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Punish policemen who framed two innocents in rape case: HC
Rahul to visit Punjab again this month
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Rs 1,000-cr plan to improve state’s fiscal health
Abduction Case
Govt decides on ward-wise panchayat poll
Knowledge our common heritage, says Governor
Villagers unite to fight ‘vendalism’
No let-up in illegal mining in Rahon
Dalits protest non-disbursal of grants
Gastro deaths: Vinod Khanna visits Batala’s Gandhi Camp
Petrol stations to remain open for only 8 hours
Shortage of Power Meters GND varsity prof bags INSA award
Folk singer Channi honoured
Punjab Roadways reels under losses
Home Guards to man security towers in jails
Staff of aided schools in Ludhiana await salaries
Road construction works
PSPCL’s easy bill payment facility not easy to locate in Muktsar
Drinking in open goes unabated in Bathinda
Bathinda reports four dowry cases in three days
Swipe Card Scheme fails to make a mark
Fake arms licence scam unearthed, three held
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Punish policemen who framed two innocents in rape case: HC
Chandigarh, October 14 The development is significant as it confirms the worse apprehensions that the Punjab Police implicates innocents to save culprits from law for obvious reasons. The directions by Justice Mehinder Singh Sullar came after Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) submitted his report to the court following an inquiry into the incident. In the report, the police official minced no words to say the name of the "real" accused was dropped while two persons were implicated in his place. Initially, the names of Inderjit Singh and co-accused Charanjit Singh aka Mogli were recorded by the police on the basis of the rape victim's statement. But Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Balkar Singh on February 13 recorded the victim's supplementary statement in her maternal grandmother's presence, in which she purportedly stated that Mogli was "inadvertently" named; and Inderjit Singh, Jaswant Ram and Baljinder Singh were the "real accused". The SSP said: "During the investigations, Jaswant Ram and Baljinder Singh were arrayed as accused. But no evidence came to light in the inquiry for making them accused because the complainant did not name them as accused in the primary stage…. There is no evidence that can connect Jaswant Singh and Baljinder Singh to the crime". The SSP also directed Chabbewal Deputy Superintendent of Police to ensure the discharge of Jaswant Ram and Baljinder Singh in the case in accordance with the provisions of law and to "file supplementary challan for trial against Mogli". He concluded that Balkar Singh did not conduct the investigation in accordance with law. Indicting him for "creating evidence", the SSP added if the complainant wanted to get her supplementary statement recorded, it was the ASI's duty to have presented her before the magistrate concerned. Justice Sullar has already asserted in this case: "It cannot possibly be disputed that the tendency and frequency by some black sheep in the Punjab Police of falsely substituting the innocent persons and exonerating the real main culprits has been tremendously increasing day by day, which needs to be curbed with a heavy hand". Tracking the police frame-up
“It cannot possibly be disputed that the tendency and frequency by some black sheep in the Punjab Police of falsely substituting the innocent persons and exonerating the real main culprits has been tremendously increasing day by day, which needs to be curbed with a heavy hand” — Justice Mehinder Singh Sullar, HC
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Rahul to visit Punjab again this month
Chandigarh, October 14 Sources here said AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi was keen to pinpoint the exact reasons for the party’s debacle and initiate appropriate action. And this did not necessarily mean a change in leadership in Punjab. If highly placed sources are to be believed, the party high command continues to support the PCC chief. Amarinder has proved his standing in the party by claiming the support of as many as 33 legislators. Now, with some fence-sitters also backing him, it is a clear indication to the dissidents that there is no clear alternative to Amarinder. Congress sources said the support by the legislators as well as a large section of the party’s senior leadership has negated the discontentment expressed by some former Pradesh Congress as well as district presidents during their interaction with Rahul. Congress observers say that these former Pradesh Congress president’s opposing Amarinder are no longer politically relevant in the state. Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar said in his personal view, if there was any discontent in the party, it should be addressed. He said Rahul was doing just that, adding that the Congress general secretary wanted to address the discontentment rather than quell dissidence with a diktat. Asked how this could be achieved, he said various formulae, like appointing leaders as in charge of specific areas, was being considered by the party high command. Capt Amarinder said he had earlier recommended appointing five vice-presidents with two for east and west Malwa and two for the Majha and Doaba belts. One vice-president could look after the party office in Chandigarh. However, it was all up to the party high command, he said. The sources said that the feedback being collected by Rahul into the reasons for the poll debacle were not likely to be too different from that submitted by the PCC chief to the Congress president in March this year.There was no question of putting the blame on the PCC chief when the party high command had over-ruled his recoomendations on 30 seats, they said. Six seats were given to the youth on Rahul Gandhi’s initiative but the party could win only two of these seats. During Rahul’s two-day visit to Punjab, there had been complaints about Amarinder’s style of functioning. But the party cadre also highlighted the facts which were stated by the PCC chief in his report to the party president. These include late selection of candidates, shifting away of the Dalit vote and the damage inflicted by some Congress rebels at the instance of the
Akalis. Bittu: 70% youth in Badal village on drugs He demanded that the Deputy CM should apologise to Punjab’s youth for trying to belittle this issue. On Sukhbir’s contention that Punjab could not be blamed for the drug menace as it was the BSF that had failed to check the drug inflow, Ravneet asked: “What is stopping the state government from tackling the problem of synthetic drugs in the state?” He also asked as to why the Punjab Government was not putting a check on the rising number of chemist shops that sold synthetic drugs.
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Rs 1,000-cr plan to improve state’s fiscal health
Chandigarh, October 14 It is learnt that the ADB has funded Rs 1,000 crore ($200 million) for the project to be implemented between 2013 and 2015. As per the preliminary agreement between the ADB and the Punjab Government, the resource management plan will include expenditure rationalisation, tax and non-tax revenue reforms, debt management and reforms in public sector enterprises. This is perhaps for the first time that the state government, while recognising the poor fiscal health of the state, has decided to take professional help in the four above mentioned areas to get the state’s finances back on track. The objective of this programme is to improve the efficiency of expenditure and enhance revenues through reform interventions. The committed expenditure of the state (on salaries, pensions, interest payments and subsidies) has almost exhausted the total revenue receipts of the state in recent years, forcing the state to increase its dependence on borrowings to finance this expenditure. This has trapped the state in a cycle of mounting current account (revenue) and fiscal deficits. The committed liabilities, including subsidies were almost 100 per cent of the revenue receipts during the entire 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12). The weak financial performance of public sector enterprises has further exacerbated the growing fiscal imbalances and mounting public debt. Sources said the proposed programme would be designed to help consolidate the financial position of the state in line with the targets outlined in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act. As of now, the state has not been able to meet fiscal indicators in line with the Act, as the revenue deficit to GSDP ratio is 2.8 per cent as against the target of 1.8 per cent. The programme will be designed to improve expenditure efficiency through introduction of a system of project appraisal, evaluation, monitoring and fund allocation. It will also help the state rein in salary expenditure by restricting replacement rate of government employees, better targeting of transfer payments and subsidies. It will help strengthen the tax administration and recovery of user charges and tax arrears besides strengthening key revenue earning departments. It will help the state enhance its debt management capacity to ease further debt servicing and enhance capacity to manage stock of state debt. Restructuring of public sector enterprises and effective closure of non-operative units will also be included in this
programme. Correction course
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Abduction Case
Faridkot, October 14 “To make the matters worse, she has stopped taking meals”, said Ashwani Sachdeva, Shruti’s father. “My elder daughter, a student of BSc (Ist year), has not attended her college for the past three weeks,” he said. Even Shruti, a Class X student of a convent school in Faridkot, had stopped going to school three months ago after the accused allegedly started stalking her. “From June this year, I started dropping Shruti to her school. But after the earlier kidnapping of my daughter by the same accused, we stopped sending her to school,” Ashwani said, adding despite this, the accused had succeeded in kidnapped my daughter for the second time. “The incident has left us hopeless,” he said. Meanwhile, apparently fearing a public backlash, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today cancelled his visit to Faridkot to attend the bhog ceremony of an Akali leader. Sources said the Deputy Chief Minister’s visit was cancelled despite massive security arrangements after the official vehicle of a Cabinet minister faced tough opposition from the public this morning.
