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Poor cargo facility keeps Indo-Pak trade on slow lane
Former Speaker’s son made Acting Dist Health Officer against norms
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Record yield, yet price of wheat flour zooms
Punjab delays bills worth Rs
1,600 cr
Manpreet’s PPP fast disintegrating
Bir Devinder quits PPP posts
Sorry State of higher education
Govt plans to plant trees on vacant rly land
Ashwani: BJP against taxing common man
Lawyers to hold protests across state tomorrow
Adarsh School teachers elect new committee
Late rains can’t undo damage, say experts
Hospital workers harass parents of newborns
Prisoner escapes, two jail officials suspended
Sanction posts of math teacher
Sirhind canal getting polluted
Waste management plant hangs fire
Punjab to provide infrastructure to probe panel
Ensure drinking water in
Lalru: HC
Man held for killing daughter
School kids arrested with stolen bikes
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Poor cargo facility keeps Indo-Pak trade on slow lane
A visit to the rail cargo facility at Amritsar railway station found that Indian traders have no option but to keep imported goods, including cement and other non-perishable goods, in a couple of sheds after unloading them from the wagons. There sheds were open from all sides with no boundary walls in place. Apart from this, there were huge potholes in the passage between these sheds, thus making it difficult for the vehicles, meant for lifting goods, to either tread or park properly in the area. All-India Cement Importers Association chief MPS Chatha said, “There are no proper godowns for storage of goods and we suffer losses of up to 25 to 30 per cent whenever it rains as the sheds are open to vagaries of weather.” He said the existing sheds were not even sufficient for storage. “At times, cement has to be unloaded on the platform, which too is half-covered,” he said. Chatha said though there were a couple of covered godowns for perishable goods, no such facility existed for non-perishable items. “We have taken up the matter with the authorities concerned on several occasions, but to no avail.” Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce vice-president Rajdeep Uppal said the cargo facility at the local railway station needed a complete overhaul from trading as well as security point of view. “The cargo area should not be open to all. Besides, there should be a proper warehousing facility that is accessible by proper roads,” he said. Uppal said though there were three covered godowns for items like spices and dry dates, apart from open sheds, there still was a lot of scope for improvement. A few days ago, Amritsar Member of Parliament (MP) Navjot Sidhu along with Divisional Railway Manager NC Goel and local traders visited the cargo facility and pointed out the inadequacies. Besides lack of infrastructure, the traders complained of leakage in the existing sheds. The visit came after Indian importers stopped cement import from Pakistan in view of heroin seizure in rail cargo arriving from the neighbouring nation. The cement import had still not been resumed as traders have been demanding measures like ultramodern scanners and sniffer dog squads, besides proper basic infrastructure. Apart from lack of infrastructure on the Indian side, there were inadequacies on the part of Pakistan as well. The traders say the rail wagons of Pakistani trains were in a bad shape and importing goods in them in rainy reason was always a risky proposition. “Pakistani rail wagons need to be covered properly with tarpaulin sheets to ensure safety of goods,” they said. Both the countries should initiate urgent measures to boost the bilateral trade through the rail route, they say. Goel said Sidhu had promised them funds from the MP Local Area development fund and they had prepared a proposal for improving infrastructure at the cargo facility, which they will soon be submitting before him. He said they had already plugged the leakage in sheds, besides taking care of cleanliness in the area. Major hurdles
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Former Speaker’s son made Acting Dist Health Officer against norms
