Amritsar, May 21
As many as three members of the in-laws family of Kavita Mahajan, a resident of Katra Safaid, have been booked for harassing her for dowry. The accused include Saurav Gupta (husband), Varinder Gupta (father-in-law) and Neeraj Gupta (mother-in-law), all residents of Adsa Enclave, Trikta Nagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

Kavita alleged in her complaint that the accused thrashed her for bringing insufficient dowry. She alleged the accused asked her to bring Rs 5 lakh cash besides a big car as more dowry. Unable to fulfill their demands, she alleged the accused started beating her brutally.

She alleged her mother-in-law pushed her in the kitchen and switched on the LPG gas cylinder. She said it was after repeated pleadings and promise to fulfill their demand that they opened the door and let her go to her parents.

Harjinder Singh, SHO D-division police station, said the case was registered after the inquiry conducted by the woman police station in-charge. He said a case under Section 498-A and 406 IPC has been registered in this connection and raids will be conducted to arrest the accused named in the FIR.

The city police has registered two more cases of dowry and has booked seven persons. Paramjit Kaur, a resident of Uttam Avenue, alleged her in-laws family, threw her out of her house and beat her for more dowry, she alleged.

A case has been registered against including her husband Sanjiv Kumar, mother-in-law Sarla Devi, Shonki and Rani, all residents of Ludhiana.

In another case, the police has booked Vishal Bajaj, his father Ashok Bajaj, mother Kanchan Bajaj of Sewa Nagar for allegedly harassing Nitu for dowry. 

Amritsar, May 21
Unable to bear the alleged humiliation and harassment at the hands of her in-laws, Baljit Kaur, a resident of Fatahpur committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance today.

The Gate Hakima police has booked her husband Satpal Singh, mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law in this connection. She committed suicide at her residence.

She was married to Satpal about a year and half ago. Her first born could not survive for which she was constantly harassed by of her in-laws.

The police has registered a case under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code. No arrest has been made so far.

Amritsar, May 21
As many as nine private hospitals have been de-paneled by the health authorities on charges of fraud and financial irregularities. These hospitals were empanelled by the government to provide free of cost treatment to the BPL families under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (National Health Insurance Programme).

Out of these four hospitals appeared before the grievance committee pleading re-empanelling. The district health authorities, however, recommended the re-empanelling of only two hospitals. Warning has also been issued to the erring hospitals. The remaining hospitals will remain de-panelled.

Deputy Medical Commissioner-cum-Officiating Civil Surgeon Dr H S Ghai said the de-panelled hospitals include Life Line Hospital, Waryam Hospital, Sandhu Hospital, Sandhu Life Care hospital, Ranjit Hospital, Ohri Hospital, Arora Hospital and Sareen Hospital.

He said the investigations carried out by the insurance company associated with the RSBY scheme found many fraudulent cases following which it recommended that the hospitals be de-penalled. He said out of these the grievances committee has recommended re-empanelling of Ranjit Hospital and Sareen Hospital.

Meanwhile, the district health authorities bagged the first position in Punjab in implementing the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (National Health Insurance Programme) for 2011-2012. He said during the period, various government hospitals in the district provided treatment to 483 patients and claimed over Rs 22 lakh from the insurance company.

Dr Ghai said about 238 patients were treated in the Jallianwala Bagh Civil Hospital and remaining patients were treated in other government CHC and PHC falling in the district. He said in 2011-12, the health officials associated with the scheme made 14,800 smart cards.

Amritsar, May 21
The disparity in development in Ward number 13 is clearly visible. Few of the localities such as Vikas Vihar and Parkash Vihar are neglected in comparison to others.

Residents of these localities complain that streets were never paved for the past 15 years since people started living in the area.

Residents of the Parkash Vihar locality said even rickshaw pullers refuse to enter the streets.

A resident, said, “Few days ago, one of our neighbours needed to be hospitalised. However, no vehicle could enter these streets. Finally, few men had to carry the patient on their shoulders to the end of street.”

They complained that the level of the street is much lower than the level of the houses.

