B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Four held with stolen car
Abohar, August 26
Four members of a hi-tech gang were nabbed as the car in which they were travelling collided in a building after crashing through nakas laid by the Punjab police in Abohar in neighbouring Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan last evening.

MBBS seats: Now, defence quota under scanner
Faridkot. August 26
Days after a controversy began over the bona fide residence of 20 new entrants to the medical colleges of Punjab for the new academic session, irregularities have started surfacing in the filling of MBBS seats reserved for the wards of the defence personnel.

10 arrested for illegal mining
Moga, August 26
The Moga police has arrested 10 persons for their alleged involvement in illegal sand mining in the district in the past two days. It also seized 10 tractor-trailors laden with sand.

SAD municipal councillor threatens to end life
Muktsar, August 26
Alleging that neither the officials of the municipal council nor its president were treating him as a municipal councillor and even ignoring his ward, Daleep Singh, a councillor of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from ward 16 today threatened that he would commit suicide at 10 am tomorrow at Maseet Wala Chowk here.

No music lecturer for govt schools in Fazilka
Fazilka, August 26
The rationalisation policy of the Education Department has failed to produce results as far as filling up the posts of music lecturers in Fazilka district is concerned. The department has not sanctioned the post of music lecturer despite the fact that over 250 students are studying music as a subject in class XII in government senior secondary schools of Fazilka district.

State ready to forward to Centre sewerage renovation plan for Abohar, HC told
Abohar, August 26
The state government has agreed to forward a Rs 66.65 crore plan to the Central Government for the renovation of the sewerage and water supply system at Abohar. Director-cum-Secretary, Local Bodies Department, Priyank Bharti has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC).

Four held with stolen car
Our Correspondent

Abohar, August 26
Four members of a hi-tech gang were nabbed as the car in which they were travelling collided in a building after crashing through nakas laid by the Punjab police in Abohar in neighbouring Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan last evening.

The car, bearing a Delhi registration number, was allegedly stolen from Bathinda on August 11. The owners who had lodged an FIR incidentally spotted the car in Malout on Sunday afternoon. As it was heading towards Abohar, the owners informed the police at Abohar. Nakas were immediately laid but the car passed through link roads as the traffic on Abohar-Sriganganagar road (NH-15) had been suspended due to a damaged bridge on Abulkhurana drain near village Sayeedwala.

The car crashed at a barrier in Gumjal village located on the inter-state border in Abohar while speeding through Sadhuwali village on way to Sriganganagar. It further hit half a dozen bikes and rehris while passing through the Hindumalkot-Sriganganagar railway underpass.

SHO Sanjay Bothra was leading the team that started chasing the car at Sriganganagar. The latter went out of control and hit an electricity pole. Its occupants reportedly tried to escape but local residents assisted the police in nabbing them.

The police said two country-made pistols, four live cartridges along with two sharp-edged weapons, two cutters, 15 ignition systems, some number plates, metallic digits and 15 censors that can be used to open electronic locks in the cars were seized during the search.

The police said Jagdev Singh, Sandeep Singh and Ranjeet Singh of Mansa district and Surjit Singh of Shakur Basti (Delhi) have been arrested under Sections 399 and 411 of the IPC and the Arms Act.

Preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that they had so far stolen more than half a dozen luxury cars in different states. 

MBBS seats: Now, defence quota under scanner
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot. August 26
Days after a controversy began over the bona fide residence of 20 new entrants to the medical colleges of Punjab for the new academic session, irregularities have started surfacing in the filling of MBBS seats reserved for the wards of the defence personnel.

In their complaints to the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) and the principal secretary, medical education and research, Punjab, many defence personnel in the state have sought to expose anomalies in the filling of defence quota seats by the medical university.

It is alleged that many defence persons from Uttar Pradesh prepared fake documents to claim the MBBS seats in Punjab for their children as bona fide residents of the state. In some other cases, it is alleged that some defence personnel claimed the benefit of disability though they had completed their service without any disability.

The complainants urged the principal secretary, medical education and research and the BFUHS to check the service documents of these claimants from their record office and Army Headquarter. It would be better that before allowing the medical seats to their wards, the selection committee of the BFUHS check the record with the military station, Faridkot, the complainants demanded.

They demanded the scrutiny of the gazette notification of the Government of India for the gallantry awards as some of the candidates have demanded medical seats as the recipients of the award. Alleging that there was tweaking of the laid down norms, the complainants sought that the certificates for the defence quota category claim should be verified from the individuals and the record office of the Army Headquarters.