Amritsar, August 21 Only a Senior Medical Officer is eligible for the post, said insiders. However, Dr Kahlon is a Medical Officer (MO). In a sheer display of power, Dr Kahlon came to take charge of his office escorted by two pilot vehicles. A number of lower-rung officials and local leaders accompanied him to the office. At least six armed gunmen were seen guarding his office, much to the harassment of the public and annoyance of those working at the Civil Surgeon’s office. The Civil Surgeon, to whom Dr Kahlon would have to report, does not have any gunman. When contacted, Dr Kahlon claimed that he was a Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and not a Medical Officer (MO). “Moreover, I have only been given the charge, not the post. I will do my duty with responsibility and sincerity,” he said. Dr Kahlon’s transfer orders dated August 14 clearly refer to him as “Medical Officer posted with the 9th Battalion, Police Civil Lines”. Even the list of transfers on the department website mentions him as Medical Officer. Former Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla said: “Kahlon saab (former Speaker) had asked me to promote his son to the post of DHO. He had particularly desired that his son be posted at Amritsar.” She said she had turned down the request as Dr Kahlon was “too junior” for the post. “If he is not a Senior Medical Officer, then it is wrong to post him. Power Play Kahlon saab (former Speaker) had asked me to promote his son to the post of DHO. He had particularly desired that his son be posted at Amritsar. But I turned down the request as
Dr Kahlon was too junior for the post
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Record yield, yet price of wheat flour zooms
Chandigarh, August 21 As a result, many breadmakers and biscuit manufacturers are thinking of either increasing the prices of their products or reducing the quantity of goods (for the same price). There is an escalation in the prices of flour because millers are neither getting sufficient wheat through the open market sale scheme, nor from the market. Hence, they are forced to shell out more to buy wheat from any source available to them. Naresh Ghai, president, Punjab Roller Flour Mills Association, said the government was not releasing enough wheat stocks under the open market sale scheme. “Only one lakh metric tonnes was released for sale to flour millers in Punjab between July and September. However, all the stock was picked up at the first auction. Now no additional wheat will be released till October. This means that we have to buy from the open market - mainly from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. “However, most private traders have picked up wheat from these two states and stocked it for exports. As a result, we have to pay a high price to buy wheat from private traders,” he said. He said despite the government procuring 386 lakh metric tonnes of wheat this year (129 lakh metric tonnes from Punjab alone), and having a buffer stock of 180 lakh metric tonnes, the flour mills were facing a shortage. “We have urged the state government to take up this issue with the Centre and ensure that at least one lakh metric tonnes of wheat per month is released for Punjab,” he said. The flour millers in Haryana are in a similar predicament. CP Gupta, president, Haryana Flour Mills Association, said the government had released just 70,000 tonnes of wheat for the state for between July and September. “While 35,000 tonnes has already been exhausted, we fear the remaining stock will be bought by private traders once auction under the open market sale scheme is announced. Also, the new auction will be held at higher rates further escalating the price of flour,” he said.
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Punjab delays bills worth Rs
1,600 cr
Chandigarh, August 21 The government is required to pay Rs 375 crore every month to the PSPCL. Sources said the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) that supplies power to the PSPCL had now started directly approaching the government to clear the latter's dues. Owing to a mismatch in revenue and expenditure, the authorities concerned have told the state treasury to give priority to salary of employees, pension of retired persons, payments under the shagun scheme, old-age pension and payments under some other welfare schemes. The treasury has verbal orders to delay payments against all other bills, including those related to development projects. Sources said officials concerned held a meeting with Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa this afternoon to inform him about the current fiscal situation. The government has already borrowed Rs 4,500 crore from various sources in the Centre till August 15 against the limit of Rs 13,000 crore for the current fiscal year. "We had set a target for taking this much loan by September 15. However, owing to fiscal crisis, we have to take it in advance," said a senior official. In fact, the government had asked for more money, but the Union Finance Ministry did not clear it. On the other hand, traders have warned the government of state-wide protests in case their refunds related to VAT were not cleared by the end of this month. The sources said VAT refunds worth Rs 131 crore were pending. "The government has been delaying the refunds on one pretext or the other," said a senior trade leader. "After filing the return, it takes at least six to eight months to get refund, which affects our business adversely," said Gursharan Singh, an industrialist from Jalandhar. Chairman of Small Industries Development Board Inderjit Singh Pardhan said a meeting of the board would be held on August 26 and 27 to discuss various issues, including VAT refund. "We have also invited Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to the meeting," he said. Grim scenario
