|
|
|
|
|
Coal freight rate hike
Murder case against Patiala Ex-Mayor
|
|
|
5 fuel stations sealed for duping customers
Canny Sukhbir ensures SAD’s majority
Sathi calls it murder of democracy
Capt miffed with PPP
‘Indicted’ by CBI in land scam, Faridkot DC moves
court
Army extends helping hand to Punjab rowers
National Science Day celebrated
SGPC to probe molestation charge against ‘raagi’
Rajasansi’s carpet industry in knots; govt looks the other way
Punjab Bar Council: Polls will be held as scheduled
Advocates’ Welfare Fund Act gets nod after 10 yrs
HC sets aside DGP’s order on
protecting convicted cops
Inter-state gang of arms dealers busted, 2 held
Nagar panchayat president’s husband shot dead in Dirba
Dasuya sarpanch, brother booked for poaching
|
Coal freight rate hike
Patiala, February 28 The development may force the PSPCL to increase power tariffs for all categories of consumers. PSPCL officials maintain either the fuel cost adjustment surcharge will have to be increased on per unit of power or the corporation will have to submit a supplementary application for a revision of the fuel cost and the net revenue gap for 2013-14 in the annual revenue requirement (ARR) filed with the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC). Earlier, the PSPCL had shown Rs 2,839 crore revenue deficit for 2013-14. PSPCL Director (Finance) SC Arora said the corporation procured 13 million tonnes of coal annually through the rail network. "The freight varies from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,200 per tonne. The recent hike will mean an additional financial burden to the tune of up to Rs 150 crore," he said. Last year, the coal freight rate was increased by 20 per cent while there is a hike of 5.7 per cent this year. But since Punjab gets a major chunk of coal from Jharkhand, the financial burden will be more due to the long distance between the two states. Badish K Jindal, president of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association, has flayed the increase in coal freight rate. "The hike will lead to costlier power, which will adversely affect the already crippled industry in the state," he added. Taking stock Coal freight rate has been increased by 5.7 per cent in the Railway Budget The freight hike will lead to additional burden of Rs 150 crore on PSPCLt Officials say the fuel cost adjustment surcharge will have to be increased
|
|
Murder case against Patiala Ex-Mayor
Patiala, February 28 The investigation is held up for the want of directions from SIT head Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Shashiprabha Diwedi. The other two members of the SIT are DIG RK Jaiswal and SP Balbir Singh. Sources said though Jaiswal and Balbir were carrying on the investigations and had questioned the two accused, their findings would hold no relevance till the SIT head arrived on the scene. “I have spent seven hours today talking to the accused and a few others, including a girl, believed to be close to Harpreet Singh. I cannot reveal much till the head of the SIT joins her duty this weekend,” Jaiswal said. Victim’s daughter questioned
The police today questioned the daughter of the victim, eight-year-old Manseerat Kaur, who reportedly confessed to have seen her mother hanging from the ceiling with a dupatta. “We are yet to substantiate her claim,” a police official said, adding they had also learnt that someone in the victim’s family had seen her hanging. The police is trying to ascertain the time of the incident as the time of the last call made from Parampreet’s phone was 10.40 am. However, the victim’s father had told the police that she died at around 10.30 am. The police has also managed to get the remand of Harpreet Singh and his mother Paramjeet Kaur for another day. Probe stuck The investigation is held up in the absence of directions from SIT head Inspector-General of Police Shashiprabha Diwedi Though the other two SIT members are carrying on the probe, their findings will hold no relevance till the SIT head arrives
|
||
|
Police acted in haste: Maluka
Patiala: Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, district in charge of the SAD, today slammed the Police Department for “acting in haste” and pressing murder charges on former Patiala Mayor Jaspal Pardhan following the mysterious death of his “daughter-in-law” Parampreet Kaur.
