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Panchayat
Elections
Congress men block traffic in Tarn Taran
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In Moga district, 242 elected unopposed
Attack on Pannu unacceptable, says Badal
More state pilgrims evacuated from Joshimath
Not getting adequate power supply, claim farmers; PSPCL differs
Water level up in Bhakra Dam
Ambulance firm, staff reach pact
SLIET reopens after 45 days of closure
Tarn Taran assault case
Principal Secy: Streamline disbursal of free medicines
Ropar MC chief resigns
Lt Gen Chachra calls on Punjab Governor
SAD leaders gherao returning officer at Muktsar village
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Panchayat
Elections
Chandigarh, June 25 While Gurdaspur has about 1,540 panchayats, Barnala has less than 200 panchayats. A total of 58,470 candidates have filed their papers for 13,080 posts of sarpanch in the state and 2,01,095 for 81,412 posts of
panch. State Election Commissioner SS Brar said the data on the number of aspirants in the fray after the withdrawals today was still being compiled. Meanwhile, the state’s main Opposition parties, the Congress and the People's Party of Punjab (PPP), have expressed dissatisfaction with the election process. Congress MLA Gurkirat Singh led a demonstration in Khanna last evening. Talking to the Tribune, he alleged no lists were put up after scrutiny till late in the evening. “This delay was intentional,” he alleged. In Libra village, the candidature of a SAD candidate was said to have been rejected and then accepted within minutes. “In Kauri village, the candidature of our entire panel was rejected,” Gurkirat alleged. Manpreet Badal, PPP chief, said: “Nominations of several candidates of Opposition parties have been rejected. This is clearly a case of bullying and political extortion.” He said he had received complaints from Mansa, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib and Amritsar districts. “To assume that so many persons would not know how to file their candidature forms would be naïve,” remarked
Manpreet. Congress MLA from Fatehgarh Sahib Kuljit Singh Nagra said the election results were clear even though the elections were yet to be held. “The entire exercise is a mockery of democracy,” he said.
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Congress men block traffic in Tarn Taran
Tarn Taran, June 25 As many as 294 nomination papers of the total 2,225 for the 548 posts of sarpanch have been rejected. Addressing workers at Rasulpur village, Sikki alleged that the nomination papers of Congress men had been rejected at the behest of the ruling SAD. Deputy Commissioner Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Rajjit Singh Hundal, SSP, and other officials held a meeting with Sikki and DCC chief Dharamveer Agnihotri and assured them that their grievances would be taken up with the State Election Commission. Bakhatawar Singh, SDM, said he would himself approach the State Election Commission for resolving the issue. The five- hour long Congress dharna caused great inconvenience to commuters. In a press note issued today, CPM leaders alleged that the "nomination papers of those opposing the ruling SAD have been rejected by the administration."
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In Moga district, 242 elected unopposed
In Moga-I, the nomination papers of all 226 candidates for the post of sarpanch had been accepted and two sarpanches elected unopposed. The papers of all 1,123 candidates for the posts of panch had been accepted and 13 elected unopposed. In Moga-II, the papers of two nominees of the total 208 for the post of sarpanch had been rejected and two sarpanches elected unopposed. Three nomination papers of the total 921 filed for the posts of panch had been rejected and 67 elected unopposed. In Baghapurana, two nomination papers of the 315 filed for the post of sarpanch had been rejected and three elected unopposed. Of the 1,309 papers filed for the posts of panch, 19 had been rejected and 128 elected unopposed. In Nihalsinghwala, the papers of one of the 190 candidates for the post of sarpanch had been rejected.Two of the total 877 papers for the posts of panch had been rejected and 27 elected unopposed. In the Kot-ise-Khan block, 649 candidates had filed papers for the post of sarpanch. The papers of 18 candidates were rejected. Of the 2,197 papers filed for the posts of panch, 55 had been rejected, the spokesman said. Congress leaders allege that the SAD-BJP Government is misusing the official machinery to put pressure on local Congress leaders to withdraw their nomination papers. Senior Congress leaders Vijay Sathi, Sukhjit Singh Kaka Lohgarh and Harjot Kamal claimed stated that several candidates had withdrawn their papers under pressure. "The SHOs have threatened Congress workers and supporters that false cases will be slapped against them if they did not opt out of the contest. This is sheer murder of democracy," said a Congress activist. In Ropar, 54 panchayats were elected unanimously, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, SAD secretary and spokesman said.