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Manpreet’s PPP fast disintegrating
Chandigarh, August 21 Doubts are being expressed about Manpreet’s leadership qualities and his ability to keep his flock together with his former colleagues and friends lashing out at him. Manpreet suffered a setback last week when the PPP’s Fatehgarh Sahib candidate Didar Singh Bhatti opted to return to the SAD. Now, former MLA Bir Devinder Singh has quit his post in the party, calling Manpreet “individualistic and autocratic”. There are rumblings in Manpreet’s inner circles with PPP founder and ideologue Dr Sardara Singh Johl posting his views on the Facebook titled “Unsolicited Suggestions to PPP”. The postings were brought to light by Bir Devinder. Johl, when contacted, said the party did not have any organisational structure. He said the party office should be more accessible to party workers. Asked as to why Manpreet’s colleagues were leaving him, he said: “May be he is not involving them. People who are not involved in a party, leave the party”. Asked whether the PPP was disintegrating, he said: “I am still watching the situation”. Manpreet’s former aide Charanjit Brar, now adviser to Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, said Manpreet hads lost credibility because he did not follow the agenda set by him. He claimed leaders were deserting Manpreet because he neither trusted them, nor took their advice to run the party. The PPP chief, when approached, said there was no question of the PPP disintegrating. He said the Sanjha Morcha was formed in September last year on the basis of a common minimum programme. “We are still passionate about it”. Only “professional politicians” have left the PPP, he added. However, sources maintained that after Manpreet walked out of the SAD in October 2010, he was unable to attract political leaders other than the Akalis to the PPP. And this was the reason for his downfall. His steadfast supporters Jagbir Singh Brar and Kushaldeep Dhillon were won over by the Congress in the runup to the assembly elections, stemming the flow of other Congress leaders to the PPP. Dissident Congress men chose to contest as Independents rather than joining the PPP. Significantly, only six candidates, besides Manpreet, secured more than 20,000 votes in the assembly elections. Except for comedian Bhagwant Mann, all of them, including Didar Singh Bhatti from Fatehgarh Sahib (who has rejoined the SAD), Gurpreet Bhatti from Khanna, Ranjit Kaur from Buddhlada, Ajit Singh Chanduraiyan from Amargarh and Amardeep Brar from Ropar, have an Akali background. A few of these leaders could return to the SAD in which case Manpreet would be under pressure to join the Congress. Sources said the Congress is not averse to an electoral tie-up with the PPP and the Left parties. Under this tie-up the Bathinda parliamentary seat could be left for the PPP with Manpreet taking on the Badals once again by contesting against Harsimrat Badal. This could mean a consolidation of political forces against the SAD-BJP alliance which could well be Manpreet’s last chance to get the better of the SAD, the party he wanted to eclipse.
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Bir Devinder quits PPP posts
Chandigarh, August 21 Bir Devinder said he would quit the party only after consulting his senior colleagues. “I have only replied to Manpreet’s statement in the media that I have a shelf life of only six months in any party I join. Manpreet seems to have forgotten that I was in the Congress for 38 years”. He advised the PPP chief to undertake introspection rather than spitting venom at his senior colleagues and finding fault with them. Bir Devinder claimed that he had joined the PPP at Manpreet’s insistence who had visited his residence along with former Faridkot legislator Kushaldeep Dhillon, who was a close family friend. He said he had also extended support to Manpreet’s six-point agenda announced at Darbar Sahab in Amritsar, which he had later “betrayed”. Bir Devinder said Manpreet had chosen to remain “safe” abroad during the militancy period.
