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BJP Kisan Morcha blocks rail traffic
Man, claiming to be Nurmahal dera chief's son, wants to perform last rites
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State govt orders probe into Hoshiarpur woman's death
Goa hotelier arrested for sheltering suppliers
operation bluestar controversy
PSPCL chief Chaudhri gets one-year extension
AC trailer to transport kinnow launched
RMP’s body cremated, all six accused held
Stamp on Udham Singh out of stock
Government mulls Police Security Academy
New tax policy for traders from Feb 13
2 years on, no compensation paid to victims in 8 districts
SGPC chief woos Kabir followers
Private firm builds langar
hall, SGPC draws flak
Akal Takht Secretariat to get new look
Jyani asks people to take to AYUSH medicines
Work on new Gurdaspur bus stand hits roadblock
Remission case: HC raps Home Secy for insensitivity
Man sends girl’s obscene pics to principal, jailed
Bail plea of ‘guar king’ rejected
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BJP Kisan Morcha blocks rail traffic
Phagwara/Sangrur, February 7
Activists demanded implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report on giving due share of profit from crop sale to farmers and Rs 10,000 per acre compensation during natural calamities among other demands. They also slammed the Centre’s “anti-farmer” policies in the one-hour dharna that began at noon. In Phagwara, activists of the BJP, the BJYM and the Kisan Morcha stopped the Amritsar-bound Shatabadi Express for six minutes. Protesters led by BJP leaders Tejaswi Bhardwaj, Pankaj Chawla, Ashok Duggal, Avtar Singh Mand and Sanju Chahal arrived at the Phagwara Railway Station with saffron flags around 11.30 am and reached platform 2. As soon as the train entered the station, protesters jumped down on the tracks. Some of them climbed up on the train engine to address protesters. Criticising the UPA-led Government, they raised the demands of the farmers. At Sunam, around 13 km from Sangrur, protesters squatted on the tracks to make their voice heard. Sangrur Station Superintendent Sohan Lal said the dharna delayed the Ludhiana-Hisar train as it had to be halted at Sangrur railway station from 12.30 pm to 1.00 pm. BJP and Kisan Morcha members from Sangrur, Barnala and Mansa districts took part in the dharna organised under the leadership of Satwant Singh Punia, a member of the BJP Kisan Morcha’s national executive. Similar dharnas were staged throughout the country on January 30 to demand implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report. The Kisan Morcha had given the Centre time to implement the report by February 6 failing which it would block rail traffic on February 7. Punia demanded interest-free loans to farmers for agriculture purposes in addition to implementation of the Swaminathan panel’s recommendations. He said trains were stopped by morcha activists at seven places in the state. Others who took part in the ‘rail roko’ programme included Kisan Morcha state vice-president Dhanesar Singh, BJP Sangrur-1 president Jogi Ram Sahni, Sangrur district general secretary Sarjiwan Jindal and BJP Barnala district president Gurmeet Singh.
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Man, claiming to be Nurmahal dera chief's son, wants to perform last rites
Nurmahal, February 7 Dalip was accompanied by Anandi Devi, who claimed she was Mahesh Jha alias Ashutosh Maharaj's wife. “My father left the village in July 1970 and never returned. In 1999, when I met him in New Delhi, he seemed displeased. He told me he did not want to keep ties with us and that he had devoted his life to serving humanity as dera head." Dalip demanded that his father's body be handed over to the family for last rites in Lakhnaur. “I am ready to undergo a DNA test to prove that Ashutosh Maharaj was my father,” he said. Despite several attempts, dera chief spokesperson Swami Vishalanand could not be contacted for comment. However, other dera representatives claimed that Ashutosh Maharaj was single. Meanwhile, a lull prevails at the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan with the sect management yet to make any official announcement on the Maharaj's death. It has been 10 days since the doctors declared the dera head “clinically dead”. But the dera officials insist that he is in deep meditation (samadhi). There was little activity at the dera today. The officials stayed away from the media. What he says
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State govt orders probe into Hoshiarpur woman's death
Hoshiarpur, February 7 The Civil Hospital where she was admitted, however, refuted the charge that there was any negligence and insisted that the doctors were not involved in the function. Kanta Devi's family members had alleged before the media here yesterday that the woman, a resident of Jandi village, died on hospital premises as the doctors were busy attending the function of Minister of State for Health Santosh Chaudhary. Describing the incident "very unfortunate", Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said in Fatehgarh Sahib that "the state government would conduct a probe in this regard". Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of the local Civil Hospital Anil Mohindra while refuting the charges said Kanta had suffered a cardiac arrest when the function of the Union State Minister was in progress. She was admitted in an emergency ward of the hospital at 12:10 pm and was medically examined by a cardiologist, who was on duty at that time, he said. None of the duty doctors were deputed in the function and the hospital functioned as usual. The video footage would prove it, the SMO claimed. “There was no negligence by any of the duty doctors or other staff member of the hospital," he added. Santosh Chowdhary too refuted the allegations that the woman died due to negligence on the part of the doctors. “The programme was organised to inform people about centrally sponsored health schemes and doctors had nothing to do with it. Neither were they asked to attend the function nor were they present there,” she said. On the other hand, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohinder Kaur Josh held Chowdhary responsible for the death. “Santosh Chowdhary had organised the function in the civil hospital just for the sake of cheap publicity. It caused a lot of disturbance to the patients at the hospital,” she said. Kanta Devi died at 2:10 pm and her relatives took her body for cremation.
