Amritsar, January 30
The role of Tarn Taran police officials and arms licenses branches of Amritsar and Tarn Taran came under scanner following a fraud case registered with the Civil Lines police here today.

The police booked Sukhjinder Singh, a resident of Tole Nangal village falling under the Rajasansi police station in the Amritsar rural police area, for allegedly getting prepared arms license from Tarn Taran district on the basis of false documents by showing his residence there.

As per information, a couple of criminal cases were registered against him at the Rajasansi police station and as per rules he could not be issued an arms license. He used illegal means to procure the same.

In 2008, he showed himself as a resident of Tarn Taran and got an arms licence for his revolver prepared. Later, he transferred it to Amritsar, said Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, SHO, Civil Lines police station.

He said a case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC had been registered against him and investigation was on.

A preliminary probe raised an eyebrow over the role of the arms licensing branches of Tarn Taran and Amritsar as well.

Police officials said the license could not be issued without the involvement of staff members of the arms licencing branches. The role of the officials of the police station concerned in Tarn Taran also came under scanner as it was their responsibility to confirm the credentials of the applicant.

“All persons whose names would be figured during the probe will be examined," said Randhawa.

Earlier, the Police Department had found around 433 arm licences issued from Amritsar fake after a racket was busted by the Patiala police in 2012. The probe later led to the exposure of around 123 fake licenses that were issued through the Amritsar branch.

The police have lodged a complaint with the Civil Lines police station while a few staff members of the arms licensing branch were suspended over their suspected role later on.

The accused was wanted in criminal cases, it was reliably learnt.

Police officials said the licence could not be issued without the involvement of staff members of the arms licencing branches. The role of the officials of the police station concerned in Tarn Taran also came under scanner as it was their responsibility to confirm the credentials of the applicant. Earlier, the Police Department had found around 433 arm licences issued from Amritsar fake after a racket was busted by the Patiala police in 2012. The probe later led to the exposure of around 123 fake licenses that were issued through the Amritsar branch

Amritsar, January 30
Even as the city bus service has been launched after a long wait of seven years, it is now grappling with teething troubles. Commuters are complaining about location of various bus shelters. For instance, one is located between two traffic light points and a few at a turning point. Another bus shelter is occupied by rickshaw-pullers who sleep here at night.

Most of the existing shelters were either abandoned as garbage dumping sites or were found to be located at inappropriate places, which seldom served their purpose. For example, the one towards the railway station outer gate, Putlighar Chowk, is located in between the traffic lights. As the bus approaches there on green signal, it will create an obstruction for the traffic flow behind it on stopping at the bus stop.

Similarly, the one located on Rialto Chowk towards Kachehri Chowk and the other on the road going towards St Francis School through Sadar police station are on the turning points. This will also be risky for buses to make a halt.

Another bus shelter was spotted just at the foot of the busiest Bhandari Bridge. How will a bus halt on the depression of the bridge could be anybody's guess.

It has been observed that these bus stops were planned apparently with a view to earn revenue through erecting hoardings and posters on them rather than taking into account their actual purpose.

Ironically, the whole stretch of the Mall road, the most prominent link to various key destinations, is without any bus shelter. Commuters, too, were in utter confusion as to where to wait for the bus. Also Putlighar Chowk road had three bus stops but there was not a single bus stop on the other side of the road.

Defending themselves, the authorities stated that these bus stops would be revamped as soon as the bus service starts on a trial basis and it would see improvements in service as well as routes.

At present, the GPS enabled low floor buses, are being run from Doburji to India Gate via bus stand, Hussianpura Chowk, 4S Chowk, Rattan Singh Chowk, District Courts, Circuit House, Railway Station, Putlighat, Khalsa College Chowk and Chheharta Chowk.

The second route is from Doburji to Meera Kot via Sultanwind Chowk, Dharm Singh Market, Railway Station, Sadar Thana, Saroop Rani Govt College for Women and Hartej Nursing to Meera Kot.