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Sorry State of higher education
Chandigarh, August 21 The post of DPI (Director Public Instructions) (Colleges), supposed to be the senior-most teacher, lies vacant at present. Though there are two sanctioned posts of Deputy DPI, one lies unfilled. The only Deputy DPI present would also be retiring in next few months. Of the 46 government colleges in the state, 24 are functioning without a principal. In their absence, the top job is being performed by officiating principals, something that has led to a leadership crisis. Without a full-fledged authority, officiating principals often face problems in managing their subordinate staff. An officiating principal anonymity said: "The staff does obey our orders. There is no respite from the higher authorities either. There is a professor in my college with eight chargesheets pending against him, but no action has been taken." 880 posts vacant In all, state colleges have 1,873 sanctioned posts of teacher, but only 880 of them have been filled. Except for a batch of 88 teachers in 2007, no recruitments were made ever since the Punjab Public Service Commission's alleged teacher recruitment scam broke out in 1996. But these existing vacancies notwithstanding, the Shiromani Akali Dal had, in its poll manifesto, promised opening of new colleges. Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said, "Recruitment of teachers has been help up due to a pending case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. We expect a positive outcome in the case soon." Principal Secretary (Higher Education) G Vajralingam said the appointment of principals had been held up due to administrative reasons. "We will shortly be clearing 20 names through departmental promotions. The decision may be taken within a week." Getting paltry salary In the absence of regular teachers, colleges had been running the show by appointing guest faculty. The idea, however, had to be abandoned after a few such candidates moved the court seeking regularisation of their services. Now, colleges have been appointing part-time lecturers, who are paid Rs 7,000 a month. A fellow researcher at the Panjab University in Chandigarh, RPS Josh, said: "Employing University Grants Commission-qualified teachers at a paltry sum of Rs 7,000 will be a mockery with the hard work they had put in for clearing the test." Poor infrastructure A random survey of government colleges revealed that buildings at a number of places were in a dilapidated condition. A portion of the Government College at Karamsar was in a shambles and no classes were being held in that block. The block was constructed in 1975 by the Union Government to mark the 500th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Ever since, no funds were released for its renovation. Things were no better at Talwara, Tanda Urmar and Pojewal colleges. (With inputs by Manav Mander in
Ludhiana) BPL criteria
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Govt plans to plant trees on vacant rly land
Faridkot, August 21 Forest and Wildlife Protection Minister Surjit Kumar Jiyani said, “A proposal has already been sent to the Railway Ministry for a formal approval to grow trees on vacant land.” At present having 1,764 sq km area under forest cover (as per a recent Forest Survey of India report), Punjab has set the target of increasing the cover from the present 6.5 per cent to 10 per cent in the next two years, said Jiyani. To meet the target, the government has been planning to use vacant railway and panchayat land, the minister said. In view of the expansion of railway lines and tracks in the future, the Forest Department has planned certain amendments in the law pertaining to permission for axing of trees. "Now, a district forest officer can give permission to cut trees along railway tracks falling within his jurisdiction. The step has been taken so that railway expansion does not suffer." At present, the permission is given by the forest headquarters in Chandigarh. Indian Railways is the second largest land owner after the Ministry of Defence, owning 4.32 lakh hectares in the country. Of this, 44,894 hectares is vacant.
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Ashwani: BJP against taxing common man
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 21 "Though the BJP wants development in the state at a fast pace, it should not mean cutting the meagre resources of the common man with the imposition of fresh taxes. We are trying to find ways to generate resources without putting undue pressure on the people," said Ashwani Sharma, state BJP president, who was in the town today to take stock of an ongoing recruitment drive of the party. In reply to a query, he said they were keeping a close watch on the activities of the government and it would not allow it to impose heavy taxes on people in urban areas, besides traders and industrialists. Sharma claimed the BJP was no longer the party of urbanites and traders and it was fast emerging as the party of the entire Punjabi community. He said: "At present, there are six lakh members of the BJP in the state. We have set a target of 15 lakh members. We are hopeful to achieve the target by the end of the ongoing recruitment drive". He alleged since future of the Congress was "bleak" in the state, people in large numbers were preferring to join the BJP. He said there was a wave in favour of the BJP in Punjab as people consider it as a viable alternative to the Congress, he said. Latter, he addressed party workers at Mandi Gobindgarh and listen to grievances of local industrialists. He assured them that he would take up their demand regarding online billing with the Chief Minister. State BJP general secretary Manjit Singh Rai, district president SN Sharma, secretary Sashi Gupta and Sirhind unit president Harish Aggarwal were also present.
