The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Punjabi film star and comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi during his visit to the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district. Ghuggi for reopening of Hussainiwala border for trade
Ferozepur, May 16
Noted comedian and actor Gurpreet Ghuggi has joined the chorus demanding the reopening of the Hussainiwala-Kasur border which was closed in the aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Punjabi film star and comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi during his visit to the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district. A Tribune photograph

Veterinary doc asked to explain his absence
Muktsar, May 16
During a surprise checking, the Deputy Commissioner found a veterinary doctor absent from duty and the dispensary lying closed at Lubanianwali village here. The erring official has been served with a show-cause notice.

Rights cell seeks Shatabdi Express from Bathinda
Bathinda, May 16
Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Revenue) Amarjit Singh Sahi today said a memorandum would be handed over to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh soon for running Bathinda-Delhi Shatabdi Express for the overall development of the Malwa region, upgradation of Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala on the pattern of the PGI, Chandigarh, and revival of the Flying Club, Patiala.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Amarjit Singh Sahi speaks to mediapersons in Bathinda on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Youth falls off moving train, survives
Bathinda, May 16
A youngster fell off the Jammu Tawi Express on Tuesday evening near the Bathinda railway station. When the train reached under the railway overbridge at Paras Ram Nagar, a youngster suddenly fell off the train. The volunteers of Sahara Welfare Society rushed to the spot and took the injured to the Civil Hospital.

Cash, pistol stolen from jeep
Moga, May 16
Some unidentified persons stole a bag containing Rs 10 lakh and a licensed pistol belonging to a commission agent after breaking the windowpanes of his jeep at Moga town on Wednesday.

Jain back in Bathinda as IG (Intelligence)
Bathinda, May 16
Jatinder Jain has returned to Bathinda to take charge of the newly created post of the Inspector General of Intelligence and Counter Intelligence.

One held with stolen vehicle, admits being part of inter-state gang
Moga, May 16
A gang of car lifters operating in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi was unearthed by the Moga police. One person has been arrested in this regard and a stolen vehicle recovered from his possession.

