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Rescue op gaffe leaves govt red-faced
Lucky to have returned alive: Bhajji
5 of Sirhind family missing in Kedarnath
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Police goes soft on Patiala ASI caught red-handed for graft
Cash-strapped govt plans to buy Rs
70-cr aircraft for VIP use
Sirhind canal bridge thrown open to public
Tribune Impact
PSEB postpones supplementary exams till July 10
Cops refusing FIRs over jurisdiction to face music
Bogus deeds: Naib Tehsildar suspended
Power engineers to intensify stir
HC rues lack of policy to protect witnesses
SHO among 5 cops booked for torturing Dalit youth
6 of robbers’ gang held
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Rescue op gaffe leaves govt red-faced
Chandigarh, June 20 But contrary to its assertion, the private helicopter that it stated was hired for the operation has been lying idle at the Jolly Grant airport since the last two days. An official release quoting the Chief Minister’s Office had claimed that a Punjab team, led by Special Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu, had yesterday reached Govind Dham and evacuated 300 persons by helicopter the same day. It also claimed 500 more persons would be airlifted to safer places today. A separate press release from the Deputy Chief Minister’s Office claimed that Sukhbir Badal, who is currently on a personal visit to the UK, was closely monitoring the evacuation. It also claimed that a Punjab Government helicopter had already been pressed into service and that 300 pilgrims were evacuated yesterday. However, a cross-check with Sri Hemkund Sahib Management Trust revealed that the Punjab Government was making false claims. Talking to The Tribune, Trust vice-chairman Narinderjit Singh Bindra, who is also chairman of the Uttarakhand Minorities Commission, said the private helicopter hired by the Punjab Government had been lying idle at the Jolly Grant airport since yesterday. Bindra said despite the urgent need to evacuate the 2,800 devotees who were stranded at Govind Dham, the helicopter had not made a single sortie to Govind Dham. He also disclosed that Punjab Government officers, including Pannu, had hitchhiked a ride to Govind Dham on an Army helicopter. The Trust vice-chairman said he found it baffling that the state government was unable to assist in the rescue operations. He said this being an emergency, there could be no excuse for not operating the helicopter. He said Deccan Aviation and the Indian Air Force were operating two helicopters each to evacuate devotees. He said it were these copters that had evacuated 1,300 pilgrims. A Punjab Government spokesman when contacted said he was unable to say with conviction as to why the hired helicopter had not been pressed into service. He said the helicopter had been put at the disposal of the Uttarakhand Government and that it was their responsibility to use it for evacuation. He said there could be issues of limited air space. When questioned why the government had come out with misleading releases that took credit for the evacuation under the leadership of the team headed by Pannu, the spokesman said he would look into the matter. The government subsequently issued corrected press notes. With 2,800 devotees still trapped at Govind Dham, the Trust has requested the Indian Air Force to use MI-17 helicopters, which can carry a large number of people to ensure speedier evacuation.
Holy book air-lifted
The ‘swarup’ of Guru Granth Sahib at the Hemkund Sahib gurdwara has been airlifted to Joshimat. All pilgrimages to Hemkund Sahib have been cancelled with immediate effect. The Punjab Government has claimed it was sending buses to Rishikesh to bring back Sikh pilgrims to the state.
