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Miseries of Maqboolpura
Buying uniform at Rs 400 a tough task for govt schools
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Sarna brothers, Dikshit trying to scuttle DSGMC poll: Sukhbir
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at a cow shelter in Nawanshahr on Monday. A Tribune photograph
Apologise for sharing dais with Bibi, Khaira tells Union Minister
Review fee on marriage palaces, says Cong MLA
Cong protests against state government’s ‘anti-farmer’ policies
Cane farmers await arrears; crushing to start from Nov 25
Manpreet’s relative alleges land fraud
Government forms disaster response force, but forgets to equip it
Disaster Response Force personnel during a mock drill at Ladhowal Seed Farm. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan
CHANDIGARH GOLF CLUB
Few take to direct sowing of wheat
SGPC employee suspended
Cash-strapped Ludhiana MC to auction 3 sites
Plaints of dirty water, samples collected
African student Yannick Nihangaza's father Nestor Ntibateganya at a private hospital in Patiala. A Tribune photograph
Teacher ends fast after Badal’s assurance
Bathinda traffic police holds awareness rally
Three soldiers injured in road mishap
Wall of FCI godown falls, two dead Sub-tehsil status okayed for Sanour
Custody plea: Shruti to appear before CJM’s court tomorrow
Shruti’s parents outside the Faridkot CJM's court on Monday. A Tribune photograph
High Court declines to vacate stay on mining of sand
Court rejects bail applications of three accused officials
PIL wants restructuring of right to service commission
Wife booked as jawan commits suicide
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Miseries of Maqboolpura
Amritsar, November 19 Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal confirmed that the matter had been taken note of and that he would take necessary measures to facilitate widow pension to the affected persons as soon as he was provided the list of their names. Aggarwal said they would also be issued Blue Cards, the process for which will also be set in motion simultaneously. Ajit Singh, who is working against the drug menace in the locality, has a list of 149 widows who don't have Blue Cards. The Tribune had carried a report highlighting the travails of these widows in these columns on November 7. However, when it comes to curbing the supply of drugs to the locality, a lot needs to be done. The women who lost their husbands to drug addiction in Maqboolpura lament that there was no check on the supply of illicit liquor, which was available in every street of the locality and that too at meagre Rs 20 per glass. Sita, whose husband died due to drug addiction, said those selling liquor don't even hesitate in providing the addicts their daily dose on credit. There have also been instances in which some of the addicts ended up mortgaging and even losing their property to repay the debt that they accrued due to their drug addiction. Ajit said a few chemist shops too were facilitating drugs to addicts, though the trend of injecting drugs with the help of syringes had declined. A number of youth who used to take drugs in this manner lost their lives. Besides, the availability of injectable drugs had also dropped. He emphasised on strict action by the authorities concerned for curbing the supply of drugs to the locality where almost every household had lost one or more of its male members to the menace. Apart from it, nothing has been done for de-addiction and rehabilitation of the addicts. The locality doesn't have any such facility. "A de-addiction-cum-rehabilitation centre will be of great help in countering the menace," said Ajit. He opined that vocational courses at the centre will go a long way in equipping them with skills that will aid them in earning their bread and butter.
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Buying uniform at Rs 400 a tough task for govt schools
Chandigarh, November 19 On the list of items to be procured in this amount is a shirt, trousers — ‘salwaar kameez’ in case of girls — shoes and a pair of socks; and sweaters during winters. Though the scheme was launched in the academic year 2010-11 as part of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan for all girls and reserved category students till Class VIII, the uniform allowance has remained unchanged. Kanwaljit Singh, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Jethuwal (Amritsar), said, “The Education Department has not designated any garment store from where we can procure uniform for our students. Even if we manage to buy low-cost material in Rs 400, who will bear the stitching bill?” Director General of School Education Kahan Singh Pannu said, “Schools concerned have been given the entire amount. They are expected to manage the finances and seek help, if any, from local bodies.” On non-availability of designated garment stores, he said schools concerned were best equipped to manage bulk purchases through their local contacts. Vikram Dhanda, owner of a hosiery mill in Ludhiana, said “The Education Department can definitely manage a good discount if orders are placed well in advance and in bulk.” A number of government schools have been receiving help from village panchayats, which contribute towards school uniform. The trend has picked up in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana districts. On the other hand, a large number of schools, particularly in rural belts of Amritsar, Bathinda and Ferozepur, were not receiving any financial support from village
panchayats.