Maluka said: “Registering a murder case on the basis of allegations alone was not justified. The police should have done an enquiry before slamming such serious charges against Pardhan. I have learnt that Pardhan was not present at the crime scene and reached the spot only after he was called by his son Preetinder Singh,” he said. — TNS
|
||
|
5 fuel stations sealed for duping customers
Bathinda, February 28 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Narinder Bhargav said Ankur had admitted to installing the device at 50 fuel stations across Punjab. He said salesmen at these stations would operate the remote-control hidden in their pockets. The Weights and Measures Department, he said, had sealed six fuel stations under Section 420 of the IPC for cheating and for violating the Essential Commodites Act. Verma took anything between Rs 35,000 - Rs 40,000 for installing the device. Bhargav said during investigations it had come to light that certain fuel station owners had become rich overnight. He cited the example of the owner of Vinod Pal Auto Care He said two salesmen employed at the station, Shameer Kumar and Akhilesh Kumar, had been arrested.The SSP said the owner, Vinod Kumar, was a salesman at a fuel station only a few years ago. He said Verma had got a custom-made chip developed in Mumbai that he and his confidant Sunil Kumar of Paragpur (UP) installed at several stations.They used salesmen from Uttar Pradesh working in Punjab to spread their network. The SSP said two fuel stations in Muktsar and one each in Lohia (Jalandhar), Peer Mohammad (Ferozepu), Balla ( Amritsar) and Budhlada (Mansa) had been sealed so far. A few years ago, some industrial houses in Ludhiana were found to have installed a remote-control device on their power meters.
|
||
moga bypoll
Moga, February 28 Jain got 69,269 votes while Sathi polled 50,420 votes. The security deposit of all other candidates, including PPP's Dr Ravinder Singh Dhaliwal, was forfeited. The latter secured 7,401 votes.The SAD (Mann) candidate, Birinder P Singh, got just 822 votes. The seat fell vacant after Jain, who was elected to the assembly on the Congress ticket in 2012, resigned in December last year and joined the ruling SAD. The SAD leadership allotted him the party ticket to contest the byelection. The counting of votes began at 8 am at Bhupindra Khalsa Higher Secondary School amid tight security. There were a total of 14 rounds of counting. Jain led in all the rounds except the one for Moga city. It is for the first time since Independence that the Akali candidate has got a lead of about 3,000 votes in urban areas.The Congress candidate could get a lead of just 1,871 votes in the Hindu-dominated areas of the city only in the 11th round of counting. Jain's supporters gathered outside the counting centre in the morning. After the eighth round, when Jain had a comfortable lead of 16,337 votes, an open jeep bedecked with flowers was brought outside the counting centre.There were fireworks after the counting in the 10th round. Disappointed Congress supporters began to disperse. However, Sathi stayed put till the last vote was counted. After the declaration of results, he left the counting centre with a few supporters. Barjinder Singh Brar, son of Akali stalwart Jathedar Tota Singh, escorted Jain to an open jeep for a victory procession. Candidate Party Votes Polled Joginder Pal Jain SAD 69,269 Vijay Sathi Cong 50,420 RS Dhaliwal PPP 7,401 Birinder P Singh SAD (Mann) 822 Shifting loyalties For the first time post-Independence, the SAD candidate got a lead of 3,000 votes in urban areas Cong got a lead of 1,871 votes in Hindu-dominated areas only in the 11th round of counting
|
||
|
Canny Sukhbir ensures SAD’s majority
Chandigarh, February 28 Both the moves are likely to give jitters to the Congress as well as the SAD's coalition partner, the BJP. The SAD president told The Tribune that the party was open to carrying out this experiment in a few other constituencies. He, however, said there was no reason for the BJP to feel alarmed as "both the SAD and BJP are one." Analysts say the Moga victory is a major jolt to the Punjab Congress that will have a demoralising effect on the Congress with the parliamentary elections round the corner. Analysts feel the victory will also limit the BJP's "nuisance value" that had made the going tough for the SAD during its last term in office. The fact that SAD candidate Joginderpal Jain has won by a huge margin of 18,849 votes is a dampener for the Congress which had after a year of dissensions put up a united front under the leadership of Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh. However, the byelection outcome is not likely to have an impact on his continuation as PCC chief. He is likely to share the responsibility for the defeat with senior leader Jagmeet Brar as party candidate Vijay Sathi was his man. What goes in Amarinder Singh's credit is that he led by example, staying put in the constituency for the entire duration of the campaign, forcing the Akalis to work harder. The Congress is taking heart from the fact that byelections seldom go in favour of the Opposition. Capt Amarinder Singh said the state unit had fought hard but was done in by the "indiscriminate use of money and muscle power by the Akalis." He said the party had filed more than 100 complaints in the past few days of campaigning but the Akalis had got away because of " timely tip-off". Observers say SAD's development plank was a huge success in rural areas and also dented the Congress edge in Moga town. Even the PCC president admitted this, saying the voters were influenced by the fact that the Akalis would be in power for the next four years. The SAD president claimed that the election result was a clear verdict on the government's performance in its second term. He said since Amarinder Singh had himself complimented the Election Commission for a free and fair poll, he could not complain about "money and muscle power" now. Sukhbir said it was the people's perception about the government that had prevailed. "We deliver what we promise. We have a positive agenda," he added. Meanwhile, the third front led by the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) remains in the reckoning in Punjab politics with the PPP candidate getting 7,401 votes. The PPP had polled 9,800 votes in the 2012 elections. Observers say the only option before the PPP is to align with the Congress.