The third route is from Indian Oil Corporation Petrol Pump Verka to Mandir Baba Mulla Ji, Bypass Verka, Bijli Ghar Verka, Vijay Nagar, Dental College Chowk, Bus Stand, Ram Bagh, Durgiana Mandir, Khazana Gate and Chattiwind and back.

A vigilant resident, Naresh Johar, said, "One suggestion could be that the MC authorities may outsource the task of revamping or erecting new bus shelters on PPP (public-private partnership) basis. The private firms could be given rights to earn revenue by installing hoardings on these bus stops. In lieu of it, they should be held responsible for maintaining them and providing requisite facilities to commuters waiting for buses.

Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora said, "It is just a start and the feedback is welcome as our ultimate motto is to make the bus service efficient and public friendly. Our next step will definitely be to renovate the existing bus stops and erect the new ones where these are."

Amritsar, January 30
A Health Department team raided an unnamed clinic being run near Mir Shah Dargah on Majitha road and seized unbilled medicines worth Rs 50,000 from the premises. The inspection team, in its report sent to the Civil Surgeon, has also mentioned about a Lady Health Visitor (LHV) working with the Bebe Nanki Mother and Child Care Centre of Government Medical College here.

The report states that LHV Kailash Kaur, a government employee, was present at the clinic even as she had marked her presence in the centre. The unnamed clinic is allegedly run by Dr Amanpreet Kaur who was conducting a delivery at the time of the raid.

The inspecting team also recovered a copy of the OPD slip of Bebe Nanki Centre from the patient, Sangita, wife of Phool Chand that showed that she had visited the government centre on December 31. Drug Inspector Sukhdeep Singh said, “However, the register at the clinic showed that the same patient, Sangita, had reported at the clinic on January 1. It means that the LHV was sending patients from a government facility to one which is being run by her daughter.”

Amritsar, January 30
The SGPC has taken a serious note of a TV serial, "Aag De Kaliren", showing a controversial photograph of Guru Nanak Dev.

In a statement released here today, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar said the serial being aired on a channel called ‘Get Punjabi’ had hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

He said the makers of the serial should tender an apology and remove the photograph from the show or else the SGPC would initiate legal action against them.

Amritsar, January 30
The Department of Animal Husbandry organised a state-level function to distribute semen straws at Chatiwind village, near here, today. The function was presided over by Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development.

Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Gulzar Singh Ranike during a state-level function to distribute semen straws at Chatiwind village, near Amritsar, on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

The minister distributed 36,000 semen doses among officials of 12 districts.

He said the state government had imported 1.60 lakh doses of high quality semen straws of HF cows from France and have made it available to farmers at highly subsidised rates.

He added that female calves born from imported semen would ensure high production of milk from local animals when they grow up. Various progressive farmers were also honoured during the function.

Dr HS Sandha, Director, Animal Husbandry, said the Animal Husbandry Department was soon going to import sexed semen shortly with which only female calf would be born to a cow.

Dr Jagdish Chander Shorie, Dr SS Dhilon, Dr Anoop Kumar were among those others present.

Amritsar, January 30
In an instance which shows how government departments continue to deny information under the RTI, a local resident was denied information about the ongoing sewerage project on the airport road (Ajnala road).

Kuljit Singh, a local advocate, gave an application for details of the project under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission to the Public Information Officer of the Water Supply and Sewerage Board on June 17, 2013.

The applicant said he submitted the requisite fee and completed all formalities.

The board in its reply, dated June 30, 2013, the application stated that no such work was being executed by the department.

The letter received by Kuljit Singh reads, “...it is stated that no such work for laying out the sewerage system at Ajnala road is being executed by our department under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.”

However, when Kuljit approached the Municipal Corporation here with same set of questions under the RTI Act on January 23, 2014, the Public Information Officer of the MC in its reply dated Janaury 28, 2014, said the work as mentioned in the application was being executed by the Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

The MC has transferred the RTI application to the board under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, 2005. It has asked the board to send a direct reply to the applicant and confirm the same with the MC after delivering the reply.

“Whom should an applicant believe in such a situation? I had approached the board earlier and they said no such work was being executed. Now the MC says that the board is executing the work,” Kuljit said.