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Tribune Special
Alcometer not used for months
Jalandhar police has only one speed radar
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In Moga dist, only 30 traffic cops
Cops go easy on offenders, reveals RTI
Drunk truck driver hits three vehicles
clash at gurdwara bala sahib in delhi
Volte-face: No videography of counting now
Praying for win, Cong candidate in Darbar Sahib for a month
Infant mortality rate down in Punjab
NRI panel seeks report from SSP
Don’t privatise water resources, warn experts
Irregularities in giving grants from ministers’ quota
Youth found dead at bus stand
Six robbers arrested
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Tribune Special
Patiala, March 2 Punjab ADG (Traffic) RP Singh has been working hard to ensure that all district police chiefs take steps against traffic violators but manpower shortage and lack of equipment have been a major deterrent. The district police has neither speed radars nor alcometers. Often, interceptors (vehicles fitted with a radar to check overspeeding) have to be called from the police headquarters in Chandigarh. The district police feels handicapped as it can’t challan violators without proof. “When we challan anyone for drunken driving, we issue him a challan and let him go ignoring the fact that he is still a danger to commuters. With the new laws proposed, we hope the number of drunken drivers will fall”, said a traffic inspector. With municipal corporations allowing buildings which do not have any parking space, people often park their vehicles on roads which lead to traffic jams and accidents. In 2011, most accidents occurred in the Amritsar police range. Topping the casualty chart was Patiala district with 171 deaths, followed by Ludhiana 132 and Roopnagar 103.
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Alcometer not used for months
No one in the city has been issued a challan for drunken driving in the past two months though 5,705 traffic violators were penalised in January and 7,056 in February for other violations. Official data shows that a majority of violators preferred to pay fine on the spot instead of going to court. In January, 4,882 violators paid the fine there and then and only 833 chose to go to court. In February, the 6,251 violators paid fine on the spot and 805 paid it through the court. In the past two months, a maximum of 5,063 challans were issued to bikers driving without a helmet. Further, 2002 people were fined for not wearing seat belt. The penalties yielded Rs 8,13,700 to the administration in January and Rs 14,60,800, an increase of 79.5 per cent, in February. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karanjeet Singh said: “The move to hike penalties for violating traffic rules will certainly act as a deterrent. As the driver’s licence will be punched each time a challan is issued, the traffic police will get to know if he is a habitual offender.”
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Jalandhar police has only one speed radar
Jalandhar, March 2 Besides Jalandhar, the WHO had selected Hyderabad for the project. The two cities were selected because of the high rate of casualties in road accidents caused by drunken driving and overspeeding. Under the project, the traffic wing of the city police received only 10 breath analysers (as against 22 promised to it). Only 218 offenders have been challaned for drunken driving till date. The police did not issue a single challan for overspeeding as it does not have a speed radar. The city police got only one speed radar and chose to give it to the highway traffic police. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Traffic, S Bhupati, said their efficiency would improve if they were adequately equipped. Sita Rani, DSP (Highway Traffic), claimed that the number of challans for drunken driving and overspeeding were minimal. “Breath analysers and speed radars should be provided to the police soon,” she emphasised. Gurjit Singh, Highway Traffic Police, said they had 10 patrol vehicles and 10 ambulances, all equipped with alcometers and speed radars, on highways passing through Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur districts.
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In Moga dist, only 30 traffic cops
Muktsar/ Ludhiana, March 2 The police are unable to check wrong parking as the police department has just one recovery van (crane) to tow away vehicles in the ‘no parking’ zone. Said Baljinder Singh, district incharge: “Facing a staff shortage, we are unable to lay nakas in and around the cities and nab violators.” He said almost daily, nearly 20 challans were being issued for various violations. As many as 270 Ludhiana residents have been fined for drunken driving till date this year. Three years ago, the Ludhiana police had purchased 12 alcometers to curb the menace. “While one alcometer is with the traffic cops, the remaining 11 were non-functional right from the beginning,” said a police officer. In the period between April 2009 and January 2012, 487 persons were fined for smoking while driving and 25 for red beacons atop their vehicles. A drive launched by ACP (Traffic) Swapan Sharma last month against wrong parking has been a hit with 1,000 vehicles towed away for the offence last week. Staff shortage has also played a major role in the deteriorating traffic situation in the city. The police department has only 126 cops on traffic duty in the city.