Left red-faced
NDRF teams rushed from Bathinda unit Bathinda: Seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) trained in mountain rescue operations have been rushed from here to flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal. The commandant of the NDRF battalion, Jaideep Singh, camping in Kinnaur, is coordinating the operations. He was said to be on his way to Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand where the damage is extensive. He said four teams of 35 men each had been rushed to Uttarakhand while two teams were engaged in rescue works in Himachal. SGPC to hire copter for rescue operation Amritsar: The SGPC is planning to rent out a helicopter to dispatch relief material and airlift pilgrims stuck in Uttarakhand. Over 6000 Sikh pilgrims are reportedly stranded in Ghangaria village, the last stopover en route the Hemkund Sahib gurdwara in the hill state. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said, “We are trying to hire a helicopter for the last three days but have met with little success as most of the helicopters are being operated by private companies for the rescue operation in Uttarakhand. We are in talks with the Indian Air Force station in Chandigarh to spare a helicopter.” — TNS
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Lucky to have returned alive: Bhajji
Staying put at the ITBP base camp in Joshimath for four days, he was finally airlifted by an Army Aviation Squadron of Mamoon Cantonment Pathankot. At his house at the Chhoti Baradari locality here, the cricketer had his friends and relatives dropping in throughout the day to see him. Bhajji said he felt he had been lucky at not having got on with his trek further towards the flood-affected area. “Having seen pictures of the disastrous aftermath of the cloudburst on TV and internet, I have been thanking the Almighty for having chosen me as one among the luckier lot,” he said. The off-spinner said he had gone on the trip with his friends. “It was my first visit to the place. We did not bother to take note of the weather forecast, which I will definitely do whenever I plan to visit the shrine next time. I will pack my bags accordingly, stuffing a lot of food and water and having my vehicle filled with fuel to capacity,” he said. Bhajji also expressed his gratitude to ITBP personnel. He said, “I will always cherish the time I was with the ITBP men who took good care of me over four days."
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5 of Sirhind family missing in Kedarnath
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 20 Sanjeev Gupta, a leading industrialist, said his brother and sister’s families had left on a pilgrimage to the hill state on June 14. He said he had last spoken to his family members on June 15. They then were about to reach the temple. Gupta said he frantically contacted officials both in Uttarakhand and Punjab, but to no avail. He said it was only today that he received a call from the Army that five of the 11 members had been rescued and air-lifted to Dehradun. The industrialist said the family members had hired two rooms. All the missing six persons were putting up in the same room. He said all of them were preparing to return after paying obeisance at the shrine when the tragedy wreaked havoc.
Three couples from Barnala too untraced
Barnala: Three couples who had gone to Kedarnath from Barnala on June 9 are among the missing. Their families have not received any phone call from them for the last four days.
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Judges’ strength up by 5, HC to prioritise cases of senior citizens, differently abled
Chandigarh, June 20 After administering oath to five Additional Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court this afternoon, Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said the new roster, expected to be out in the next couple of days, would also have Benches specially constituted for faster disposal of old cases. The five session judges, who swore to "bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established", are Anita Chaudhary, Mahavir Singh Chauhan, Fateh Deep Singh, Jaspal Singh and high court Registrar-General Surinder Gupta. The number of High Court judges, with their appointment, has gone up to 47 against the sanctioned strength of 68. The assertion on prioritising the cases is significant as the courts have been laying emphasis on expeditious disposal of cases involving senior citizens since long. But cases involving physically challenged persons are seldom put on the priority list. Interacting with the media soon after the oath ceremony, Chief Justice Kaul said the appointment of new judges would definitely help bring down the pendency of cases; and efforts would be taken to take up their number further. Justice Anita Chaudhary was district and sessions judge at Panchkula, Justice Mahavir Singh Chauhan at Sangrur, Fateh Deep Singh at Ferozepur and Jaspal Singh was at Bathinda. The elevations are significant as pendency of cases is directly linked to the shortage of judges. Till last year, more cases were filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court than disposed of the previous year, resulting in a pendency of more than two lakh civil and criminal cases. The High Court's annual report for 2012 indicated that 1.08 lakh cases were disposed of in the year while 1.16 lakh new cases were instituted in the High Court. The pendency of cases was up by 7,454.
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Police goes soft on Patiala ASI caught red-handed for graft
Patiala, June 20 Besides the ASI, two head constables were also allegedly involved in the case. The police claims to have recovered the bribe money from a drawer in the in charge's room. A case has been registered against the ASI at the Sadar police station, Samana. No action has been initiated against the two head constables. Sources said two senior police officers were trying to shield the accused ASI. They said on june 16, the ASI had conducted a raid and arrested an accused with 5,100 psychotropic tablets. On his information, he raided the house of alleged smuggler Aman Mittal, who offered him to pay Rs 2.20 lakh to settle the case, they said, adding Mittal gave Rs 50,000 to the ASI on the spot and another Rs 70,000 at the police station. The ASI later allowed him to call his associates to the police post with the rest of the money to settle the matter without an FIR. "Later, Mittal's friends came to meet him. The two head constables robbed them of Rs 30,000 at gunpoint. They also fired in the air to scare the visitors," said a police officer. "When the Patiala SSP learnt about the case, he ordered suspension of the ASI and registration of a case against him," said a senior police officer. Interestingly, even as the CIA staff recovered the money, they let off the ASI after questioning him. "We can arrest him anytime. The case is strong against him as the bribe money has been recovered. His involvement in earlier cases will also be verified," said Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police HS Mann. "I will not spare the other two policemen who had fired in the air. I was not aware of it earlier", Mann added.