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Attack on Pannu unacceptable, says Badal
Chandigarh, June 25 The Punjab IAS Officers Association, in a press note, said those involved in the brutal attack should not go unpunished. The association urged the Chief Minister to take up the Issue with his counterpart in Uttarakhand and get an FIR registered against the attackers. Quoting Pannu, association said the attack was premeditated and, perhaps, the outcome of a conspiracy. Badal said it was strange that the security arrangements for those lending a helping hand to others were woefully inadequate. He called upon the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand to deploy adequate security staff for the rescuers. The IAS officers Association said the dastardly attack on an officer had raised a number of issues which required to be addressed. The criminals must be brought to book. The state government should ask the Uttarakhand Government to entrust the investigation to a special team after the rescue operations were over. The association said if the roots of conspiracy were traced to Punjab, the state government should direct the Punjab police chief to get the matter investigated. The association also suggested that while sending rescue and relief teams to other states, it should be ensured that these worked under a well-coordinated unified command and should include an IPS officer who should be accompanied by the requisite police personnel to safeguard the officers and the relief material. The relief and rehabilitation team must include doctors, paramedics, civil supply and transport officers and communication “ Despite this highly condemnable brutal attack, the Punjab State IAS Association resolves to continue providing the best of public services with highest motivation to ameliorate the sufferings our fellow human beings in any part of the country,” it added.
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Gang offering fake jobs abroad busted
Amritsar, June 25 Two accused - Balbir Singh alias Bablu, son of a head constable with Amritsar rural police, and Ranjit Singh alias Manni - have been arrested. A case under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against them. Their third accomplice Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Ghuman road, Mehta village, is absconding. The gang operated through its firm, Diomond Enterprises, having an office in Baba Bakala. The police has seized fake visa documents, 70 passports, stamps, a fake anti-crime bureau identity card, fake work permits and fake visa vouchers of Singapore from their possession. They had given advertisements in vernacular dailies having reach in rural areas. One of the victims Jaspal Singh, a small-time helper hailing from Babbewal in Gurdaspur, was promised a job in Singapore for Rs 40,000. "On June 19, I gave them Rs 25,000 and my passport for visa. In return, I was given a document, which they claimed, was a visa voucher for Singapore. I was supposed to hand over the balance Rs 15,000 yesterday when I learnt about their misdeeds," he said. Sharanjit Singh, a resident of Malliayan village in Rayya, near Amritsar, said he and his friend Sukhwinder Singh were also lured by their advertisement. They allegedly took Rs 35,000 from each of them and another Rs 2,500 each for medical clearance. "They handed us fake documents which they claimed were work permits," they said. Harwinder Singh and Narinder Singh said: "Since the documents were in English language, we could hardly understand. But, we got it checked on the website which revealed that the name of the Singapore firm written on our work permit was correct. After this, we handed over Rs 30,000 each to them". Pritpal Singh of Dhilwan village in Gurdaspur, was also promised a job in Singapore for Rs 70,000. He had given Rs 40,000 to the accused a few days ago. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police Manmohan Singh said: "Two of the accused have been arrested while a search is on to nab the third accused. One of the accused, Balbir Singh, is son of head constable Jatinder Singh, who is yet to be questioned about his involvement in the crime, if any."
modus operandi
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More state pilgrims evacuated from Joshimath
Chandigarh, June 25 More than 3,000 pilgrims, who were evacuated from Joshi Math this morning, are now camping at Nadrasu gurdwara and it is hoped that they would be brought to the relief camp of the state government at a gurdwara in Rishikesh by Wednesday evening. A Venu Prasad, Secretary, Housing, Punjab, who supervised the entire operation, said all the pilgrims were safe at Nadrasu gurdwara. Eatables, medical aid, clothes etc. were being provided to them, he said. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was working to make the plying of vehicles feasible, which was expected to be completed by Wednesday morning. He said more than 50 buses were on way to Rishikesh and were awaiting green signal from the authorities at Nadrasu gurdwara. Badrinath was now the focus of Punjab Government's rescue teams. "Our helicopter today brought more than 113 pilgrims to Joshi Matth under the command of the Army authorities," he said.
SGPC announces Rs
1-crore relief
Amritsar: The SGPC will give an aid of Rs 1 crore to the kin of the deceased and those injured in the Uttarakhand floods, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar announced here today. Talking to mediapersons, he said employees of the SGPC and its institutions would contribute a day's salary towards the relief fund. An ‘akhand path’ was organised at Gurdwara Jhanda-Bunga in the Golden Temple complex here today to pay respects to those killed in Uttarakhand. Akal Takht chief Giani Gurbachan Singh commended the Punjab Government and the SGPC for the steps initiated by them to help those stranded in Uttarakhand.
