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Completing Ludhiana-Kolkata rail corridor a priority: Bansal
Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal lays the foundation stone of an overbridge at a level crossing on the Sangrur-Barnala highway in Sangrur on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
Dharmendra land grab case |
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Rare migratory birds spotted at Harike
Winged visitors present a visual treat at Harike on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
Cong leaders spar at party meeting
DSGMC elections likely on Jan 27
No indoor facility at 5 ayurveda hospitals
Won’t allow radicals to raise separatist agenda, says Overseas Cong
Breast cancer cases on the rise
Fire safety equipment lies defunct
Kin of 1971 war heroes honoured
2,500 policemen to be deployed at Jor Mela
Thakur Uday Singh made Namdhari sect head
Thakur Uday Singh (on white cloth) during a meeting at Bhaini Saheb on Sunday. Tribune photo
Stray cattle a traffic hazard in Malout
Need to check antecedents
of NRI grooms, says
CJI
Direct cash transfer scheme reviewed
‘Railways to try out escalators at
stations’
Panels to review unauthorised possession of government land
Khatra made NSUI national general secy
Five of gang behind burglaries in Mansa village arrested
Notorious criminal lands in police net
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Completing Ludhiana-Kolkata rail corridor a priority: Bansal
Sangrur, December 16 Speaking to mediapersons here, Bansal also hinted at a hike in rail fares. “The Railways has not hiked passenger fare for the past 12 years. As a result, it is suffering an annual loss of Rs 22,000 crore. In view of this, train fares and freight charges may be hiked… There is a requirement of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for electrification, double-laning, laying of new tracks and preparation of wagons and coaches,” he said. Bansal said 976 of the total 7,000 railway stations in the country would be developed as model stations. Of these, seven were in Sangrur and Barnala districts, including at Sangrur, Sunam, Lehra, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Barnala and Tapa. Later, he laid the foundation stone of a railway overbridge, to be built at a cost of Rs 30 crore, over a level crossing near Police Lines on the Sangrur-Barnala highway. He also got the work started at the local railway station for developing it as a model station. Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Parkash Chand Garg were also present. Both welcomed Bansal on his first visit to Sangrur after taking over as the Railway Minister.
New anti-collision system Bansal said his ministry was implementing a train collision avoidance system to check accidents. As part of it, a signal will be installed after a gap of 1 km. He said there were 32,000 unmanned level crossings in the country, of which 18,000 had already been manned. No bullet train proposal He said there was no proposal to start bullet trains, though five fast trains were in the pipeline. He said starting a fast train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was on the Railways’ priority. Also, he said the ministry will soon increase the concession in fare being provided to accredited doctors. Private participation The Union Minister said in order to generate funds, private participation would be encouraged in the Railways. “Under the public-private-participation mode, the ministry is planning to initiate projects to the tune of Rs 1.10 lakh crore in the next five years,” he said.
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Dharmendra land grab case
Ludhiana, December 16 It has been alleged that the VB sleuths had shown sloppiness towards the Revenue Department employee patwari Balwinder Singh who allegedly helped the land grabber Rohit Kapila in preparing fake land records of the actor’s property. The involvement of a storekeeper of the record room has also come to the fore during the probe but he has not yet been called by the vigilance department for questioning. The names of a Jalandhar-based woman and a lawyer had also figured during the probe but none of them has been arrested even a fortnight after an FIR
was registered. Ravinder Sood, the caretaker of Dharmendra’s property, had levelled allegation against the then tehsildar for being hand in glove with the land grabbers. The vigilance department does not seem keen to take action against the tehsildar. “Many skeletons would tumble out of the closet once the vigilance
department arrests the government employees involved in the case," said Ravinder Sood. Dharmendra had 12 acres of ancestral land in Ajit Nagar in Haibowal. The actor sold nine acres of land while three acres were encroached upon by the land mafia. Rohit Kapila and Jaswant Singh had taken illegal possession on 1,333 square yard of land by preparing fake power of attorney. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Vigilance Bureau, Satinder Singh was not available for comment. Shoddy probe
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Rare migratory birds spotted at Harike
Harike (Ferozepur), December 16 Found in certain wetlands of Pakistan and Myanmar, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Jerdon Babbler as a vulnerable species. The Myanmar species of the bird has already become extinct. The population of the species has fallen by more than 30 per cent due to the shrinking of wetlands. Other rare species of Comb Duck and Lesser Flamingo have also been spotted. Upbeat by the presence of these rare species, the Department of Forests and Wildlife has mooted a proposal to create a "nature trail" near this wetland to attract bird lovers and wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world. The proposal, if approved, will go a long way in giving a boost to tourism at the wetland whose potential has remained untapped so far. Harike is formed by the confluence of the Sutlej and the Beas. Similar proposals had been sent to the state government earlier as well, but none of them could fructify due to the alleged apathy of the authorities concerned, an official said. The aim is to develop the wetland and preserve its ecosystem so that it could become a major tourism hub. Divisional Forest Officer (wildlife) Saudaghar M said 350 species had already arrived at Harike this winter. In 2010, around 1.20 lakh winged visitors had arrived from Siberia, Central Asia and other Arctic countries. The count was likely to increase this time, he said. Saudaghar said a nature trail had been proposed along the Left Marginal Bundh for the birdwatchers and nature lovers on a pilot basis. He said basic amenities, including tents, portable toilets and boats besides other such facilities would be provided to research scholars and wildlife enthusiasts. He said agencies like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Bombay Natural Historical Society and Chandigarh Bird Club have been contacted to do a survey. A two-member WWF team has been camping at the wetland since the past two years to conduct the survey and study the ecosystem. In 2009, dolphins were also spotted at the site.
