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Malwa farmers on warpath over tardy procurement
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4 more deaths in Batala colony
Hospitality industry reels under high taxes
Grief engulfs Barnala
Police pays last respects to Malkiat Singh Keetu in Moga’s Bilaspur village. A Tribune photograph
Shruti’s medical report may lead to fresh turmoil
Legal implications of a minor’s pregnancy
Rahul’s visit has galvanised party: Capt
Langah down, local Akalis look to Babbehali for leadership
Scholarships for SC students lie unutilised
Education staff forced to sit in unsafe building
Vintage machines find ‘pride of place’
2 ‘babus’ on dispute lane over fancy car number
Cong leader to protest police inaction in rape attempt case
ECI's instructions too difficult to comply with: BLO officials
Canadian PM to visit Chandigarh next month
For teachers, no leave via phone or SMS: DGSE
90-kg man-eating fish caught in Sutlej
Families await word on their missing boys
100 schools in Fatehgarh Sahib sans furniture
Car owners overpaying
for parking in Patiala
Paid parking near Anardana Chowk in Patiala. Tribune photo
Sweets are no longer favourite Diwali gifts
Abohar may get another rly overbridge
7 people died in road accidents in last 8 days
School board deputes 16 nodal officers
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Malwa farmers on warpath over tardy procurement
Bathinda, October 29 Paddy has started spilling onto the roads in the grain markets of Malwa region owing to slow lifting by the procurement agencies that had earlier complained that the grain contained moisture more than the prescribed limit. The moisture level has now declined to the permissible level, yet the agencies are not lifting the produce. Farmers are growing restive in Muktsar, the home district of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. They have been holding protests against the procurement agencies almost everyday . They blocked the road near Malout yesterday and Alamwala today. Such protests have also been witnessed in Faridkot and Ferozepur districts. Chairman of the Punjab Mandi Board Ajmer Singh Lakhowal faced angry farmers and commission agents during his visit to Muktsar today. There is a glut of paddy at Jaitu in Faridkot district where eight procurement centres have been established, resulting in a drastic cut in transport tariff as a result of which truckers are not lifting the grain. The procurement agencies have slowed down procurement as there is no space for stocking fresh arrivals. Over 35,000 tonnes of grain is yet to be lifted. Yadwinder Singh, president, Truck Union, Jaitu, said with eight procurement centres within a radius of 8 km of Jaitu, tariff had dropped by over 50 per cent and it was not economical for them to transport the produce to rice shellers. A procurement centre has been established near the house of an Akali MLA. Private traders in rural areas are paying farmers Rs 10 - Rs 20 less than the minimun support price (MSP) declared by the government. At Abohar, Arhtiya Association president Pramil Kalani and farmers' organisations complained that Markfed had been a poor performer, delaying payments as well as lifting of grain. Taking advantage of the situation, private traders were reportedly buying the produce by paying the farmers Rs 1,125 per quintal against the official price of Rs 1,200. About 16,665 quintals of paddy was yet to be lifted in Fazilka. Faced with a shortage of gunny bags, the authorities in Ferozepur have allowed farmers to pack paddy in old bags that have been used once. Of the 2.58 lakh tonnes of grain that has arrived in the 96 procurement centres of Barnala district, only 1.42 lakh tonnes has been lifted so far. Farmers get restive *
In Muktsar, the home district of the Chief Minister, farmers have been holding protests against procurement agencies almost everyday *
They blocked a road near Malout yesterday and at Alamwala today *
Such protests have also been witnessed in Faridkot and Ferozepur *
At Jaitu, agencies have slowed down procurement as there is no space for fresh arrivals *
About 16,665 quintals of paddy is yet to be lifted in Fazilka *
Of the 2.58 lakh tonnes of grain that has arrived at the 96 procurement centres of Barnala district, only 1.42 lakh tonnes has been lifted so far *
Private traders are reportedly buying the produce by paying farmers Rs 1,125 per quintal against the official price of Rs 1,200 per quintal —
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4 more deaths in Batala colony
Batala, October 29 Under pressure from the locals to come out with the exact cause leading to the high mortality rate, the district administration today released statistics showing that of the 42 deaths that have occurred in the Gandhi Camp area since September 29, 21 were due to gastroenteritis while the others were natural. Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha has been camping in the town since the last 48 hours. The persons who died today due to the suspected disease have been identified as Kala, Jatinder Kahlon, Neeta and Gopal Chand. Since the Gandhi camp area is infamous for producing hooch and illicit drugs, experts claimed that a majority of the residents were hooked on to dope and their deaths, therefore, could be attributed to withdrawal symptoms. They claimed that as a majority of the residents were hooked to dope for the past several years, their bodies had become immune to medicines. Doctors claim that there were no clear indications to link the deaths to any water-borne disease, be it gastroenteritis or cholera. Senior physician Dr SS Nijjar said, "Withdrawal occurs because the brain works like a spring when it comes to addiction. Drugs and alcohol are brain depressants that push down the spring. They suppress the brain's production of neurotransmitters and when a person stops using drugs or alcohol, it is like taking weight off the spring and the brain rebounds by producing a surge of adrenaline that causes withdrawal symptoms. This is what is happening in Gandhi camp. Moreover, residents here have become immune to medicines, following which they cannot be treated or cured." Geeta Devi, a resident of Gandhi Camp area, said, "Teams of state and central officials have already visited the area. Even Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had come once. But despite their repeated assurances of efforts towards controlling the epidemic, deaths are not stopping.”
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Hospitality industry reels under high taxes
Amritsar, October 29 Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association (Civil Lines) president APS Chatha said the industry was passing through a bad phase, which was evident from the fact that three hotels had been sold off in the last fortnight, while more were up for sale in future. He said the bookings, which are on its peak in October, were hovering just around 50 per cent. "Some hotels are finding it difficult even to pay their electricity bills," he said. Chatha said the state government's move to double luxury tax from 4 per cent to 8 per cent had further hit them hard, as they were already paying 7.42 per cent service tax. "Customers are not bothered about taxes and they simply talk about room tariff. While the hotels registered with the Sales Tax Department bear the brunt of high taxes, the unscheduled hotels get away with it by not issuing the bills to customers," he said. Apart from high taxes, government policies like the pollution control board asking the hotels to install sewerage treatment plants had added to their woes. Chatha also raised questions over the rationale behind imposing luxury tax on hotels in Amritsar when all major pilgrimage centres in the country were exempt from such taxes. Moreover, he also questioned the move to enforce luxury tax on hotel rooms having tariff above Rs 200. "I wonder if any hotel room is available these days for less than Rs 200 a day. Apart from it, the government also must see as to what luxuries the city hotels are providing before imposing such a tax," he said. He said there were over 200 hotels inside the walled city, apart from 100 to 125 hotels in other parts of the city. He said that the government must initiate measures to prolong the stay of tourists by promoting various tourist spots in and around the city. "Political leaders have for long been promising developing Amritsar as a major tourist destination, but nothing much has been done on the ground," he said. Hotel Restaurant Welfare Association president Surinder Singh said the hotels around the Golden Temple were still better off. But with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee building more "sarais" (inns), the hotels at a distance were finding it difficult to survive, he said. "The government policies are pushing the city hotels towards the brink of closure. When there is no luxury tax on hotels in other holy towns like Haridwar, Benaras and Katra (Vaishno Devi), why is the concept being introduced here. Being the Mecca of Sikhs, doesn't Amritsar also have the right to be exempted from any such tax," he said. grim scenario * After failing to recover from losses, three owners have sold their hotels in Amritsar in the past fortnight * Hoteliers say the state government's move to double luxury tax from 4 per cent to 8 per cent had added to their woes * This is in addition to the 7.42 per cent service tax that the hoteliers have been already paying * They claim hotels in other pilgrimage hubs enjoyed exemption from luxury tax
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Grief engulfs Barnala
Barnala, October 29 Keetu was popular because of his unassuming ways and would attend functions without much ado. He was accessible to one and all. One of the mourners outside his house here said Keetu had solemnised the marriages of hundreds of poor girls. He would provide sewing machines to needy women. "For the poor, he was a messiah. He would give note books and jerseys to poor students. He would never skip a cremation or bhog ceremony." Born on January 2, 1949, at Bilaspur village in Moga, Keetu came into limelight when as an Independent candidate he defeated the SAD candidate from the Barnala assembly constituency, Rajinder Kaur, in 1997 with a margin of 23,714 votes. Murder motive Keetu's kin detained The ADGP said all the six accused in the case were being tracked. He said initial questioning had revealed that Keetu was embroiled in a feud with his nephews over a piece of land in Bilaspur village in the Nihalsinghwala block. The police officer said one of Keetu's nephews had used a 315 bore rifle. He said Keetu had security officers as well as private bodyguards but he had sent them away for breakfast at the time of the incident. Sharma said the accused had fled in one of the two getaway vehicles parked outside Keetu's residence. The other vehicle had been impounded.