NGOs pitch in
Abohar: In a rare gesture, the Marwari Yuva Manch has decided to contribute Rs 1 crore towards the rehabilitation of those hit by the Uttarakhand floods. The NGO's president Lalit Gandhi said that volunteers from Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Orissa were escorting vehicles carrying relief material to Rishikesh, Dehradun and Rudraprayag. Other NGOs, including the Bharat Vikas Parishad and the Social Welfare Society, are collecting funds for the flood-hit. They have collected Rs 2.5 lakh so far.
28 from Barnala missing, list sent
Barnala: The district administration has sent the details of 28 persons stranded in Uttarakhand to its Chief Secretary, the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) appointed in Badrinath, to help them locate these people. These persons had gone to Badrinath to work in a community kitchen, organised by a Barnala organisation. Barnala Deputy Commissioner Dr Indu Malhotra said the organiser today handed over the details of these persons and that the names and photographs of these people had been e-mailed to the officers concerned in Uttarakhand.
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Not getting adequate power supply, claim farmers; PSPCL differs
Amritsar, June 25 Talking to The Tribune, Jamhuri Kisan Sabha leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said they were getting power supply for six hours despite the PSPCL imposing cuts in urban areas. He said there were areas which were getting supply for four to five hours. He said a majority of the grids were overloaded as a result of which transformers often got burnt in rural areas. Consequently, the power supply to the affected area remained hit for three to four days as the PSPCL could not ensure quick replacement of the transformers. "It takes them three to four days to replace a transformer and by that time, the paddy crop suffers a lot of damage," he said. Randhawa also said vacant posts in the PSPCL should be filled on a priority as staff crunch also hit the work of restoring supply in emergency cases. Regarding border farmers, he said the PSPCL should place them in such a group that they got power supply when they crossed the fence. Arjan Singh, a farmer from Hoshiarnagar village, lamented that the voltage was often low due to which motors could not work to full capacity. Inder Singh, a farmer from Lalughuman village in Tarn Taran, said: “We're not even getting canal water supply and it is becoming difficult for us to cultivate paddy." Farmer leader Satnam Singh Ajnala said: "The dilapidated infrastructure is adding to our woes. Almost all feeders and transformers are overloaded" he added. PSPCL Chief Engineer (Border zone) Iqbal Singh Mann said they were extending eight-hour power supply to the agriculture sector, although there were days when it was a little less.
Protest today
The Jamhuri Kisan Sabha and the Border Area Sangharsh Committee will stage a protest outside the Irrigation Department office here on Wednesday, seeking water supply up to tail-end villages. They will also protest at the office of PSPCL Chief Engineer against less power supply.
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Water level up in Bhakra Dam
Chandigarh, June 25 Similarly, the water level in Ranjit Sagar Dam was 512.90 m today, 13.45 m more than what it was last year. The inflow of water in Bhakra Dam is 52,128 cusec against 42,501 cusec last year while 32,783 cusec of water was released against 29,500 cusec last year. In Pong Dam, 17,401 cusec of water flowed in against 12,005 cusec on the same day last year. The inflow of water in Ranjit Sagar Dam was 12,468 cusec against 11,293 cusec last year and 15,977 cusec was released this year against 6,001 cusec last year. The spokesperson said the rainfall in the last 24 hours in Amritsar was 27 mm, Bathinda 34 mm, Kapurthala 40 mm, Fatehgarh Sahib 43 mm, Ferozpur 48 mm, Pathankot 57 mm, Jalandhar 59 mm, Ludhiana 64 mm, Moga 81 mm, SAS Nagar 86, Muktsar 88 mm, SBS Nagar 93 mm, Patiala 95 mm and Ropar 101 mm.
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Ambulance firm, staff reach pact
Amritsar, June 25 As per a statement issued by Ziqitza Health Care Ltd (ZHL), a consensus was reached on various points. The ZHL refuted the union representatives' claim that they were being paid less and had been performing duty for 12 hours. The firm stated that it was functioning in compliance with both the Motor Transport Workers Act 1961 and the Minimum Wages Act of Punjab and regularly paying the PF and ESI dues to those eligible for it. The company has agreed to organise vaccination drives for the staff, whenever required. However, regarding the rejoining of people who were terminated by the HR disciplinary committee of the company earlier this year, it was made clear that they will not be absorbed. As per the release, the action taken by the company was corroborated by various investigations and proofs. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal, however, has asked for a review of these. It was communicated to the representatives of the union and the district administration that all the employees who went on a strike yesterday without a notice and a valid reason would have to submit a written undertaking of not repeating such an action. Former minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla also attended the meeting.