difficult to fit in *
The Education Department provides Rs 400 to an individual student for uniform *
The free uniform comprises a shirt, trousers — ‘salwaar kameez’ in case of girls — shoes and a sweater *
But schools have been finding it hard to purchase entire uniform at a paltry sum of Rs 400 under the scheme *
It covers all girl students and reserved category students till Class VIII
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Sarna brothers, Dikshit trying to scuttle DSGMC poll: Sukhbir
Hoshiarpur, November 19 At Padhiana, welcoming the former Punjab Pradesh Congress secretary, Capt RS Pathania, into the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) fold, he said the SAD-BJP government was committed to development. Promising to change the economic profile of the kandi belt, he said the government planned an industrial cluster in the area for which a land bank was being created. The industrial cluster would be connected with the rest of Punjab by an expressway. Sukhbir claimed that the amendment in the Delhi Gurdwara Act proposed by the Sheila Dikshit government was against the spirit of the Constitution as delaying elections beyond the five-year term was undemocratic. Accusing the Sarna brothers and the Delhi Chief Minister of running away from the gurdwara elections, he said the Sarnas, fearing a humiliating defeat in the DGMC poll, were making every effort to scuttle the elections. He alleged that Sheila Dikshit apprehended that if the Sarnas faced a drubbing, it would have an adverse impact on the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections.
Rs 12 lakh for gaushala
Nawanshahr: The Deputy Chief Minister presided over a function organised by the National Gau Sewa Mission here on Monday. He announced a grant of Rs 12 lakh for the Chandpur Rurki gaushala, the setting up of a veterinary dispensary at Chandpur Rurki and construction of the Dallewal-Chandpur Rurki link road. "A Gaushala Board has been constituted. Suggestions from managements of gaushalas and Swami Krishnand, president of the National Gau Sewa Mission, will be sought for formulating a policy on protecting the cow," he said.
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Apologise for sharing dais with Bibi, Khaira tells Union Minister
Kapurthala, November 19 Khaira said that Nayak had honoured Bibi Jagir Kaur with a plaque at a function in Bholath yesterday. He flayed the minister, accusing him of "promoting criminality in politics". He also said it was wrong for Jagir Kaur to garland the Union Minister " when her party leaves no stone unturned to criticise the UPA Government." Khaira warned if Nayak failed to tender an apology, he would be shown black flags the next time he visited Punjab.
Bibi hits back
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Review fee on marriage palaces, says Cong MLA
Sangrur, November 19 Khanna said it would become almost impossible for marriage palace owners to pay the "exorbitant" and "unrealistic" licence fee. As a result, palace owners would have to shut shop, he said. Seeking reduction in fee, the Congress MLA said the remaining amount should also be payable in installments. He said marriage palace owners were supposed to deposit Rs 50 lakh per acre in Ludhiana, Rs 40 lakh in Jalandhar and Rs 10 lakh in Sangrur. He said the state government should take palace owners into confidence for arriving at a consensus on fee. — TNS
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Cong protests against state government’s ‘anti-farmer’ policies
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 19 Senior Akali leaders however termed the protest as a drama to divert the attention of the people. The protesters burnt the effigy of the state government at the dharna which led to a traffic jam on Sirhind-Morinda road for around two hours. MP Sukhdev Singh Libra lashed out at the state government for arresting local MLA Kuljeet Singh Nagra in Chandigarh. He said Nagra was arrested while protesting outside the residence of the Chief Minister (CM). Nagra criticised the government for not addressing the problems faced by farmers whose land had been acquired to set up Nilas thermal plant near Rajpura, Libra said. Such tactics by the government would not be tolerated at any cost, he said. Nagra, who was at the dharna, said the state government were flouting norms by letting defeated Akali leaders distribute the state grants. SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra said that Congress leaders were trying to misguide the masses. He said MLA Nagra should have sought prior permission in order to meet the CM in Chandigarh on Saturday. Chandumajra said the CM had constituted a committee to probe the allegations that the private company building the thermal plant was grabbing additional land. He said the committee would inspect the site on November 24. He informed that the government had announced Rs one crore for the repair of the roads in the district in view of the upcoming Shaheedi Jor Mela in December. Government had also sanctioned a grant of Rs 24 lakh to convert the choe in the region into a lake, he added. — TNS
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Cane farmers await arrears; crushing to start from Nov 25
Chandigarh, November 19 Cane production this year is expected to be not more than 560 lakh quintals, much less than the required 896 lakh quintals for the mills to be able to run for up to six months (180 days). Sugarcane production in the state has declined during the past couple of years with farmers facing problems of timely payments. The Price Control Board has yet to announce the official rate for sugarcane for this season. Sources say the new rates will be out within a couple of days and are expected to be higher than the last year’s price of Rs 230 per quintal for the early crop and Rs 220 per quintal for the normal crop. Punjab Cane Commissioner Dr Ranjit Singh said: "Sugarfed owes nearly Rs 93 crore to the farmers. At least two installments worth Rs 60 crore have been cleared. The remaining amount (Rs 30 crore) will be released within a couple of days”. This year, sugarcane was grown over 84,000 hectares. Cane mills do not expect to get more than 425 lakh quintals this crushing season. There are16 sugar mills operational in the state, of which nine are in the coop and seven in the private sector. The crushing capacity of the coop sugar mills is 15,766 tonnes per day and the private mills 34,000
tonnes.