* He won the seat in 1997 as an Independent and again in 2002 on the SAD ticket * He was jailed over charges of embezzlement of funds related to truck unions while he was a sitting legislator * Keetu lost to Kewal Singh Dhillon of the Congress in the 2007 and 2012 assembly elections
* Keetu floated Mata Gulab Kaur Charitable Trust in his mother's memory in 2001 * The trust remained in controvery during the elections for 'luring' voters with flour, clothes and sewing machines Malkiat Singh Keetu’s house in Barnala. A Tribune photograph
Chandigarh, October 29
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Shruti’s medical report may lead to fresh turmoil
Faridkot, October 29 As the girl has so far made no complaint against Nishan Singh, the police in Faridkot is still awaiting the nod from the higher-ups in Chandigarh for further action in the case.Though both Faridkot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) GS Toor and Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat were present at the medical college when Shruti was brought there from the Nari Niketan at Jalandhar, they declined to comment on the medical report and the further course of action. “First the medical report will be presented in court tomorrow and then the next course of action will be decided”, the SSP said. Demanding strict action against all the accused in this case, Shruti's parents and members of the local Action Committee, which has been protesting against the government for "mishandling" the case, today submitted a memorandum to Justice RS Malik of the Punjab and Haryana High Court who was in Faridkot today to preside over the Legal Literacy Youth Festival. Demanding a CBI inquiry, Shruti's parents accused the police of shielding the accused by dubbing the case as one of elopement. They questioned the September 23 court order sending Shruti to the Nari Niketan without conducting a medical examination on her. When the girl was brought to the medical college yesterday, her parents reached there too and pleaded with the police to be allowed to meet her. Shruti's mother was allowed to meet her for five minutes. On the intervention of the Faridkot DC, Shruti's parents and her elder sister reached the Nari Niketan at Jalandhar to meet her. “My daughter is under tremendous stress. We have no information about the medical report. I want my daughter back”, she said.
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Legal implications of a minor’s pregnancy
Chandigarh, October 29 "There is nothing on record yet to link Nishan Singh with Shruti's pregnancy; and her insistence on staying close to him cannot be construed as evidence of paternity," says Punjab and Haryana High Court's senior advocate SK Garg Narwana. "Consent is immaterial in case of physical relationship with a minor, as the law does not allow it. Rape is made out even if the minor is taken as a willing partner. But then, in Shruti's case, she has to come forward and name Nishan Singh," he said. "She has to accuse him of being the man, who compelled her to establish a physical relationship with her before leaving her pregnant, for implicating him. In the absence of any such statement involving Nishan Singh, nothing can be held against him," said Narwana.The law is also clear on a minor's marriage -- pregnancy or no pregnancy. It is "beyond the shadow of doubt" that Shruti's reported pregnancy will not make a difference to her alleged nuptials with Nishan Singh, as in any case the marriage is thought to be void. "If one of the parties does not petition for annulment of marriage, it will remain valid. She also cannot be compelled to undergo abortion, as the decision exclusively vests in her. Even her parents can not prevent her," says another advocate Sant Pal Singh Sidhu. Refusing to comment on the merits of the case, Additional Solicitor-General of India Mohan Jain says attempts at forcible abortion in any case can spell trouble for the parents. Bibi Jagir Kaur's case is a classic example. The former SGPC chief was acquitted of the murder charge, but sentenced to five years for offences ranging from "causing miscarriage without the woman's consent" and criminal conspiracy. Looking at the case from another angle, Narwana said law is based on reasonableness and rationality. "The law, as such, will take into consideration her wishes and come out with an answer that would aim at preventing her future from being devastated".