|
||
|
Sathi calls it murder of democracy
Moga, February 28 Alleging that the Akalis had also resorted to booth-capturing and rigging, Sathi said there was a need to bring in more electoral reforms to ensure that parties in power did not use the official machinery to influence voters. He said he would be writing to the Chief Election Commissioner in this regard.
|
||
|
Capt miffed with PPP
Chandigarh, February 28 The PCC president said he no longer knew whether an arrangement with the PPP was possible for the parliamentary elections. “If Manpreet wants to come on board, he should come with a definite set of things that are workable”. Manpreet Badal said the PPP had fought the Moga byelection on its own because it was committed to bringing about a credible alternative in Punjab. “Should we dissolve ourselves to fit into the Congress scheme of things,” he asked. Manpreet explained that an arrangement with the Congress could not come about because of opposition from the Left parties that are part of the Sanjha
Morcha.
|
|
‘Indicted’ by CBI in land scam, Faridkot DC moves
court
Chandigarh, February 28 In an application, Bhagat sought High Court’s permission to be impleaded as a party in the case for being heard before initiation of proceedings against him. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri today issued notice to the CBI and fixed April 23 as the next date of hearing. The CBI had last month submitted an inquiry report in a sealed cover to the High Court. Though the contents of the report have not been made public, Bhagat said he learnt about his indictment through sources. The CBI had submitted its report less than six months after the High Court ordered probe into the acquisition of land for allegedly helping three influential families earn approximately Rs 5.63 crore. The development is significant as one of the families is alleged to have close association with Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia. The government, in this case, allegedly paid compensation of about Rs 8.67 crore within days of the land being purchased by the families for just over Rs 1.50 crore. In their petition filed in public interest before the High Court through counsel Ramandeep Singh Pandher, Jarnail Singh and three other residents of Mandi Khurd village in Bathinda had earlier demanded an inquiry to look into the alleged scam hovering around the acquisition of land for an engineered sanitary landfill facility. Directions were also sought to shift the project to some other place.
About the case Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat alleges he has been indicted in the Bathinda land scam without being heard The case is about the acquisition of land by the state government for allegedly helping three influential families earn Rs 5.63 crore The government allegedly paid compensation of about Rs 8.67 crore within days of the land being purchased by the families for just over Rs 1.5 crore The development is significant as one of the families is alleged to have close association with Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia
|
|
|
Army extends helping hand to Punjab rowers
Chandigarh, February 28 Asking Punjab government to bear the financial burden of the entire training project, the army authorities have offered to even recruit some of the good rowers. The office of the Engineer’s Branch, in a communication, to the Under Secretary (Home) said, “Sukhna lake, in the past, has hosted many national and international level rowing contests. “The maximum length of the lake, however, is 1,500 metres against the current standard of 2200 metres for an ideal spot to hold rowing events. The lake offers ample opportunities in training future rowers and gives a tremendous boost to this sport.” It has been pointed out that the number of rowers is too little as there aren’t many good coaches to train them. “If approved, in principle, the Army can assist in preparation of a detailed project report covering all aspects, including training, infrastructure, procurement of boats and also the training curriculum,” the communication read. It has been clarified that “the cost of the project should be borne by the Punjab government. We can also absorb certain junior rowers if found fit for employment.” The Sports and Youth Services Department in a communication to the Principal secretary (Home) and Secretary (General Administration) said the facility would come in as a great relief to 30 odd players who are also getting Rs 200 per day. A senior official said, “We did have a meeting with the army authorities who were also looking after the Sukhna lake besides the issues related to rowing. We were told that the Army and a few rowing experts could offer help to our rowers. The issue will come up for a formal discussion at the civil army liaison conference, shortly.”
|
|
|
National Science Day celebrated
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 28 A seminar was organised on the occasion and scholars from different institutions participated. Vice Chancellor Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia inaugurated the seminar. He called upon the students to undertake research in unexplored areas. Various activities, including documentary/animation, poster presentation and exhibition of working models were organised. More than three hundred students participated in different events.