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Govt decides on ward-wise panchayat poll
Ludhiana, October 14 Rural Development and Panchayat officials, District Development Panchayat Officers (DDPOs) and Block Panchayat Development Officers (BDPOs) have been told to divide the villages into wards and invite claims and objections by March 31, 2013. Each ward will comprise the same number of voters. The wards formed will be contiguous. The number of wards to be set up will depend on the village population, an official said. "In big villages, up to 13 wards will be formed but each village will have at least five wards. Each ward will choose one panch and from these elected panches, a sarpanch will be chosen. "Earlier, prominent villagers would try their luck under various categories. All this will change under the new system,” the official said. New Format for May 2013 elections
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Bypoll verdict reflects people’s anger against UPA: Majithia Chandigarh, October 14 "The defeat of Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s son from Tehri and the narrow escape of President Pranab Mukherjee’s son in Jangipur byelection had proved that the days of the Congress at the centre are numbered," he added. He said the UPA government had broken the backbone of the common man by hiking the prices of most of the essential commodities in an unprecedented manner. The minister added frequent hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and other petroleum products, along with a cap on domestic LPG, had exposed the “anti-people” stance of the Congress. The Minister said the verdict also indicated that despite repeated attempts by the Congress, the countrymen were not ready to accept an immature leader like Rahul Gandhi as the future Prime Minister of the country. Asking the Congress leaders to refrain from continuing as mute spectators, Majithia said the state Congress leaders must raise their voice for safeguarding the interests of Punjab and Punjabis.
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Knowledge our common heritage, says Governor
Jalandhar, October 14 Presiding over the valedictory ceremony of the third Bhartiya Vigyan Sammelan and Science Expo 2012 at Lovely Professional University, Patil said: “We need to develop knowledge systems and skills to efficiently use the natural resources. If we keep acquiring knowledge and developing science, technology and skills to use these, we will not have to worry for anything”. The Governor gave away awards to scholars on the occasion. Lovely university Chancellor Ashok Mittal said: “During the four-day event, more than 550 research papers were presented, 2,000 scientists pondered over various issues and more than 50,000 students visited the university campus”.
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Villagers unite to fight ‘vendalism’
Sangrur, October 14 So far, 32 panchayats have passed related resolutions, asking the excise authorities not to open vends in their respective villages in the financial year 2013-14. The rules mention that if any panchayat is opposed to opening of vends, it has to pass a resolution against the move between April 1 and September 30, which has to be considered by the authorities concerned. Among the 32 panchayats that have passed the resolution are Khurd, Mubarakpur, Jhaner, Sakohpur, Hathan, Rurki Kalan, Ratolan, Dugri and Bhudan (all villages in Malerkotla tehsil), Alipur Khalsa, Katron, Ina Bajwa, Gobindpura, Didargarh, Kherri Kalan, Bangawali, Hassanpur, Pedhni Kalan, Kumbarwal, Harchandpura, Kanjhla, Kila Hakima, Batuha and Ladda (Dhuri tehsil), Kunran, Bhindran, Ghabdan, Jalan, Kalodi and Baasi Ark (Sangrur tehsil), Ramgarh Sandhwan and Ladal (Lehragaga tehsil). Dr AS Mann, president of NGO Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum, said these resolutions had been dispatched to the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Patiala, for initiating proceedings as per the panchayats’ demands. Last year, 55 panchayats from Sangrur district had passed similar resolutions. However, the excise authorities closed vends only in 14 villages whereas 24 resolutions were rejected on one ground or the other. The remaining 17 vends were shifted from one place to another in the same village. Dr Mann said he along with a Right to Information activist, Kamal Anand, had started the campaign in 2009. Ever since, they had succeeded in getting vends closed in 37 villages, he said. Common cause