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Rahul’s visit has galvanised party: Capt
Chandigarh, October 29 In a statement, Amarinder said the party had been galvanised at the grassroots level with Rahul's visit. He said the induction of Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari in the Cabinet would strengthen the party further in Ludhiana as well as the state. Amarinder said the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) would hold an assessment of candidates for the 2014 parliamentary elections at the appropriate time.This formal exercise would be undertaken closer to the elections and no survey had been conducted by the Pradesh Congress Committee in this regard.
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Langah down, local Akalis look to Babbehali for leadership
Gurdaspur, October 29 For the past several years, former Speaker NS Kahlon, former minister SS Sekhwan and former legislator LS Lodhinangal had ruled Gurdaspur politics. Now, all of them have fell by the wayside paving the way for Babbehali to emerge a strong contender for the post of Gurdaspur district SAD president. While all other senior Akali leaders had to bite the dust in the Vidhan Sabha elections, Babbehali won the Gurdaspur seat by a massive margin of 22,000 votes. Even his political opponents admit that Babbehali used the four-day sports and cultural festival, popularly known as a Chinj, at his native village last month to showcase his superiority over his archrivals. On the one hand he roped in Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Public Relations and NRI Affairs Minister Bikram Majithia as chief guests and on the other snubbed his opponents by not inviting them to the festival. Sources say in the runup to the parliamentary elections, the SAD may look for a new Gurdaspur unit chief. The Gurdaspur seat has been allotted to the party’s alliance partner, BJP. Insiders say that Langah had been politically isolated. “The state government has initiated an inquiry into the misuse of discretionary quota funds by Langah. The ADC (Development) has been asked to submit a report in 15 days. The former minister may have to quit as Gurdaspur SAD chief if the report goes against him,” sources said. However, Langah's friends say he has friends in powerful places and they may ensure he gets a second chance at the helm of affairs. “He wields a lot of clout in the district. All transfers and postings in the civil administration and the police department are done at his behest. His ability to get his loyalist Hardeep Singh Lamini installed as president of the Pathankot SAD goes on to show how powerful he is,” said a senior Congress leader.
Shifting Power Equations * But Babbehali won the Gurdaspur seat with a margin of 22,000 votes * With Langah facing charges of misuse of funds, Babbehali has emerged a strong contender for the post of Gurdaspur dist chief
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Scholarships for SC students lie unutilised
Chandigarh, October 29 Official papers accessed by The Tribune revealed that the special grant benefit to Scheduled Caste students had a balance of Rs10.16
lakh, out of the allocated Rs 23.48 lakh. The SC Brilliant student scholarship had a balance of Rs 4.12 lakhs out of Rs 10
lakh. The government could not use Rs 1.90 crore out of Rs 18.25 crore under the
post-matric stipend scheme meant for SC students. The government was left with Rs 22 lakh in
post-matric fee, Rs 30.80 lakh in Raj Vidayak Bhalai Scheme and Rs .128 lakh in Denotified Vimukat Classes. The audit for 2005-2010 pointed out that "schemes formulated for students of the Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes in the form of cash incentives, encouragement awards and distribution of free textbooks were not properly implemented, resulting in denial of benefits". A senior education department official said the amount under different heads was released by the Social Welfare Department, which delayed the process, and in many cases, resulted in denial of benefits. A government school principal said: "In case the social welfare department does not release the funds, the matter should be brought to the knowledge of the state government. Responsibility should be fixed for proper utilization of the scholarship amount".