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Manpreet’s relative alleges land fraud
Ferozepur, November 19 Jaijeet, who is also district PPP president, said he along with other family members, including Veenu Badal (Manpreet’s wife), were the owners of the said land (khewat No. 15) which was allotted to them by the state government 14 years ago. However, the ownership record of around 16 acres was allegedly changed in favour of Labh Singh, Harmander Singh, Balwinder Singh, Joginder Singh and Balvir Singh, all residents of the same village without any sale deed or authorisation by the owner, he said. Jaijeet alleged the ownership record was altered vide mutation no 699/1, 698/1, 697/1 and 596/1 and subsequently, Labh Singh and others were shown as owners in “jamabandi” for 2010-11. Jaijeet claimed the mutation numbers through which the ownership was changed did not even exist in the revenue record. Deputy Commissioner S Karuna Raju said an inquiry conducted by the Sadar Kanugo revealed that the land ownership was erroneously altered by the patwari concerned at the time of computerisation of records in 2010-11. He said he had already issued a chargesheet to the erring patwari. About the bank loan taken by the beneficiaries by submitting false “jamabandis” to the bank, Raju said the SDM had been asked to conduct a detailed inquiry.
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Government forms disaster response force, but forgets to equip it
Ladhowal/ Ludhiana, November 19 The fact came to light today during the passing out parade of the first batch of trainers, who completed their six-week training at the Police Complex in Ladhowal Seed Farm near Ludhiana. The SDRF personnel, who have been trained by a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) of the Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), performed a mock drill during the parade using equipment of the NDRF. Some recruits complain that the idea of forming the SDRF stands defeated in the absence of equipment. “What is the use of training the personnel if there is no equipment? In case of a disaster, these trained personnel will be of no use,” said a police officer watching the mock drill. NK Arora, IG, PAP, who presided over the passing out parade, said: “It is the state government’s job to provide equipment to the personnel. The government’s relief and rehabilitation wing will provide logistic support to the SDRF. Our job is to train the men”. The equipment, including victim location camera, chainsaw, breaching system and rotary rescue saw, will cost a substantial amount. Besides, money is required for buying medical equipment and rescue kits to be worn by the SDRF personnel. Arora said the need for creating an independent state-level force was felt following the incident of factory building collapse in Jalandhar. The SDRF headquarters will be based in Jalandhar and around 600 police personnel will undergo training in 15 batches.