Charges and counter-charges Santosh Chowdhary's function at the hospital caused a lot of disturbance to the patients
there. Mohinder Kaur Josh, cps The programme was organised to inform people about central health schemes and doctors had nothing to do with
it. Santosh Chowdhary , Union minister There was no negligence by any of the doctors on duty or other staff member of the
hospital. Anil Mohindra, senior medical officer
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Goa hotelier arrested for sheltering suppliers Patiala, February 7 He was sent to a four-day police remand by a local court. He is being questioned on his links with various druglords. Highly placed sources said a police team from Rajpura arrested Ravi Chauhan from Goa a couple of days ago. "Chauhan not only sheltered drug peddlers in Goa but also helped them buy properties and invest
in casinos. He provided luxury to his high-profile clients," said a police officer. So far, 52 arrests have been made and properties worth Rs 100 crore attached in six states attached in the Bhola case. Over 36 NRIs are suspected to be involved in the racket. The Patiala police, in the past three weeks, have recovered chemicals worth crores from Mumbai following the arrest of Dr Sanjay Goel, who owns six pharmaceutical factories. The police said while on the run, Bhola had stayed in Panjim for a while. He wanted to invest drug money in the hotel business and had shown a keen interest in purchasing a hotel for Rs 16 crore on Bagha Beach and was in contact with
Chauhan.
52 arrests & counting
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operation bluestar controversy
Chandigarh, February 7 Capt Amarinder said on May 26, 1984, at a meeting at a Delhi guest house, Badal and two of his colleagues met three central ministers following which he went into hiding. On June 1, 1984, when the police and the CRPF cordoned off the Golden Temple at Amritsar, Badal, who had taken a vow at Akal Takht to resist any military operation, did nothing, Capt Amarinder said. " You (Badal) ran away to Bazpur and hid yourself in your farmhouse only to emerge after everything was over,” he said. The former CM accused Badal of never having uttered a single word against the killing of 35,000 innocent persons during the dark days of terrorism. He also questioned Badal’s silence on the involvement of BJP and RSS workers in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He said Badal had then refused to take phone calls of BBC journalists Mark Tully and Satish Jacob. “Regarding your demand that the Congress should name the leaders involved in the anti-Sikh riots, I can give you their names. I was in Delhi from November 1 to 3 and I visited the refugees who had taken shelter in various gurdwaras. The names I heard were those of HKL Bhagat, Dharam Dass Shastri, Arjun Dass, Lalit Maken and Sajjan Kumar". He said while four of them were dead, Sajjan Kumar’s trial was at the fag-end and "everybody must wait for the court verdict”. He said the riot-hit had also named BJP and RSS leaders like Ram Kumar Jain, Pritam Singh, Ram Chander Gupta, " but you have maintained a sheepish silence about their role." As many as 14 FIRs were registered against 49 BJP and RSS leaders for their role in the riots, he said. "You asked the Sikhs in the Army to mutiny and at your behest a number of Sikh soldiers revolted and spent up to 18 years in jail,” the former Chief Minister said. He advised Badal to introspect before blaming others. ‘Reveal details of talks with UK Govt’ Amritsar: Dr Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) in Washington, has demanded that the Indian Government should share with the public details of its correspondence with the UK Government prior to Operation Bluestar in 1984. Talking to The Tribune, Dr Rajwant Singh said: "The Indian leadership, particularly Indira Gandhi, misled the nation and the Indian people. The Indian Government tried to portray that Sikhs rebels in the Golden Temple complex were being aided by neighbouring countries whereas Indira Gandhi herself was seeking help from foreign powers." He demanded that the Indian Government should reveal the documents on its negotiations with the Akalis and the channel of communication with Sikh rebels. "Any truly democratic set up must have a transparent system allowing people to judge if its elected leaders have made decisions for the betterment of the nation. This black chapter in the history of modern India has not been dealt with openness," he added. — TNS
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Rain threatens wheat crop
Chandigarh, February 7 Currently the yellow rust attack has been brought under control in Punjab and other parts of the region, but inclement weather is not good for the crop at this stage. It needs sunshine as it is headed towards flowering. “Farmers in yellow rust-hit areas are on alert and are taking measures to check the attack of the fungal disease,” said Dr Indu Sharma, Project Director of the Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal. She said that yellow rust attack in the state was confined mainly to Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Ropar districts in the Kandi belt. “It has not spread further, perhaps, because of the sprays by farmers,” Sharma said. “Clear weather is needed for extensive pollination. The persisting cloudy weather, accompanied by rain, can harm the crop as it leads to percolation of nutrients in the subsoil, thus, curtailing the flow of nutrition to plants,” Sharma said. However, state Agriculture Director Mangal Singh Sandhu said the rain was beneficial for the crop. “It will not cause any harm,” he added. About yellow rust, he said farmers played an effective role to control its spread. He said there was not report of yellow rust from other parts of the state, except parts of the Kandi belt. About 35 lakh hectares of land is under wheat crop this year. “As the crop is healthy, we are expecting record wheat production this year,” Sandhu said. Divergent views
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PSPCL chief Chaudhri gets one-year extension
Patiala, February 7 The decision has widened the rift between power engineers backing extension for Chaudhri and those opposed to it. The PSEB Engineers Association allege betrayal by the government. It says the Chief Minister had promised them that the corporation would be headed by experts and not bureaucrats.The association also said the government had violated the tripartite treaty signed with various stake-holders before setting up the corporation. The Secretary, Power, Anirudh Tiwari, argued that a clause in the treaty stated that the engineers must be consulted on the appointment and the government had done so. "Two of the three factions expressed no opposition to the decision to extend Chaudhri's tenure," he claimed. The association will hold emergency meeting of its office-bearers here tomorrow. It has decided "not to cooperate with the management in any way."