common cause * In 2011-12, scholarships worth over Rs 1.28 crore could not be used * Rs 50 lakh under post-matric stipend for the OBCs also remained unused * The revelations were made in the audit for 2005-2010 * It pointed out that schemes for SC and OBC students were not properly implemented, resulting in denial of benefits * The grants were to be given in the form of cash incentives, encouragement awards and distribution of free textbooks
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Education staff forced to sit in unsafe building
Sangrur, October 29 The District Education Officer (DEO) had recently requested Deputy Commissioner Kumar Rahul to allot space for his office in the District Administrative Complex here, but a positive response in this regard was yet to come. The building is more than a century old and was declared unsafe vide letter No. 6677 dated 23-2-2004 following an inspection on January 14, 2004. At that time, the offices of DEO (Secondary) and DEO (Elementary) were functioning in this building. While the office of DEO (Secondary) was shifted to District Administrative Complex, the other office continues to cry for space. In 2010, the then Deputy Commissioner had got the DEO (Elementary) office shifted to two residential houses. But after a year, the office was again shifted back as the residential houses had to be vacated following verbal directions from the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development). DEO (Elementary) Sher Singh said he had made a verbal request to the Deputy Commissioner to allot them space in the District Administrative Complex.
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Vintage machines find ‘pride of place’
Ferozepur, October 29 These machines, two of which were recently brought to the station, were unveiled during a recent ceremony by Divisional Railway Manager Naresh Chand Goyal. Goyal said the vintage machines had become a centre of attraction not only for the passersby but also for the entire railway staff. Weighing
eight tonnes, the steam road roller was manufactured by Aveling and
Porters Limited of Rochester. It was dispatched from England on February 28, 1908. It first arrived in Karachi. Though several steam road rollers of different specifications were imported from England then, only a few of them are available now. About the locomotive, Goyal said it was last run on the Kalka-Shimla rail section where it remained in service for over 40 years. The MAK-21 model, with a single turbo-6 cylinder engine, weighs over 36 tonnes. It was manufactured by Chitranjan Locomotive Works. The narrow gauge wooden coach with a carrying capacity of 29 passengers was also used on the Kalka-Shimla section. It was built in 1979 by the Jodhpur railway workshop. Officials had also placed another vintage locomotive in front of the main entrance of the railway station.
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2 ‘babus’ on dispute lane over fancy car number
Faridkot, October 29 While some consider it as a wastage of resources, for those in the number race, it becomes a matter of pride. A retired PCS (Punjab Civil Service) official and a serving IAS officer are also embroiled in a similar kind of dispute these days. Both have been fighting for the ownership of a number, PB04-K-0004. The retired PCS officer, Manmohan Luthra, has even lodged a complaint with the Chandigarh Police and the Punjab Transport Commissioner. He claims that the Faridkot District Transport Office had allotted the number to his daughter in July 2005 for her Innova car. But a few days back, a Renault car was seen sporting the same number in Sector 39 of Chandigarh. The car is owned by the son of the IAS officer, who is posted in the Deputy Chief Minister’s office. Luthra has sought necessary action on the pretext that his daughter could land in trouble in case the Renault car was used for some illegal activity. On the other hand, the IAS officer also claims himself to be the rightful owner of the number. He says it was allotted to him by the transport authorities as per rules a month ago. When contacted, District Transport Officer Sukhmander Singh claimed that the number had been allotted to the IAS officer’s son. He said the number was lying vacant after Luthra surrendered it four year back by getting a no-objection certificate from the department. Luthra, however, rebutted Sukhmander’s claim by saying that the no-objection certificate had only been procured for transferring the ownership of the vehicle, and not to surrender the number. “Why would I surrender the number when I paid Rs 10,000 extra to get it,” he reasons. Pending this dispute, two vehicles sporting the same number have been plying on Chandigarh roads these days. As a result, the transport department officials are in a fix and hunting for an idea to break truce between the two warring parties who are at loggerheads over the fancy number.
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Cong leader to protest police inaction in rape attempt case
Muktsar, October 29 Subhash said his daughter was married at Tohana in Fatehabad district and on the night of October 24. He said she was alone at her house when a youth, Sushil Kumar, along with two unidentified persons forcibly entered her house and tried to "rape" her. "Though the Tohana police has registered a case against the accused, it has changed the charges. The police has even refused to give us a copy of the FIR lodged against the accused. It has forced us to lodge a protest outside the office of SP Fatehabad tomorrow," claimed
Subhash.