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Bureaucrats need Centre’s approval to contest elections
Chandigarh, November 19 Incumbent golf club president GS Sandhu, who is serving as Financial Commissioner, Development, seems to have been caught on the wrong foot in this matter. The development comes following an RTI query by Brig Sukhdev Singh (retd), who has been protesting against bureaucrats heading the Chandigarh Golf Club. At the heart of the issue are two letters sent by the Ministry of Personnel to Punjab Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh on September 6 and October 18. The first letter debunks the stand taken by the state that the golf club is not a state or national-level sports body, which means Rule 13(1)C of the All-India Service (Conduct) Rules 1968 does not apply to it. This rule states that only the Central Government can accord sanction to a serving member to hold an elective office in any sports association or federation body by whatever name known at the state or national level. The communiqué asks if the club is merely a city club then why and under what rules did the state government accord permission to the officers to contest its elections. It maintains the AIS (Conduct) Rules clearly vest sole powers in such matters to the Centre. The letter also mentions that the state government had given permission to bureaucrats GS Sandhu, RS Sandhu and DS Bains to contest club elections in 2005, 2007 and 2008, respectively, and again in 2012 to GS Sandhu without obtaining the Centre's permission. The second letter, sent on October 18, had asked the Chief Secretary to take action in the matter of violation of the AIS (Conduct) Rules by IAS officers of Punjab. The Chief Secretary said he could not "recall" this communication. He, however, confirmed the receipt of the first letter. Ministry of Personnel Under Secretary Navneet Mishra said the state government's contention had been looked into and the ministry's stand had been communicated to it. GS Sandhu said the club articles were clear that anybody could contest its elections. These did not distinguish between members who were in service or otherwise. The issue had come up during the run-up to the club elections in April this year when Sandhu's opponent Lt Col JS Panag (retd) had complained to the Club Standing Committee in this regard. The committee held that Sandhu fulfilled the only condition contained in the club articles to contest elections, which is the contestant should be a permanent member with five years standing. An IAS officer, who had contested the golf club elections, claimed the Centre was confusing the issue as Rule 13(5) only made it mandatory for officers to seek permission to contest elections to the state or national sports bodies. The officer maintained that since the Chandigarh Golf Club was a city-level institution, the Punjab Government was competent to give its officers permission to contest its elections.
Bone of contention *
The controversy arose following an RTI query by Brig Sukhdev Singh (retd), who has been protesting against bureaucrats heading the Chandigarh Golf Club *
The Union Government, in a communiqué to Punjab Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh on September 6, maintained the AIS (Conduct) Rules vested sole powers in such matters with the Central Government *
In another communiqué on October 18, the Centre asked the Chief Secretary to take action against Punjab IAS officers for violating the rules
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Few take to direct sowing of wheat
Sangrur, November 19 Through this eco-friendly technique, wheat is sown directly without burning paddy straw. This helps protect beneficial insects as well as maintain soil fertility. Five acres per day can be covered under this technique compared to an acre a day through traditional methods. "Despite the advantages, the technique is not popular among the farmers who fear that the wheat yield may come down," said Dr Amarjit Singh, Agriculture Development Officer, Sangrur. Besides, the number of Happy Seeder machines in the district was only 40, he explained. Dr BL Jindal, who owns two acres of agricultural land on the Sangrur-Patiala road, is among the few farmers to have adopted the technique with some help from the Agriculture Department. The Chief Agriculture Officer, Dr Rajinder Singh Sohi, said they had asked the department to take steps to ban the burning of paddy straw and check pollution. He was of the opinion that wheat sowing should be allowed only after November 10.
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Happy Seeder (see pic) technique was introduced five years ago but only a small number of farmers have taken to it *
Through this eco-friendly technique, wheat is sown directly without burning paddy straw *
It helps protect beneficial insects and preserve soil fertility * Five acres per day can be covered under this technique compared to an acre a day through traditional methods
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SGPC employee suspended
Amritsar, November 19 Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC chief, said he had failed to warn the head granthi about the error. Makkar said another employee, Bhai Dharam Singh, had been dismissed for reportedly pressurising the head granthi to allow a ‘patit’ Sikh to recite Gurbani inside the sanctum sanctorum. Makkar warned that any violation of ‘Rehat Maryada’ would not be tolerated. He said the SGPC intended to replace sewadars’ with granthis in the near future. Makkar blamed the Delhi Government for the clash at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib. He alleged that Congress governments had always interfered in the internal affairs of the Sikhs.