	Non-functional speed governors go unchecked in Moga Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, May 16 Speed governors installed in commercial vehicles to check over-speeding do not last even a day in Moga district after the vehicle is passed and issued a certificate by the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) for its commercial use. This is quite evident from the fact that the majority of trucks and canters parked at the truck and canter unions in Moga do not have a functional speed governor system, as their owners/drivers have disconnected the system to escape the law. It is worth mentioning that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the state government to install speed governors in all the commercial vehicles registered in Punjab in the wake of increasing road deaths. The speed governors have been installed in more than 3,000 commercial vehicles in Moga district but these are non-functional in more than 90 per cent of the vehicles. A truck driver at the local truck and canter union revealed that the speed governors could be easily removed or tampered with. “We just need to show the speed governor to the MVI during the annual passing of the vehicle for its commercial use,” he said, adding that most of the commercial vehicle owners/drivers tamper with the speed governor by cutting its connection to the fuel pump rendering it non-functional. The reduced supply of fuel to the fuel pump limits the speed of the vehicle but once the connection to the fuel pump is snapped, the vehicle can be run at a high speed as per the capacity of its engine. The officiating District Transport Officer (DTO) of Moga, Jaswant Singh Dhillon, claimed that the MVI does not pass any commercial vehicle that was not equipped with a speed governor. When asked whether the transport department cross-checks whether the device was functioning after few days of its installation, the DTO said there was no such provision. But in routine ‘nakas’, a DTO normally checks commercial vehicles and issues challan if the speed governor was not functional, he added. However, the official could not give the details of the number of ‘challans’ issued or the quantum of penalty imposed for the violation during the past few months. Repeated attempts to contact the MVI, Malkit Singh Randhawa, on his mobile phone for an official version proved futile. It may be mentioned that the crash between a canter and a truck on the Moga-Ferozepur national highway on May 7, which claimed 18 lives, also exposed that the speed governors were not functioning in both the vehicles, which might have led to the tragedy. Speed governors Installed in commercial vehicles to check over-speeding. Reduces the supply of fuel to the fuel pump which in turn limits the speed of the vehicle. Mandatory to obtain a certificate from the Motor Vehicle Inspector for its commercial use. Can be easily removed or tampered with rendering it non-functional, admits a truck driver.
	Bathinda health authorities initiate steps for ‘smoke-free’ district status Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service Bathinda, May 16 By way of implementing the provisions of the Tobacco Control Act, 2003 and the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008, the district health authorities have initiated proceedings to declare Bathinda as ‘smoke free’ district in the near future. It may be mentioned here that Mohali district has been declared the first ‘smoke free’ district in the state while the process to declare Mansa as the second such district is on. Notably, a campaign has been launched by the Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, to declare Punjab a ‘smoke free’ state. Talking to TNS here, the district nodal officer for the Tobacco Control Programme, Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa, said as part of the initiation of proceedings to get the ‘smoke free’ status for Bathinda district, they had sent letters to various government departments to display the awareness boards at public places mentioning the provisions of the Sections 4 and 6 of the Tobacco Control Act. The Sections say the authorities concerned will display boards at public places carrying slogans ‘No smoking zone’ and ‘Cigarette smoking here is an offence’. Besides, the educational institutes will display boards like ‘Within the radius of 100 meters of this institute, smoking or use of tobacco is a national offence. Violators can be fined up to Rs 200’. The vendors of tobacco products will display boards at their shops, kiosks and rehris etc ‘Selling tobacco products to a person below 18 years of age is an offence’. Dr Randhawa said as per the information, the government and non-government health institutions would install 250 display boards on their premises in the district while the police department would install 200 display boards at its offices and police stations. Such display boards would also be installed at government and non-government educational institutions, dhabas, restaurants and hotels, government and non-government offices, banks, Panchayat ghars, Janj ghars and Anganwari centres. Besides, display boards would also be installed at bus stands, railway stations, public utility services, cinema halls, auditoriums and marriage palaces, he added. Dr Randhawa said other measures being taken in this direction included issuance of challans to violators of the Tobacco Control Act and strict enforcement of the provisions of the Act.
	Ghuggi for reopening of Hussainiwala border for trade Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, May 16 Noted comedian and actor Gurpreet Ghuggi has joined the chorus demanding the reopening of the Hussainiwala-Kasur border which was closed in the aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Ghuggi who along with his colleague, film producer and actor Arshad Dally Khan visited the Indo-Pakistan Joint Check Post ( JCP) at Hussainiwala here, said the time has come for both the Indian and Pakistani governments to make concerted efforts to reopen this border for trade and transit which will benefit lakhs of people on both sides of the fence. “My father was born in Pakistan in village Kulla Mandiala while falls under the Norowal tehsil in Sialkot,” said Ghuggi, whose grandfather Zaildaar Gehna Singh Wariach was a prominent person of the area. Ghuggi said he along with his parents would love to cross over to the other side of the Radcliff line from Hussaniwala to visit his ancestral place in Pakistan once this border was reopened. Later, Ghuggi visited the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala where he paid respects at the “Samadhi” of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Ghuggi, who was emotionally charged, during his visit to the martyr’s memorial, said, “I wonder why I did not visit this sacred place earlier. It symbolizes the sacrifice of the great sons of the soil who embraced the gallows for the sake of our freedom.” About his forthcoming films, Ghuggi said he was working in three Punjabi films titled, “Aaaj de Ranjhe”, “ Carry on Jatta!” and “ Yamle Jatt Yamle” besides a few Hindi flicks like “ Joker” and “ Hole hole ho jayega pyaar”.
	Surprise checking in Faridkot finds 42 employees absent from duty Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, May 16 In yet another surprise checking of various government offices in the district today, the Deputy Commissioner found 42 employees absent from their respective duties. The checking was conducted in the offices of the ADC, Faridkot, the Deputy Registrar (Cooperative Societies), the District Transport Office and the district education offices. Most of those found absent were employed at the office of ADC, Faridkot, followed by the education and transport offices. It is not the first time when government employees have been found absent in this district. On an average, about 100 government offices in different towns and villages are checked every month with surprise visits by five senior officials, including deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioner and SDMs. The exercise of conducting inspections to check absenteeism in government offices and schools was started last year when the state was in the election mode and the SAD-BJP government wanted to project an improved working condition in the government offices. Over the period, many employees have been found absent from their duties and there is a routine practice of issuing show-cause notices to explain their absenteeism. In their reply, most of the ‘errant’ employees offer many excuses. Thus, no punitive or departmental action had been taken against them. “The motive of these inspections is to create a fear among the erring officials and to discipline them with their presence in offices during duty hours. With surprise checkings, the situation has improved a lot,” said Faridkot DC Ravi Bhagat. “But as there are some recalcitrant absentees, we are now going to take strict departmental action against them and financial penalty is not ruled out,” said Ravi Bhagat. Due to the absence of employees in offices, visitors find themselves at the receiving end. They have to wait for a long time and make several rounds to the office even for a routine work, said the DC. Absence of the dealing person on his seat was one of the main reasons for the delay in delivery of a government service and “our aim is to control this absenteeism”, Ravi Bhagat said.
	Veterinary doc asked to explain his absence Tribune News Service Muktsar, May 16 During a surprise checking, the Deputy Commissioner found a veterinary doctor absent from duty and the dispensary lying closed at Lubanianwali village here. The erring official has been served with a show-cause notice. Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh conducted surprise checkings at government offices, schools, anganwari centres, health centres and veterinary dispensaries in villages. While inspecting the government schools, he directed the staff to ensure maximum presence of students. He also inspected the mid-day meal being provided to the students and said any kind of laxity in performing duties would not be tolerated.
	Rights cell seeks Shatabdi Express from Bathinda Tribune News Service Bathinda, May 16 Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Revenue) Amarjit Singh Sahi today said a memorandum would be handed over to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh soon for running Bathinda-Delhi Shatabdi Express for the overall development of the Malwa region, upgradation of Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala on the pattern of the PGI, Chandigarh, and revival of the Flying Club, Patiala. He was here today in connection with the signature campaign, launched by the Human Rights Cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab, in the Malwa-belt for the fulfillment of the above demands. The campaign will reportedly continue for some more days and later the memorandum will be sent to the Prime Minister. Sahi said the BJP would demand running of the Bathinda-Delhi Shatabdi Express (via Patiala and Rajpura) from the Centre so that people, especially the traders, could get benefit from this train to go Delhi and come from there in connection with business activities. He also asked the Centre to up-grade the Government Rajindra Hospital for developing it as a cancer investigation centre. Sahi said the officials of the revenue department had been warned against corrupt practices in the department. He said if any body was found indulging in corrupt practice, he would not be spared.
	Youth falls off moving train, survives Tribune News Service Bathinda, May 16 A youngster fell off the Jammu Tawi Express on Tuesday evening near the Bathinda railway station. When the train reached under the railway overbridge at Paras Ram Nagar, a youngster suddenly fell off the train. The volunteers of Sahara Welfare Society rushed to the spot and took the injured to the Civil Hospital. Sahara volunteers said the injured was drunk and unconscious. The volunteers called up some phone numbers from his mobile phone book to inform his family members and ascertain his identity, but the recipients of the call said they were not related to the youngster. The youth gained consciousness and said his name was Parminder and he belonged to Moga. He had come to Phulokhari looking for job at the refinery, but could not reach there as he was drunk.