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Lawyers to hold protests across state tomorrow
Moga, August 21 The decision was taken by the five-member action committee constituted by bar associations to counter the proposal. Moga Bar Association president Sunil Garg, who is also on the panel, said the state-level protest would be held on the premises of Moga district courts. He said the presidents of various district bar associations would also hold a meeting the same day to decide their further course of action. “If the Punjab and Haryana High Court does not withdraw its decision to set up evening courts, the lawyers will intensify the protest. If required, we will also protest outside the office and residence of the Chief Justice to press for our demand,” he said. The lawyers said it was practically not feasible to enhance the timings of the court till 7 pm. “We have to write various applications, make arguments in cases and prepare documents for next day’s hearings. Putting extra workload on us will be suicidal,” Garg said. Litigants coming from far-off places to attend court hearings would also not be able to return to their homes after 7 pm due to poor transport system in rural and border areas, he said. A few other lawyers alleged that the Union Government had proposed to pay 25 per cent extra salary to judges for working in evening courts, but there was no such proposal of incentives for lawyers.
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Adarsh School teachers elect new committee
Moga, August 21 In a meeting held at Moga today, these teachers unanimously elected Nachattar Singh as president of the union. The office-bearers include Gitanjali (vice-president), Sharan Kaur (general secretary), Gurpreet Singh (finance secretary), Pritam Singh (propaganda secretary), Baldev Singh (joint secretary) and Atinderpal Singh (press secretary). The union alleged that the managements of Adarsh Schools were not paying the actual salaries as promised to them and were also allegedly threatening to terminate their services. They claimed they were not even given appointment letters. The union leaders said they would take legal action as per labour laws. 37 freedom fighters honoured Sangrur: Congress MLA from Dhuri and chairman of Umeed Foundation, Sangrur, Arvind Khanna honoured 37 freedom fighters, 150 Congress workers and their family members at a function held at the office of Umeed Foundation here last evening. They were honoured for their services provided to the country and the party. These freedom fighters and Congress workers were from Sangrur and Barnala districts.
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Late rains can’t undo damage, say experts
Ludhiana, August 21 In the months of June and July, the state (excluding four districts), received minus 60% to minus 99% rainfall. While in Gurdaspur, the rainfall was normal, Kapurthala, Patiala and Roopnagar recorded scanty rainfall (minus 20% to minus 59%). Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) experts say from June 1 to July 25, the rainfall deficit in Punjab varied between 22% and 93% with the situation most grim in Ferozepur and Moga districts. August has brought some relief to several parts of the state, including Ludhiana, that received almost normal rainfall in the first half of the month. Dr KK Gill, agro-meteorologist, PAU, said Ludhiana district had received 110 mm of rainfall this month so far (the normal was 180 mm). With 10 days to go, the district was expected to have a near-normal rainfall. In fact, the rainfall was expected to be near- normal in all of central Punjab, she said. But the weather forecast is of little comfort to the farmers. Dr MS Gill, Director, Extension Education, PAU, said it was a matter of concern that the farmers had to spend a hefty sum on diesel-powered pumps to draw water from underground reservoirs. However, all was not lost. A careful selection of crops coupled with the right cropping practices would work. “The farmers should sow maize in the second fortnight of August and vegetables like the cauliflower in mid-September for good returns,” he said.