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No let-up in illegal mining in Rahon
Nawanshahr, October 14 The illegal activity is going on in connivance with the local police. The mafia men have been using earth movers, tippers, tractor-trailers and labourers to extract minerals from the riverbed for the past 10 days. Scores of residents from Ratnana, Mirzapur, Hussainpur and nearby villages recently held a protest in Ratnana village against the illegal excavation on the riverbed. Kuldeep Singh Chahal, a resident of Ratnana village, said: “The mining activities are being carried out from Rahon towards Machhiwara and Phillaur under the nose of the authorities concerned”. After some residents informed the police on Sunday, a police party from the Rahon reached the spot. The police expressed its inability to impound the vehicles although it had registered case and arrested some mafia men, said Sukhjit Singh, an eyewitness. The villagers alleged the district police was trying to hush-up the case due to political pressure. Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner Tanu Kashayp expressed her ignorance on the issue. She claimed that there were no such reports. “I have not received any such information. But I will check if such activities are going on,” she said.
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Dalits protest non-disbursal of grants
Sangrur, October 14 Kangra dubbed the SAD-BJP government as "anti-Dalit" and "anti-poor". She said a large number of Dalit families had been awaiting benefits under various schemes for past quite some time. She said the Dalits, in association with the Congress, would intensify their stir in case the state government failed to release payments. — TNS
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Gastro deaths: Vinod Khanna visits Batala’s Gandhi Camp
Khanna, who drove to the town directly from the Rajasansi airport in Amritsar, visited those suffering from gastroenteritis at the Civil Hospital. He also toured the worst-hit Gandhi Camp area. He was accompanied by Local Bodies Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat. His wife Kavita Khanna, who is on the BJP national executive, could not make it. With today’s visit the film star has indicated to the party leadership that he is in the fray for the party ticket from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat. A senior New Delhi-based BJP leader claimed that others in contention were BJP national executive member Swaran Salaria, educationist SK Punj, state BJP president Ashwani Sharma and former Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal. The Batala Municipal Council (MC) has a House of 33 councillors of which 20 are aligned with the BJP. Khanna was successful in enlisting the support of a majority of councillors, a clear signal to his detractors that his claim could not be overlooked. A group within the Batala BJP had expresssed reservations about the film star attending a heart health care camp at the residence of Dr SS Nijjar, a known Congress activist of the region. The party workers heaved a sigh of relief when Khanna decided against going there. “My visit to the city is purely on humanitarian grounds and not about politics. I have cancelled an important shooting schedule in Mumbai just to be with the suffering people of Gandhi Camp,” said Khanna. LS Lodhinangal, Batala halqa in charge, was not here during the actor’s visit. He was away to Chandigarh. However, the absence of BJP district president Ashok Modgil was intriguing.
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Petrol stations to remain open for only 8 hours
Patiala, October 14 Punjab has more than 2,700 petrol stations, most of them operated by private dealers. The one-shift decision will throw many employees out of work. The dealers , who met in Nabha, unanimously resolved to resort to “pressure tactics”. They had earlier held a "no- purchase" agitation on October 1 and 2 in an attempt to force the oil companies to revise their commission. President of the Punjab Petroleum Dealers' Association JP Khanna warned that the agitation would continue till the time their "genuine" demands were met by the companies. Petrol dealers want that commission to them be based on the retail price and not the volume of oil sold. “I operate my petrol station for 16 hours and am hardly able to make any profit,” claimed Jaspal Juneja, president, Patiala District Petroleum Dealers' Association.