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Efforts on to revive beris at Golden Temple
Amritsar, June 20 There are three beri trees, Ber Baba Budha Sahib, Dukh Bhanjani Beri and Elaichi Ber. Realising the threat to these symbols of Sikh religious belief, experts of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Khalsa College have been looking after these trees. Acting upon their advice, the SGPC has decided to remove concrete material that had been obstructing the natural stretch of their roots. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they had initiated the process of reviving the beris as advised by the experts. The experts have also recommended enhancing sand mounds around the beris to provide them with nutritional components. "It has been observed that the some portion of Dukh Bhanjani Beri has gone beneath the concrete structure around it. The committee has given its nod to remove the tiles," he said. Showing concern over the health of the beris, the experts have conveyed to the SGPC to discourage devotees from touching beris with greasy hands as it would not only attract insects but would also clog the access of tree sap. Experts suggest
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Panchayat elections: EC issues fresh guidelines on poll code
Chandigarh, June 20 He said the District Electoral Officer or Deputy Commissioners and the police had been authorised to initiate prosecution against any violation before the competent criminal courts. He said no party or candidate shall indulge in any activity that may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic. The SEC said during the election process, Ministers shall not combine their official visit with electioneering work and shall not make use of official machinery and personnel or other government resources, including government vehicle, for furtherance of interests of any candidate. Official telephones, including mobiles and fax, shall not be used for electioneering. The Ministers and other authorities shall not sanction grants/payment out of their discretionary funds. They shall not announce any financial grant in any form or promises thereof or make any promise of constructions of road, provision of drinking water facility or any adhoc appointment in government public undertaking, which may have the effect of influencing the voters in favour of the party in power. They shall not sanction any new scheme or make any such announcement. The use of rest houses, circuit houses and other government accommodation should be permitted to all candidates and political parties on similar terms.
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Cash-strapped govt plans to buy Rs
70-cr aircraft for VIP use
Chandigarh, June 20 Sources said the state government had taken the decision to purchase the helicopter and the aircraft a year ago. However, it later decided to put off the purchase of the aircraft and go in only for a helicopter. But now, it seems, the process to acquire the aircraft too has got a new lease of life. The cabinet sub-committee on civil aviation has, following a recent meeting, given the go-ahead for the purchase of an eight-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Accordingly, the matter has been referred to the chief secretary's committee. Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said the identification of an ideal aircraft and negotiations for acquisition would take place at the chief secretary level. He claimed the government was only replacing the aircraft (C-19 King Air) that was involved in a crash in 2008 with a new aircraft. Dhindsa when questioned about the profligacy of the government, which had already purchased a new helicopter a few months ago, said the Bell 429 helicopter would save money in the long run. He said the government had been hiring a helicopter earlier for the use of the Chief Minister and his deputy, which cost it Rs 1.40 lakh an hour. He said the copter did an average of 40 hours per month, costing the government more than Rs 6 crore annually. He said by that reasoning, the government would own its own machine by paying the same amount for six years. There is tremendous pressure on the civil aviation department to accommodate the travelling needs of both the CM and the Deputy CM who mostly have independent programmes. Due to this reason, the government kept using a hired helicopter for a month despite having put its own helicopter into service in May. At Sukhbir’s service? Sources said the aircraft would be meant for Sukhbir Badal as the government has been consistently hiring one to ferry him to Delhi. Its rent ranges from Rs 1.10 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh per hour. Till the government bought its own copter, it had been spending around Rs 15 crore annually to hire helicopters for the CM and his deputy. Sources said the aircraft has its advantages as it can be flown at night.
