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Panel to allot ticket for MC poll, says Jakhar
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BJP to tweak its campaign strategy
Vacant posts affect functioning in govt offices
17 revenue posts unfilled in Faridkot division
Punjab yet to withdraw octroi on petrol, diesel
Panel for changes in Right to Service Act
Moga scam: DC suspends official
Punjab could benefit from WB demand
Reshuffle in Vigilance Department on cards
Punjab to set up 24X7 call centre for NRIs
More de-addiction centres to be set up
Abolish capital punishment, says intelligentsia
Vedanti detained
11 quintals of poppy husk seized, 3 held
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Panel to allot ticket for MC poll, says Jakhar
Ludhiana, April 22 He said the committee, whose members were yet to be decided, would make sure that all the party members “worked together in the same direction.” Talking to The Tribune, Jakhar said that wrong distribution of ticket was one of the reasons for the rout in the assembly poll. “There were too many aspirants for the ticket. The problem should have been nipped in the bud.” He said dissidence was only a symptom of the malady that should have been tackled at the time of delimitation, he explained. Earlier during the day, Congress MLAs and councillors met Jakhar, urging haste in the selection of candidates. They also said that the ticket should be allotted only after taking local Congress leaders into confidence. Among those who met Jakhar were Gurkirat Kotli, Surinder Dawar, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Gurmail Pehalwan, Rakesh Pandey and Malkit Singh Dakha. However, a few Congress members, including Vikram Bajwa who lost the Sahnewal assembly seat, skipped the meeting. “The meeting was held at a short notice. Perhaps there was some communication problem. You should not read too much into it,” Jakhar said. On the rotation of MC wards, he said if there was any arbitrariness, the Congress would take the issue up with the government. On his first visit to the city after he took charge as the CLP leader, lambasted the SAD-BJP agenda, saying its development claims were hollow. “The people would like to know when the government will abolish octroi on petrol and diesel.” On the precarious financial condition of the state, he alleged that “salary bills amounting to Rs 1,000 crore stand unpaid.” Jakhar said the government was all set to impose property tax in urban areas after the civic poll. Meanwhile, in preparation for the MC poll, various parties have begun to strengthen their base. senior Akali leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal has appealed to workers who had left the party to return to the party fold. “The support of workers and local leaders is imperative for the development of Punjab,” he said, adding that those ideologically close to the SAD should rejoin the party. “The party has always valued its workers”, he claimed. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Varinder Sharma has joined the BJP. Lone CPI councillor Sarabjeet Lal has already joined the party. BJP district president Parveen Bansal claimed that the two had joined the party.
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Cong rebel Bhatia joins saffron party
Amritsar, April 22 Amritsar Youth Congress vice-president Damandeep Singh and Congress rural leader Baljinder Singh Thande also switched their loyalties to the saffron party. They joined the BJP at a formal gathering presided over by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley at the Circuit House here today. Bhatia said he and his daughter-in-law Simarpreet Kaur were now BJP soldiers. Simarpreet lost her husband Harpal Singh Bhatia, who was member of the Congress Working Committee, in a road accident just days before the assembly elections. Dejected by the Congress decision to allot the ticket to Congress Mayor Sunil Datti, Simarpreet decided to contest as an Independent and gave a tough fight to BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur, polling 26, 307. Dr Navjot Kaur secured 33,406 votes to emerge as the winner. Datti polled 25,904 votes and was placed third. Simarpreet is likely to contest the MC poll from Ward No 20 reserved for women candidates. At present, Ajit Singh Bhatia represents this ward. Damandeep said the “atrocious attitude” of senior Congress leaders had forced them to quit the party. “A coterie of Congress workers in Amritsar ensured that we were removed from posts without any valid reason. These workers not only harassed the Bhatia family but also registered police cases against us on frivolous grounds,” they alleged.
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BJP to tweak its campaign strategy
Chandigarh, April 22 Talking to The Tribune, party general secretary and national spokesman JP Nadda said the BJP leadership was concentrating on the northern region as it felt it would be a major player in the formation of any NDA government in the future. Nadda, elected Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh, who was in the city on his way to Delhi, said the party felt it did very well where its cadres were able to establish personal contact with voters. The municipal elections are “mohalla elections” and all about personal contact. Realising this, the BJP has already set up monitoring committees with MLAs and party office-bearers as nodal persons. The BJP is yet to finalise poll modalities with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). However, senior party leaders have already been entrusted with the task of doing the ground work. Nadda indicated that seat-sharing between the SAD and BJP would be on the existing pattern. Nadda said the party endeavour was to take all sections along. He made it clear that those who had been performing well would be rewarded and merit would be the sole criterion for allotting a position in the organisational setup. Apart from Punjab, the party would expand its base in Jammu.
