B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Malwinder welcome to discuss any problem: Dy CM
Bathinda, November 30
Amid reports of a possible patch-up between the Punjab Congress chief, Capt Amarinder Singh, and his estranged brother Malwinder Singh, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, today said that his doors were always open to a discussion on any problem that Malwinder may be facing in the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Hospital for specialised eye treatment to come up in F’pur
Ferozepur, November 30
In a first of its kind initiative in the Malwa region of Punjab, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has given its nod for the construction of a state-of-the-art eye hospital on the premises of the Civil Hospital in Ferozepur on which an estimated cost of Rs 4.20 crores is likely to be incurred.

Thinners, nail paint remover banned
Moga, November 30
The Punjab Government has banned the retail sale of bottled correction fluid used on printed pages and nail paint remover besides bottled thinners to check their abuse as intoxicants by children.

Gang using valet parking to lift vehicles busted
Bathinda, November 30
Beware of valet parking agencies. Your car may not be in their safe custody. The Mansa police have busted a gang of car lifters who used to work with such agencies and steal the keys and registration paper (RC) of the vehicles to lift them later on.

Malwinder welcome to discuss any problem: Dy CM
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 30
Amid reports of a possible patch-up between the Punjab Congress chief, Capt Amarinder Singh, and his estranged brother Malwinder Singh, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, today said that his doors were always open to a discussion on any problem that Malwinder may be facing in the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Malwinder had joined the SAD just before the assembly elections following a dispute with Amarinder over the allocation of the Congress ticket to Raninder for the Samana seat.

Reacting to media person's queries regarding the pictures published in a section of the media of the two brothers sitting together during a function at Patiala yesterday, Sukhbir said Malwinder has so far not conveyed any displeasure.

"In case Malwinder has any grievance, he can directly discuss the issue with either the Chief Minister or me as he is an honourable member of the SAD," Sukhbir said.

Speaking to mediapersons, the Deputy CM accused the Centre of delaying the opening of the Bathinda airport. He alleged that several letters to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry on the issue had fallen on deaf ears.

He said the Punjab Government had slashed the VAT on aviation fuel for flights to Bathinda to 5 per cent from 30 per cent.

With industrialisation of the Malwa region and coming up of a refinery and thermal power projects, construction of the airport here had become necessary, the Deputy CM said.

Lambi (Muktsar): Talking to mediapersons in Tappa Khera village on the sidelines of the concluding day of his Sangat Darshan programme in the Lambi assembly, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal reiterated his party's opposition to FDI in retail. He described the Centre's move as anti-trader and anti-farmer.

“The SAD can’t remain a mute spectator to the move which is aimed at benefiting multi-national companies and ruining small traders and farmers." He termed the Centre's move as "suicidal".

Without mincing words, Badal said the Congress-led UPA government was set to repeat the same folly as committed nearly 300 years ago that would entirely decimate the petty shopkeepers, small traders and local establishments.

The Chief Minister welcomed 46 Congress families from Khuddian village, 35 from Adhanian and 90 from Deon Khera, into the party fold. He handed over placement letters to students of the State Institute of Automotive and Driving School, Mahuana.

Hospital for specialised eye treatment to come up in F’pur
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, November 30
In a first of its kind initiative in the Malwa region of Punjab, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has given its nod for the construction of a state-of-the-art eye hospital on the premises of the Civil Hospital in Ferozepur on which an estimated cost of Rs 4.20 crores is likely to be incurred.

The proposal was taken up with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by the local MLA Parminder Singh Pinki to fulfill the desire of the residents of this border area for specialised eye treatment.

The state government had subsequently urged the Union Government to sanction the capital cost of the project with an assurance that it will bear the annual operational expenditure.

Thereafter, the ministry through its joint secretary (Policy) Manoj Jhalani had asked the Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) Punjab to submit a detailed proposal for the project which was prepared and sent back to the ministry on September 29 this year.

Now, the ministry has finally given its approval for the prestigious project regarding which the tenders have also been floated by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC). Pinki said that there was no such government eyecare hospital in the entire Malwa belt.

He said an amount of Rs 3.50 crore has been approved for the construction of the hospital while another Rs 70 lakhs shall be spent on the procurement of the latest equipment. The MLA further said the annual salary expenditure of Rs 1 crore besides an operational cost of Rs 70 lakhs shall be borne by the state government itself.

As per the information, besides the latest technology, the hospital will also have a 20 bed intensive care unit (ICU) for eye patients. Dr Renu Singhal, Deputy Medical Commissioner, confirmed that the hospital was soon going to be set up in Ferozepur. Engineers from the PHSC have already selected the site and prepared detailed drawings, she added. 

Thinners, nail paint remover banned

Moga, November 30
The Punjab Government has banned the retail sale of bottled correction fluid used on printed pages and nail paint remover besides bottled thinners to check their abuse as intoxicants by children.

A notification in this regard has been issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department. The government has directed the District Magistrates, Senior Superintendents of Police and civil surgeons to takeaction against whosoever is found selling these products.

There are reports that these products are widely misused by children, particularly street children. The Punjab and Haryana HC had on July 17, 2012, directed Punjab, Haryana and the Chandigarh Administration to take remedial steps to rehabilitate the abusers of these products by taking them to de-addiction centres. — TNS

Gang using valet parking to lift vehicles busted
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 30
Beware of valet parking agencies. Your car may not be in their safe custody. The Mansa police have busted a gang of car lifters who used to work with such agencies and steal the keys and registration paper (RC) of the vehicles to lift them later on.

Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Narinder Bhargav said the alleged kingpin and the owner of the Zirakpur-based Sharma Valet Parking Agency, Sandeep Kumar, 25, was nabbed from Mansa, where he used to sell the stolen vehicles by changing their number plates and registration papers.

The agency ran valet parking at several resorts, hotels, restaurants and even malls in the tri-cities of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

The Mansa police has recovered two stolen Innova cars from the possession of the accused. It expects to recover 10-15 more such vehicles.

The SSP said the accused used to steal the registration papers of the vehicles. Later, fake numbers were super imposed on these papers. Meanwhile, the accused used to steal the keys of the vehicles he chose to lift.

The SSP said Sandeep Kumar and his accomplices used to claim that the keys of the cars parked by their agency had been lost. They used to apologise and offered to take the owner to his house to fetch the duplicate keys.

The Senior Superintendent of Police said through this modus operandi, the accused learnt the address of the car owner and used to lift the vehicle later.

The accused also lifted cars from outside marriage palaces frequented by the people. The police is questioning him to nab his other accomplices and recover more cars.