Endangered species
Tourism plan hanging fire
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Cong leaders spar at party meeting
Jalandhar, December 16 "I will write to Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, besides sending a complaint to Punjab Congress incharge Gulchain Singh Charak to apprise them of the incident." Henry allegedly misbehaved with Gupta in the presence of former Congress ministers Chaudhary Jagjit Singh and Amarjit Singh Samra and party leaders Satnam Singh Kainth and Arun Walia. The leaders had gathered at the district party office to meet Charak who was in the city today. Gupta said the party leaders were discussing the issue of the party's defeat in the recent assembly elections. "On a query by Henry, I said as a minister he had not done some works of party colleagues. On the contrary, he obliged several BJP workers stating that they would be beneficial to us in the elections." Gupta alleged reacting to this, Henry used abusive language against him. Some of the leaders present on the occasion confirmed the incident. Henry said: "Such arguments at party meetings are routine." Charak said he did not know anything about the arguments between the former minister and Gupta. "I will take an appropriate action after receiving a complaint through the Punjab Congress with its remarks,” he added. Party delegation to meet Prime Minister
A delegation of the state Congress will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to request them to send a central team to the state to take stock of the "deteriorating" law and order situation. Punjab Congress incharge Gulchain Singh Charak said the delegation would apprise the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the recent incidents like the Amritsar ASI's killing. Flaying the Akali-BJP government for "politicising" the police, he said: "Forming police sub-divisions according to assembly segments to facilitate party MLAs to run the police according to their convenience is a blot on democracy. We will raise the issue during the five-day winter session of the assembly that begins from December 17". Charak said the party would take on the Badal government on issues like lawlessness, imposition of fresh taxes, prevalence of sand mafia and improper use of central funds.
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DSGMC elections likely on Jan 27
New Delhi, December 16 Documents of candidates will be scrutinised on January 8 and withdrawal of candidature would be allowed till January 10. The results will be announced on January 30. This is being done following direction of the Supreme Court, which had rejected a plea by the Delhi Government to extend the December 31 deadline for holding the elections. Asked about the issue of allotting symbols to parties, the Director of the Delhi Gurdwara Election, GP Singh, said three parties, the Shiromani Aklai Dal (Delhi), the Shiromani Akali Dal
(Badal) and the Shiromani Akali Dal Panthak (Jathedar Santokh Singh), already had car, bucket and candle as election symbols, respectively. The Kendriya Guru Singh Sabha had been allotted book as election symbol recently, he said. Two more parties, Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi-UK) and Dashmesh Sewa Society, had applied for symbols but they were yet to get them as they reportedly did not follow the rules. According to the rules, a party should be registered under the Registrar of Societies Act and two members of the DSGMC should endorse it. The law was formed by the Delhi Government in 2010, the Director said. These parties have challenged the law in court contending that the three parties, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi), the Shiromani Akali Dal
(Badal) and the Shiromani Akali Dal Panthak (Jathedar Santokh Singh) that already had symbols, were also not registered under the Registrar of Societies Act. Now, the court will decide whether the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi-UK) and the Dashmesh Sewa Society would be given symbol or not, he said.