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SLIET reopens after 45 days of closure
Longowal (Sangrur), June 25 About 550 students have reached the SLIET campus from various parts of the country to appear in the final semester examinations of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses due June 28. A meeting of the governing body of the institute will be held on July 12. The meeting will be presided over by SLIET chairman SP Oswal, whose resignation has not been accepted by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD). The meeting is aimed at taking stock of the present situation in the light of the May 6 violence on the campus besides discussing the losses incurred and chalking out a plan to restore the normal functioning at the institute. After arriving at the institute, a number of students today visited their respective departments for examination-related activities. SLIET registrar AS Dhaliwal said as the students had started arriving, two messes at boys’ hostels and one mess at a girls’ hostel had been made operational. Dhaliwal said the repair work on the campus was in full swing and almost all the broken windowpanes and doors had been repaired. A portion of the office building for the SLIET Entrance Test (SET)-2013 had also been made functional, he said. Regarding replies to the notices issued to 157 students by the authorities of the institute about their role and participation in the violence on May 6, he said barring four-five students, all the students had submitted their replies. He said no student had been prevented from appearing in the examinations. The examinations of the final year students of
diploma programmes will begin on July 2. The dates for examinations of certificate courses will be announced shortly by the institute authorities. Meanwhile, Justice SN Aggarwal, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who is a member of the two-member inquiry committee appointed by the MHRD to look into the campus violence and other issues, today visited the institute to take stock of the situation.
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Tarn Taran assault case
Amritsar/Jalandhar, June 25 An official press release said the Sub-Inspector had approached the witness at the insistence of SI Sukhbir, the then Station House Officer, Tarn Taran, who was suspended after the girl from Usma village was assaulted outside a marriage palace in Tarn
Taran. Ranbir Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Traffic, has been deputed to finish disciplinary proceedings against both Gurmit Singh and Sukhbir Singh within four weeks. Earlier, the victim’s cousin Jagjit Singh said to the media that he was forced to change his statement before Ladhar by the police. Jagjit had made a 12-second video and a separate audio clip of the Sub-Inspector dictating the statement to him. He has released the clips to the media. Jagjit alleged that he was forced to write that the police had come to the marriage hall to stop a fight there. He alleged he was coerced to become a government witness and was promised a reward for doing so. Jagjit, the victim and her father Kashmir Singh said they had been under constant pressure from the police. They said the accused police personnel were still posted at Tarn Taran and no action had been taken against them. The victim is now studying in Class XII (medical) as a private student. “It is difficult for me to pursue my studies as a regular student due to the ongoing court proceedings,” she said. Meanwhile, Ladhar today disclosed that the report on the assault case was submitted to Chief Secretary, Punjab, over 20 days ago.
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Ropar Plant Blast
Ropar, June 25 An inquiry committee headed by chief engineer K Laal, had found that the accused had erred in carrying out their duty. Laal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Sources said at least six additional superintending engineers along with senior Xens, Xens and SDOs in the operation wing had been named in the chargesheet. On December 29, one of the three furnace oil tanks at the plant blew up. Though no casualty was reported, over 200 kl of oil worth Rs 1.25 crore went up in flames. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) set up an inquiry committee comprising Laal, RK Jindal, Deputy Chief Engineer, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda, and JK Gupta, Deputy Chief Engineer, Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Lehra Mohabbat.
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Principal Secy: Streamline disbursal of free medicines
Patiala, June 25 When questioned about the problems faced by patients in getting free medicines, Mahajan said the government had recently purchased medicines worth lakhs of rupees, out of which many had been made available to the hospital. She said as it was a new initiative, there might have been certain problems in handling the stock. She, however, directed the hospital authorities to resolve the problem at the earliest. She said 20 per cent posts were lying vacant at the hopital. She said the government would soon advertise for recruitment against the posts. “We tried twice to fill the vacant posts from amongst PCMS doctors. We will try once again to recruit them or depute doctors from outside,” she said.
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Ropar MC chief resigns
Ropar, June 25 On May 29, the Improvement Trust had resumed the plot allotted by it to Amarjeet and had granted him a period of 60 days for filing an appeal against the resumption orders. Following this, secretary, Local Bodies, issued a show cause notice to him on June 4. Amarjeet was asked why he should not be dismissed from the post of MC chief. He was given 21 days to respond. Amarjeet in a press conference held today, said he resigned from the post to avoid tarnishing the image of his party.
— TNS
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Lt Gen Chachra calls on Punjab Governor
Chandigarh, June 25 He told the Governor that the state administration should consider employing ex-servicemen. The Governor said he would ask the government to consider the demand.
— TNS
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SAD leaders gherao returning officer at Muktsar village
Muktsar, June 25 Accompanied by their supporters, they gheraoed the returning officer for more than four hours, alleging that their nomination forms had been rejected at the behest of Puncofed chairman Kulwinder Singh. — TNS
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Moga, June 25