The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	PRTC buses flout ban on promoting gutka, pan masala Archit Watts Tribune News Service Malout/Muktsar, May 18 Despite the ban imposed by the High Court on using public transport for advertising gutka and pan masala, the illegal practice continues unabated. A number of buses owned by the state government under the PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) carry boards promoting the pouches of a particular brand of pan masala. Two such buses were seen at the Malout bus stand. When asked, one of the bus conductors said, “I am not aware if promotion of pan masala is legal or not. The board was installed on the bus before I started working on this route.” Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh held a meeting of health department officials to make the district tobacco free and issued orders that strict action should be taken against those found promoting or using such products at prohibited places. He also ordered to install sign boards and hoardings on all public buildings and other busy places across the district prohibiting the use of such products. Those attended the meeting included sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Dalvinderjit Singh, Civil Surgeon Gurdeep Singh Bullar, District Health Officer Sukhpal Singh and the general manager of the Punjab Roadways, Charanjit Singh Brar.
	18 villages in Abohar sub-division face potable water crisis Unpaid bills propel Powercom to snap power supply to waterworks Raj Sadosh Abohar, May 18 For the past four days, residents of 18 villages in Abohar and Balluana segments of this sub-division are facing drinking water crisis as the Powercom authorities have snapped the electricity supply to the rural waterworks there. CLP leader Sunil Jakhar represents Abohar in Punjab Vidhan Sabha while Gurtej Singh Ghuriana (SAD) was re-elected from the Balluana segment. The state government had transferred the control of the rural waterworks from the Public Health Department to respective village Panchayats some time back. It was the duty of the respective sarpanches to collect water charges from the consumers and pay the electricity bills thereafter besides maintaining the waterworks. However, political factionalism by and large prevented them from performing the duty, confessed some of the sarpanches, pleading anonymity. Powercom officials said they had approached the sarpanches of villages Kundal, Kandhwala Amarkot, Kikkar Khera, Killianwali, Karampatti, Dharampura, Khatwan, Muradwala, Ratta Tibba, Dodewala, Dharangwala, Sayeedwala and Mohlan thrice to get the bills worth `49.33 lakh paid but all of them denied having funds in hands. Hence, they had to obey the orders of the Powercom, Patiala headquarters, to snap the supply without any further notice. The officials, however, were evasive when asked what steps had been taken to realise the dues of `3.25 crore from the Abohar Municipal Council and other state government offices in Abohar. Anju Bala and Suman Rani of Sayeedwala village said they had to go six feet deep in a small water tank at their village to fetch water. Village sarpanch Maya Devi said the dues were not paid by previous panchayat. She had taken over only few months ago and was yet to understand the working of the panchayat. As mercury soared to 41 degrees Celsius, most of the families preferred to purchase water from rickshaw pullers as ROs (reverse osmosis system) installed by the state government were also not functioning properly. “We have to pay `25 for a 15-litre packing that was earlier available for merely `5,” said Bimla Devi, a house wife. “We look forward to the MLA of the ruling party to overcome the crisis by getting special grants sanctioned,” Vikram of Kandhwala village said.