People constructed their homes thinking that the level of streets would be raised when sewerage pipes would be laid.

However, they are still are waiting for the sewerage system.

The ward has sewerage facility in certain parts. The same is the case with the drinking water facility. Residents rue that there is no check on the sale of illicit liquor.

They also said they have not been registered as voters despite applying for it many times.

“The procedure has been made cumbersome for common people. The councillors and politically connected people have no problem getting votes made for their supporters,” said a resident.

What are the major problems in your area?

The sewerage and water supply are the two biggest problems.

However, the project was inaugurated only a few days ago. The problem will be over soon. We have promised that the streets will be paved and we will fulfil the promise.

Few residents complain that they have not been registered as voters?

Only those who either do not have valid documents or those who have not pursued their case properly say so.

Getting registered as a voter is a legal right. People can come to me if they have any problem.

Amritsar, May 21
Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered a safety audit of all industrial units operating in the state, the Punjab Government has failed to take notice of the acute staff shortage in the Directorate of Factories, which conducts these safety checks.

The CM ordered the safety audit in the wake of the factory building collapse in Jalandhar in April.

A wing of Labour department, Directorate of Factories carries out periodic safety audits of industries.

But against the sanctioned 12 posts of Deputy Director, six are lying vacant. Adding to that, 12 posts of Assistant Director are lying vacant.

Thus, it means that the Directorate has got only six officials in the field to carry out safety checks of about 17,000 units in the state.

Similarly, the staff crunch is acute at its headquarter at Chandigarh where all three sanctioned posts of Joint Director were lying vacant.

Amritsar, which has over 1,140 units, is under the additional charge of Deputy Director Mohali, which has around 1,000 units. The same official has been given the charge of Batala which has 700 units. Ludhiana has got only one regular Deputy Director to look after the safety of about 3,200 units. Jalandhar has a sanctioned strength of two Deputy Directors to look after 1,300 industrial units.

Further, the Directorate does not have a proper infrastructure. It does not have enough vehicles and even telephones. Besides, officials do not have their independent offices. They carry out their operations from labour offices.

Prabhjot Singh Mand, Director, Directorate of Factories, said his department has not received any instruction to carry out the safety audit of factories. He accepted that there is an acute shortage of staff and said the due process has been initiated with the state government to recruit more staff.

“I have also instructed the Additional Director to assess the need of actual number of field officers,” he said.

Amritsar, May 21
The Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) accepted the fee from two aspirants for the golden chance without cross checking their eligibility for the same.

Jaswinder Singh and Rakesh Kumar had submitted their fees last year to avail the golden chance to clear their supplementary examinations in March 2012. Both students, belonging to the economically weaker class, came to know of their non-eligibility for the examination after they were not issued roll numbers. Following which they visited the education office to find that they were ineligible to appear in the supplementary examinations yet the fee was charged from them.

Both of them had failed to clear their supplementary chances given twice a year in 2011. Hence, they were not eligible for the golden chance which was for the first batch of students of the semester examination held in September 2010.

They claimed that their repeated pleas to refund the hard earned money of their families fell on deaf ears and instead they were advised to go to the head office at Mohali. Rakesh, son of Prem Kumar, said he got compartments in mathematics and Hindi subjects in matriculation examination in 2010. He could not clear the two supplementary chances in March and September in 2011. He learnt about the golden chance. Assisting his father who is a vegetable vendor he took out Rs 3,100 with great difficulty to avail the chance.

Similarly, Jaswinder Singh, son of Harbans Singh, had deposited Rs 2,700 to clear the supplementary exam of a subject in Class XII examination for which he had appeared in 2010. He also lost both chances to clear the exam in 2011. Harbans said he fends for the family by driving a truck while his son Jaswinder is unemployed. He said it was impossible for them to travel to Mohali to demand their money back as it will require at least Rs 400 per head yet they were not certain.

PSEB officiating manager Bhupinderjit Kaur said it seems a mistake by the duty clerk. She said she will be more particular after going through their forms. If the folly was on the part of the Board then the fee of the students will be refunded, she added.