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Cops go easy on offenders, reveals RTI
Faridkot, March 2 In a 14 month period from April 1, 2008 to May 30, 2009, just 1,738 challans were issued under Section 185 (drunken driving). In the same period, the total number of challans for other offences was over 6.5 lakh. In Faridkot, Mansa and Fatehgarh Sahib districts, none was challaned for drunken driving. Only two, five and nine challans were issued in Ferozepur, Batala and Bathinda were issued for the offence. As many as 879 were challaned in
Amritsar.
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Drunk truck driver hits three vehicles
Muktsar, March 2 The truck then collided with a school van, injuring four schoolgirls and the van driver. Again, near Daula village, it rammed into an Indigo car, injuring Major Singh, Sukhchain Singh and Dhyan Das. A police party chasing the truck reached the spot and arrested Nirmal Singh, a resident of Samalsar village. He was said to be under the influence of some intoxicant. Ranjeet Singh, SHO, said a case had been registered. Among the injured students of DAV Public School, Gidderbaha, were Amandeep Kaur, Khushpreet Kaur, Jasleen Kaur and Dilpreet Kaur. The van driver was identified as Beant Singh. — TNS
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clash at gurdwara bala sahib in delhi
Amritsar, March 2 Addressing mediapersons at the SGPC headquarters here, Makkar alleged that the DSGMC along with a private firm was performing "bhoomi pujan" for a hospital building on the gurdwara premises, which was against the Sikh tenets. "The Sikh Sangat came to know about their move and gathered at the venue to protest against it. However, Sarna's supporters, who were armed with kirpans, pelted them with the stones, which sparked off violence," he said. Makkar denied Sarna's allegations that the SAD supporters triggered violence by pelting stones and bottles. "Our supporters reached the spot at a later stage and, moreover, they were not allowed by the police to enter the venue," he claimed. He said the DSGMC could have waited for starting the work on the hospital till the completion of the DSGMC poll process. Asked whether he would approach the Akal Takht over the issue, he said the Jathedar should himself take notice of the violation of "maryada" by the DSGMC. He claimed that an Akhand Path underway at the venue was also stopped abruptly, which was again a breach of "maryada". On the other hand, Sarna accused SAD leaders of creating ruckus at the inaugural ceremony of its multi-specialty hospital. He said, "The SAD leaders along with their supporters reached the venue and resorted to an attack with soda bottles and stones." He claimed the Sikh Sangat came out against their "violent act" while the police lobbed tear gas shells, forcing the SAD supporters to run away. Sarna blamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal for the incident. He said there was no "bhoomi pujan" at the venue as alleged by Makkar and instead it was inaugural ceremony of the health services at the hospital. He claimed the SAD leaders had put up ads in Delhi claiming that they will present documents regarding "the sale of Gurdwara Bala Sahib's land to a private firm" before the Delhi police within 48 hours or else resign from their posts. "However, it had been 60 hours since then but they neither produced the documents nor quit their posts," he said. Sarna was here to review the progress of a 92-room "sarai" (inn) being built by the DSGMC for facilitating pilgrims visiting the holy city. SGPC chief objects to Haryana minister's remark on Badal SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar has objected to a Haryana minister's remark in the state Assembly in which he reportedly dubbed a SGPC-run medical college in the neighbouring state as Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's property. Makkar said they would prove the minister wrong. He said a trust had been formed to run the hospital, which had 12 members, including Badal. The remaining members include three from Haryana and five doctors.
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Volte-face: No videography of counting now
Earlier, the Election Commission had directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab to videograph each and every counting table in all the 117 centres across the state. The decision followed after the CEOs of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand wrote to the EC about the problems they were facing in setting up the system. “We wrote to the EC that there was a network of wires in the counting centres. We were not able to record the process due to a technical problem. So, the EC has decided to do away with it,” said Kusumjit Sidhu, CEO, Punjab. The CEO has now passed instructions to the returning officers in accordance with the EC orders. “We were working for the last 10 days to set up equipment for videography. We organised meetings with engineers also. But somehow, the CEO office was not getting the desired results,” said an employee of the CEO office who was involved in the process. The counting would take place on March 6 from 8 a.m. onwards across all the 117 centres simultaneously. It was for the first time in the state that the process was to be video-graphed. Since every counting centre would be having 12 to 14 tables each, handling as many cameras in a single room became a bit difficult. The EC has directed the CEO to ensure that in case a counting agent desires to have the result displayed on an EVM more than once, it should be done by counting supervisor to the satisfaction of the counting agents. The postal ballots reaching a counting centre before 8 a.m. would be counted as polled votes.