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jalandhar
tragedy
Jalandhar, April 22 Navjot Mahal, ADCP, has impounded the JCB machine used for digging the pits for the purpose of raising pillars.The police had already arrested Sarwan Singh, one of the builders. “Ram Singh, contractor of the upcoming building, his assistant Hans Raj and JCB operator Jagdish were arrested last night from Lamma Pind Chowk. They have told the police that they dug several pits. Since these were dug close to the foundation, the factory might have caved in. Experts associated with the probe have also corroborated this theory,” said Navjot Mahal. The accused were produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate Tripatjot Kaur who remanded them in police custody till April 24. He said construction on the new unit of Shital Fibres was started about two months ago. Commissioner of Police Gaurav Yadav, it is learnt, has asked the Deputy Director (Factories) to join the investigations. He has sent letters to officials of the PSIEC, the sewerage wing and the labour department to elaborate on the rules and regulations on safety of industrial buildings. Meanwhile, rescuers have bored holes and tunnels through the rubble to reach the adjoining factory which was sealed by the administration after it developed cracks. Additional Deputy Commissioner Parneet Bhardwaj is supervising the rescue operation along with Deputy Commissioner Priyank
Bharti.
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‘Erring’ officials who gave clearances yet to be booked
Jalandhar, April 22 These are a few questions that investigating agencies would have to find answers for during their probe into the disaster that left 23 workers dead and scores of others injured. Rules suggest that in case an industrial unit fails to get its building map cleared or does not acquire the mandatory stability certificate, the Department of Factories is bound to act against the factory. But that did not happen in the case of Shital Fibres. Factory owner Shital Vij is already in police custody following his arrest under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and sections 7, 8, 9 and 13 (1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The responsibility of the erring officials, however, could only be fixed once the investigation was over. Jalandhar ADCP Navjot Mahal said various departments were conducting inquiries related to the disaster at their own level. If any official was found guilty of negligence, action would be taken, he said.
Factories dept puts onus on unit owner
Officials from the Department of Factories have their own excuses. Additional Director of Factories Sodhi Mal said, “Our department is overburdened with work. We only have one-fourth of the total sanctioned field staff and the remaining posts are lying vacant. There are only six field officials against the sanctioned post of 24 officers, including 12 assistant directors of factories and 12 deputy directors of factories, for 21 circles in the state.” Sodhi Mal said it was the responsibility of an industry owner to apply for a factory’s registration. “We have to be informed at least a fortnight before a new unit has to be started. Our team visits factory premises, checks the building and its map and if satisfied, approves stability certificate and issues a licence to run the factory. But, Shital Fibres, which used to manufacture blankets, did not follow the rules.” The department has now initiated action against the factory owners on the charge of flouting rules. Whether child labourers were employed by Vij, Sodhi Mal said a notice had already been issued to the local Civil Hospital to ascertain the age of the dead and injured workers. “If any violations under the child labour Act are found, a separate case will be slapped on the factory owner,” he said.
Exact reason behind mishap still not known
Even after a week of the disaster, the exact reason behind the building collapse was yet to be known. Officials of various departments, including the National Disaster Response Force, said prima facie poor construction work could be blamed for the collapse of the four-storeyed structure built on 2,500 square yards. The ongoing construction in the adjacent vacant plot, also owned by Vij, could also be behind the mishap. An under-construction road between the collapsed building and the canal flowing adjacent to the factory could also be the reason, officials said. However, the exact reason would be known only after the inquiries were over. Separate probes, including those by Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner Anurag Verma, a team from the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh and the local police, are on into the case. The city police has already cited “negligence during construction in adjacent vacant plot” as one of the possible reasons for the building collapse. The police has already arrested contractor Ram Singh, his partner Hans Raj and JCB operator Jagdish for their alleged negligence.
Owner claims factory had all approvals
Shital Fibres managing director Abhishek Vij claimed the factory was being run after getting all mandatory approvals from the departments concerned. He said they would report their side of the story once the rescue work was over.
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Lifelong pension for victims’ kin, amputees
Jalandhar, April 22 The relatives would receive pension amounting to 90 per cent of the salary that was being earned by the deceased when the mishap occurred, said Baldev Raj, Deputy Director, Jalandhar, Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). "Lifelong disablement benefit will ensure that amputees also receive 90 per cent of the wages payable to them during their job throughout their life as pension," he said. The ESIC has also set up an awareness camp and a helpdesk at the collapse site of Shital Fibres to reach out to the disaster victims. "Our teams approached the relatives of the two deceased (Bhagwan Dass and Mintoo) at the site today. We have also recorded the statements of the patients admitted at the Civil Hospital. As soon as we receive their claims, their requests will be processed," Baldev Raj said. As a majority of the labourers at Shital Fibres unit were not insured, the ESIC has said the claims of even uninsured labourers would be accepted and adequate benefits, as per ESIC Act norms, would be given.