Advice to Farmers The farmers should sow maize in the second fortnight of August and vegetables, such as the cauliflower, in mid-September for good returns
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Hospital workers harass parents of newborns
Patiala, August 21 Sources said many safai sewaks, ward attendants and nurses working in the labour room and nursery of the hospital were taking Rs 1,000 each from the parents of newborns. Despite warnings, the menace continues unabated. The practice has become so rampant that the patients have started opting for private nursing homes to avoid harassment, the sources said. Earlier, after repeated complaints, the hospital administration had asked the Deputy Medical Superintendent to conduct an inquiry in July. "During investigations, the act of some employees asking money from the parents of a newborn was captured on a video camera. Nine staff nurses and ward attendants were transferred. However, the orders remained only on paper,” said an employee. Documents available with The Tribune show that while four of these workers, Rekha Rani, Nanda, Dyavanti and Shelly, who were served the transfer orders on July 12, were shifted, but the remaining, Somvati, Urmila, Gurjit Kaur, Surinder Kaur and Shinder Kaur, who were issued orders on July 18, continue to serve in the labour room and nursery even after a month of their transfer orders. Medical Superintendent VS Sharda expressed ignorance over the issue. He said: "The transferred employees should not be working at their previous places and if this is so, we will take immediate action".
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Prisoner escapes, two jail officials suspended
Ropar, August 21 Deputy Jail Superintendent Rajiv Arora said Sukhwinder had been complaining of pain in the stomach since August 9. "He was admitted to the Civil Hospital, but was discharged on August 13. His condition again started deteriorating yesterday and he was taken to the hospital. Jail warders Baldev and Inderjeet accompanied him," he said. "Baldev called me at 2 am and informed that Sukhwinder had fled the hospital," Arora said, adding both the warders had been suspended and a case had been registered against them. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Detective) Satnam Singh, who visited the spot, said during preliminary investigations, the warders told him that at 2 am Sukhwinder intended to go to the washroom. As soon as his handcuffs were unlocked, he slapped Baldev and pushed him before fleeing, the DSP said.
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Sanction posts of math teacher
Patiala, August 21 Association president Gurbachan Singh Libra said the department had sanctioned the posts of drawing and PT teachers recently, but post of math teacher was sanctioned even as there were 24 periods of the subject which was being taught by BSc (Medical) teachers in around 3,000 middle schools in the state. "The state claims to provide best staff in government schools to bring these on a par with private schools, but it will be possible only when the respective teachers teach their subjects. Science graduates are always inclined towards science subjects and don't pay much heed to teaching mathematics. Thus government schools fail to get good results in this subject,” said Rajesh Monga, general secretary. They said since Education Minister Sikander Singh Malooka had initiated rationalisation, he should ensure that math teachers working on "demand posts" should be appointed in other schools.
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Sirhind canal getting polluted
Bathinda, August 21 The shops, eateries and green grocers near the canal dump the waste and refuse in the canal after darkness descends or early in the morning. Instead of dumping the refuse at the designated sites, these people prefer to walk just a few yards and throw the entire waste into the water flowing in the canal that feeds the water works of many villages where the same water is used for drinking and irrigation purposes. Added to this, people bound by superstition, dump a lot of material which could otherwise be used to feed the poor and hungry. "We have often seen people throwing bananas, lemons, coconuts and a lot of other eatables in the water saying it would bring them good luck. Though all these items are perishable and biodegradable, still these can be used for some better purpose," added the employees of the forest department. "Once we caught a couple throwing bricks in the water. We told them that the same bricks could have been given to a needy person but they refused. People are too confident and know that no action could be taken against them. At times, we become just mute spectators," said an irrigation department official. It is pertinent to mention here that the portion of the canal passing through the city was de-silted from April 10 to April 30. For the first time ever, the bed of the canal was cleaned after spending lakhs. Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) engineer Nazar Singh Manshahia said earlier, the district magistrate had imposed section 144 of the CrPC prohibiting anyone from polluting the water body. "The section was imposed a couple of times but it did nothing to deter people from polluting it. People should be responsible enough not to indulge in such practices that harm those who consume the contaminated water," he said.
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Waste management plant hangs fire
Bathinda, August 21 The committee met on August 17 to decide the future course of action but no final decision could be taken. The matter was put up before the Authority for granting environmental clearance to the project that has been kept pending because of the proposed plant's proximity to the residential areas. "Besides the plant's proximity, there are other constraints which are being considered. All the aspects are under examination," said the chairman of committee, AS Dogra. He added that a decision is expected in the next few days. With the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordering a CBI inquiry into the procedure by which land was acquired for the filling site at Mandi Khurd, the project is expected to get delayed even further. The next date of hearing in the High Court is August 22.