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Shortage of Power Meters
Patiala, October 14 The orders were issued a few days back as the commission heard a petition filed by a retired Superintending Engineer of the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Gurnek Singh Brar, who said that the shortage of single-phase electricity meters was causing immense trouble to the state’s consumers. "The PSERC takes serious note of the non-availability of meters with the PSPCL and consequently the delay in releasing new connections to consumers as well as unmetered supply for long spells in case of non-replacement of burnt/defective meters," the order read. The petition will now come up for hearing on October 30. The Tribune had carried a report highlighting that till June 30 this year, pending requests for the installation of single/three phase electricity meters was 27,233. During the same period, as many as 13,044 meters had got burnt. These had not been replaced within the stipulated five days.
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GND varsity prof bags INSA award Amritsar, October 14 The INAS has selected nine teachers drawn from various disciplines of science and technology from across the country for the award. Dr Pati is the only science teacher chosen for this honour from Punjab. The award was constituted to value consistent and high-level of teaching in Indian colleges, universities and other educational institutes. On the occasion of his being selected for this award, Dr Pati acknowledged the hard work of his students and thanked the university for its support. Dr AS Brar, Vice Chancellor, congratulated him. Earlier, Dr Pati had received ‘BOYSCAST fellowship’ from the Department of Science and Technology and ‘Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research fellowship’ from Foreign Fulbright Scholarship Board, Washington DC. Dr Pati has made conscious effort to enrich career of his students. Two of his Ph.D students had also got Fulbright Nehru Doctoral Fellowship in two consecutive years (2011-12 and 2012-13) and another student for AIST International Fellowship for doing a research work in Japan.
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Folk singer Channi honoured
Chandigarh, October 14 In Canada, Pavninder Singh, 18, Athwal became one of the youngest overseas Indian-Canadian to receive the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award at the Ottawa Convention Centre. His parents Inderpal and Pawandeep Athwal were specially invited for the ceremony.
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Punjab Roadways reels under losses
Ropar, October 14 While Punjab Roadways with its fleet of 1,800 buses suffered a loss of Rs 90.51 crore during the first quarter of the current fiscal, its other public transport arm Punbus has registered a profit of Rs 30 crore in the same period. After an increase in the fare, commuters will have to shell out 79 paise for every kilometre against the earlier fare of 66 paise per km. Information obtained through an RTI application by local lawyer Paramjeet Singh Pamma revealed the state transport had been facing a huge revenue deficit for the last many years. The Punjab Roadways earned a meagre Rs 40.69 crore in 2009-10 against its expenditure of Rs 218 crore. The salary bill accounted for Rs 88.35 crore while the remaining Rs 130 crore was spent on the maintenance of buses. The losses mounted further in 2010-11 when the total expenditure, including the salary bill of Rs 184 crore, touched to as high as Rs 341.37 crore. The total income to the roadways, however, increased nominally to Rs 66.12 crore. In 2011-12, the income of the state roadways increased to Rs 111 crore. But high expenditure tilted the balance sheet towards the negative side. The department spent Rs 230 crore on the maintenance of its fleet and Rs 150 crore on payment of salaries. Same query yields different replies Aberrations were found in two replies provided by the department regarding its income during 2009-10 and 2010-11. A reply furnished on September 16, 2011 mentioned that the total income for 2009-10 remained Rs 113.21 crore. The other reply on a separate application mentioned that the income of the department during this period was Rs 40.69 crore. Similarly, the Roadways claimed in the first reply that its total income in 2010-11 was Rs 150 crore. While answering the other application filed this year, the department pegged its income at Rs 66.12
crore. Revenue deficit widening Year Revenue Expenditure 2009-10
Rs 40.69 crore Rs 218 crore 2010-11 Rs 66.12 crore Rs 341.37 crore 2011-12
Rs 111 crore Rs 380 crore
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Home Guards to man security towers in jails