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Vacant posts affect functioning in govt offices
Ferozepur, April 22 S Karuna Raju has been posted as Deputy Commissioner whereas all other positions, including that of ADC (G), ADC (Development), Deputy Director (Local Government), RTA Secretary, DRO and Assistant Commissioner (G), are lying vacant. Though Raju has been trying to combat manpower scarcity by marshalling the limited resources he has, it seems an arduous task in the border district where the administration also has to liaison with several central agencies like the Railways, Border Security Force and Army. DPS Kharbanda, who was posted as ADC (G) before being shifted to Patiala as Managing Director, Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation, was holding charge of five important profiles, including that of Deputy Director (Local Government) and RTA Secretary. After his transfer, S Karuna Raju has been holding the fort alone. At a time when the government is talking about administrative reforms and the implementation of the Right to Service Act, acute staff shortage at the district headquarters is adversely affecting the functioning of various key departments. The district is already reeling under illiteracy, lack of infrastructural growth and poor economy. The dearth of officials has not only affected the day-to-day functioning, but has also added to the workload of those posted here. Over and above, the heads of various departments, including education, excise, agriculture, health and public relations, have to double up for the newly carved out Fazilka district as the government was yet to depute requisite manpower there. The office of ADC (D) looks after several significant areas like NREGA, zila parishad, mid-day meal scheme, MPLAD and rural sanitation and developmental works. However, all these works have taken a backseat as the post is lying vacant after the superannuation of previous incumbent GS Pannu, who retired before the polls. The transport department too is facing the same problem. ADTO Gurcharan Singh is also holding the charge of DTO, Ferozepur, and DTO, Fazilka. The state government also upgraded Guruharsahai as a sub-division, but the post of SDM is still vacant. Besides, hundreds of posts of medical officers, teachers, clerical and revenue staff are also lying vacant. Even the municipal committee is reeling under staff shortage, which has severely affected its functioning. An official said no employee was keen to get posted in the border district. “What to talk of filling vacancies, even those who are posted here are trying to move to better places,” he said.
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17 revenue posts unfilled in Faridkot division
Faridkot, April 22 It is not due to heavy rush of applicants for these services but acute staff shortage in the division, which consists of Bathinda, Faridkot and Mansa districts, which is taking a toll on administrative functioning. As against 23 sanctioned posts of naib tehsildar in these three districts, there are only six officials and 17 posts are lying vacant. On an average, one naib tehsildar is holding additional charge of four stations. The Bathinda official has additional charge of Nathana, Goneana, Talwandi Sabo and Maur. The posts of naib tehsildar in Nathana, Goneana, Talwandi Sabo, Maur, Rampura Phul, Bhagta, Ballianwali, Bathinda, Mansa, Bhikhi, Joga, Jhunir, Sardulgarh, Bareta, Agrarian (Faridkot), Agrarian (Bathinda) and Military Land Acquisition offices have been lying vacant for several months now. Not only the posts of naib tehsildar, Faridkot hasn’t got a district revenue officer since May 7, 2010. A Canada-based NRI, Chandanjit Kaur, has been waiting for a hearing in her land dispute case for the last over 15 months. Faridkot Divisional Commissioner Raminder Singh, who has additional charge of Ferozepur, said vacant posts had been created following departmental promotions. The vacancies were to be filled in coming days, he said.