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Cash-strapped Ludhiana MC to auction 3 sites
Ludhiana, November 19 The first is a commercial property, 5,917 sq yards in area, near Tehsil Office on Hambran Road. Its reserve price has been fixed at Rs 40,000 per sq yard and it will be auctioned on November 21. The second is a 9,820-sq-yard plot near dairy complex on the same road and is a residential property. Its reserve price has been fixed at Rs 10,000 per sq yard and will be auctioned on November 23. The MC will also sell 30 shop cum offices (SCO) near Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Each SCO is 100 sq yard each in area and its reserve price is Rs 1.5 lakh per sq yard. These will be auctioned on November 26. Such is the state of the MC that contractors Even the contractors in the civic body have been holding protests against the MC Commissioner due to non-payment of their dues. Despite its poor fiscal condition, the MC has decided to outsource the services of Ludhiana City Bus Service Ltd (LCBSL) drivers and conductors and will end up paying more. At present, the LCBSL pays its 40 drivers and conductors a fixed monthly salary of Rs 4,000 in addition to Rs 1.5 per km and Rs 1.25 per km. Each bus travels around 200 km daily, which means that a driver earns around Rs 13,000, while the conductor earns Rs 7,500 on average. But the private firm, which bagged the contract by giving the lowest bid, has quoted a per km rate of Rs 3.19 for drivers and Rs 2.75 for conductors. This means that a driver and a conductor will earn around Rs 19,000 and Rs 16,000 if each bus travels 200 km daily. When contacted, Rakesh Kumar Verma, MC Commissioner-cum-chairman of LCBSL, confirmed that there was shortage of funds. “We are running short of funds and are making efforts to generate extra income. We outsourced LCBSL services to avoid having to regularise the services of conductors and drivers,” said Verma.
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Plaints of dirty water, samples collected
Bathinda, November 19 The residents of the area had complained that water was dirty and emitted foul smell. The drinking water supplied was getting mixed with sewage owing to leakage problems. District Health Officer Dr RS Randhawa said three samples of water had been collected from different households and the same would be sent for testing to a laboratory in Chandigarh. A team headed by sanitary inspector Sukhchain Singh visited the locality and conducted a door-to-door survey of around 283 households. “Our prime concern was to detect cases of fever, diarrhoea and dysentery. We found none of them and no one from the locality had reported for treatment at the Civil Hospital,” he said. Besides, the health department team also distributed around 400 sachets of chlorine for water purification. — TNS
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Attack on Burundi national
Patiala, November 19
Yannick was critically injured in an attack by nine persons on April 21. He is being treated at a local hospital. Nestor said he would think about the offer, but his main demand was that the accused be brought to justice. “If we are to shift, we will do so at a later stage. I will wait for justice to be delivered,” he said.
Talking to TNS, Nestor said: “If I shift my son to Barundi now, my only regret will be that the guilty are still roaming free,” he said. Nestor, who works for an NGO back home, has been on leave for over seven months now. He says the medical facilties in India are much better than those in his country.
Despite requests, the hospital management refused to entertain any query. Yannick’s father claimed that his son was improving and was “off the ventilator”.
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Salary dispute
Bathinda, November 19 The state press secretary of the special trainer teachers' association, Gursewak Raunta, said members of the association held a meeting with the Chief Minister last night following which they discontinued the strike. "We will, however, continue the dharna if the government does not fulfill the promises it made to the teachers deployed across Punjab," Raunta said. He said the teachers were demanding their salaries which had not been paid since June 1, 2012. He said there were 1,894 teachers across the state and between 1,100 to 1,200 of them were awaiting their salaries. BA, BEd-qualified special trainer teachers are deployed in various centres in the rural areas where school dropouts are taught. The press secretary said the teachers were qualified and experienced but were being meted out a step-motherly treatment by the government. Raunta said during the last night's meeting, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka and other senior functionaries of the education department were also present. It was announced that the salaries of the teachers would be released within a week and other demands too would be considered within the next two to three days. He said the teachers had an agreement with the government till March 31, 2013, and the government assured them that they would not face any trouble before their contract period comes to an end. He said there were around 600 centres in Punjab and the teachers having sufficient number of students in their centres were getting salaries but others had not been paid. They were under a constant fear of being shown the door anytime.
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Bathinda traffic police holds awareness rally
Bathinda, November 19 Highway Traffic in-charge Karam Singh, sub-inspector Bharpur Singh, traffic education in-charge Sukhraj Singh, ASI Balkaran Singh, munshi Jaspal Sharma, principal of the Police Public School Monica, school students and volunteers of the Asra Welfare Society and the Naujawan Welfare Society took part in the rally. The in-charge of the Traffic Education Cell said awareness on traffic rules was of utmost importance for the smooth flow of traffic and it was a challenging task. The traffic cops said the aim of the rally was to make people aware of the consequences of rash driving, taking wrong turn and jumping red lights. Besides, it also aimed at highlighting the importance of wearing helmet, seat belt and not listening to mobile phone while driving. They said most of the road accidents take place due to human error. Volunteers of the NGOs that shift the accident victims from the city roads to hospitals said there was an urgent need to curb drunken driving. The police miserably failed to stop rash driving during night hours when the probability of drivers being under the influence of liquor was high, which poses a serious threat to the pedestrians as well as those riding two-wheelers, they said.
