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Swine flu spreads tentacles in state
SEIZURE of Explosives by Patiala Police
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moga
bypoll
‘Met Left leaders on common candidate’
Branded egg market thrives on rising demand
Batala’s BJP councillor dies in Gurdaspur jail
Second phase of cancer survey kicks off
Royal scion protests move to shift jail
Security cover for 703 persons, HC told
Man gets 10 years for raping minor
3 more booked for theft at Golden Temple
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Swine flu spreads tentacles in state
Swine flu has claimed 20 lives in the state since January 13, which is five times the figure of four deaths due to H1N1 during the same period last year. At least 78 swine flu cases have so far been reported this year while 18 patients from other states were admitted at the PGI, Chandigarh. However, there were just 13 confirmed cases of swine flue last year. The rising number of H1N1 cases has created panic among doctors in the state who have been calling the Health Department head office in Chandigarh, asking for vaccination which has not arrived till date. The supply of an exclusive H1N1 vaccination meant for doctors, nurses, attendants and students of medical colleges was stopped in 2012 after it was declared that H1N1 was not a pandemic. Dr Deepak Bhatia, State Surveillance Officer of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, said: "A spurt in the number of swine flu deaths could be due to a mutational change in the causative virus. We have referred the case to the central lab seeking an update on the strands to understand the sequencing if needed". Dr Bhatia said a change in the mutation would mean a change was required in medication. Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) is the only medicine available at the moment. Dr Bhatia said: "The exclusive medicine meant only for the medical staff is not available at the moment. The supply from the World Health Organisation (WHO) was stopped after the H1N1 became localised. Dr Hardeep Singh, president of the government doctors association, said: "An increase in the number of swine flu cases indicates the possibility of a change in virus mutation. We need to stick to the basic precautions like washing hands frequently, wearing masks and avoiding close contacts while attending swine flue patients". Dr Bhatia said the problem was first reported as a pandemic in 2009 when it spread to more than 200 countries starting from Mexico. In Punjab, between April 2009 and April 2010, as many as 252 positive cases were reported. Out of these, 40 persons died. Between the period of August 2010 and September 2011, 46 persons were tested positive, out of whom, 23 died.
alarming figures
About the disease
how to prevent
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SEIZURE of Explosives by Patiala Police
Patiala, February 6 Rajoana, a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) activist and a former constable with the Punjab Police, is on death row for the assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh. His execution was scheduled for March 31 last year but the Home Ministry stayed his execution following clemency appeals by the SGPC. Except for a case registered under the Arms Act, verdict in all other cases against Rajoana has already been declared. The hearing in a case registered under the Arms Act is fixed for February 16 in a Patiala court. Rajoana was produced in the court this morning amid heavy security. The court order reads: “The accused has been held guilty and convicted under Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and sentenced to undergo 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and has been fined Rs 10,000. However, the period of detention already undergone by the convict in this case is ordered to be set off against the substantive sentence imposed vide this judgement.” Rajoana has been in jail for the past more than 17 years. A native of Rajoana Kalan village in Ludhiana district, he was caught by the Rajpura police with a bag containing explosives on December 22, 1995. He was nabbed by a police team led by Devinder Singh, then a Sub-Inspector, that was checking commuters on the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit to Punjabi University, Patiala. Rajoana was found carrying a polythene bag with 40 bricks weighing at least 12 kg, 43 detonators, two receivers, 10 pencil bombs and seven bundles of wire. When caught, a desperate Rajoana tried to swallow a cyanide capsule. However, he was
overpowered by police personnel.
Case History
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moga
bypoll
Chandigarh, February 6 Talking to The Tribune, PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal said the Sanjha Morcha would not withdraw its candidate from the Moga byelection. He said both the PPP and the Congress never met to discuss the political agenda. "I met Capt Amarinder Singh in August last year. But then there was no issue of Moga byelection," Manpreet said, adding thus, there was no question of any commitment and betrayal on the part of the PPP. Though some attempts were made by the PPP leadership and the Congress in the past to work together on issues related to the state, there was no success in this regard, he said. There was programme to convene an all party meeting to chalk out an agitation against fresh taxes levied by the ruling alliance last year, but the proposal of joint agitation too did not materialise, he said. Manpreet said his party was not chasing votes, but focusing on bigger issues such as cleansing the state politics and removing the VIP culture. The issue raised by the PPP against red beacons atop VIP vehicles had now become a national issue and many leaders from other parties had also started raising their voice against this practice, he said. Manpreet said the Sanjha Morcha's Moga candidate was a well educated person who was employed in a multinational company, but he quit his job to enter the fray as he was committed to the PPP's political agenda.
