B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Sops to boost investment in border region on the anvil: Minister
Ferozepur, February 14
The Punjab Government shall offer special incentives and subsidies to the industrial houses keen to set up their base in the border region of the state, stated the Minister for Industries, Technical Education and Industrial Training, Anil Joshi, here today. He was speaking to mediapersons on his visit to the town to preside over the annual convocation of the Shahid Bhagat Singh State Technical Campus (SBSSTC).

RTI query reveals misappropriation of funds?
Fazilka, February 14
An alleged misappropriation of funds in the local Municipal Council (MC) has surfaced. The MC authorities have paid Rs 13,15,925 to a contractor against the estimated cost of the work, which was Rs 4.30 lakh. 

Residents protest as cops slap criminal case on complainant
Abohar, February 14
Scores of residents of the Arya Nagar here, including women, marched to the office of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) here today to protest against the alleged implication of a complainant and his family in a criminal case by the City Police-II.

Schoolteacher booked for embezzlement
Ferozepur, February 14
The Ferozepur police has booked a teacher for alleged embezzlement of funds meant for construction purposes in the Government Middle School at Rao Ke Hithar under the Mamdot block.

Youth sentenced to 10 yrs in jail for molesting minor girl
Faridkot, February 14
The District and Sessions Judge, Faridkot, today sentenced a youth to 10 years in jail for kidnapping and molesting a 12-year-old girl. In addition, a fine of Rs 7,500 has also been imposed on the accused.

Sops to boost investment in border region on the anvil: Minister
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, February 14
The Punjab Government shall offer special incentives and subsidies to the industrial houses keen to set up their base in the border region of the state, stated the Minister for Industries, Technical Education and Industrial Training, Anil Joshi, here today.

He was speaking to mediapersons on his visit to the town to preside over the annual convocation of the Shahid Bhagat Singh State Technical Campus (SBSSTC).

On the occasion, state BJP president Kamal Sharma, Deputy Commissioner MS Narang besides BJP leaders and other senior officials were also present.

Joshi said the government would soon announce the new industrial policy for which the industrial models of Gujarat and Rajasthan were being studied. He said the government has pumped in around Rs 1,300 crore to revive the sick and closed industrial units in the state. He said the new industrial policy being envisaged would facilitate the businessmen to make heavy investment in the state.

The minister said four new multi-skill development centres were also being established at Amritsar, Bathinda, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur. The centres were being set up in association with industrial giants like the Larsen and Toubro, the Tata Motors and the Bharti Walmart, which would train at least one lakh youths in various vocational skills.

Further, Joshi said the government was working on the Common Infrastructure in the Industrial Areas Act, which will also give a tremendous boost to the industrial set up in the state. He said seven new polytechnic colleges with an investment of Rs 66 crore have also been built. Besides, setting up of the IIT in Ropar and the IIIT in Kapurthala will also give new perspective to the technical education landscape in the state, he added.

Earlier, Joshi exhorted the students at the SBSSTC to take up self-employment rather than looking for jobs, so that they can contribute their might to eradicate unemployment in the state.

Joshi said an amount of Rs 10 crore has been provided to uplift the quality of technical education being provided in the SBSSTC besides Rs 7.5 crore and Rs 5.25 crore have been spent on the construction of the polytechnic wing and the girls hostel, respectively.

SBSSTC director Dr TS Sidhu and Dr AK Tyagi besides faculty members and hundreds of students were present.

RTI query reveals misappropriation of funds?
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, February 14
An alleged misappropriation of funds in the local Municipal Council (MC) has surfaced.

The MC authorities have paid Rs 13,15,925 to a contractor against the estimated cost of the work, which was Rs 4.30 lakh. The revelation came in reply to the information sought under the Right to Information Act.

Local RTI activist Amar Nath Chetiwal had sought information regarding installation of street lights and tubular poles in different parts of the town. On January 8, 2009, the tenders were allotted to a contractor, Anil Kathuria, for erection of street light and tubular steel poles on the Bikaneri Road, Fazilka. The estimate cost of the work was fixed at Rs 4.30 lakh.

The work was completed. However, the MC in its RTI reply stated that a payment of Rs 13,15,925 has been made to the contractor, which was over three times the estimated cost.

The Executive Officer of the MC, when contacted, claimed that it was a clerical mistake and the amount of the cost of construction was miscalculated by the employees.

Meanwhile, in a letter written to the Principal Secretary, Local Self-government, two woman councillors of the BJP-led MC - Kanchan Sharma and Manju Dhingra - have demanded that the matter should be probed by the Vigilance Bureau.

In the past too, the MC has remained embroiled in controversies in respect of different development works.

Residents protest as cops slap criminal case on complainant
Our Correspondent

Abohar, February 14
Scores of residents of the Arya Nagar here, including women, marched to the office of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) here today to protest against the alleged implication of a complainant and his family in a criminal case by the City Police-II.

One Gugan said he had lodged a complaint against some persons who had tried to kidnap his daughter on February 12 from his house in Arya Nagar. However, he alleged that the accused persons, in connivance with the police, got an FIR registered against him, his wife, brother and sister under Section 452 of the IPC.

The protesters submitted a memorandum seeking cancellation of the “false” case. 

Schoolteacher booked for embezzlement
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, February 14
The Ferozepur police has booked a teacher for alleged embezzlement of funds meant for construction purposes in the Government Middle School at Rao Ke Hithar under the Mamdot block.

According to information available, Rs 2.50 lakh had been sanctioned during the financial year 2010-11 for construction of a room for headmaster and a store in the school.

During August 2011, the District Project Coordinator from the Education Department conducted a surprise checking at the school and found that there was no record for the expenditure of Rs 72,000 claimed to have incurred on the construction.

Later, it was found that though the amount meant for the construction was shown as utilised, the works, including fixing of roof tiles, plaster of the outer wall besides fixing of the doors, had not been completed.

Officials in the Education Department said the matter was brought in the notice of the Director General Secondary Education (DGSE), KS Pannu, who had forwarded the case to the Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur, for necessary action.

Thereafter, the police registered a case under Section 409 of the IPC against Amarjit Singh, the schoolteacher.

When contacted, District Education Officer (Elementary) Amritpal Singh said the erring teacher has already deposited a part of the amount that was allegedly bungled.

Youth sentenced to 10 yrs in jail for molesting minor girl
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, February 14
The District and Sessions Judge, Faridkot, today sentenced a youth to 10 years in jail for kidnapping and molesting a 12-year-old girl. In addition, a fine of Rs 7,500 has also been imposed on the accused.

On August 24, 2012, the Kotkapura police in Faridkot had registered the rape and kidnapping case against Beant Singh, a youth of Guru Ki Dhab village, after the father of the minor girl lodged a complaint with the police.

In the complaint, the victim's father had alleged that after administrating some sedative-laced food, the accused, who is known to the family, kidnapped and exploited the minor girl physically. The court took less than two months in pronouncing the decision in the case after the police had filed the chargesheet.