Poll schedule
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No indoor facility at 5 ayurveda hospitals
Ludhiana, December 16 Curiously, these hospitals are running only at the out-patient department (OPD) level and patients are not admitted since the Ayurveda Department has failed to recruit the required staff and specialists. The hospitals were constructed in Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Bathinda districts in 2010 during the tenure of Lakshmi Kanta Chawla as Health and Family Welfare Minister. Sources revealed that the department had selected 133 medical officers for ayurvedic dispensaries in the state but the required staff and experts were yet to be appointed. In August this year, Dr Rakesh Sharma, Director, Ayurveda Department, Punjab, said the department had started the selection process and 133 ayurvedic medical officers had also been appointed. He had also assured
that these hospitals would be made functional within a month. Now it has been more than three months since but the required staff is yet to be recruited. Each hospital is supposed to have two experts,
two doctors in OPD, three nurses, two ward attendants, two physiotherapists, minimum two watchmen and two pharmacists among others. Dr Rakesh Sharma Director, Ayurveda Department, Punjab, said, "I have requested the state government regarding staff recruitment for the newly constructed ayurveda hospitals in Punjab." Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Commissioner Aayush, Punjab, said, "I have received the file from the Aayush Director in this regard a few days ago. I don't know the reason
for delay in recruitment of the staff and experts. I will look into the matter and get the posts advertised and recruitment will be done soon."
Apathy prevails
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Encroachments at Sunday Market irk Patiala
residents
Patiala, December 16 A Tribune team visited the area and spotted that there was virtually no space even for two-wheelers to park as several roads in Chhoti Baradari, including the TB Hospital Road, Improvement Trust Road and the entire parking area of Beant Singh Shopping Complex, were encroached upon by vendors selling household goods, garments and kitchenware etc. Local residents and commuters said the civic body had not taken any action against the encroachers, which “not only leads to traffic congestion but is also a source of nuisance”. "Every Sunday, vendors put their stalls on both sides of the road connecting the Improvement Trust Road to Mall Road and TB Hospital road. Due to this, the entire vehicular movement comes to a complete standstill," said some residents. Among those who voiced their concern were Jagjivan Ram, Parminder Kaur, Satinder Singh Grewal and others from Chhoti Baradari. From 9am to 8pm, there remains a huge traffic jam as vendors remain busy selling their goods. The area residents have taken up the matter with the MC authorities several times but to no avail. Gurminder Singh, a resident, said to make the situation worse, shoppers at the Sunday Market park their vehicles outside houses behind Malwa Theatre in Chhoti Baradari. He said some unscrupulous elements were even charging parking fee from people posing themselves as MC parking contractors at the Beant
Singh Complex. Patiala Mayor Jaspal Pradhan said he had taken cognisance of the matter. "We are trying to find a permanent solution to the problem and most likely we will shift the Sunday Market to some other place where there is ample place so that traffic movement is not hampered,” the Mayor said. A stringent action will be taken against those charging parking fee in the guise of MC contractors, he added.
Commuters’ plight
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Won’t allow radicals to raise separatist agenda, says Overseas Cong
Chandigarh, December 16 Overseas Congress, US, president Ajaib Singh Lakhan in a statement said the radicals were trying to espouse the separatist cause through supposed social, community and welfare projects. He said the aim of such elements was to attract the Sikh youth who otherwise
knew nothing about Operation Blue Star or the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to collect donations by harking on such
issues. Lakhan said the Sikh community was dynamic in nature and needed to look forward rather than going back into the past and become myopic.
He said while all right thinking Sikhs shared a deep sense of grief over the 1984 incidents, they also realised that some elements were only trying
to earn money by playing with their sentiments. "We will not allow such elements to succeed," Ajaib Singh Lakhan asserted. Overseas Congress general secretary Santokh Singh said even the SAD
(Badal) was on the same page as the Congress on the issue. He said the SAD had recently protested alongside the Congress against raising the separatist agenda at the Fifth International Sikh Conference in Chicago. The body said it would invite the Punjab Pradesh Congress president
Capt Amarinder Singh to Chicago to participate in awareness programmes to
make the Sikh community aware of the real situation in Punjab. Lakhan said
the Overseas Congress was keen starting a programme with the Sikh youth in the US to make them aware
of the "nefarious designs" of anti-national elements who were brainwashing them.