pending issue
The posts of naib tehsildar in Nathana, Goneana, Talwandi Sabo, Maur, Rampura Phul, Bhagta, Ballianwali, Bathinda, Mansa, Bhikhi, Joga, Jhunir, Sardulgarh, Bareta, Agrarian (Faridkot), Agrarian (Bathinda) and Military Land Acquisition offices have been lying vacant for several months now
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Punjab yet to withdraw octroi on petrol, diesel
Chandigarh, April 22 Sources in the government say the matter is pending with the Finance department, which has to take a decision on how the government can compensate the local bodies for the loss of revenue earned through octroi collection on fuel. The Local Bodies department earns nearly Rs 10 crore per month as octroi from these two fuels, as the state government charges one per cent octroi on petrol and two per cent octroi on diesel. The state taxes imposed on fuel are amongst the highest in Punjab. The main tax that the state collects on petrol and diesel is in the form of VAT, followed by octroi and cess (only on petrol). The VAT collection from petrol (VAT is charged at 27.5 per cent and a surcharge of 10 per cent on VAT is imposed) and diesel (VAT is charged at 8.8 per cent and a surcharge of 10 per cent on VAT) contributed almost Rs 2,100 crore to the state’s kitty in the last financial year. Being a major source of revenue for the state government, it had remained unwilling to slash the VAT or the surcharge on fuel. It was only to woo and provide some relief to urban consumers that the government had decided to withdraw octroi in December last year. The office memo for withdrawal of octroi was issued by the state government on December 24 last year, hours before the elections to the Punjab Assembly were announced. However, the State Election Commission stepped in and stated that an announcement to the effect on the day the model code of conduct came into force was deemed as a violation. The issue was then kept pending till after the elections. Sources said the government had initially decided to compensate the municipal corporations and councils from the VAT collections made by the state to ensure economic viability of these local bodies. “But a formal decision has to be taken by the Finance department on how the local bodies can be compensated if octroi on fuels is withdrawn. Once the decision is taken, we will be able to withdraw octroi on petrol and diesel,” said a senior officer in the Local Bodies department.
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DC oversees procurement process
Patiala, April 22 He directed the officials of all the procurement agencies to ensure that the process of lifting the grains was fast. He said it was an important task and should not be delayed at any cost. He stated that if any officer would be found responsible for the delay in the process, he would be held guilty and action would be taken against him. He also asked them to ensure that farmers were given the payments for their produce within 48 hours. He said, “Mandi officials should make proper sitting arrangements for the farmers and provide drinkable water too, so that they do not have to suffer during this hot weather.” While visiting grain markets in the city, Bhunerheri, Sanour, Devigarh, Ghadam, Patran and Shutrana, he also heard problems of farmers and directed the commission agents to solve them. Addressing mediapersons, Singh said he had already coordinated with the officials and all the problems related to procurement would be solved within two days. He also requested the remaining farmers to bring their produce to the market, so that it could be lifted on time.
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Panel for changes in Right to Service Act
Chandigarh, April 22 Adopting a strict stance, the Commission has banned its members, who have been designated as Commissioners, from contesting elections of any club, society or association. They have been forbidden from entering into any public debate on political matters or from undertaking any activity of political nature. The code of ethics has been adopted at the full meeting of the Commission. There will be a ban on accepting donations or gifts from any person or organisation. Members will voluntary disclose their property returns, says Iqbal Singh Sidhu, a member of the Commission. The Commission was set up by the state government to bring accountability in the government offices and to expedite the service delivery system. Former Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal, who was involved in the structuring of the Commission, has been appointed its chairperson. A Commissioner will not listen to a case in which his or her close relation is a party. A Commissioner will not hear and decide matters concerning a company in which he or she holds shares. Meanwhile, the Commission has started hearing cases at its office set up in the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration. The Commission will launch a drive to make people aware about the Right to Service Act.
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Lehra plant in trouble as Sirhind canal closed
Bathinda, April 22 After the flow of water stopped, we contacted the irrigation office at Bathinda and learnt about the closure of the main canal. “The water level at the plant lake is going down by the day and this may lead to a power shortage,” said officials. The plant lake has a maximum storage capacity of 16 lakh cusecs, sufficient for about 17-18 days. The plant needs 90, 000 to 1 lakh cusecs daily for effective functioning. With all its four units operational, the plant produces 220 lakh units of power daily. “With half of the water consumed, only 7 lakh cusecs of usable water is left in the lake, which is sufficient for another week. Water will reach the Lehra plant lake on May 3 or 4 after it is released from the Sirhind canal head works at Ropar on May 1,” the officials said. CM’s office intervenes The Chief Minister’s office has reportedly directed Irrigation Department to ensure that canal water reaches the thermal plant by April 27. The Secretary, Power, raised the issue with the Principal Secretary, Irrigation, at a meeting in Chandigarh on Saturday. A final decision will be taken on Monday. Water works
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Moga scam: DC suspends official
Moga, April 22 Hundreds of people have been duped in Moga district under the pretext of providing financial aid under the “ Nanhi Chhaan” campaign launched by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Hundreds of forms illegally printed were reportedly sold at Rs 15 per form at the Suvidha Centre to provide “monetary aid” to couples with girls. Thind said district “naazar” Jaipal Singh had been suspended with immediate effect for negligence in duty. A departmental action would be initiated against him. The DC said the Suvidha Centre administrator had prima facie been found guilty of allowing the sale of these forms. Additional DC (Development) Gurpreet Singh Khera, who conducted the probe, said that forms for providing the “grant” were printed in at least three to four lots. He said the contractor had run away a few months back before the completion of the contract term (March 31, 2012). He said the contractor owed at least Rs 6 lakh to the Suvidha Centre.