Ferozepur, October 14 According to the directions issued by the DGP-cum-Commandant General, Punjab Home Guards, the PHG volunteers have been asked to take over the task of manning around 103 security towers in as many as 19 jails of the state. PHG officials said around 515 PHG volunteers will be deployed. They will be taken out from the callout duties which they have been performing along with the police. In Ferozepur Central Jail, around 30 PHG volunteers have already been deployed, relieving the jail warders of these duties. Confirming the development, Ravinder Kumar Awasthi, Commandant, PHG, said five PHG volunteers have been deployed on each of the six towers in the jail. He said there were 338 PHG volunteers in the district. Besides, another 420 volunteers have been posted with the border wing battalion. Ironically, the PHG volunteers deployed in the jail have been equipped with the archaic .303 rifles which have already been phased out. Awasthi said though the PHG has been issued around 180 self-loading rifles (SLRs) per battalion, the ammunition is not available yet. He added that as soon as the SLR ammunition is received, the .303 will be replaced by the SLRs which have been provided to the PHG by the BSF authorities. Ramandeep Singh Sandhu, the jail superintendent, said PHG volunteers have been posted at five towers whereas the other three towers were being manned by the PAP personnel. Sandhu said the jail warders who were earlier posted for these outer ring security duties will be henceforth be utilized for some other duties inside the jail. Sandhu said he will write to the senior officials to provide better equipment to the PHG volunteers so that the security of the jail premises is not compromised. In the line of duty
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Staff of aided schools in Ludhiana await salaries
Ludhiana, October 14 But an order by the Governor of Punjab reads, “In any case, if the estimates of next financial year at the level of school management or DEOs are delayed, the Director Public Instruction (Secondary Education) is authorised to issue grants of next financial year with a 10 per cent increase in the previous financial year’s estimates.” The DEO (Secondary) was made responsible for the compliance of this direction and if these instructions are not adhered to, an action would be initiated against the officials concerned. But instead of following these directions, the DEO (Secondary) office wasted time in preparing a fresh estimate and hence the salaries got delayed by seven months. Ludhiana district is having a total of 48 government-aided schools. It suggests that 95 per cent of the grant is provided by the state government and five per cent is contributed by the management committee of that particular school. When the staff of aided schools contacted Satish Chandra, principal secretary (finance), through an email, he responded by stating, “Funds have been released. You should get the payment on October 3.” Speaking to The Tribune, Davinder Kumar, a teacher at Nauhria Mal Jain Model Senior Secondary School, said: “The treasury office issued tokens the schools after submission of their respective bills. But later, we were asked to submit bills till August only. Why should we submit bills till August when our salary is pending till September? I wonder why the government does not understand that we are without salaries for the past seven months.” R S Sidhu, treasury officer, Ludhiana, stated that they had received funds till August only. “I have just asked the schools to submit two different bills- one from March to August and another one for September. Once they will submit these bills, we will clear them,” he said. DEO (Secondary) Paramjit Kaur Chahal assured that the staff of government-aided schools would get their salaries soon. “The bills are in the process of getting cleared,” she claimed.
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Road construction works
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 14 Earlier, the district administration, deputy director local bodies, Ludhiana, and the Vigilance Department had indicted JE Harmail Singh Jandhu for not carrying out the earth filling work on the road stretch from Bahadurgarh Alian village to Charri Sahib. The road was later to be constructed by the PWD B&R. RTI activist and social worker NK Syal alleged that instead of taking any action against the accused indicted in various enquiries for the past two years, the department of local bodies has now ordered another inquiry to a Chandigarh-based retired IAS officer Gulwant Singh Kanwar. DC Yashvir Mahajan said: they had already forwarded the report to the director local bodies. It was now for them to take actions against the indicted officers. Executive Officer Bhushal Rana said: the inquiry was being conducted by the external agency into the siphoning of Rs 2 lakh. Syal said he served a legal notice to the municipal council seeking information about what action the authorities concerned intend to take against the indicted officers. However, the municipal councilors unanimously passed a resolution on March 28 that necessary actions would be taken against the accused if found guilty in the inquiry to be conducted by the higher authorities. DC had forwarded the inquiry report conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC-D) to the director local bodies on January 20, 2009. He had asked for swift actions against JE Jandhu. Later, the director local bodies directed deputy director local bodies, Ludhiana, for verification of the report on the basis of facts and to submit his report by March 9, 2009. Deputy Director in his report submitted to the local bodies department on November 23, 2009 expressed unanimity with the inquiry conducted by the ADC (D). The vigilance department in its report submitted on May 10, 2010 had also indicted JE Jandhu and two other officers, besides the contractor, for defrauding the state exchequer.