	Red Cross rehab centre survives closure threat Bathinda refinery provides financial aid to the centre Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service Bathinda, May 18 Following the stoppage of annual grant (worth `5 lakh) to the Red Cross Drug De-addiction Centre situated at the Civil Hospital here by the Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies (SOSVA), North, Chandigarh, from April 1, the centre was virtually on the verge of closure till yesterday. But with the officials of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, Phulo Khari (Bathinda), providing financial assistance of `1,01,666 to the centre, the crisis has come to an end. The refinery authorities have promised a total grant of `5 lakh for the current financial year to run the drug de-addiction centre in a smooth manner. The remaining amount of `4 lakh will reportedly be released to the centre soon. According to official information, following the stoppage of grant to the centre by the SOSVA for the year 2012-13, the Deputy Commissioner-cum-president of the District Red Cross Society, Kamal Kishore Yadav, had approached the authorities of the Bathinda refinery for issuing a grant of `5 lakh to run the centre smoothly. Acting upon it, the refinery authorities gave their assent, decided to adopt the drug de-addiction centre, and presented two cheques worth `1,01,666 to the Deputy Commissioner at his office here so that the services to reform the drug addicts at the centre could be continued. However, the refinery authorities have also assured the Deputy Commissioner that the remaining amount of `4 lakh will be released soon. On the occasion, the DC thanked the refinery officials Rajiv Parmar and Ravi Yadav for doing the needful to run the centre smoothly. It may be mentioned here that this de-addiction centre was receiving the grant from the SOSVA since its establishment in October 2002. With that grant, this 25-bed drug de-addiction centre was serving the drug addicts for the past 10 years by treating them and motivating them not to take drugs for living a smooth life. The centre needs grant, worth `5 lakh per year for paying the salaries of staff members, including a project coordinator and two staff nurses, and to purchase the medicines for patients, organisation of awareness camps, stationery for the centre, and distribution of literature deploring use of drugs.
	Fazilka police calls back guards on VIP security Praful Chander Nagpal Fazilka, May 18 Following the state government’s decision to withdraw excess security cover to the VVIPs, the district police administration withdrew a dozen security guards attached with VIPs and ‘blue-eyed’ associates of senior politicians in the last two days. Surprisingly, Haryana’s former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala’s MP son Abhay Singh Chautala is among the ones whose security has been pruned. It is learnt that the Haryana leader was allotted a gunman on the verbal orders of the Punjab Police but the gunman was reportedly deployed with one of his relatives, a former president of the Indian National Lok Dal’s Punjab unit, Chaudhary Aad Lal, who hails from Fazilka district and had unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections. A security guard each of former commissioner of the Ferozepur division R Venkataratnam, the first SSP of Fazilka district RK Sharda, former MLA from Ferozepur cantonment Ravinder Singh Sandhu “Babbal”, former MLA from Jalalabad Comrade Mehtab Singh, SAD municipal councillor from Fazilka Satinder Singh Savi Kathpal and Fazilka MLA and Cabinet Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani’s close aide Ramesh Kataria, and two security personnel each of former president of the Jalalabad Municipal Council Prem Valecha, who is also the chairman of the District Planning Board, Fazilka, and a Congress leader of Jalalabad area JS Sandhu have been withdrawn. “Only those gunmen have been withdrawn which were deployed on verbal orders. The leaders and VIPs who were allotted the gunmen on written orders will work as usual. The withdrawn personnel will be deployed on other important duties,” said Fazilka SSP Gurinder Singh Dhillon.
	Man shoots father to death Moga, May 18 A 60-year-old man was allegedly killed by his elder son at their residence in Landeke village on the outskirts of Moga town this afternoon. Family discord was reportedly the reason behind the murder. The police reached the spot immediately on getting the information and took the body into its possession. The body was brought to the district hospital for conducting the post-mortem examination. The DSP of Dharamkot sub-division, Gurmail Singh, said the deceased had been identified as Gurdeep Singh, son of Gurlabh Singh. He was shot at twice with a .12 bore licensed gun. Although Harjinder Singh, the younger son of the deceased, claimed that his father had committed suicide the police believes he was murdered as it was next to impossible for anybody to shoot oneself twice and that too, from behind. SSP Surjit Singh Grewal said circumstantial evidences lead to the murder theory, which had been committed by the elder son, Jatinder Singh, who has been detained for questioning. Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased was having strained relations with his wife and both the sons. While his wife and both the sons lived on the ground floor of the house, he lived separately on the first floor. Jatinder was allegedly upset over frequent quarrels with his father. In the evening, the police had registered a criminal case of murder against Jatinder at the Mehna police station and recovered the weapon used in the crime, the SSP confirmed. — TNS