8 more file papers
Chandigarh: Eight more candidates filed their nominations on the last day for the forthcoming Moga byelection scheduled for February 23, an official press release said here today. There are now 16 candidates in the fray. Those filing nominations today are Navtej Singh, Birinderpal Singh and Gurbachan Singh, all of the SAD (Amritsar), Jaswant Singh Bedi of the Indian Karantikari Lehar, Gurmit Singh Rangreta of the Punjab Labour Party and Hardev Singh, Jasvir Singh and Shinder Singh.
Sathi cries foul
Moga: Congress candidate Vijay Sathi today alleged that the SAD was misusing the government machinery to gather "election intelligence" in the poll-bound Moga assembly constituency. He alleged senior officials of the state intelligence had unofficially deputed at least 40 officials below the rank of inspector in Moga and its adjoining villages to gather information regarding Congress workers to exert pressure on them. Sathi said it was a case of violation of model code of conduct and the Election Commission should take action against government officials working at the behest of their political bosses.
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‘Met Left leaders on common candidate’
Talking to mediapersons before holding a meeting of party workers here today, Amarinder said he had not spoken to Manpreet on the issue of a common candidate for the Moga byelection since the Sanjha Morcha had already announced its nominee. He, however, said a dialogue was held with CPI leader Joginder Dayal and senior leaders of the Akali Dal (Longowal), but despite their agreeing for a straight fight, they could not persuade Manpreet on the issue. When asked whether Manpreet appears to be having an understanding with the SAD, Amarinder said it was for Manpreet to answer such a question. The PCC president claimed the Congress would win the seat with a comfortable margin. He said there was an overwhelming support for the Congress as people were feeling cheated by Joginder Pal Jain. "The reign of terror unleashed by the criminal brigade led by Bikramjit Singh Majithia has created law and order problem in the state. The time has come for the people to teach the government a lesson," he added.
— TNS
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3 anganwari kids killed in freak accident in Mansa
Bathinda, February 6 Aged between four and six, the deceased were identified as
Preet, Pooja and Lovepreet Singh. Preet and Pooja’s sister Muskan sustained serious injuries in the incident. She was admitted to the Mansa Civil Hospital. Another child,
Priyanka, too was seriously injured. Deputy Commissioner Amit Dhaka and Senior Superintendent of Police Narinder Bhargava visited the village and expressed their sympathies with the bereaved families. A case has been registered against driver Ranjit Singh alias Bittu under Sections 304, 337, 427 of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC). He has not been arrested so far. The accident reportedly occurred when he was reversing the vehicle. The Mansa administration has announced Rs 1 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 25,000 for each of the injured.
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Patiala MC demolishes 57 illegal structures
Patiala, February 6 The city roads that lead to the state highways fall in the category of “scheduled roads”. As per the norms of the corporation, there are specified guidelines for doing construction on scheduled roads. In Patiala, the five scheduled roads are Sirhind-Rajpura bypass, Sirhind Road, Nabha Road, Rajpura Road and Sangrur Road. While yesterday, 55 unauthorised structures on the Sirhind-Rajpura bypass were demolished, today the operation was conducted on the main road in Sirhind. Police force was also deployed in order to avoid any untoward incident. “In all, of the total 64 unauthorised structures, 57 have been demolished. The owners of the remaining seven buildings have assured us that they will demolish the unauthorised portion of the houses themselves by tomorrow evening,” said Nirmalpreet Singh. He said tomorrow, the demolition drive would be undertaken on Rajpura Road. Meanwhile, Sanjeev Bittu (Congress), leader of the opposition in the general house, has demanded that arrangements must be made for the rehabilitation of people whose shops have been demolished. Senior leader of Punjab Beopar Mandal Nirmaldas Malhotra and president of Patiala Beopar Bachao Sangharsh Committee Rakesh Gupta have strongly condemned the action. No construction is allowed on the 100-mt peripheral area on both sides from the centre of the scheduled roads. The MC had issued notices to all the violators to demolish the unauthorised construction on their own but failing to get any positive response, the civic body initiated the demolition drive.
