The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	8 kg heroin seized in Fazilka, 3 held 4 couriers were on bikes; one manages to flee Praful Chander Nagpal Fazilka, July 9 The Counter Intelligence wing of the Punjab Police, Jalandhar, along with the Fazilka police officials, today arrested three persons in possession of eight kg of heroin worth about Rs 40 crore in the international market, from the area falling under the Arniwala police station of Fazilka district. Those arrested have been identified as Baljinder Singh of Basti Ram village in Ferozepur district, Sarbjit Singh alias Sabha and Sahib Singh, both resident of Sursinghwala village falling under Bhikhiwind police station. However, their accomplice Kulwinder Singh alias Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Dabwala Kalan village of Fazilka sub-division, managed to flee. At a press conference held at the SSP office here today, Fazilka DSP Sukhdev Singh Brar, said inspector Sukhwinder Singh of the Counter Intelligence wing, Jalandhar, passed information to the Arniwala police that a consignment of heroin would be carried by the couriers from Dabwala Kalan village to Abohar. On the basis of the information, inspector Sukhwinder Singh and inspector Bachan Singh, the in-charge of the Arniwala police station, laid a naka on the Dabwala-Abohar road near Dhippanwali canal. Four persons riding two motorcycles were intercepted but on seeing the police party, one of them, identified as Kulwinder Singh, fled while the cops nabbed the remaining three. The police recovered eight packets of heroin (each packet weighing one kg) kept in bags of the motorcycles. Besides, four mobiles, two bikes, and Rs 4,115 in cash were recovered. The packets of heroin were marked ‘999’. The DSP said during the preliminary investigation, the accused revealed that they had got the consignment from a person of a border village, Mauzam in Fazilka sub-division, and they were to further deliver it to a person at Abohar. All the four accused have been booked under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act. “With the recovery of a huge consignment of heroin, the district police has achieved another big success within a span of two weeks. Earlier, a gang of 28 interstate burglars was busted and a huge quantity of ammunition and other stolen material was recovered,” said Fazilka SSP Gurinder Singh Dhillon.
	Cong MLA alleges canal water theft by SAD men Archit Watts Tribune News Service Muktsar, July 9 Local Congress MLA Karan Kaur Brar along with a number of farmers from Sangu Dhaun, Thandewala, Ruharianwali and Goniana villages today highlighted the issue of canal water theft allegedly being committed by some ruling Akalis. She also met the ADC, Baldev Singh, in this regard and demanded legal action against the alleged thieves. While showing some particular points to mediapersons from where she claimed that water was being stolen for the past few days, Brar said, “The farmers have even brought the matter to the notice of higher officials of the irrigation department and the district administration, but no action has been taken on their repeated complaints, as the thefts are being committed by some Akalis and their sarpanches.” A farmer, Jaswinder Pal Singh, said, “Big landlords, mostly Akalis, have laid their pipes in the minor and steal water. Due to this, water does not reach our paddy fields, which are resultantly turning dry. The department officials are not ready to address our plight.” Meanwhile, a JE of the irrigation department reached the spot, but did not reveal his identity. The MLA and farmers also took the official to task. “Most of the farmers have complained to me that the JE always remains drunk while on duty and he is drunk even today. That is why he failed to give any satisfactory reply,” said Brar. However, ADC Baldev Singh said, “I have asked the department’s officials to take immediate action in this regard.”
	Traders form new body in Abohar Our Correspondent Abohar, July 9 Feeling that the existing Beopar Mandals have not been able to check victimisation of traders, several organisations joined hands to form the All Traders Beopar Mandal at a meeting organised in Geeta Mandir here last night. Social activist Ashwani Kumar Jhunthra, advocate, was unanimously elected as the president of the body while Satpal Khariwal was nominated as the legal advisor. The Pesticides and Fertilizer Dealers Association president Suresh Satija, the Kiryana Association president Vijay Narula, the Automobiles Dealers Association president Trilochan Singh and the General Merchants Distributors Association president Ram Krishan Chuchra endorsed the decision on new body. Sharing their grievances, prominent traders said traders had been paying tax honestly but the taxation department officials in the state harassed them on flimsy grounds. Representatives of the traders had recently told the district police chief that the men in khaki posted at the inter-state barriers go beyond their powers by intercepting small vehicles driven by traders and indulge in frisking. The cops were actually assigned the task of checking unabated the flow of narcotics from the neighbouring states but they ask for bills against domestic goods carried by the vehicle owners, they alleged. The newly-formed traders’ body warned that the alleged victimisation and dictatorial functioning by the officials would be fought tooth and nail.