"It should not be left barely to the Zila Sainik Board certificates as there were many irregularities," alleged the defence personnel while demanding action against those issuing fake certificates in the Zila Sainik Board and the Rajya Sainik Board . Some of the undeserving candidates are exploiting the loopholes in the system to their advantage, thereby putting deserving candidates at a disadvantage, alleged the complainants.

Citing some cases of dubious bona fide domicile certificates, furnished by some candidates, the complainants alleged that a defence personnel who proceeded on normal retirement as honorary captain and has settled in Lucknow, now claims the benefit of defence quota seat for his son on medical disability ground and also by projecting his son as a bona fide resident of Punjab.

In another case, a honorary lieutenant who retired on March 31 with 20 per cent disability and is a permanent resident of Uttar Pradesh, has claimed the reserved seat for his son by producing 50 per cent disabled in service certificate and as a bona fide resident of Punjab.

Dr SS Gill, vice-chancellor, BFUHS, said the university will scrutinise every document for its authenticity. 

10 arrested for illegal mining

Moga, August 26
The Moga police has arrested 10 persons for their alleged involvement in illegal sand mining in the district in the past two days. It also seized 10 tractor-trailors laden with sand.

The sand was extracted from the river basin of Sutlej in Kot-ise-Khan and Dharamkot areas of the district. District Magistrate Arshdip Singh Thind has asked the police authorities to keep a strict vigil on illegal mining to protect the ecology of the area. — TNS

SAD municipal councillor threatens to end life
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 26
Alleging that neither the officials of the municipal council nor its president were treating him as a municipal councillor and even ignoring his ward, Daleep Singh, a councillor of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from ward 16 today threatened that he would commit suicide at 10 am tomorrow at Maseet Wala Chowk here.

“I have met the municipal council president Mitt Singh Brar a number of times in the past regarding the development of my ward, but nothing has been done till date. The people want answers from me, but nobody in the municipal council listens to me. Irate over this, I am going to take the extreme step of committing suicide tomorrow,” said Daleep Singh.

He even alleged that heaps of garbage were lying on the roads and the condition was pathetic in the area. "The sewerage system is also not working," said Daleep Singh.

Meanwhile, Mitt Singh Brar, president, Municipal Council, Muktsar, said, “Daleep had met me in the morning and everything was fine till that time. I have no idea why he is giving such statements.”

No music lecturer for govt schools in Fazilka
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, August 26
The rationalisation policy of the Education Department has failed to produce results as far as filling up the posts of music lecturers in Fazilka district is concerned. The department has not sanctioned the post of music lecturer despite the fact that over 250 students are studying music as a subject in class XII in government senior secondary schools of Fazilka district.

The only music lecturer in the area, Parveen Kumar, has been posted at the SSN Government Senior Secondary School for Boys Jaito (Faridkot), where not even a single student has opted for music.

In Guruharsahai (Ferozepur) too, there is one post of music lecturer but without any student.

The situation prevails despite the fact that even the District Education Officer has asked the education department several times to sanction and fill the posts, but in vain.

“A number of students, particularly the girls, want to opt for music as a subject but in the absence of any lecturer, they hesitate to go ahead. We have brought the matter to the notice of the higher authorities several times regarding the introduction of posts of music lecturer,” said District Education Officer Sandeep Dhuria. 

State ready to forward to Centre sewerage renovation plan for Abohar, HC told
Our Correspondent

Abohar, August 26
The state government has agreed to forward a Rs 66.65 crore plan to the Central Government for the renovation of the sewerage and water supply system at Abohar. Director-cum-Secretary, Local Bodies Department, Priyank Bharti has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC).

During the hearing of the PIL filed by Congress councillors Vimal Thatai and Suman Taneja, along with former Block Youth Congress president Vijay Chhabra, the HC had asked the principal secretaries in the Finance and Local Bodies Department to come out with specific proposals as the sewage problem had not substantially improved despite Rs 60 lakh being released twice by the state government to the local Municipal Council.

The petitioners, through their counsel Surinder Pal Singh Tinna, had reportedly informed the HC about the correspondence between the Central Government and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP), Sunil Jakhar, over the special plans. The state has now informed the HC that the proposal under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for small and medium towns had been processed by the Municipal Infrastructure Development Agency and the minor lacunas would be removed soon. The Centre will bear 80 per cent of the cost while the state government will contribute 20 per cent.

Sunil Jakhar, who confirmed the fresh developments, hoped that the Central Government will clear the proposal on priority basis as more than 1.75 lakh people have been suffering for the last six years.