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‘Unsafe’ school building puts 300 lives at stake
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 6 Cracks have appeared in the walls and roof of the building, housing seven class rooms, principal’s office, a clerk’s room, science room and the verandah. This is affecting the studies of Class 6 to 9 students. Even though the four-decade-old building is on the verge of collapsing, authorities concerned have not responded to repeated requests to address the issue, claimed the school staff. School Principal Mandeep Singh Cheema said since the ground level of the classrooms was below the road level, they would get submerged in over two-feet deep water during rains. Sources said the District Education Department had also directed the school management not to hold classes in the dilapidated building but to no avail as there were no extra rooms in other buildings of the school. The foundation stone of the school building was laid in 1973 and it was handed over to the Education Department by the PWD in 1975. Acting on the report submitted by the PWD on March 27, 2012, Deputy Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan had ordered for the demolition of the rooms of the building. He had also ordered for the immediate construction of the new rooms so that the study of the students was not affected. District Education Officer Harvel Singh said the matter was in his knowledge and he had already taken up the issue with higher authorities so that the grant could be released for the construction of the new building.
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Branded egg market thrives on rising demand
“Branded eggs are little more expensive than ordinary eggs but their packaging pasted with information on the eggs’ nutrition value and expiry date makes them the pick of the day,” said Jatinder Singh, member of Punjab Poultry Farmers Association. Depending upon the egg’s size and formation, consumers have a lot of choice in the branded egg segment. One can choose from the toddler egg (small in size but rich in protein), jumbo egg (bigger than normal egg and higher protein content) to the double-decker egg (double the size of a normal egg with twice as many nutrients). With regard to the egg’s composition, one can choose from fat-free eggs, herbal eggs, low-cholesterol eggs to brun eggs. “Branded eggs currently account for about three per cent of the total produced in the country but this segment is growing fast. Small poultry farmers, who do not have the wherewithal to enter, are jointly entering this segment,” said Tejinder Singh, one of the farmers in the group which developed the branded egg. Harvinder Singh, poultry farmer from Rajpura, said only branded goods would last as India too had FDI in retail now. “I am not producing my own brand but am selling my produce to the makers of branded eggs. Aping western culture, people today love to buy groceries from super-stores as products come in attractive packaging,” he said.
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Batala’s BJP councillor dies in Gurdaspur jail
Gill was gunned down in broad daylight outside the court premises. Rajbir complained of uneasiness at 9 am. Minutes later, he was dead. The jail authorities brought his body to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem, which was performed in the presence of Gurdaspur tehsildar RK Minhas. Sources said the deceased was a habitual drug offender but ruled out overdose of drugs as the possibile reason for his death. “Notwithstanding assurances by the jail authorities that drugs are not available in the jail premises, Bhullar was a regular drug user.” Sources in the Civil Hospital said Bhullar’s body was blue when brought to the hospital. “This means that he had consumed a substance which may have contained poison,” said an official. Bhullar's family members, who reached the jail at noon, maintained a stoic silence over the death. Ever since Bhullar was lodged in the prison, there were rumours that the jail authorities were giving him preferential treatment. Barely a month after he was brought to the jail, Sukhraj Singh Gill, a cousin of the deceased NRI, had claimed that in gross violation of norms, the jail authorities were sending Bhullar to a private hospital in Amritsar for treatment. It was on Sukhraj’s statement that the Batala police had registered a murder case against the Bhullar brothers. Drug Overdose?
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35 Armymen awarded
Chandigarh, February 6 The awards included one bar to Sena Medal for gallantry, 10 Sena Medals for gallantry, 10 Vishisht Seva Medals for distinguished service and 14 Sena Medals for devotion to duty, according to a statement issued here. In addition, unit citations were also presented to ten units of the Western Command for their meritorious and outstanding performance. The Golden Key Division was adjudged the best formation of the Western Command in the field of professional and sports competitions. Giving away the awards, the General Officer Commadning-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra congratulated all the recipients and exhorted all ranks to emulate their example and do their best to protect and project the name, fame and glory of the Indian Army and the nation. He also complimented formations and units of the Western Command for their performance in all spheres of military activities during the preceding years and expressed his confidence that all ranks of the Command would live up to the expectations and faith reposed in them by their countrymen. The investiture ceremony was organised under the aegis of the Rising Star Corps, the newest formation of the Army. A large number of senior officers and formation commanders from Western Command attended the function.
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Second phase of cancer survey kicks off
Ludhiana, February 6 However, there is no deadline for completing this phase. Disclosing this, Dr Kaushal Saini, Assistant Civil Sugeon, Ludhiana, said, “The State Health Department has begun imparting training to medical experts through ten batches at Government Medical College, Faroidkot, Amritsar, Patiala and PGIMER, Chandigarh. Each of these experts will be trained for ten days and will then train the ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) how to examine suspected cancer patients.” Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Dr Subhash Batta said, “Each of the cancer patients will be entitled to free treatment for up to Rs 1.50 lakh at any government hospital.”
