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Sukhbir proposes joint industrial zones
7 suspended for leaving Deputy CM unguarded
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Shruti Case
Government doctor caught working at private hospital
Students hold dharna near Phillaur’s residence
70% posts vacant in govt college libraries
Ramoowalia: HC must come to rescue of deserted wives
Crèche set up at Patiala jail
Foreign architect to design Keshopur tourist centre
Four policemen booked after man dies in raid
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Sukhbir proposes joint industrial zones
Attari, November 9 Speaking to mediapersons in Attari after crossing over to India, Sukhbir said he had played his part by initiating the process of strengthening trade and commerce ties between the two countries. "During our five-day visit to Pakistan, we worked out several proposals. The list will be sent to the Union Government for final approval," he said. Sukhbir said Pakistan Punjab's Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, too, had agreed on the proposal for setting up joint industrial zones. "Entrepreneurs of both Punjabs will be free to set up their industrial units in such areas, which will be treated at par with the local industry. The products manufactured in these zones will be duty-free," he said. Both Punjabs, he said, had also agreed upon to constitute a 20-member (10 from each side) joint coordination committee to discuss various issues, including increasing the trade ties and exchange of ideas in various fields. The committee would meet at least once every two months. Among the 10 members would be three ministers, three secretaries and four businessmen. "The onus is now on the Union Government to give a concrete shape to the proposals and carry forward the dialogue," he said. Sukhbir said he had also raised the issue of setting up of a visa consulate in Lahore and Amritsar and opening Hussainiwala and Suleman Ki (Fazilka) borders for trade. He said he had also urged Sharif to strengthen infrastructure on its side of the Integrated Check Post at Attari. The governments of both Punjabs have also agreed to initiate 'Punjab Cup', a bi-annual sports tournament comprising cricket, hockey, wrestling and tug-of-war, he said. The Deputy Chief Minister said Sharif had also accepted his invitation to grace as chief guest the Kabbadi World Cup final slated to be held in Ludhiana on December 15. He said he had also requested Pakistan Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal Mohammad to organise cricket, and if possible kabaddi too, matches between the legislators of both Punjabs. Sukhbir said he had requested Sharif to rename a chowk in Lahore after martyr Bhagat Singh and release Indian prisoners, including Sarbjit Singh. What Punjabs discussed
Buffalo given as gift Pakistan Punjab
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif gifted a Neeli Ravi buffalo to Sukhbir Badal and also accepted the tractor gifted by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister to him. A two-hour long cultural bonanza was organised in his honour. Striking emotional chord More than 4,000 prominent citizens from different walks of life, including over 2,900 sportspersons, gave a standing ovation to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal when he said "Hun vapas jaan nu dil nahin karda" (don't feel like returning now) at a function on Thursday. He said he was "emotionally touched by the unprecedented love, affection and care showered upon the delegation members by the Pakistan Punjab government and the residents. "I am indebted," he said.
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7 suspended for leaving Deputy CM unguarded
Lahore, November 9 The incident occurred when a group of businessmen hosted a dinner for Badal and his 45-member delegation at the Royal Country Palm Club on Wednesday. The Elite Force policemen deputed to guard the Indian delegation rushed off to have dinner, leaving the visitors unprotected. DIG Rai Tahir recorded the statements of the policemen involved in the incident. He found Inspector Muhammad Akmal and six other policemen responsible for the security lapse and suspended them from service. He also issued them notices to explain why action should not be taken against them. — PTI
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CM’s aide dies in strange circumstances
Muktsar, November 9 The post-mortem was performed by a team of doctors at the Civil Hospital, Malout. Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surjeet Singh saiD: “As per the preliminary statement of his family members, Tarmala shot himself with his .32 bore revolver at 4.30 am after asking his wife to fetch him tea." The SSP said that no suicide note had been found and " we have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC." Experts said there was hardly any instance of anyone shooting himself in the middle of the forehead. Dr Rashmi Chawla, who led the doctors’ team which conducted the post-mortem in the presence of the local Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the SSP, said: “Tarmala was shot from a point blank range between 4 am and 5 am.” She refused to say whether or not it appeared to be a case of suicide. The body was brought home in the afternoon. The Chief Minister, who reached his native village yesterday, cancelled his two-day Sangat Darshan programme in the Lambi assembly constituency to be with the bereaved family. The deceased is survived by two sons, Navrinder Singh, who was married a few months ago, and Amrinder Singh, wife Updesh Kaur and his parents. Sources said Tarmala was disturbed as he had strained ties with one of his sons. Also, he felt ignored by his party men. People close to Tarmala said it was hard to believe that a daring man like him could take such a cowardly step. They compared his death with that of IFFCO Chairman Surinder Kumar Jakhar who had died of a gunshot wound under mysterious circumstances at his farmhouse in Abohar in 2011.