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ECI's instructions too difficult to comply with: BLO officials
Ludhiana, October 29 The letter has reportedly been sent to all the districts recently and the officials concerned have been asked to send the BLOs to their respective booths, from where they will send an SMS to a given number and the message will be recorded with the Central Server of the ECI. After getting the message, the ECI through its software would be able to calculate the longitude and latitude of the place (block). A BLO here on condition of anonymity disclosed that it was virtually impossible for the BLOs to do this exercise as majority of BLOs did not have smart phones. "When we told officials about this problem, we were told to borrow the phones to send the SMS. But no one would lend us his phone as it was a personal device. We should be given smart phones to send the text messages to ECI," said a BLO. The last date for sending the text message to ECI was October 15 but authorities are reportedly finding it too difficult to implement these directions. The main purpose of ECI for this whole exercise is to know the longitude and latitude of the area. An official said the Punjab Agriculture University’s remote sensing division had the equipment through which longitude and latitude can be measured. The authorities have requested the university to lend the equipment to it. "There are 2,482 BLOs in the 14 constituencies in Ludhiana district and in Punjab and there are over 15,000 polling stations. It is not possible to implement such instructions in all the districts of Punjab," he said.
Phone Dilemma * ECI directed officials to send text messages through the android software which is only available in smart phones * Majority of BLOs did not have smart phones * After getting the message, the ECI through its software would be able to calculate the longitude and latitude of the place * The last date for sending the text message to ECI was October 15
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Canadian PM to visit Chandigarh next month
Chandigarh, October 26 It will be Stephen Harper’s second visit to India. “Canada enjoys a strong working and personal relationship with India but we must further strengthen the links between our two countries,” said the Prime Minister. “India is a growing economy with enormous potential, and expanding our trade and investment links with India will create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity here in Canada." Accompanying him will be a big business and cultural delegation besides five ministers. Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Joe Oliver. Minister of Natural Resources and Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), and Tim Uppal, Minister of State (Democratic Reform) will be part of the official delegation. Other than meeting with the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his ministerial colleagues, Stephen Harper will also address the World Economic Forum on India, an independent international organisation committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders. Trade between India, one of the fastest growing economies, and Canada has been on the rise. The strength of the ties between the two countries is reflected in the estimated 1 million Canadians of Indian origin residing there. Stephen Harper would also visit Agra, Chandigarh and Bangalore.
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For teachers, no leave via phone or SMS: DGSE
Bathinda, October 29 In a letter issued to all the heads of various components as well as the districts' education officers and school principals, the DGSE has stated that during inspection in one of the schools in Sangrur, it was found that three teachers were absent. All the three teachers had called up the school gardener apprising him about their leave and took the leave presuming it to be sanctioned. It has also been noticed that the school principals allow leave of teachers just on a phone call and do not insist on formal application, which is mandatory. "Such practices increase the possibility of too many staff members taking leave together, while the students suffer," the DGSE observed. The employees of government schools have been directed to give their leave applications at a least a day before taking the leave. In case of emergency, the employees are supposed to call or send SMS only to the school principal before the school opens on the day. School principals and heads have been directed to mention it in the attendance registers that the leave has been taken on phone or through an SMS. Such leaves will also
be mentioned in a separate register. Schools have been directed not to give leave to more than 20 per cent of its staff so that students do not suffer.
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90-kg man-eating fish caught in Sutlej
Nangal, October 29 The contractors Bawandeep and Paramjeet Singh Kohli claim to have been running the family business for last four decades in Gobind Sagar lake. They said nowadays the maximum weight of the fish caught in the area was 5 kg. Other types of fish available in the area are katla, rohu, silver carp mahseer. Today we were fishing in Sutlej near Sra Pattan at Bunga Sahib when the 90-kg fish was trapped, said Bawanjeet. A goonch fish weighing 35-kg was last caught two months ago, he said, adding that they last caught a goonch fish of the same weight in 1995. The goonch catfish (Bagarius yarrelli) is a confirmed man-eating freshwater fish. It can grow up to 6-feet-long, and weigh over 150 pounds and is found in South Asia.