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PSPCL’s easy bill payment facility not easy to locate in Muktsar
Muktsar, October 14 Though the PSPCL has chosen 13 easy bill outlets in Muktsar for making the payment of electricity bills, hardly a single can be found to avail of the benefit of paying the bills without standing in a queue at the traditional counters at the Corporation's offices. Besides, the automatic machine installed to collect the bill payment at the PSPCL office is also lying defunct for the last two years. A visit to the addresses of easy bill outlets, listed on the official website of the Corporation, revealed that a majority of them did not even exist and the rest were difficult to locate. The PSPCL authorities have only provided the names of shops selected as easy bill outlets and the road where these are located. But any landmark of the place or the full address has not been provided. Not only this, even the outlets that exist are reportedly charging commission from the consumers against every bill payment, which is in violation of the rules. Talking to this correspondent, an employee of the PSPCL said, "Recently, I paid the electricity bill of Rs 2,000 through an easy bill outlet. But I was charged Rs 20 extra for availing of the facility. I was not aware that the easy bill outlets can't charge extra amount from the consumers as they are supposed to collect their commission from the PSPCL." When contacted, Deputy Chief Engineer, Muktsar circle, Dilawar Singh, said, "I will definitely take up the issue of incomplete addresses provided on the website so that the consumers can avail of the benefit. Outlets that are charging commission from the consumers would also be fined." About the condition of the automatic machines installed to collect the bill payment, he said, "The old machine is lying defunct for a long time but the process to install a new machine is already on and it will start functioning in a few days."
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Drinking in open goes unabated in Bathinda
Bathinda, October 14 In the evening, one can notice boozers consuming liquor in the open near Rose Garden Chowk, 100-feet road, opposite three cinemas, Ghorewala Chowk, bus stand, railway station, ITI Chowk and other places. "The problem is acute outside non-vegetarian food joints, which have come up in the city during the past few days. There was some respite due to the Navratras, otherwise we fail to venture out in the evening," said a city resident, Manwinder. Rippie Sidhu, the owner of a showroom near 100-feet road, said a fish corner came up adjacent to his showroom just a few days ago. "Though only fish and other non-vegetarian items are sold at the shop, one can see several vehicles parked outside and its occupants consuming liquor," Rippie said. "I brought the matter into the notice of the local police, which failed to reach. Later, I informed an acquaintance, who is a police officer in a Mandi in the city's vicinity. The police officer then called up the area SHO and now, regular patrolling is done in this area," said the showroom owner. He added that now, people do not park their vehicles just outside his showroom but at some distance, in the darkness. Area residents said despite deployment of the police and continuous patrolling by PCR vehicles, there was no check on the activities of those consuming liquor in the open. "People enjoy consuming liquor sitting in their cars or just outside the taverns in the city, as they get freshly-prepared non-vegetarian," said the owner of a fish corner on the GT Road near the Blue Fox marriage palace. "Though consumption of liquor in the open is banned and the excise officials may issue a challan and get a case register under the Excise Act, such legal actions are yet to come by," said the shop owner. Assistant excise and taxation commissioner Pawan Garg said, "We conduct surprise checking at various eating joints. We would, however, welcome specific complaint in this direction," he said. Fact File
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Bathinda reports four dowry cases in three days