	Rail link: Abohar station gets electronic signal system Abohar, July 9 With two days left for the long-awaited visit of a team from the office of Commissioner Railway Safety to inspect the 42.11 km-long Abohar-Fazilka rail link, electronic signal control system linking the five new railway stations has been installed here. Vishwa Hindu Parishad district president Lila Dhar Sharma arrived here today to extend support to the stir launched by the “India Against Corruption”. He said making the Abohar-Fazilka rail link operational was of strategic importance since it would facilitate rail connectivity from Jaisalmer to Udhampur cantonment. VHP activists Sudesh Paruthi, Prem Balana, Surinder Jagga, Hans Raj Batra and Om Parkash Bagai observed fast on the 58th day of the agitation. — OC
	Army’s Amogh Div holds camp for ex-servicemen, war widows Our Correspondent Fazilka, June 9 The Indian Army organised a camp for ex-servicemen and Veer Naris (war widows) at the military station here. Over 80 ex-servicemen and war widows attended the one-day camp organised under the aegis of the Amogh Division. The station commander, Brigadier Rakesh Raina, VSM, inaugurated the camp. While addressing the gathering, Raina said ex-servicemen and widows were an important part of the armed forces’ families. He also honoured the war widows as a token of respect for their contribution to the Indian Army. Later, Major-General Jagbir Singh, GOC, Amogh Division, interacted with ex-servicemen and war widows and assured them of every possible help from the Indian Army. In the camp, a grievance cell was also set up to redress the pension-related and other complaints of the veterans. A medical check-up of the elders was also conducted. Army officials also highlighted the facilities available to the retired personnel.
	Civil defence dept reels under manpower shortage Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, July 9 Entrusted with the onerous task of discharging law and order duties besides guarding the strategically vital installations during the war time, the Home Guards and Civil Defence Department, Punjab, is today reeling under shortage of manpower and resources. In Ferozepur division alone, which shares international border with Pakistan, against a sanctioned strength of 343 officers, non-gazetted officers, ORs and volunteers, there are only 90 PHG (Punjab Home Guard) officials and volunteers posted here with most important positions lying vacant. The two posts of battalion commanders are vacant. Besides, out of four district commanders, only one officer is posted at Faridkot who looks after three other districts, including Bathinda, Muktsar and Mansa. Out of 25 sanctioned posts of company commander, 17 are vacant. Further, only 20 platoon commanders are available with the department against 73 posts. Almost all the posts of armourers and quarter master sergeants are vacant. Besides gazetted officers, there is a dire shortage of instructors, wireless operators, drivers, DRs (dak runners) and other support staff. Only one driver is posted here against the sanctioned strength of 26. When contacted, senior PHG officers at the headquarters admitted that the scenario was similar in all the divisions and at all other district headquarters. Sources in the PHG said there were only dozen odd officers posted in the field to look after the 12,000-strong force of PHG jawans in the state. An interaction with PHG jawans revealed that their service conditions were also a matter of concern. “Most of the times, we are assigned menial jobs like that of cook, domestic helpers rather than security duties,” rued one the of PHG jawan on the condition of anonymity. He said, “We work at par with other security forces, including the police, and perform similar duties, but our perks are much lower and service conditions are shoddier in contrast to our counterparts in other agencies.” The weapons provided to PHG jawans are also a matter of concern. Besides performing the law and order duties in various police stations, PHG volunteers are also supposed to look after the civil defence and disaster management in an hour of crisis. An officer lamented that within the next year, most of those officers currently posted in the field were also going to hang up their boots following their superannuation. After that, the scenario was likely to worsen unless the government takes immediate remedial steps.