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Three soldiers injured in road mishap
Bathinda, November 19 Volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa, who rushed to the spot to shift the injured persons to the Military Hospital, said an ambulance was coming from the Bhucho side and overturned after it was hit by a speeding canter. Three Armymen deployed at the Choudhary Marg Gate noticed the accident and immediately rushed to help those in the ambulance. While the jawans were trying to bring out a Sewadar, who was sandwiched in the badly broken van, a speeding pick-up truck hit the ambulance lying on the road. The collision left the Armymen and the person in the van seriously hurt. On getting the information about the accident, the volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa, Munish Sain and Harbans Singh, rushed to the spot and shifted the injured persons to the Military Hospital. The condition of two of the three injured jawans is stated to be serious. The injured Armymen have been identified as 35 years old Deefan Marco, Vijender Yuvi Pandey and Sanjeev Kumar. The president of the Sahara Jan Sewa, Vijay Goyal, said the accident took place at around 11.45 pm and when Sahara volunteers reached the place, the jawans were lying on the road.
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Wall of FCI godown falls, two dead
Amritsar, November 19 The deceased were identified as Gurdial Singh and Narinder Singh and the injured Tarlochan Singh and Resham Singh, all residents of Dashmesh Nagar village. Police sources said one of the injured was in critical condition. The godown was being constructed by HS Agro Company. It was yet to be determined if the company had used poor quality building material that had caused the wall to collapse, said a police official. A case would be filed after preliminary investigations, he added. — TNS
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Sub-tehsil status okayed for Sanour
Patiala, November 19 A decision to this effect was taken by Badal during a meeting with the in charge of Sanour Assembly constituency Tajinderpal Singh Sandhu at the CM's residence in Chandigarh this evening. Responding to the demands raised by Sandhu, the Chief Minister asked the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) to complete the requisite formalities for declaring Sanour as sub-tehsil at the earliest. Badal asked the Principal Secretary (Technical Education) to set up a skill development center at Sanour to impart training to the youth for suitable employment. He also asked the Patiala Deputy Commissioner to immediately initiate the process to include the villages of Sanour constituency up to Bahadurgarh within the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation Patiala with the prior consent of the village panchayat concerned. — PTI
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Custody plea: Shruti to appear before CJM’s court tomorrow
Faridkot, November 19 Her parents had moved an application in the court, seeking her custody. Shruti, who was allegedly kidnapped and raped by Nishan Singh, 19, was found in Goa on October 21 and sent to the Nari Niketan on October 23. Shruti's parents had moved a second application for the medical termination of her pregnancy. The court has so far reserved its decision on the second application. Opposing both the applications, Nishan Singh's counsel pleaded that Shruti was married to his client. Hence, her parents should not be allowed to meet her. He also opposed the medical termination of Shruti's pregnancy and demanded that Nishan Singh be allowed to meet Shruti at the Nari Niketan. Accusing the police of mentally torturing Shruti and keeping her in isolation, Shruti’s parents alleged that the police did not want her to be with her parents. On the other hand, Nishan Singh, who was booked in 18 criminal cases, was being pampered by political leaders, they added.
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High Court declines to vacate stay on mining of sand
Chandigarh, November 19 As the mining case came up for hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Central Government counsel informed the Bench that it had delegated its powers to Punjab. The counsel said the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority was fully empowered to grant or reject requests for environment clearance in case of such quarries. Apparently not convinced, the court asked the Central Government counsel to explain whether the delegation of power would not benefit the state government in illegal grant of environment clearance. Responding to the query, the counsel said the Central Government had six regional offices in the country for monitoring. In case of any violation, the offenders could be awarded five years' imprisonment. Still not convinced, the court asked a senior officer with the Ministry of Environment to remain present in the court on the next date of hearing. Counsel for the State of Punjab, meanwhile, requested the court to vacate the stay on the auction of minor minerals. The counsel said a meeting was scheduled to be held between representatives of the state and the Central Government on November 22 for framing terms and conditions for the auction. He also told the Bench that the demand to review the auction price of minor minerals would soon be placed before the Cabinet. The review was likely to take time, he added Refusing to vacate the stay, the High Court observed that the Punjab Government should first explain the role of the officers who would be responsible for granting environment clearance in cases of auction.