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Justice Sekhon is state Lokpal
Chandigarh, November 9 The proposal regarding his appointment as Lokpal was mooted by the Chief Minister after deliberations with the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Vidhan Sabha Speaker as is mandatory under Section 4 of the Punjab Lokpal Act.
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Shruti Case Bathinda: Forty-six organisations, under the umbrella of the Action Committee, held a protest rally here, demanding that Shruti's custody be handed over to her parents and the case to the CBI. Shruti's father Ashwani Sachdeva said: "Shruti has been threatened with dire consequences if she dares to speak up. She is reluctant to come back home as she fears for our safety." The committee members will now hold a dharna outside the Jalandhar Nari Niketan on November 18. — TNS
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Government doctor caught working at private hospital
Ropar, November 9 The accused identified as Dr Surjit Singh, an orthopaedic surgeon and posted as
SMO, Bharatpur, was examining a patient at Max City Hospital situated on Bela Road when Dr Sidhu raided the hospital. Dr Sidhu had raided the clinic on Wednesday also but the doctor had already left. However, today Singh’s luck ran out as Dr Sidhu caught him examining a patient at the hospital. She informed the local media and Ropar Civil Surgeon Rajneesh
Sood. When Dr Singh was caught he was supposed to be at the Community Health Centre at Bharatpur Dispensary Hospital where his working hours were from 9 am to 3 pm, said Dr
Sidhu. A decoy patient named Girish had been visiting the doctor since Wednesday, she said. “Dr Singh had been charging a consultation fee of Rs 100 at each of my examination,” said
Girish. Many patients admitted to the hospital confirmed that Dr Singh operated upon them and charged Rs 10,000 for
it. Sidhu said she had received complaints against Dr Singh that he hardly spent any time at Bharatgarh Dispensary. Dr Singh attended to patients between 9am to 11am and 1 pm to 3 pm at the private hospital, said Dr
Sidhu. Though Dr Singh claimed that the clinic at the hospital was owned by his daughter, no other doctor was present there at the time of the raid, said Dr
Sidhu. Earlier on August 31, Dr Sidhu had posed as a patient named Nafisa and caught Dr Sameer Kaushal for running a private hospital in
Mohali. Dr Surjit Singh denied the allegations and said the hospital was owned by his daughter and that he stayed on the upper floor with his family. He said, he was about to leave for Bharatgarh when a patient writhing in pain reached there and requested him for treatment. It was then that Dr Sidhu raided the
place. Ropar Civil Surgeon Rajneesh Sood said he had sent a report in this regard to Director, Health Services, Punjab. We will take further action in the matter only after getting directions from him, he added. The raid
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LPG thieves’ gang busted; 7 arrested
Bathinda, November 9 As many as 280 cylinders were recovered from their possession. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Narinder Bhargav said the gang was earlier involved in snatching and looting and had switched over to stealing LPG cylinders in the last few months. He added the accused revealed they used to sell the stolen cylinders in black at Rs 1,500. The gang members used to steal cylinders by breaking into the godowns late at night. The accused have been identified as Avtar Singh alias Tari of Noorpur Chitha village in Jalandhar, Santosh Kumar alias Teetu of Mansa, Makhan Singh and Jagmail Singh of Sangrur, Rakesh Kumar Rinku and Sukhbir Singh alias Kaka, both residents of Mansa and Tony Garg of Bathinda. Sources said Avtar Singh, the kingpin, was arrested in August by the Sangrur police in connection with a vehicle theft case. The accused after sustained interrogations revealed they were making mullah ahead the festival season. The gang was active in Mansa, Sangrur, Bathinda and Barnala for the past four months. The Mansa police had recently constituted a special investigation team to nab the accused. The gang used to carry out a recce in the daytime and strike during night, the SSP added.