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Punjab to provide infrastructure to probe panel Chandigarh, August 21 It informed a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court that a notification in the matter has been issued by the Punjab Government. It also informed the Bench that a special leave petition against the High Court orders on setting up the panel has been filed and was likely to come up for hearing this Friday. The assertion came just about a fortnight after the High Court set a 15-day deadline for the Punjab Government to provide infrastructure to the panel for looking into land grab cases across Punjab. As the case came up this morning, the government initially sought 10 days extension in the deadline, but came out with the information on the issuance of notification after the Bench refused to accede to its request. The High Court on the previous date of hearing had made it clear that the secretary in the Department of Home Affairs and justice would have to remain present in the court for non-compliance of the orders by
then.
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Ensure drinking water in Lalru: HC
Chandigarh, August 21 A Division Bench of the High Court has, in fact, directed the Nagar Panchayat to take up the matter forthwith with the authorities concerned so that necessary arrangements could be made to ensure the supply of potable water to the residents. "We dispose of this writ petition by issuing directions to the Executive Officer, Nagar Panchayat, Lalru, to take up the matter with the competent authorities so that necessary arrangements be made forthwith for supply of potable water to the residents of the concerned village," the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain ruled after going through the averments and documentary evidence placed before the court. The directions are significant as the High Court was told by the petitioner that the residents of Lalru village were getting contaminated water because tubewells installed in the village were not functioning properly. The directions by the Division Bench came during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Lalru resident Labh Singh against the State of Punjab, the Nagar Panchayat and other respondents. In his petition, Labh Singh had earlier sought the court's indulgence for the issuance of directions to the respondents concerned "to provide clean drinking water to the residents of Lalru". Going into the reasons behind the prayer, counsel for Labh Singh had contended the grievance of the petitioner was that "eight tubewells installed in Lalru village are not working as inferior quality of material has been used in the construction". His counsel had added that as a result, the residents were "facing difficulty so far as drinking water was concerned".
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Man held for killing daughter
Hoshiarpur, August 21 Police sources said the girl was murdered on the night of July 12 and her body hastily cremated by her father. Balkar Singh Sidhu, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Hoshiarpur, said the victim, Bhupinderjit Kaur, fell in love with Manjinder Singh, a folk singer.The lovers tied the knot at the Ramgarhia gurdwara here despite opposition from the girl’s family. Bhupinderjit’s father Makhan Singh, in a fit of rage, allegedly poured kerosene on his daughter on the night of July 12 and set her on fire. He was accompanied by Harcharan Singh of Samrala. Inspector Sukhpal Singh, Station House Officer of the Mehtiana police station, received information about the crime and immediately raided Makhan Singh’s house. But instead of registering a case, he allegedly took Rs 7.80 lakh from the family to hush up the case. The SSP said the matter was probed by the Chabbewal Deputy Superintendent of Police and it was in the basis of his report that Makhan Singh had been arrested. He said Inspector Sukhpal Singh had been suspended and a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act registered against him.
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School kids arrested with stolen bikes
Bathinda, August 21 Two of the arrested were studying in Class VI and XII. The other two had discontinued studies after plus two.The boys belonged to poor families. Earlier, the Civil Lines police had arrested a Class XII student for snatching cell phones. The teenager belonged to a well-to-do family of arhtiyas. Investigating officer Kirpal Singh said the arrested boys were addicted to all kinds of drugs, including medicinal drugs and smack. They had admitted to having purchased drugs from medical shops and addicts. The police officer said that efforts were on to trace those selling drugs to schoolchildren. The boys had stolen a bike in Rampura and another outside a shopping mall in Bathinda. The boys would then swap the number plates, sell the stolen bikes to unsuspecting buyers and use the money to purchase drugs.
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Chandigarh, August 21
Amritsar, August 21