|
|
|
SGPC to probe molestation charge against ‘raagi’
Amritsar, February 28 The SGPC is awaiting the decision of the Canada court before initiating further action in this regard. Talking to The Tribune, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said Ajai Singh's services were suspended after they received a complaint from the victim's family. He said it was unfortunate that a ‘raagi’ was facing such allegations. There are reports that Ajai Singh has written to the SGPC to present his side of the story.
|
|
|
Rajasansi’s carpet industry in knots; govt looks the other way
Amritsar, February 28 The town and surrounding villages, employing hundreds of skilled weavers, would export 1.5 lakh square feet of carpet to European countries every month till 1995. "Now, the people know Rajasansi for its international airport. But long before that, it was known for hand-knotted carpets." said Giani Joginder Singh, an artisan, who is now a middleman for various export houses. He claimed that production had declined drastically. The art of hand-knotted carpets in the Bukhara style (Persian style) was introduced at Rajasansi by a muslim artisan, Ahmed Butt, in 1940. For seven years before Partition, he zealously guarded the secrets of the art. Only a few like Mohinder Singh (90) managed to acquire the skill. "It was a family business. Only 10 families knew how to weave carpets and all were related to one another," said Mohinder Singh. The likes of Mohinder Singh soon taught the art to others to cash in on the growing demand. "At least 250 families of Rajasansi and many more in surrounding villages took over the business by 1965," he said. For years local artisans did brisk business. Then came a day when they had a huge stock and no buyer. "The Russians backed out and defaulted on payments. Others followed suit," claimed Joginder Singh. But Mohinder Singh had a different story to tell. "Middlemen made artisans weave carpets of lower quality to increase profits. So foreign buyers shifted to Gwalior and Agra," he said, adding that they now used the carpets to cover their cattle in winters. Daniel B Dass, coordinator of Social Economic Development Program (SEDP), an NGO that undertook the "Endogenous Tourism Project (ETP)" at Rajasansi in 2007, said: "In the 90s, a world view against child labour was taking shape. As child labour was rampant in the carpet weaving industry, foreign buyers were reluctant to buy carpets from here." The tourism project covered 31 villages in the country. Rajasansi was one of these. Dass said the SEDP had helped form the Sher-e-Punjab Weavers Cooperative which was now defunct. Associate Professor, Clothing and Textile, Government Home Science College, Chandigarh, Ramanjit Kaur Bajwa, who conducted a study on Rajasansi in 2001, corroborated Dass' claim. "There were several other factors, including exploitation of artisans by middlemen," she said, claiming that the artisans had no direct access to the market till date. She also said the artisans earned less than a daily wager. Artisan Sucha Singh, 53, said that to weave a carpet measuring 56 sq ft, it required two skilled craftsmen to work 12 hours everyday for a month. He said they made Rs 7, 000 from the sale of a carpet. And with Rs 3,500 paid to the two craftsmen as wages, there was nothing left for the entrepreneur. The carpets continue to be sold in Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi. "If the sector is organised and weavers are given better wages, they can do better," claimed Sucha Singh. He said the government should ensure weavers' participation in handicraft fairs so that they could reach out to a wider section of buyers. Art in trouble The art of hand-made carpets in the Bukhara style (Persian style) was introduced by a muslim artisan, Ahmed Butt, in 1940 For seven years before Partition, he zealously guarded the secrets of the art Only 10 families knew the art of weaving carpets and all were related to each other The carpets, once exported to Russia and Europe, are now sold in Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi
|
|
Punjab Bar Council: Polls will be held as scheduled
Chandigarh, February 28 The council made the statement before the Punjab and Haryana High Court during the hearing of a petition filed in public interest (PIL) by an advocate, Paramjit Singh Goraya. In his PIL against the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana and other respondents, Goraya had expressed apprehension that the election may not take place on the specified dates. He had alleged that the elections may be postponed “because of certain disputes”. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain Advocate observed that the State Bar Council elections were scheduled for May 31 and June 1. The Bench added the present petition could not be entertained merely on apprehensions. Further, it failed to understand how “such a petition could be filed as a PIL”. The Bench also took note of a statement at the Bar by the counsel appearing for the Bar Council. He said “insofar as the Bar Council is concerned, it has fixed the elections on May 31 and June 1 and is determined to go ahead with those elections”. Taking on record the submission, the Bench dismissed the petition. The State Bar Council elections were slated to take place in December last year; and the Bar Council of India (BCI) had even issued several directions to ensure elections were held in a fair and transparent manner. The directions came on another petition filed by members of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana. Appreciating the initiative by the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana to update the list of advocates’ roll by annexing their photographs, the BCI had also held that “such decision of the State Bar Councils are praiseworthy, as in most of the State Bar Councils, we note that there is no updated list of advocates on its roll and the name of one advocate finds place in the list of several Bar Associations. “Only a few State Bar Councils have taken steps to delete the names of dead advocates; therefore the 2008 decision of Punjab and Haryana State Bar Council was commendable and should be an example to all the State Bar Councils in the future”.