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Funds bungled in Lambi: Jakhar
Chandigarh, November 9 In a statement, he said Rs 40 crore funds allocated by the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) and disbursed by PIDB in Lambi to provide houses to weaker sections amounted to influencing the electorate in the area. He said a small part of these funds had also been spent in the Gidderbaha constituency of former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. The Congress leader said a sum of Rs 40 crore was spent in the CM's home district of Muktsar between January 2011 and March 2012. He said a sum of Rs 10 crore was sanctioned with “lightening” haste by the then Muktsar Deputy Commissioner just before the poll code for the assembly elections. Jakhar alleged that sums ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000 were given to certain beneficiaries on a pick and choose basis to influence them during voting. He claimed that this money had been misappropriated as no new houses had been built. Jakhar said the CM owed an explanation to the people on the "diversion of funds."
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Students hold dharna near Phillaur’s residence
Jalandhar, November 9 The protesting students earlier gathered at the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall from where they started their march towards Phillaur’s residence. They raised slogans against the state government. PSU leaders Karam Sekha and Mangaljit Singh said that students pursuing some courses were exempted of their fee as per the post-matriculation scholarship scheme of the Centre. They said the state government and educational institutions had not implemented the rules, as a result of which crores of rupees were paid by students for courses which otherwise would have been free. They claimed that there was a deliberate attempt to keep the students of classes XI and XII out of the ambit of these schemes.
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70% posts vacant in govt college libraries
Ludhiana, November 9 There are 96 available posts in state government colleges and district libraries. Out of these, 68 posts are at government colleges and 49 of these have been lying vacant. Twenty-seven colleges of the state do not have a librarian. Some of these libraries have been run by class IV employees and unskilled staff working on daily wages. The situation is set to worsen as eight more librarians will retire in the next 3 years. The shortage of library staff in these colleges is also affecting the renovation work carried out there. Most of the libraries are still not upgraded as per the UGC guidelines. Baljinderpal Dhiman, general secretary Punjab Colleges Librarians Association, said, "Government has not been recruiting librarians for the last 14 years. Despite informing higher authorities about the issue at hand several times, no action has been taken. Library is a mandatory institution in a college. Unprofessional staff cannot manage them effectively. Government should recruit regular librarians soon." College Librarian is a class I officer and Punjab Public
Service Commission (PPSC) recruits them under the UGC terms and conditions. Librarians’ pay scales are at par with those of college lecturers. PPSC last recruited librarians in 1998. Dr Tarsem Dhaliwal, Director Public Instructions (Colleges), Punjab, said, "Filling all the vacancies in government colleges is a priority for us. The department has taken the issue up with the PPSC and will advertise the posts soon." Affected Colleges Government College Bullath (Kapurthala), Government College Bathinda, Government College Fazilka, Government College Guru Teg Bahadur Garh (Moga), Govt College Jandiala,(Jalandhar), Government Science College Jagraon, Guru Nanak Government College Kala Afghana, Government College Kotakpura, Government College Mansa , Government College Malerkotla, Government College Pojewal , Government College Pattran, Government College Sardargarh (Bathinda) and Government College Nabha.
