B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Ferozepur admn sues Rlys for occupying its land
Ferozepur, June 30
The district administration has slapped a legal notice against the Northern Railways for alleged unauthorised possession of provincial government land measuring over 91 kanals in village Ghulam Hussainwala and another 9 kanals in village Bareke along the Indo-Pakistan border.

Hunt for missing convict intensified
Abohar, June 30
Even as the police intensified search for a convict, Prithvi Raj of village Jodkiyan, after the murder of constable Krishan Lal Sharma in the latter's official quarters in the open jail at Jaitsar in neighbouring Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan, senior officials said different theories behind the death were being examined.

Canal breach leaves residential colony near Abohar inundated
Abohar, June 30
High-velocity dust storm followed by incessant rain uprooted hundreds of trees on the banks of canals in Abohar sub-division last night.

An inundated residential colony following incessant rain in Abohar. Photo: Raj Sadosh

Narcotics seized
Abohar, June 30
A team of the Narcotics Cell seized 100 grams of smack by intercepting a man on Gobindgarh road. He was later identified as Lakhwinder Singh of village Budh Singh Wala in Sadulshehar of Rajasthan.

Ferozepur admn sues Rlys for occupying its land
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, June 30
The district administration has slapped a legal notice against the Northern Railways for alleged unauthorised possession of provincial government land measuring over 91 kanals in village Ghulam Hussainwala and another 9 kanals in village Bareke along the Indo-Pakistan border.

In the legal notice, the revenue department has asked the railways to hand over the possession of said land back to the state government and also pay a penalty against its illegal occupation. This chunk of the land situated in Gulam Hussainiwala bears immense significance for the railways as the Ferozepur-Lahore rail track, which today stands terminated short of the twin canals near Hussainiwala, is situated on it.

Ironically, the district administration and the local military authorities had earlier been approaching the railway authorities to grant permission to use a portion of this land for the construction of a road overbridge (ROB) near the twin canals believing that the land belonged to the railways. "However, when the administration checked its revenue records, it was found that the land belonged to the state government and not the railways," said Border Road Organisation (BRO) officials who had been moving from pillar to post to get permission to use a portion of this land for the ROB.

As per the information, after the completion of 15 days notice to the railways for filing a reply, Deputy Commissioner Manjit Singh Narang has now given the go ahead to the BRO to resume construction on the land.

"In this era of satellite imagery, the construction of the bridge which was sanctioned a long time back, assumed great strategic significance for the armed forces from the operational point of view," said defence officials, adding that it was unfortunate that such an important project got delayed inordinately over the status of ownership of land for more than two years.

Earlier, the railway officials had maintained that since an old railway track existed on this land, therefore, if the land was given to the Army for the construction of a bridge, any possibility of extending the railway track towards Pakistan in case of reopening of this border, will not be feasible in future. 

Hunt for missing convict intensified
Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 30
Even as the police intensified search for a convict, Prithvi Raj of village Jodkiyan, after the murder of constable Krishan Lal Sharma in the latter's official quarters in the open jail at Jaitsar in neighbouring Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan, senior officials said different theories behind the death were being examined.

The constable was found lying in a pool of blood on his bed inside his residential quarters yesterday by an inmate Buta Singh as he went to serve him tea. Multiple injuries were spotted on the body. Emergency roll call indicated that one of the 58 inmates, identified as Prithvi Raj, was missing. It is suspected that he fled after killing the constable.

Sharma (57) belonged to Alwar district.

Notably, three inmates were killed by a convict Ram Singh in the Central Jail at divisional headquarters in Bikaner yesterday.

The victims were identified as Karnail Singh of village Shergarh (Bathinda), Moola Ram of Jaitpur and Pawan Kumar of Bhagalpur (Bihar).

A judicial inquiry has been initiated into the incident. Ram Singh used brick to kill three colleagues, preliminary reports indicated.

Officials said convicts with good conduct are shifted to the open jail run in the agricultural farms maintained jointly by the state and central governments. The farm is designed to house 60 convicts at one time. They are allowed to invite members of their respective families also and permitted to work as farm labourers in the surroundings.

ASP Manoj Chaudhary, district superintendent of jails Nand Singh Shekhawat, ASP Devinder Singh, DSP Ram Krishan Songara and other officials reached Jaitsar along with forensic experts and a dog squad.

Police parties have left in search of the suspected killer.

Preliminary inquiries indicated that Prithvi Raj's kin had objected to the freedom given to him by the jail staff as he would visit his house frequently.

Canal breach leaves residential colony near Abohar inundated
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, June 30
High-velocity dust storm followed by incessant rain uprooted hundreds of trees on the banks of canals in Abohar sub-division last night. Two breaches were reported in Abohar minor sub-canal on Hindumalkot road and another near the government seed farm. Gushing water inundated Sardar Colony located on the outskirts of this sub-divisional town near the city bypass.

People were found carrying household goods to safer places as water entered their homes today in the morning.

Junior engineer in the Irrigation Department, Devi Lal, said supply from Burjan head works had been suspended and the plugging of breaches might take place in the the evening after the water-level recedes.

The Forest Department has been informed about the uprooted trees. Scores of trees on Kandhwala road, Hanumangarh road, Sriganganagar road besides some electricity poles were affected by the storm resulting in the suspension of traffic and electricity supply.

Meanwhile, a man was injured after he was thrown off by the storm from the roof of his house in Thakur Abadi. He was taken to the civil hospital but doctors referred him to Faridkot for treatment.

A cotton factory near village Gumjal in Abohar sub-division located on Sriganganagar was gutted. The machinery, building and raw cotton stacked in the open was damaged in the fire.

A kinnow fruit waxing and grading plant near Hanumangarh was also gutted as a dust-storm lashed the region.

A woman, Banarasi Devi, was killed and her husband Radheyshyam sustained injuries as side wall of their house in Ashok Nagar in Sriganganagar collapsed.

A case has been registered against their neighbour under Section 304A and 336 of the IPC as he had constructed a projection over the mud wall illegally.

Narcotics seized

Abohar, June 30
A team of the Narcotics Cell seized 100 grams of smack by intercepting a man on Gobindgarh road. He was later identified as Lakhwinder Singh of village Budh Singh Wala in Sadulshehar of Rajasthan.

Another police team arrested Ravinder Singh of Salamewala village in Ludhiana after 15 grams of smack was recovered from him. — OC