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Punjab could benefit from WB demand
Chandigarh, April 22 While West Bengal has to pay Rs 22,000 crore as interest on loans worth more than Rs 2,00,000 crore, Punjab is paying Rs 6,500 crore as interest on such loans. Punjab’s interest liability by the end of the current fiscal year is likely to go up to Rs 7,100 crore on loans amounting to more than Rs 7,8000 crore. Some months ago, the Centre had set up a committee of senior officials to examine the fiscal crisis in West Bengal, Punjab and Kerala. The committee, sources said, is sitting on the issue. A senior official said: “There are various ways to help states like West Bengal and Punjab to overcome their fiscal burden. If West Bengal is given a special package, Punjab could claim one too,” he added.
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Reshuffle in Vigilance Department on cards
Chandigarh, April 22 Jalandhar SP Vigilance Surjit Singh has been posted as SSP, Moga, while Amritsar Vigilance SSP Ravcharan Brar is SSP, Gurdaspur. More vacancies have arisen in the Vigilance with its Patiala SSP Shiv Kumar retiring from service. Another Saini loyalist and SSP Vigilance, Ludhiana, SS Mand has been posted AIG, Intelligence, at the state headquarter here. Besides the creation of a new team in the Vigilance Department, there will also be a change in its functioning with the establishment of a special internal vigilance cell. Its Director Suresh Arora, when contacted , said while the induction of new district police chiefs was on the cards, the Joint Director of the internal vigilance cell would report to him. He would be given adequate staff to conduct checks on department officers in case of any complaint.
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Punjab to set up 24X7 call centre for NRIs
Chandigarh, April 22 Asking NRI Commissioner Vikas Partap Singh to prepare a case to set up a round-the-clock call centre to address grievances of NRIs, Majithia said besides the call centre, the department would also come up with an interactive website. Over cases of harassment and cheating reported by NRIs, Majithia said ADC (General) and SP (Headquarters) would be ex-officio designated as nodal officers for NRI affairs and would deliver justice to NRIs in a time-bound manner.
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Of infertility, drugs and twins
Bathinda, April 22 Dr Dheera said there were two major reasons for the birth of twins-use of drugs by women because of increasing infertility (not able to conceive for more than two years) and family history. She said there were several reasons for infertility, including pesticides, pelvic TB, late marriage, stress, and food adulteration. Dr Satish Jindal, child specialist, said women carrying twins faced many complications during pregnancy, including pre-mature delivery, low birth weight, increased risk of birth asphyxia(especially in the second twin) and anaemia in one of the twins. Two women have given birth to twins at the Women and Children Hospital here in April so far. One of them from Gehri Bhagi village had a son and a daughter.
Causes of infertility
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More de-addiction centres to be set up
Chandigarh, April 22 Badal asked the Health and Medical Education Departments to formulate a comprehensive policy in coordination with PGI experts to save the young generation, which was facing a threat from drug addiction.
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Abolish capital punishment, says intelligentsia
Chandigarh, April 22 The seminar was organised by BKU (Sidhupur), Punjab Manch and Internationalist Democratic Party (IDP). Justice (retd) Kuldip Singh said capital punishment had not proved deterrent against crimes in countries like USA and China, which had been sending culprits to gallows. He said these countries had witnessed improvement in their crime rate. He said if the judicial process could be faulty in US and Britain then chances of innocents being hanged in India was likely, keeping in view the way police prepared cases and fitted in witnesses for the same. Khalsa Mission leader Dalbir Singh observed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s efforts to stall the execution of Balwant Singh Rajoana had left the issue of capital punishment midway since he was more interested in reaping political dividends. IDP president ID Khajuria said the hanging of a culprit was not a judicial but a political decision since hanging could not be executed until the Home Ministry or state home department gave green signal to go ahead.
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Vedanti detained
Muktsar, April 22 However, after hours long proceedings, a compromise was reached between the villagers and the Vedanti group. No case was registered.
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11 quintals of poppy husk seized, 3 held
Patiala, April 22 "We found 55 bags of poppy husk hidden behind wheat husk and grass which weighed around 11 quintals. The accused have been identified as Ashok Kumar, Munna and Karam Singh. While Ashok is from Mohali, the other two are from Jharkhand and had brought the poppy husk from there to deliver it in Rajpura and Mohali, he
added. — TNS
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