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Repairing power supply line, youth loses arm
Paragliding in plains: Sport awaits govt support
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Staff crunch stares at homeopathic dept
‘SAD youth leader’ booked under Arms Act
Lewd liquor hoardings go unchecked
Increase in frequency of AC superfast train sought
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Repairing power supply line, youth loses arm
Faridkot, June 25 Accusing the Powercom officials of negligence and demanding compensation for the victim, the protesting residents of Golewala village blocked the Faridkot-Ferozepur road for seven hours by pitching a tent in the middle of the road. The protesters alleged that when Harinder Singh (20), son of a school van driver, was rectifying a fault on the Siaian Wala-Golewala power supply line, the 'negligent' Powercom officials restored the power supply to the line, which resulted in the youth receiving a severe electric shock. He was shifted to a hospital in Amritsar where his right arm was amputated below the elbow, said Binder Singh, a member of Bhartiya Kisan Union. Claiming that the victim was working on daily wages with the Powercom officials in the area, the residents demanded that the Powercom compensates the poor youth. But the Powercom officials said the department had nothing to do with the accident and the youth's act of rectifying an electric fault without obtaining permission from the department was illegal. The residents, however, claimed that the victim was working with the permission of the junior engineer concerned but once the accident occurred, the Powercom officials dissociated themselves from the incident. On the contrary, the Powercom officials made a complaint against the youth for tampering with the power supply line. Mohinderpal Singh Brar, superintendent engineer, Powercom, Faridkot, said the victim was not working with the Powercom. "The power supply line is feeding 13 villages. Our men were working somewhere else and the victim on his own, without any information to our men, starting interfering with the high-voltage power supply line. Unaware about it, when the Powercom employees finished their work and restored the supply, the youth received the shock," he said. |
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Paragliding in plains: Sport awaits govt support
Muktsar, June 25 Jagjit Singh Mann, district coordinator of the Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK), Bathinda, has the credit of bringing the adventure sport to the plains by inventing a tow winch machine, which he used with a tractor and started paragliding. He held a number of camps at nearly 50 acres of waterlogged infertile land in Charewan village near here on the Kotkapura road. "When I returned after my training at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, people thought I was joking as paragliding was impossible in the plains. We made it possible. But the government has not lent a helping hand. My proposal for some land and equipment to start a flying academy has not been accepted so far," said Mann. "I have trained a number of people in the adventure camps held under the banner of Mohimbaz Institute. It was free of cost but some were sponsored by the NYK. But now, it is no longer possible for me to impart training without the government's assistance as I have already spent a huge amount," Mann said. Having twice participated in the pre-World Cup of paragliding, Jagjit said the sport was his passion. However, he lamented that it has become an easy method to earn money, as people like showering of petals on weddings or other ceremonies. The adventure sport can be used for other promotional events, he added. According to Mann, those who are stressed or depressed, should try the sport. "It relaxes the mind, as flying in the air is a soothing experience," claimed Jagjit. Recalling the help provided to him by the politicians or government departments, he said, "The district police gave us a tractor and former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar gave us Rs 1.5 lakh when we started. After that, everything we bought was with our own money as the government did not offer us any support. Now, we have requested Balwinder Singh Bhundar, MP, and even submitted a project to the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for approval." Mann said that as per the state government's laws, there is no need for any permission for paragliding, parasailing and paramotoring, except for some restrictions of flying at a height of not more 100 meters and not flying near the airport.