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Court rejects bail applications of three accused officials
Patiala, November 19 Earlier the VB had raided various places in order to arrest the accused involved in the scam. VB officials said that the bail application of Gurinder Singh Walia, Naib Tehsildar, Patiala; Pritpal Singh, Kanugo and Suresh Kumar, Patwari were rejected today. “This paves the way for their arrest,” they said. According to VB officials probing the case, raids were carried out in Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Mohali and Patiala following inputs . “We had tracked some mobile tower locations. We couldn’t arrest anyone this time but we will soon nab them,” they stated. Sources confirmed that the VB is awaiting the government approval before arresting the accused, which include senior officers. They said offences such as corruption and cheating are non bailable. A senior VB officer attached with the investigations said that given the Sections the accused have been booked under, they would either have to join investigations or face formal arrest. “Given the huge amount involved in the case, where government land worth several crore rupees was sold, interrogation of the accused is vital,” the officer said. According to the FIR, former Patiala Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg was allegedly instrumental in getting the land transferred. “Garg and the other accused would soon be arrested,” said a senior officer. Patiala VB Senior Superintendent of Police Pritam Singh, investigating officer in the case, confirmed that raids were on to nab the accused. An FIR has already been registered under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of the IPC and 13 (I) (d) read with 13(2) PC Act 1988 in Police Station Vigilance Bureau, Patiala, against the former DC Vikas Garg, Rajbir Singh, Ex-DRO; Gurinder Singh Walia, Naib Tehsildar, Patiala; Pritpal Singh, kanugo and Suresh Kumar, Patwari among others. The FIR also mentions the names of a few middlemen - NP Singh, Yashpal Aggarwal, Davinder Singh Sandhu and Ravdeep Singh, Jaswant Singh.
Tightening noose *
Bail applications of Gurinder Singh Walia (naib tehsildar), Pritpal Singh (kanugo) and Suresh Kumar (patwari) were rejected today *
This paves the way for their arrest * Earlier, raids were carried out in Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Mohali and Patiala
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PIL wants restructuring of right to service commission
Chandigarh, November 19 The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain issued notice for December 6 to the State and the Secretary of Punjab Right to Service Commission on the PIL filed by advocate HC Arora for effectively utilising the services of its Chief Commissioner, four other Commissioners and the supporting staff. In his PIL, the petitioner alleged the Commission has one Chief Commissioner and four other Commissioners, appointed in October, 2011. It also has a number of supporting staff members and its annual budget approximately is of Rs 6.75 crore, out of which more than Rs 2.51 crore is the expenditure on salaries being paid to the Chief Commissioner, four other Commissioners and the supporting staff. The expenditure of Rs 6.75 crore, however, does not include the rent of the building provided to the Commission, since building appears to have been provided to the Commission by Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (SIPA), Sector 26, Chandigarh. However, the Commission does not have any business, so much so that during the last one year the Commissioner only received seven revision petitions for its consideration. The petitioner, therefore, alleged that the huge amount of tax payers’ money spent on running this Commission was “going down the drain” every year.
Work vs cost *
A PIL has claimed that the taxpayers' money is being misused * The commission's approximate annual budget is Rs 6.75 crore *
Out of this, Rs 2.51 crore is the expenditure on salaries alone * The staff includes a chief commissioner and four commissioners *
But, the work done is not commensurate with the salary drawn * The panel received just seven revision petitions last year *
The HC has issued a notice to Punjab for Dec 6
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Wife booked as jawan commits suicide
Bathinda, November 19 Cantonment SHO Kuldeep Singh said the couple had a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. It was learnt from a suicide note recovered from the diary of the deceased today that he was taking the extreme step due to continuous nagging by his wife. The SHO said the neighbours informed the police that the couple had been fighting over trivial issues. The jawan was deployed with the 17 wireless as a cook. — TNS
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Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said today that the state government would soon announce a special industrial package for the kandi region. Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating a Rs 5.5 crore 66 KVA substation at Maula
Wahid, he lashed out at the Congress for "colluding" with the Sarna group to deny an opportunity to the Sikhs of New Delhi to exercise franchise in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee
(DSGMC) elections.
Ladhowal/ Ludhiana, November 19
Punjab bureaucrats might find it difficult to contest the Chandigarh Golf Club elections with the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions holding that IAS officers need to seek approval from the Centre for the same.
Faridkot, November 19
Chandigarh, November 19
The Technique