukhjeet Singh Kaka, who has become a popular leader of the area and is eying the Congress ticket from here, has alleged that the government’s apathy towards sports in the rural areas had turned the youth to drugs

Liquor vend employee shot at by robbers
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, January 2
After shooting an employee of a liquor vend, robbers decamped with Rs 2,500 at Pandori Atwal village last night.

Sources said two unidentified motorcycle-borne youths came to the liquor vend on Machhian crossing at 8:30 pm last night. They held an employee of the liquor vend, Harbans Singh of Musatgarh PS Jubali, Kangra at gunpoint and asked him to hand over the cash to them. When Harbans refused to oblige, they fired at him. Before fleeing, they took Rs 2,500 with them.

Harbans Singh was rushed to a local hospital where his condition is under control. The Garhdiwala police has registered a case under Section 382 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

233 polling booths identified as sensitive in Hoshiarpur
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, January 2
For smooth and fair polling in view of the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections, 233 polling stations have been identified as sensitive in the district.

SSP Balkar Singh Sidhu said special arrangements have been made for smooth polling at these polling stations.

He said 6,549 policemen are required for a fair polling in the district on January 30. Out of these only 2,349 policemen were available. Services of 4,200 policemen has been sought from the state police chief, he added.

As many as 92 patrolling parties have been constituted to keep a round-the-clock vigil in the district and 15 inter-state nakas (check-posts) have been set up on Himachal Pradesh border.

During checking, a truck was confiscated from which 600 cases of country-made liquor was seized on the Himachal Pradesh border in Talwara. Truck driver Rohit Chaudhary, from Una district of HP has been arrested in this connection. The liquor was being carried from Una to Damtal in Himachal without a valid licence.

Out of the 8,154 licenced weapons in the district, 4,500 had been deposited with the police. The rest had been left due to security reasons with bank branches, private money- exchangers and other important persons.

67 in Pathankot

Pathankot: As many as 67 polling booths have been declared as sensitive in Pathankot district, said the District Electoral Officer here today. There are three Assembly constituencies Pathankot, Sujanpur and Bhoa in the district with a voter strength of 4.17 lakh. The number of women voters is 1,98,706 and the number of men voters is 2,18,912. For poll-related complaints, people can contact officials at toll-free number 18001802503. — OC