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Breast cancer cases on the rise
Out of the total 61,322 patients examined by the department, 3,348 (6.6 per cent) were found suffering from cancer. Of these, 2,178 were women patients. Though a major chunk of patients were from Punjab, a significant number were from
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, who had visited the GMC during 2001 to 2010. The study, which was completed in two years, was conducted by Ankush Gupta, a postgraduate student. He was supervised by Dr Pramod Gupta, assistant professor, and Dr Amarjit Singh, professor and Head, Department of Pathology. Dr Amarjit Singh said the study revealed that out of 2,178 women patients, 19.4 per cent were having breast cancer. "Previous studies conducted by the GMC covering the periods from 1974-1983 and 1976-2000 had found breast cancer in 11 per cent and 14 per cent patients, respectively," said Dr Amarjit Singh, adding the percentage of cervix cancer cases was almost the same (19 per cent). Out of 1,170 men cancer patients, the maximum cases were of oral cavity followed by blood-related cancer diseases. Dr Amarjit Singh said there were a number of reasons for rising cancer cases, but lifestyle and obesity had played a major role. He added increased awareness among the people had also contributed in the higher reporting of the disease.
Study findings
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Fire safety equipment lies defunct
Muktsar, December 16 But due to lack of repair, these wireless handsets have gone out of order and antennas have been standing without serving any purpose since 2005. For the past almost seven years, no maintenance has been provided to these antennas, which are now posing threat to the life of people living in nearby areas. An official of the Local Bodies Department said the antenna installed at Gidderbaha fire safety office was partially damaged in a storm in 2005. A similar situation prevails at Muktsar fire station. “Wireless handsets provided to us as well as the antenna installed for their connectivity have been serving no purpose. The sets have been dumped in a store, but the antenna is still installed as it is,” said Chaman Lal Sharma, Muktsar fire station officer. Malout fire station officer Narinder Singh Bhullar, who also holds the additional charge of Gidderbaha, said, “The motive behind providing wireless handsets and installing antennas at all fire stations was to interconnect them so that if any major fire tragedy occurs in one area, the other fire station could immediately get information and get ready to provide assistance in the fire fighting operation. But the system is no more operational. It functioned for four to five years but after that, no senior official paid any heed and the equipment turned to a waste,” he said.
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Kin of 1971 war heroes honoured
Fazilka, December 16 The programme was organised by the Shaheedon Ki Samadhi Committee, Fazilka, with the cooperation of the Army and civil administration. State Labour Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani and a number of officers of the Army and civil administration laid wreaths at the memorial where 82 jawans of the 4 Jat Regiment were cremated after the ceasefire of the 1971 war. Col Karan Verma and Abhimanyu Kumar who had participated in the war and kin of martyr Maj Narain Singh (recipient of Veer Chakra posthumously) were honoured. Amar Chand Bhateja and Mohan Lal Paruthi, veteran members of the Shaheedon Ki Samadhi Committee who had performed the last rites of the war heroes at Asafwala in 1971, were honoured with the lifetime service award by Jyani. A cultural programme was presented by students of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sarv Hitkari Senior Secondary School, Army Public School, Fazilka, and Government Senior Secondary School, Dabwala Kalan. Jalandhar: Serving and retired Army officials today paid tributes to martyrs on the occasion of Vijay Diwas at a war memorial in Jalandhar Cantonment. Lieut Gen Sanjeev Madhok and other Army officers cut a cake to celebrate the occasion.
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2,500 policemen to be deployed at Jor Mela
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 16 More than 24 CCTV cameras would be installed at strategic places to keep tabs on the activities of anti-social elements. Police personnel would be deployed at all entry points. After holding a meeting with senior police officials today, Senior Superintendent of Police Hardial Singh Mann said security arrangements had almost been completed. He said the whole area had been divided into six sectors and an SP-rank official would be the incharge of each sector. He said security arrangements had been made in such a way so that the devotees would not face any difficulty. More than 12 lakh devotees are expected to pay obeisance at the historic gurdwara during the three-day fair. Mann said police camps would also be set up in the area to help devotees. He said every camp would be equipped with a recovery van, ambulances and other facilities. He said 50 district officers, 400 women constables and 400 NCC cadets from various educational institutes would also be deployed.