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Staff crunch stares at homeopathic dept
Muktsar, June 25 As per the norms, 805 dispensaries are required at the PHC level, but there are only 302 dispensaries (111 regular and 191 under NRHM) across the state. A perusal of the statistics procured from the department revealed that at present, each dispensary was covering a population of approximate 80,000. However, as per the norms it should be 30,000. Further, the department is facing staff crunch. Nearly 31 homeopathic medical officers and 16 dispensers are required. Homeopathy is usually considered as the best system of healing without side effects and provides cheap medicine as compared to any other system of medicine. Even the department provides free consultation for all, free medicines and treatment for BPL families. The statistics further revealed that the dispensaries were providing primary health care to about 30 lakh patients across the state per year. Dr Ramesh Kumar Sharda, joint director, Homeopathic Department of Punjab, said, “The matter is in the knowledge of higher-ups. More dispensaries are required in all the districts to fulfill the IPHS norms, but these are yet to be approved.” |
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‘SAD youth leader’ booked under Arms Act
Abohar, June 25 As per information available, Sriganganagar police teams, led by IPS probationer Gagandeep Singla, cordoned off a hotel on the Sriganganagar-Hanumangarh road to check the sale of whisky without valid licence. As many as 27 persons were rounded up. During frisking, the police recovered a pistol, .12 bore double barrel rifle, an air gun and live cartridges from Jagjit Singh of Panjawa village (Lambi-Muktsar), Amandeep Singh of Danewala Satkosi village (Abohar) and Hardeep Singh of Lambi segment. One of them reportedly produced a visiting card claiming that he was the vice-president of the Youth SAD in Punjab Chief Minister's home turf and that his wife serves as the in-charge of a women police station in Malwa region. They tried to convince the raiding officials speak to some Punjab VIPs on cell phone but the officials refused to talk, witnesses said. The suspects could not produce arms licences against the fire arms, carrying of which was not allowed in the state without a valid permission. Others booked by the police were identified as Rajinder Arora, Prateeek Arora of Kerian village (Fazilka), Rakesh Jat, Umesh Sindhi, Prem Kumar, Narinder Jat, Bhupesh Aggarwal, Monu, Shyam Sunder Khatri, Baljit Singh, Irshad, Ranveer, Sukhpal Singh, Ram Bilas Yadav, Dharminder Yadav, Vikas Meghwal, Kaushal Arora, Manoj Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Ram Swarup and Ankur Aggarwal. The hotel owner Kapil Nagpal has also been arrested. The police also seized alcoholic material during the raid. |
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Lewd liquor hoardings go unchecked
Moga, June 25 Two huge hoardings of a female model in an advertisement with a caption 'I am as hot as ice' have been set up in the main square of the town, on the Ferozepur road side. The model is shown publicising the 'ice' brand of vodka, an Indian made foreign liquor. The president of the Punjab Mahila Congress and a former minister, Dr Malti Thapar, demanded from the state government to immediately remove the posters of woman models from liquor shops and roadsides. She also sought a legal action against the liquor companies/contractors putting such posters on display. The positioning of these hoardings on highways and busy markets is not only objectification but could also lead to accidents. Dwarka Bansal, chairman, Moga Senior Citizens' Council, is of the view that such hoardings were deliberately set up outside the liquor shops on the highway and at busy points within the municipal limits so as to catch the attention of the passers-by. "Even if the poster/hoarding is not obscene, it is clearly a covert objectification of women," said Jagtar Singh, another local resident. It may be mentioned that the advertisement of liquor and tobacco brands by male and female models in any form is totally banned in the country and invites legal action. |
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Inauguration of Abohar-Fazilka rail link
Abohar, June 25 The GRP men frisked passengers and their luggage causing a near panic-like situation at the railway station. Meanwhile, a meeting presided over by DSP Surjit Singh Khosa and attended by GRP officials from Fazilka, Malout and Jalalabad segments decided to check thefts in passenger trains. Most of them observed that minor boys, who travel under the pretext of polishing shoes or dusting coaches, decamp with luggage stacked under the berths and they should be debarred as their activities violate the Child Labour Prevention Act also. The meeting viewed with concern recent cases that led to deaths of passengers due to serving of intoxicants by miscreants who indulge in loot also. Immediately after the meeting, the GRP men distributed leaflets among the passengers to bring awareness against strangers. They advised the railway staff to check credentials of those who keep occupying benches on the railway platform or the waiting room after sunset even when they do not have to board any train. The cops indicated that checking of trains would also be taken up to ensure that commuters do not carry narcotics or other objectionable substances. |
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Increase in frequency of AC superfast train sought
Abohar, June 25 Former MP and ex-president of the Pradesh Congress Committee, Virendra Kataria, who had flagged off the train on January 5, 2011, has apprised the Railway Board chairman, Vinay Mittal, and the Minister of State for Railways, KH Muniyappa, about the sentiments of the commuters. The NGOs said initially, there was no stoppage at Abohar, as the train could attract only 108 passengers against its capacity of 454 on the day Kataria flagged it off at Sriganganagar. The train provides a convenient overnight service by departing from Sarai Rohilla on every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. On the return trip, it departs on every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 10 pm from Sriganganagar. The train reaches Delhi Sarai Rohilla at 6.35 the next day. It has stoppages at Rohtak, Jind, Jakhal, Sangrur, Dhuri and Bathinda. After the railways allowed its stoppage at Abohar, the occupancy has jumped from 26 to 95 per cent. The NGOs have planned to request the state minister and the Railway Board Chairman when they possibly arrive here next month, to arrange another rake to run the AC express train daily, Madan Lal Bhalotia and Hanuman Dass Goyal, members of the Railway Users Consultative Committee said. |
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Inauguration
of Abohar-Fazilka rail link