Bathinda, October 14 Experts say rise in awareness among women about their rights has led to the women raising their voice against the social ill of dowry. The Ludhiana-based in-laws of a city resident, Dr Tanu Setia, have been booked for demanding dowry. The victim was being harassed and beaten up for dowry. The police has booked her husband Dr Harpreet Kuckreja, whose family owns the Ajit Cycle Industry located in the industrial area of Ludhiana. "The malady of dowry is prevalent in the lower and upper strata of society. People are aware that demanding dowry is a crime, but still they indulge in this illegal act," said a social worker Raj Gupta, who is a regular member of the District Lok Adalats. She added that if the couple has children, the latter are at the receiving end. She advised that girls should be more tolerant and run their household on their own without allowing their parents to intervene. In the three cases registered today, residents of Talwandi Sabo, Kotkapura and Bathinda city have been booked for demanding dowry. The police booked Pawan Kumar, a resident of area near the GGS College, Talwandi Sabo, for demand dowry from his wife Seema Rani, a resident of the Model Town, Bathinda. Hemant Kumar, a resident of Nirmanpura area in Kotkapura, has been booked for demanding dowry from his wife Parminder Kaur, a resident of the Police Colony, Lal Singh Basti in Bathinda. In yet another such incident, the police has booked Amarjit Singh, a resident of Mohalla Kikkar Dass, Kartar Basti, Bathinda city, on the complaint of his wife Parminder Kaur, a resident of Amarpura
Basti.
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Swipe Card Scheme fails to make a mark
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 14 The agency has not made any payment of procured paddy till October 12 though the procurement process started from October 1. It has exposed the tall claims of the government that the payment of procured paddy will be made within 72 hours. Similarly, Punjab Agro has not made any payment till today, which has caused resentment among commission agents and farmers. Rajesh Singla, state press secretary of Arhtiya Association, Punjab, and Lakhbir Singh Sondha, district president, said: Pungrain had signed a pact with HDFC bank to make online payments. The swipe cards were to be supplied to the commission agents but till today these cards had not been given to them, so no transactions could be made. They demanded that the district officials might be directed to make the payment. Similarly, local DM of Punjab Agro has also not made any payment of procured paddy. They said: when the commission agents visited the office for payment, the officials replied them that accountant concerned is on leave. The leaders demanded that an alternative arrangement should be made if any accountant concerned is on leave. They urged the Food & Civil Supply Minister and Deputy Commissioner must intervene to ensure timely payment.
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Fake arms licence scam unearthed, three held
Patiala, October 14 Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Gill said here today that the gang members would obtain an arms licence on forged documents duly signed by the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner’s office. "During investigations, we found that all such licences were fake. Only the stamp used was original," said Gill. He said the police had recovered more than 12 weapons, including pistols, thus obtained. He said the owner of Arora Gun House in Amritsar, Gaurav Arora, would help Noida residents Parveen and Prem get arms licences based on fake documents, allegedly showing them as Amritsar residents. All three have been arrested. The case was serious as those with a criminal background may have bought arms on fake licences, said Rajpura Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhupinder Khatra. The scam came to light when a police team searched a car near the Shambhu barrier and recovered weapons. " The proof of residence furnished by the car occupant showed him as a resident of Delhi. However, the arms licence showed him to be a resident of Punjab." A couple of months back, the district police had unearthed a racket involving another arms dealer who would obtain licences on fake documents in connivance with staff members of the Ferozepur DC's office.
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Faridkot, October 14
Jalandhar, October 14
Patiala, October 14
Chandigarh: Anandpur Sahib Member of Parliament Ravneet Singh Bittu hasurged Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal to get a survey conducted in his native village Badal to see for himself the enormity of the drug menace among the youth. Bittu said Sukhbir would be surprised to find that more than 70 per cent of the youth were hooked to drugs. He offered to quit politics if the results were otherwise. Bittu lamented that under the present dispensation, even jails had turned havens for drug peddlers and addicts.
Batala, October 14