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Families await word on their missing boys
Gidderbaha/Muktsar, October 29 Raghav Wadhwa, 24, son of a businessman and a student of law at Rayat and Bahra College, went missing on January 4 (his birthday) in 2010 from Sector 23 in Chandigarh. He had reportedly gone there to drop his cousin. He was driving a white Swift car (PB-60-A-4800). Said a desolate Jagdish Wadhwa, Raghav's father: “We approached a number of senior police officers, but in vain. Irked at the slow pace of investigation by the Chandigarh police, we have moved an application in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking a CBI probe, but the court is yet to give an order in this regard.” He said his son's mobile phone was recovered from a Moga resident about 18 months ago but the police had failed to make a breakthrough. Similarly, 32-year-old Pardeep Kumar who ran a grocery shop in Rupana village, has been missing since November 3, 2010. Pardeep's brother Pawan alleged that some local Akali leaders, including Sukhchain Singh and his son Karam Deep of Rupana village, had kidnapped his brother. “After repeated attempts, a case was registered against Sukhchain, his son and some unidentified persons but neither have they been arrested, nor has my brother been traced,” Pawan said. Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh said: “I will personally look into Pardeep Kumar's case."
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100 schools in Fatehgarh Sahib sans furniture
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 29 This information was revealed in a press release issued by the SAD General Secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra here today. It further said that only 70 to 80 per cent of the primary schools in the district had been provided with furniture including benches and chairs while students in the rest of the schools continued to sit on jute carpets in the classrooms. A total of 28,147 students were studying in primary schools in the district. Chandumajra said he had been making constant efforts to provide building funds to the primary schools. He said he had been able to get a grant of Rs 4.5 lakh as building fund and Rs 70,000 each for Madhopur High School and primary schools in Sodha, Badali Mai, Jhampur, Harlalpur and Bhagat Colony. He said the funds would soon be provided in other primary schools. The SAD general secretary said that in addition to this he had also been instrumental in getting a grant of Rs one crore for building primary schools in villages Chudki, Panjoli, Meer Meera and Daadu Majra. He said vacant posts of teachers were being filled and other basic facilities, including furniture in the primary school of the state was being provided. Earlier, addressing senior Akali leaders he claimed that the state had retained the number three position in the country in the field of education by opening engineering, medical and nursing colleges besides establishing a world class university and an IIT. Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra, Hardev Singh Harlalpur, Inderjit Singh Sandhu, Jathedar Manmohan Singh Mukaropu, Mandeep Singh Tarkhanmajra, YAD national General Secretary Baljit Singh Buta, Sher Singh, former president Sirhind Municipal Council, were among those present during the meeting.
Bare Minimum *
28,147 students are studying in primary schools in the district
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Car owners overpaying for parking in Patiala
Patiala, October 29 One of the residents Surinder Singh said the contractor was charging Rs 30 and Rs 15 parking fee for four wheelers and two wheelers whereas the original fee was Rs 15 and Rs 10. I refused to pay Rs 30 and instead parked my car on the roadside. After I returned, I found that all the tyres of my car were punctured. When I questioned the parking staff, they manhandled me. Another resident Sanam said many times the parking staff refused to hand them the slip after being paid the parking fee. When contacted, Patiala Municipal Commissioner GS Sidhu said he was not aware of any such problem but since it had been brought to his notice now, he would look into the matter.— TNS
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Sweets are no longer favourite Diwali gifts
Bathinda, October 29 Making a departure from the regular stuff purchased from local sweets producers, city residents are trying something different this year. “I used to gift sweets, but this time I have purchased packets of biscuits from an exclusive biscuit shop on the Amrik Singh Road,” said Buta Singh, a resident of Multania road. A government employee, Buta said last year, he gave packets of sweets to his senior officials.“This time, I am planning to gift something that they will keep with themselves," Buta said. Ashok Bansal, a shopkeeper on the Ajit Road, said with Diwali round-the-corner, people were exploring other gifts like organic edibles. He said various companies had introduced special items in the forms of juices, biscuits, specially-made milk products like chocolates, dhoda, panjeeri, milk cake, soan papri, kaju pini and barfi. Many manufacturers were introducing products which are made especially for Diwali and its sale is limited to the festive season only. "There are numerous qualities of biscuits ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 250 and above, which can be presented to one's relatives and friends. Then, there are gift packs of dry fruits also," Bansal said. A beekeeper Gurcharan Mann of nearby Tungwali village said he was offering a gift pack containing two bottles of honey