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Sirhind canal bridge thrown open to public
The traffic congestion is now likely to ease on the Circular Road in the town. The bridge was built using free cantilever technology and 90 metres of the bridge was erected in free cantilever span. It means no pillars were erected under the bridge to support it. The bridge built using single span steel bridge technology was to be built within 18 months at a cost Rs 8.68 crore. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on February 24, 2009. However, it missed several deadlines due to delay in getting clearances from the Forest Department. Moreover, the collapse of the bridge on May 30, 2011, when 70 per cent of the work had been completed delayed the project further. Dhillon said the Kurali-Kharar road would soon have four lanes. He said the state government had decided to construct 15,000 km of roads at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. The minister also announced the widening of the Railon Road and Gaushala Road in the town.
The Bridge
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Tribune Impact
Patiala, June 20 The four-member bench, comprising Justice Jagdish Bhalla, Chairperson, Baljinder Singh, LR Roojam and Justice Baldev Singh, commission members, issued the orders. It read: “The commission seeks to know how many oncologists are posted in Rajindra Hospital Patiala for the treatment of cancer patients.” Dr Tejveer Singh, Director Research and Medical Education, could not be contacted. — TNS
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PSEB postpones supplementary exams till July 10
Mohali, June 20 Dr Balwinder Singh, secretary of the board, said the exam timings had also been changed. "In the morning shift, the exams will begin at 10.30 am instead of 9 am earlier and in the afternoon shift, the exams will start at 2 pm. All the students will be given an extra time of 15 minutes to study the question paper while the visually impaired and mute students will get 20 extra minutes," said Dr Balwinder Singh. The timings had been changed since question papers would now be disbursed through banks, he said, adding: "Earlier, we used to handover question papers to school principals, which was not a foolproof method and there were chances of leaking of question papers. Since banks open at 10 am, we had to reschedule our exam timings". To check copying, the board has also decided to hold district-level seminars in the schools. "We had succeeded in nailing the menace to a large extent in the last session. We are striving to completely eradicate copying. Special meetings are being held with all the DEOs in this regard”.
Curbs on copying
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Cops refusing FIRs over jurisdiction to face music
Patiala, June 20 If the officer concerned declines to register the FIR, citing jurisdiction limitation, he/she could be prosecuted or face departmental action. This is a welcome decision for the victims who have often had to run from pillar to post to get an FIR registered owing to a conflict over jurisdiction of the police stations. A senior IPS officer said the delay over determining jurisdiction and consequently registering the FIR often helped the criminals get away. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its letter further states: “If at the time of registration of FIR, it becomes apparent that the crime was committed outside the jurisdiction of the police station, the police should be appropriately instructed to register a “zero” FIR, and ensure that the FIR is transferred to the police station concerned under Section 170 of the CrPC.” It says that failure to register an FIR on the receipt of information about the cognizable offence will invite prosecution of the police officer under Section 166-A of the IPC or he will face departmental action or both. Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police HS Mann said the instructions
had been forwarded to all officers.
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Bogus deeds: Naib Tehsildar suspended
Jalandhar, June 20 Reacting to a news story appeared in The Tribune today, Ladhar today confirmed having suspended Naib Tehsildar Inderjit Singh Dhanoa for his alleged role in allotment of provincial land to 31 persons on the basis of bogus conveyance deeds in Lohian sub-tehsil. The administration has documents to prove that Dhanoa forged the signatures of his incumbent Amarjit Singh and even faked mutations of land falling in Moga, which were not within his jurisdiction. Ladhar said a thorough probe would be conducted. Dhanoa, earlier posted at Lohian, was transferred to the Lopoke sub-tehsil in Amritsar. He was arrested in the case by the rural police on June 7.