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Praying for win, Cong candidate in Darbar Sahib for a month
Chandigarh, March 2 Khadoor Sahib Congress candidate Ramanjit Singh Sikki shifted base to the Darbar Sahib complex immediately after the polling on January 30. He is staying in a room in the ‘parikrama’ of the complex and has not set his foot out of the complex since past one month. Sikki’s mobile number has also been switched off and he has not contacted anyone to analyse his fate in the elections. Though counting of votes will start at 8 am on March 6, Sikki will not be coming out of the Darbar Sahib complex. He will do so only at 11am when his presence will be required in the office of the returning officer. It is mandatory for a candidate to sign that he is satisfied with the counting process before the results can be declared. Bhupinder Singh Sodhi, an aide of Sikki, disclosed that Sikki had given the responsibility of monitoring the counting on March 6 to his brother Navdeep Singh Mithi. Sources said this was not the first time Sikki has stayed in the Darbar Sahib complex for a month. They said he lives in the complex every January. They said this time since campaigning took place in January, Sikki decided to shift to the Darbar Sahib immediately after voting. The sources said even though Sikki had completed a month stay in the complex today, he has decided to stay for another five days and only to come out when the results will be declared. While Sikki, a loyalist of former MP Rana Gurjeet and a potato farmer, may have set a new standard for piety, other candidates both in the Congress and the SAD had chosen to fly away from during the last one month. A candidate said, “Nerves of steel are required to stay at home." He said everyday he had to listen to conflicting reports, which had forced him to take a holiday. Resorts in Goa and even deeper south in Kerala remained full with Punjabis for the past one-month. A number of candidates have also been busy undertaking measures recommended by their astrologers with a candidate from Khanna even risking pneumonia by taking a daily bath in the running waters of the Ghaggar river. Still others have been feeding cows and dogs regularly besides holding ‘havans’ for their success on March 6.
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PPP could spell trouble for many
Chandigarh, March 2 Except for top leaders making claims on forming the next government, there seems little confidence in the rank and file of main parties. The Congress top brass says it is confident of winning 70 seats. The SAD-BJP leadership is equally sure of returning to power while PPP leaders foresee a hung assembly. Mediapersons appear to be as much in the dark as politicians as regards the election outcome. What are the factors that have made predictions so difficult this time? The single most important factor appears to be the presence of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) that led the Sanjha Morcha comprising the Left parties and the SAD (Longowal). It is anybody’s guess as to which of the main political parties, the SAD or the Congress, will suffer most with the PPP in the fray. What is certain is that the PPP has nothing to lose, whether it is the seats that it wins or the vote share that it gets. In central Punjab, the PPP vote percentage will be enough to make the big parties sit up. An upbeat Manpreet claims: “This election will throw up many surprises. The PPP, less than a year old party, will steal the show.” The PPP leader claims that its candidates will be in the victory lap at Lehra, Shatrana, Mansa, Maur, Budhlada, Amloh, Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Amargarh, Ropar, Raikot, Balachaur, Jagraon, Sangrur and Gidderbaha constituencies and were in the reckoning in the Jaitu, Buchho, Khemkaran, Chamkaur Sahib, Dhuri, Mullanpur Dakha, Phagwara, Banga, Nawanshahr and Shahkot constituencies. To stay afloat in the state’s choppy political waters, the PPP will have to win at least four or five seats. Otherwise, it will be a herculean task for its leadership to make a headway in the political arena. expects good showing in... Lehra,
Shatrana, Mansa, Maur, Budhlada, Amloh, Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Amargarh, Ropar, Raikot, Balachaur, Jagraon, Sangrur and Gidderbaha
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Infant mortality rate down in Punjab
Patiala, March 2 She said, "Reducing mother and infant mortality rate is the primary concern of the NRHM and Punjab is doing much better as compared to the national average in this regard." Civil Surgeon Dr Virinder Singh Mohi said according to a report of the Centre, which was released in December last, the national infant mortality rate is 47, whereas that of Punjab is 34. The national mother mortality rate is 192, whereas in Punjab it is 172. He said, "We have achieved the target set by the Centre that was to be completed by 2012.”