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Women protesters released
Faridkot, February 6 These women and children, who belong to the families of unemployed linemen, were released after the police in its inquiry report absolved them of the charges. In its inquiry report submitted in court yesterday, the police had demanded the release of the accused. On January 13, the Muktsar police had arrested 33 unemployed linemen and 24 women members of their families when they were protesting against the state government near the venue of SAD’s political conference at Maghi Mela. The linemen were demanding jobs and the women and children were supporting them. These linemen, women and two children were sent to the Faridkot jail where some of them started an indefinite fast. On February 1, the jail authorities shifted two of them, including a woman, to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in
Faridkot. Among those released is five-year-old Harsirat Kaur who was in jail with her mother Amandeep Kaur. Her father Harpreet Singh, an unemployed lineman, is still in jail. Another child, 18-month-old Shivraj, was also released from the jail with his mother today. The linemen have been agitating to get their appointment letters. In January 2011, the state government had started the process to fill 5,000 posts of linemen but only 1,000 were given appointment letters and the other 4,000 are still waiting.
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Royal scion protests move to shift jail
He said the jail once housed Indian freedom fighters. Malvinder said: “It is the duty of the state government to protect its heritage. I will go to any extent to save the rich cultural heritage of the city". Meanwhile, officials of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) today shot off a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asking him to reconsider the decision. Government officials said the jail was being shifted due to security reasons. They said the decision was taken as many residential areas had come up near the jail. “The government is keen to streamline the functioning of the Patiala jail and checking the drug menace inside its premises. The need to expand the jail is another reason,” said Principal Secretary (Home) DS Bains.
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Security cover for 703 persons, HC told
Chandigarh, February 6 This was revealed in a written statement by the Punjab Government through Principal Secretary (Home) DS Bains before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain after a petition filed in public interest in this regard came up for hearing today. The government did not disclose the names of individuals protected by it in other states. It, however, mentioned some of them, including Puducherry Governor Iqbal Singh, former Punjab Governor BKN Chhibber, Member of Parliament Balbir Punj and former Member of Parliament Tarlochan Singh. It was stated that they were closely associated with the affairs of the state and also visited Punjab
frequently. “Similarly, there are some who are maintaining residences and offices in more than one state or are involved in politics/business/ commercial activity spread over more than one state. Therefore, such individuals have been provided security on a permanent basis by the Punjab Police due to the prevalent security scenario in the state,” the statement read. The hearing on the PIL has been adjourned to March 7.
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Man gets 10 years for raping minor
Barnala, February 6 The judge also awarded Mandeep five years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 363 of the IPC; seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 366 of the IPC; seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 467 of the IPC; three years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 each under Sections 466 and 468 of the IPC and seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 471 of the IPC. All sentences shall run concurrently. Jagjit Singh and his wife Kiranjit Kaur, co-accused in the case, were acquitted by the court. The father of the 14-year-old girl had lodged a complaint at Rurreke Kalan police station, alleging the accused had raped his daughter. On the basis of the complaint, the police had registered a case against Mandeep Kumar and others on February 22 last year.
— TNS
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Three held with Rs 80-cr heroin
Tarn Taran, February 6 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kamaljit Singh Dhillon said Kala was nabbed from his native village following a tip-off. Kala’s son Sukhbir Singh (30) was arrested on similar charges. He was held with 14 kg heroin in January 2011. He escaped from police custody in January last year. “He was later re-arrested with 10 kg heroin and Rs 12 lakh of counterfeit notes in April 20 last year,” Dhillon said adding he had been lodged in the Kapurthala jail at present. He said the seized consignment also had links with Sukhbir and further investigations were under progress in this regard. The contraband was supposed to be smuggled to New Delhi in a Scorpio, the SSP said. A case under NDPS Act has been registered at Sarai Amanat Khan police station against Gurmit Singh. The police also arrested Dilbagh Singh Baga and Balwinder Singh Bittu of Sur Singh village for allegedly possessing 500 gm of heroin each. Separate cases under the NDPS Act have been registered against them.
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3 more booked for theft at Golden Temple
Amritsar, February 6 Earlier, sewadars Manpreet Singh and Kuljeet Singh, who were caught stealing cash offerings on the CCTV, were suspended by the SGPC. The two were deputed for counting cash in the SGPC’s treasury department. On February 2, Manpreet Singh concealed bundles of notes in his shirt with the help of Kuljit Singh. However, one of the bundles containing Rs 80,000 fell and was later found by a gurdwara inspector. Balbir Singh and Baldev Singh, who allowed the two sewadars to flee after the theft, have been suspended by the SGPC.
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Chandigarh, February 6
Moga, February 6
Ludhiana, February 5
Gurdaspur, February 6
Patiala, February 6