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Abohar may get another rly overbridge
Abohar, October 29 Acting upon a communication received from the Minister of State for Railways KH Muniyappa to examine the proposals put forth by Punjab CLP leader Sunil Jakhar, senior divisional engineer Neeraj Bhandari along with divisional engineer Ranjeet Kumar visited the railway complex here recently. Members of the Municipal Council informed the visiting railway engineers about the problems faced by hundreds of residents settled across the railway track in Nai Abadi, Ram Nagar and adjoining localities that make almost half of the total population in this sub-divisional town. The team also discussed the site plans prepared by the PWD for providing underpass to Nai Abadi besides construction of a railway overbridge on the Sriganganagar road close to the abandoned Bhawani Cotton Mills.
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7 people died in road accidents in last 8 days
Bathinda, October 29 Most of the accidents involve heavy vehicles and occur due to human error, engineering faults in roads or the heavy flow of traffic on the road. Apart from the fatal casualties, more than two dozen people have received serious injuries in separate accidents in the district. Three retired schoolteachers lost their lives on the Goniana road, two farmers got killed near Bhucho Mandi, two persons lost their lives in separate mishaps in the city and one person died near the Bathinda Civil Hospital. The traffic policemen maintained that high-speeding vehicles as wells as lack of night patrolling and check on drunken driving proved instrumental in fuelling the accident rate in the city and surrounding areas. The police has cracked whip on traffic violators and has been issuing challans to the violators in the city areas during the day time and in the evening. "The same, however, goes unchecked during night hours, especially on weekends when revelers are out on roads under the influence of liquor," said Pali, a volunteer of an NGO that shifts accident victims to hospitals. Traffic policemen said human error was more at fault than the engineering faults in the roads. Kiranjit, a city resident who fell into a deep pothole a few days ago in front of the DAV College, said he was driving his motorbike at quite a slow speed when his bike fell into the pothole due to which he got seriously injured. "The pothole is still not filled appropriately despite the fact that so many accidents have taken place there. The hole was stuffed only with soil a few days ago and sewerage water could be seen accumulating around it," said Bhupinder, a resident of Bibiwala road who has a shop near the pothole in front of DAV College. Area residents said apart from potholed roads, the stray cattle menace too was rampant in the city. "Many accidents take place due to stray cattle on the Bibiwala road, the Ajit road, the Goniana Road, the Mansa road, the Dabwali road and on the slip roads of the city," said Rohit Paul, a resident of Jhujhar Singh Nagar.
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School board deputes 16 nodal officers
Mohali, October 29 Talking on the issue, the PSEB chairman Husan Lal said these nodal officers would be chosen from all the 16 branches of the board and would be deputed at the window within one month. "We would select the senior officials from each branch for the purpose. Those officials, who have full knowledge of the work at their respective branches, would be chosen to sit at the single window," said Husan Lal adding that a meeting with heads of all branches of the board was held recently in which the required groundwork had been done by them. Husan Lal admitted that the single window system was not functioning properly as 90 per cent of the visitors there could be seen roaming in the office to get their work done. On an average, over 600 visitors, including students came to the board's office at Phase 8 everyday. — TNS
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Barnala, October 29
The parking contractor at the AC market has been charging people double the amount fixed for parking their vehicles in the area.
What’s more, if someone refused to pay up and parked their cars outside the parking area on the roadside, the parking staff punctured their vehicles.
About Keetu
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Keetu was the chief of the state unit of the Truck Unions Assn
fo(u)r whom is it?