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Ramoowalia: HC must come to rescue of deserted wives Chandigarh, November 9 At least six of them said they had been fighting for justice in courts since the last 12 years. One of them, Harpreet Kaur of Gurdaspur, alleged that she had suffered harassment at the hands of personnel in the police women's cell. Ramoowalia prayed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo moto notice and order a speedy trial of such cases. He alleged that the Crime Against Women Cells were only harassing the victims and the High Court should appoint a sub-committee to hear complaints against its officials.
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Crèche set up at Patiala jail
Patiala, November 9 The crèche is partly funded by ‘Sarbat da Bhala’ Charitable Trust under its Satrangi project. Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra while inaugurating the crèche today said ‘Satrangi’ would give a ray of hope to those children who are being neglected on jail premises. He said all women whose children were lodged with them would be shifted to Patiala Central Jail so the children could get proper care and attention. Rakhra lauded the role Patiala Deputy Commissioner GK Singh and NR SPS Oberoi, Founder of Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust, played in setting up the creche-cum-school. Rakhra said the school would prove to be a boon for these children. Oberoi said he would set up such schools in five more jails of Punjab with the help of the state government.
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Foreign architect to design Keshopur tourist centre
Gurdaspur, November 9 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will give a loan of Rs 9 crore for the purpose. The state-of-the-art building is expected to come up by December 31 this year. Earlier, the panchayats of five villages had refused to lease out land for the TIC which is to come up over an area of 25 kanals, a stone's throw away from the main wetland. However, the panchayats of Keshopur, Mataam, Daala, and Miani villages have passed a resolution leasing out 850 acres of land to the government. "At one stage, the wetland was on the verge of extinction with village elders refusing to co-operate with the authorities to save the area which is a winter home for various species of birds. After much effort by the wildlife authorities, the five panchayats saw reason and, finally, decided to lease out the land," said Manjit Dala, a native of nearby Dala village. The TIC, which will be built of traditional raw material, will not require an air-conditioner or a heater. Moreover, Wood and bamboo placed one after the other will ensure that joints do not open during an earthquake. Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha said: "Today, scientists recognise the environmental benefits that wetlands provide. Wetlands have vital ecological functions that were barely recognised a few years ago. Ecologists have documented the environmental benefits of wetlands that include water purification, flood protection and groundwater recharge.
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Four policemen booked after man dies in raid
Ludhiana, October 9 The death of 42-year-old Balwinder Singh angered the residents who kept his body on the National Highway-1 last evening, blocking the traffic for over five hours. The traffic jam left thousands of commuters stranded. The protesters lifted the dharna after the raiding team - ASI Varinder Kumar Chopra, constable Gurtehal Singh, Balvir Singh and Gurdeep Singh- were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The four police personnel were booked after the victim’s brother in-law Harjinder Lal filed a complaint. The incident occurred last evening when the Ladhowal police received a tip-off that illegal sand mining was on at a vacant plot near the Sutlej riverbed in Talwandi Kalan village. Police laid a naka near Talwandi village and when they asked Balwinder Singh to stop, he panicked and tried to escape. He was driving a sand-laden tractor. Police then gave him a chase when Balwinder’s tractor turned turtle and he was crushed underneath. Harjinder Singh said that instead of taking Balwinder Singh to a hospital, police fled from the scene. Commuters rushed Balwinder to a private hospital but he was declared brought dead. The police has registered a case under Section 304 of the IPC for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and started the investigation.
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Terming his five-day visit to Pakistan as "historic and successful", Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the governments of both Punjabs had shown keen interest in setting up of joint industrial
zones.
Punjab chief parliamentary secretary (CPS), Health, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu caught a senior medical officer
(SMO) allegedly working at a private hospital during office hours here today. The accused identified as Dr Surjit Singh, an orthopaedic surgeon and posted as
SMO, Bharatpur, was examining a patient at Max City Hospital situated on Bela Road when Dr Sidhu raided the hospital.