— TNS
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NRI panel seeks report from SSP
Chandigarh, March 2 A spokesman of the commission said that Om Parkash of Dakoha village had submitted a complaint to the Protector of Emigrants that his son Vicky was sent to Iraq by an agent named Vinod Kumar alias Bunty, a resident of Dakoha village, Rama Mandi, Jalandhar. He was entrusted to some illegal persons there and was forced to work day and night and provided a single meal a day. He had further alleged that his son never received any salary and was suffering from serious illness. The spokesman said that taking cognisance of the matter, the commission has asked the SSP (Rural), Jalandhar to hold an inquiry into the allegations of the complainant and adjourned the case to April 12.
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Don’t privatise water resources, warn experts
Chandigarh, March 2 Asked whether the policy would encourage the sale of water and affect the farmers adversely, Hashim said, “This is your interpretation. The stakeholders are to decide. They can do it themselves or hire an agency for the task.” On the rejection of the draft policy by the Punjab Government, Hashmi said politicians must tell the reason behind their decision. The Centre for Research in Rural Industrial Development (CRRID) Director-General Suchha Singh Gill, said the draft policy needed further debate in view of the “diminishing rights” of states in the federal structure. He said states like Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal had been objecting to this tendency. Gill said the new draft policy called for the management of water resources by regulatory authorities, which could be communities or private sector companies. He said the clause might not be acceptable to a large section of the population, especially the farming community. Meanwhile, the Bharati Kisan Union (Siddhupur) and IDP presented its report based on an interaction with a cross section of population to Dr Hashmi. It pointed out that no representative of the farming community had been taken as a member in the draft committee despite the fact that 70 per cent of the renewable water was being used in agriculture. These organisations claimed it was a deliberate attempt to open the way for marketing of water resources. CRRID executive vice-chairman Rashpal Malhotra, Punjab State Farmers Commission chairman Dr GS Kalkat, former PAU vice-chancellor Dr SS Johal and Dr RS Ghuman also attended the workshop.
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Irregularities in giving grants from ministers’ quota
Chandigarh, March 2 The directions by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover came on a PIL filed by advocate HC Arora. Appearing in person, he was seeking directions to the state government to introduce adequate safeguards against misuse of discretionary grants from the quota. The state was to file an affidavit on action proposed to be taken against officers responsible for irregularities detected by the audit authorities in the disbursement of grants. It was also expected to give the details of the action proposed to be taken for preventing such irregularities. As the case came up for hearing today, a law officer handed over an affidavit for the perusal of the Bench. After going through the affidavit, the Bench took a serious view of the conduct of the state government, as it did not indicate steps taken by the state in compliance with the earlier order. The Bench passed a short but terse order stating "the law officer of Punjab Government has filed an affidavit in the Court in purported compliance of the directions given by the High Court on December 21." "We decline to take this affidavit on record, since it does not have any statement of subsistence in it with reference to the action taken by the State Government. Taking this affidavit on record would amount to avoidable wastage of judicial time of the Court." The Bench also directed the state to furnish detailed information regarding the compliance of the earlier order positively before March 7.
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Youth found dead at bus stand
Muktsar, March 2 The deceased identified as Raju, in his mid twenties, was last seen about 2 pm and after three hours, his body with slit throat was found at the bus stand. Raju used to work at a private reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant. The police said a case has been registered against unidentified persons and efforts were on to nab the accused.
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Patiala, March 2 A case under Sections 399 and 402 of the IPC and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act has been registered against them. They have been identified as Kamaljeet Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Varinder Singh, Beeru Ram, Vijay Kumar and Daasa Ram. — TNS
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Amritsar, March 2
Chandigarh, March 2
Experts today warned against handing over the control of water bodies to private players even as Draft National Water Policy chairman Prof SR Hashim said it was up to the stakeholders to manage the resources in their area in the best possible manner.
Amritsar, March 2
Chandigarh, March 2