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Thakur Uday Singh made Namdhari sect head
Bhaini Saheb (Khanna), December 16 Though the dera had earlier said that the next chief will be announced at the Satguru’s bhog on December 23, the process was re-scheduled and completed today itself in the presence of the Namdhari Sangat. A meeting in this connection was held at Bhaini Saheb Darbar. Among others, Satguru Jagjit Singh’s widow Chand Kaur, Namdhari Darbar president Harwinder Singh Hanspal, senoir vice-president Surinder Singh Namdhari, sect leaders Jagtar Singh, Baldev Singh Kaku, Balwinder Singh Jhall and Harbhajan Singh participated in the meeting. A large number of Namdhari Darbar followers were also present. The meeting decided on making Thakur Uday Singh the next chief and he was given the designation of Satguru Uday Singh amidst raising of religious slogans. The announcement was made on behalf of Chand Kaur and others present in the meeting. The turban ceremony Thakur Uday Singh will be organised on December 23, the day the bhog ceremony will also be
organised.
Supporters wanted brother as chief A controversy seemed to have erupted over the issue of succession of the Namdhari sect. A few members of the Namdhari Sangat had requested Chand Kaur, the late Satguru Jagjit Singh’s wife, to reconsider the decision to nominate Thakur Uday Singh as the successor. The members claimed that the “deserving” successor of Satguru Jagjit Singh was Thakur Dalip Singh. Thakur Dalip Singh and Thakur Uday Singh are real brothers and nephews of Satguru Jagjit Singh. Jaswinder Singh, chairman, International Namdhari Sangat, alleged that Mata Chand Kaur had taken the decision to nominate Thakur Uday Singh as the successor under pressure and the sangat did not approve of it. “The decision to nominate the successor had already been taken by Satguru Partap Singh and Satguru Jagjit Singh. Chand Kaur seems to be under pressure,” said Jaswinder Singh.
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Stray cattle a traffic hazard in Malout
Malout, December 16 The deceased were identified as Jagpreet Singh (22) of Kingra village and Chirag Kumar (16) of
Malout. The collision was so severe that the bodies of the deceased were extricated from the car after cutting its doors. On November 22, Gurjeet Singh, a property dealer, lost his life while travelling on a city road near Adarsh cinema after a stray cow came before the motorcycle he was riding pillion. He fell on the road and a tractor-trailer coming from behind crushed him to death. The boy, who was riding the motorcycle, also sustained multiple injuries. On Tuesday, another person, Lachman Singh, lost his life due to the menace while he was trying to cross a road. Stray cows fighting with each other hit him claiming his life. “The situation has become alarming as four deaths have been reported in the last one month. But neither the police nor the civic authorities are paying any heed. Garbage heaps lying in every nook and corner of the city are the major reason behind increasing number of mishaps,” said Raju
Nagpal, a local resident. Malout Municipal Committee Executive Officer Jagsir Singh said, “We have appealed the public not to feed stray cattle on the roads. Besides, we are trying our best to shift all stray cattle to cow sheds.”
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Need to check antecedents
of NRI grooms, says
CJI
Hoshiarpur, December 16 The seminar was organised by the Punjab Legal Services Authority in association with the Punjab State Commission for NRIs at Panjab University’s regional centre in
Bajwara. The Chief Justice said youths were moving abroad in search of greener pastures, something that made them vulnerable to being exploited by travel agents. “India is a resourceful country and it has numerous opportunities to earn a livelihood. By migrating to foreign countries and that too through illegal means, youths create problems not only for themselves but also for their families,” he said. Earlier, the Chief Justice kicked off a cycle rally of students for spreading awareness among the people about social evils, including dowry, female
foeticide, intoxication and rising population. Supreme Court Judge Justice DK
Jain, Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice AK Sikri, Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rajesh
Bindal, both judges of the High Court, also addressed the seminar.
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Direct cash transfer scheme reviewed
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 16 The meeting was attended by the Deputy Commissioner and the officials of State Bank of Patiala among others. Sachar said Fatehgarh Sahib was
one of the 51 districts where the scheme was being implemented from January 1, 2013. He called upon the officials to implement the scheme successfully. He expressed satisfaction over the progress of implementation of the scheme in the district. The banking fraternity is fully geared up
for implementation of the scheme in the district, Sachar added. Deputy
Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan said a regular monitoring of the scheme was being done.
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‘Railways to try out escalators at
stations’
Chandigarh, December 16 Interacting with The Tribune here, Union Minister for Railways Pawan Kumar Bansal said: “The number looks small but we plan to install these escalators and see their success in the next few months. We will also install lifts at railway stations to facilitate passengers in changing platforms.” “Ensuring emergency medical facilities in all trains will involve a lot of expense as well as time, as there are more than 12,000 trains across the country. To start with, we will try to improvise the first-aid facilities in the trains,” he said. The escalators will be initially installed at major stations and will cost Rs 2.3 crore each. In addition, wide lifts will be installed to ferry patients.