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Power engineers to intensify stir
Jalandhar, June 20 PSEB Engineers' Association president Baldev Singh Sran said on June 21, engineers working with the PSPCL and the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) would keep their mobile phones switched off from 11 am to 1.30 pm. He said the agitation would be further intensified and the engineers would hold dharnas every week starting from Patiala on July 3, followed by a state-level dharna in front of the PSPCL head office in Patiala on August 21. Sanjeev Sood, association general secretary, said: "While the engineers are working to avoid any interruption in power supply, the PSPCL has not made any efforts to rationalise the workload norms of engineers, who are working under stressful conditions, particularly those responsible for maintaining grid sub-stations." He said the PSPCL management had also failed to strengthen the coal management organisation. The management of coal was critical since there was a huge gap between its demand and supply, he said, adding with the coming up of new thermal plants, the demand would go up further.
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HC rues lack of policy to protect witnesses
Chandigarh, June 20 Taking up an appeal in a murder case, the Bench of Justice M. Jeyapaul and Justice Inderjit Singh asserted: “We cannot put the entire blame on the witnesses, who fail to cooperate with the investigating agency. “Unfortunately, there is no witness protection policy in our country. An eyewitness who deposes before the trial court in a heinous crime is not sure of his life. Further, such a witness will have to go to the police station and then to the court, causing inconvenience to his schedule of work. “Only the witnesses who are committed to the cause of the justice delivery system and the welfare of the society at large boldly come before the court to speak to the truth. Such rare species cannot be found in all cases". The ruling came on an appeal filed by Kali against the State of Punjab. He was convicted for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code before being sentenced to life imprisonment. He was accused of stabbing to death victim Soma Rani. Taking up the appeal, the Bench observed: “The victim’s mother, Manjit Kaur, would state that the accused wanted to have some relationship with Soma Rani, but that was resisted. As a result of which, she was murdered by the accused…. “The accused in his statement has come out with a version that Manjit Kaur suspected that he had developed illicit relationship with the now-deceased. Therefore, he was falsely implicated. At any rate, we find that there was a motive for the murder…There was no reason for her to implicate the accused, if at all somebody else was involved in the murder of her daughter". Dismissing the appeal, the Bench added: "Of course, the prosecution should have examined some other independent witness to the occurrence, which took place in broad daylight in a thoroughfare…. But non-examination of an independent eyewitness to the occurrence cannot be the sole reason to reject the evidence of an eyewitness, who was related to the victim, more so when the presence of such a relative witness at the scene of crime does not provide any room for doubt”.
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SHO among 5 cops booked for torturing Dalit youth
Muktsar, June 20 The incident took place after a relative of the youth refused to attend a public rally of the SAD during the recent zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections. The victim, Gurlal of Danewala village, has alleged that a few Akali workers, including former block samiti member Sukhpal Singh, visited an MGNREGA work site in the village on May 15, and forced his uncle Jaskaran Singh to come to the rally, but he refused to do so. "This led to a minor scuffle where an Akali worker, Bittu, was injured. Thereafter, a few policemen forcibly took me from the village gurdwara to the police station. They passed casteist remarks and tortured me physically," alleged Gurlal. “Soon, the village residents gathered outside the police station and lodged a protest, which forced the police to release me. Later, I went to the local Civil Hospital and submitted fee for a medical examination but nobody entertained my request there." The victims also approached former Malout MLA Baldev Singh Ballamgarh and met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at his residence in Badal village on May 22. The CM ordered Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh to conduct a probe. Senior Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh said: “After the allegations were proved in the inquiry, a case was registered against SHO Rameshwar Singh, ASI Puran Chand, constable Judgebir Singh, two unidentified policemen and Sukhpal Singh of Danewala village.” He said Rameshwar, who was on Monday transferred to the District Police Lines, had now been suspended. Ballamgarh said: “We had lodged a complaint with the National SC/ST Commission, which has summoned the police to appear before it tomorrow.”
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6 of robbers’ gang held
Nawanshahr, June 20 Superintendent of Police Gagan Ajit Singh said the police nabbed the robbers from Beerh Sarangwal and seized two country-made pistols, three live cartridges, two sharp-edged weapons, four stolen motorcycles, six mobile phones and an ATM card. During preliminary interrogation, the accused confessed to have snatched motorcycles in Rahon and Behram areas on June 9 and 18. Cases of murder, robbery and keeping illegal arms are already registered against the accused.
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Jalandhar, June 20
Ropar, June 20