|
|
|
Advocates’ Welfare Fund Act gets nod after 10 yrs
Chandigarh, February 28 Central Government counsel, meanwhile, has been asked to take up the matter with the Centre for the issuance of notification for its implementation in Chandigarh. For the purpose, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has set a month’s deadline. Under the Central legislation, financial assistance is payable to an advocate member on cessation of practice after completion of 30 years. As a petition filed in public interest on the issue by Jai Vir Yadav against the Union of India and another respondent came up for hearing, the High Court was informed by counsel for Chandigarh Administration that the “process was complete”. The counsel told the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain that notification, however, could not be issued. This was due to “some ambiguity as to whether Union Territory, Chandigarh, can issue such a notification, having regard to the definition of appropriate Government under the Advocates’ Welfare Funds Act, 2001”. Taking up the matter, the Bench asserted: “Prima facie, we feel that it is the Central Government which is the competent authority to issue notification. Counsel appearing for the Union of India may, therefore, take up the matter with the Central Government for issuance of the notification”. Disposing of the petition, the Bench added: “Since notification in this behalf has to be issued, which task is already accomplished by the States of Punjab and Haryana, we dispose of this petition with direction to the Central Government to issue the requisite notification within one month”. The directions came just about six months after the High Court issued notice to the Union of India, the States of Punjab and Haryana, along with UT Administration, on another PIL for enhancing financial assistance to advocates on cessation of practice. In the petition, it was contended the advocates of Punjab, Haryana and UT were governed by the Welfare Fund Act. But the financial assistance payable to an advocate was restricted to just Rs 30,000. The petitioner, HC Arora, contended the amount was meagre. It was not in consonance with the dignity of a human being, or the dignity of the legal profession. Reformist move Centre has been given a month to issue the notification for the implementation of the Act in Chandigarh The financial assistance payable to an advocate was Rs 30,000
|
|
|
HC sets aside DGP’s order on
protecting convicted cops
Chandigarh, February 28 The significant judgment by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain came on a PIL filed by advocate HC Arora. He had challenged Clause 3 (iii) of the DGP’s circular of May 18, 2010. Addressed to appointing authorities in the Police Department, the circular directed that policemen convicted on a criminal charge for an offence, where the prescribed maximum punishment was less than three years, must not be dismissed from service. In an exhaustive judgment, the High Court observed that a senior officer or an authority cannot direct a statutory authority to act in a particular manner. It was for the appointing authority to discharge its functions according to law. The Bench observed that the instructions in the circular were against the Article 311 of the Constitution and Rule 13 of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 1970. These required the authority concerned to take into consideration a government servant’s conduct, which lead to his conviction, while taking action against him. The Bench held that a government servant convicted for a criminal offence was not to be removed from service automatically, while quashing another provision contained in Clause 3(ii) of the impugned circular. It envisaged automatic dismissal of a policeman convicted for an offence where the prescribed sentence was more than three years. The Bench quashed it on the same ground that it took away the discretion of the appointing authority to take action against the convicted police officials.