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Panels to review unauthorised possession of government land
Chandigarh, December 16 The sub-committee to review unauthorised possession of government land in urban areas comprises Local Bodies Minister Chunni Lal
Bhagat, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Finance Minister Parminder Singh
Dhindsa, Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka and PWD Minister Sharanjeet Singh
Dhillon. Likewise, the panel to review the situation in rural areas consists of Tourism Minister Sarwan Singh
Phillaur, Health and Family Welfare Minister Madan Mohan Mittal, Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh
Sekhon, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Surjit Singh
Rakhra.
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Khatra made NSUI national general secy
Chandigarh, December 16 Khatra said he would continue to work towards strengthening the NSUI not only in Punjab but across the country. During a recent visit by Rahul Gandhi to Punjab, the NSUI, under Khatra's leadership, had organised an impressive rally on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh. Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh has congratulated Khatra on his appointment.
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Five of gang behind burglaries in Mansa village arrested
Mansa, December 16 Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Narinder Bhargav said it was a new phenomenon that the migratory criminals had started living here. He said: "Two of them, Baljit Singh and Beant Singh, had constructed houses in Rampura Phul. "Earlier, the members of such gangs visited Punjab soon after wheat or paddy harvesting season. They used to return to their native villages in Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan after committing crimes. But now they seem to be staying here for a longer duration." Even the kingpin, Subhash Kumar, had got married in Rarh village, adjoining Akalia village. The SSP said it was probably because of their permanent stay here that it took some time for the police to zero in on them. The SSP said with the arrest of five members of the 15-member gang, it had been proved that no policeman or his relative was behind the spate of robberies in Akalia village. The village residents had nabbed a youth, related to a policeman, suspecting him to be a robber. Two persons had died in the clash when a heavy police contingent rushed to the spot to prevent villagers from lynching the youth. The SSP said the gang had confessed to its involvement in at least 20 burglaries. Those arrested included four male members and a woman. The gang members, Subhash Kumar, Hardeep Singh, Sukhvir Singh, Roop Singh and Raj Kaur, were related to each other, he said. The police has recovered three gold chains, two bracelets, four earrings, five rings, eight silver rings and Rs 5000, all looted from the village in June-July this year. Besides, a Maruti Swift Desire car and a motorcycle have also been seized.
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Notorious criminal lands in police net
Rajpura, December 16 The Rajpura city police team, headed by SHO Bikramjit Singh Brar, worked for over a week to track the notorious criminal. On seeing the police, the accused tried to open fire from his 9 mm pistol. "We had to break the windscreen of his car to get him out", Brar said. "He was settled in the US. He had stayed in New York and California from 1989 to 2002 and returned to India for his daughter's marriage. Heartbroken, he had severed ties with his family and murdered an NRI on January 24, 2004 in Karnal," the police said. Brar said the accused had recently robbed a car in Ludhiana on the pretext of taking a test drive. Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Gill said: "There are 16 criminal cases lodged against him in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. We will interrogate him to ascertain his involvement in other crimes." The police has seized some gold ornaments, diamond sets, a car, a pistol and 10 mobile phones from his possession.
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Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today said the dedicated state corridor linking Ludhiana with Kolkata and Delhi with Mumbai would be completed before the scheduled five years.
Migratory bird watchers are in for a feast this winter as endangered Jerdon Babbler Scindicum has been spotted for the first time ever in the country at the world-famous Harike wetland here.
Found in certain wetlands of Pakistan and Myanmar, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Jerdon Babbler as a vulnerable species. The Myanmar species of the bird has already become extinct. The population of the species has fallen by more than 30 per cent due to the shrinking of wetlands.
New Delhi, December 16
Bhaini Saheb (Khanna), December 16
Stray cattle menace has made driving tough on the roads in Malout, so much so that four persons have been killed in related accidents in the last one month alone.
Two youth were killed and one injured on the night of November 19 after the car they were in collided with a truck parked on the
Fazilka-Delhi National Highway when a stray animal came before their moving vehicle.
Jerdon
Babbler, found in certain wetlands of Pakistan and Myanmar, has been seen at Harike
Amritsar, December 16