The order The DGP’s circular, issued on May 18, 2010, directed the appointing authorities in the Police Department that policemen convicted on a criminal charge for an offence, where the prescribed maximum punishment was less than three years, must not be dismissed from service The ruling The instructions in the circular are against Article 311 of the Constitution and Rule 13 of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 1970. These required the authority concerned to take into consideration a convicted government servant’s conduct while acting against him
|
|
Inter-state gang of arms dealers busted, 2 held
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 28 The dealers identified as Kamaljit Singh (Sardul Gun House, Fatehgarh Sahib) and Karambir Singh (Rajpura Gun House) would procure pistols and revolvers manufactured at illegal factories and workshops, put fictitious numbers/trademarks of foreign made weapons on them and sell them as genuine weapons to licence The two accused would purchase prohibited bore revolvers for Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, convert them into non-prohibited bores and sell them for Rs 5-7 lakh. Gurpreet Deo, Inspector-General, Zonal Jalandhar and HS Mann, Senior Superintendent of Police, said acting on a tip off, a police team led by Inspector Ramandeep Singh, in charge CIA Staff, Sirhind, nabbed Karambir Singh and seized one .455 bore revolver and three .38 bore revolvers. Kamaljit Singh was held with two revolvers of .38 bore. They said 24 revolvers of the similar make had been recovered from various licence holders of Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and Patiala districts. They said the two accused ran the racket with Tamanna Gun House, Moga, Hoshiar Singh (Canadian Gun House, Dabwali), Charanji Lal, Kurukshetra (Haryana), Narsing Chander Dev and Company, Kolkata, Amarjit Gun House, Patiala, Friends Arms Company, Ludhiana, Gujral Gun House, Patiala, Singh Gun House, Patiala and Bajwa Gun House, Patiala. The police said a case under Section 420, 465, 468, 471, 120-B of the IPC and 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act had been registered at Sirhind Police Station and further investigation in the case was on.
|
|
|
Nagar panchayat president’s husband shot dead in Dirba
Sangrur, February 28 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harcharan Singh Bhullar said during a meeting of arhtiyas to elect the president of their association, an altercation took place between two groups. During the altercation, Teja Singh opened fire with a .12 bore rifle at Harpal that injured him severely. He died on the way to hospital, he added. The SSP said a case under Sections 307, 302, 120-B, 148, 149, of the Indian Penal Code and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act had been registered against nine persons, including Teja. All the accused were absconding and the police was raiding various locations to nab them, he said. The case was registered on the complaint of Sanjiv Bansal, president of the Arhtiya Association, Dirba. Senior Medical Officer Makhan Singh said he had formed a panel of three doctors to conduct the post-mortem.
|
|
|
Dasuya sarpanch, brother booked for poaching
Hoshiarpur, February 28 Sarpanch Tarlochan Singh, his brother and neighbours shot the animal and after de-skinning it handed its hide, legs and other parts to Vijay, who stays near the tubewell in the fields owned by the NRI on the outskirts of the village. On receiving information, a team of the wildlife officials comprising Kuldeep Singh, range officer; Gurmeet Singh, block officer; Gurjot Singh, forest guard; and Surjit Singh, helper; on the direction of the divisional forest officer, wildlife, Satnam Singh rushed to the tubewell and rounded up Vijay Kumar. The DFO was not available for comments. RK Mishra, conservator of forest and wildlife (Shivalik Circle), expressed his ignorance about the poaching incident. A wildlife official, however, revealed that following the raid, body parts of the sambar were seized from the thickets with Vijay Kumar's help. During questioning, Vijay, who hails from Jharkhand, said that sarpanch Tarlochan Singh, his neighbour Charat Singh and two others came in a four-wheeler to the tubewell with the animal. After de-skinning it, they told Vijay to bury the leftovers in the thickets in a mango orchard. Sources in the department said that the forest department staff raided the sarpanch's house and impounded the vehicle used in the crime. The raiding team also collected samples of the sambar's blood and fur. A case under various provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act has been registered against Tarlochan Singh, Sarwan Singh, Charat Singh, Vijay Kumar and other unidentified persons. Vijay Kumar was produced before a Dasuya court and was remanded to 14-day judicial remand. The other suspects are absconding.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
moga bypoll
Congress candidate Vijay Sathi today described his defeat as murder of democracy. He alleged that senior Akali leaders had camped in Moga and adjoining villages after the campaigning ended on February 21 evening. " While senior Congress leaders abided by the Election Commission guidelines and left the constituency, senior Akali leaders hid themselves and used money, liquor and muscle power to purchase votes," he alleged. He alleged that Akali workers had resorted to intimidation of voters. 
The carpet industry in Rajasansi, that only a few decades ago would supply high-quality carpets to Europe and Russia, has lost its sheen owing to government apathy.
The town and surrounding villages, employing hundreds of skilled weavers, would export 1.5 lakh square feet of carpet to European countries every month till 1995."Now, the people know Rajasansi for its international airport. But long before that, it was known for hand-knotted carpets."
The local police has busted an inter-state gang of arms dealers and seized 30 revolvers and pistols from them. Two dealers have been detained.
He indicated that the party rank and file was mystified by PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal’s decision to field his own candidate for the Moga bypoll when the Opposition could have put up a united fight.