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Rules amended for CMD’s appointment
Chandigarh, February 7 Already, the corridors of power are abuzz with rumours that a senior IAS officer retiring later this month could be made CMD of one of the two power companies post-retirement. Officials say the government did not want a change of guard in the power sector now when a number of power projects were being commissioned. It is learnt that Chaudhri enjoys proximity with the CM and has been instrumental in expediting the release of demand letters for new tube wells. The government is set to issue demand letters for 70,000 tubewell connections. This will help the Akalis garner rural votes.This is the second extension for Chaudhri. He was initially appointed for one year. The government extended his term for three years or till the age of 62, whichever was earlier. Sources in the government said the government was changing the rules under which a serving IAS officer too could be appointed CMD. Till date, the post was held only by technocrats. The CMD of the power transmission company can be either a technocrat or a bureaucrat. A serving IAS officer, Anurag Aggarwal, is CMD of the corporation. The government has decided to make these amendments despite opposition by the PSEB Engineers Association. The favoured one of the powers that be
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AC trailer to transport kinnow launched
Abohar, February 7 Taneja said 1,500 boxes of graded and waxed fruit could be loaded in the trailer. It will maintain cooling at -25 degrees Celsius even if it takes a week to reach the destination. Earlier, traders had been facing hardships in marketing as the temperature increases in the middle of February even as the kinnow season is from November to March. He said many times, the fruit perished on way to Bangalore, Kolkata and other remote markets, resulting in heavy losses. Fruit growers and traders have been urging the railway authorities to attach air-conditioned wagons to long-distance trains to give boost to fruit marketing. Sajjan Kumar Jakhar of Maujgarh village, who received his training under a young farmers’ exchange programme after graduating from Panjab University, said the first air-conditioned rail wagon loaded with grapes had betrayed growers of the region in 1990 as its air-conditioning system had failed before reaching Lucknow. “Since the air-conditioning has grown high-tech, such experiments can yield good results now,” he said. Meanwhile, kinnow growers resent suspension of fruit processing by the high-tech Agro Juice Plant. They said it seldom functioned to its capacity ever since it was inaugurated in 2007 by the then Union Minister for Food Processing Subodh Kant Sahai and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The plant had in December 2013 signed indent with Hindustan Unilever representatives to process 25,000 quintal of kinnow this year but backtracked after processing 15,000 quintal of fruit. The company was purchasing C and D grade fruit at Rs 3 per kg and now, its price in the local market has fallen to Re 1. “We will prefer to throw the fruit to feed cattle than to transport it here to fetch Re 1 per kg,” a farmer said. Some farmers had last Saturday given in to traders offer of Rs 8 per kg for A grade fruit against the prevailing price of Rs 11. Sources said processing had been suspended by the plant to run a similar plant at Hoshiarpur. The good and the bad
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RMP’s body cremated, all six accused held
Malout (Muktsar), February 7 Hundreds of Dera followers had yesterday taken out a protest march in the town, demanding the arrest of all the six accused. When the followers were holding a meeting today to discuss the future course of action, the police claimed to have arrested all the accused. The protesters until now had refused to cremate Mohan’s body that was lying at the local civil hospital. After hearing the news that the accused had been held, they took the body from the hospital and cremated it. Several police personnel were deployed in the area to keep a close vigil on the developments. Malout Superintendent of Police (SP) Balraj Singh
and Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Kumar Amit too were present at the cremation. Mohan Lal (32) of Suraj Nagari, was allegedly killed by his neighbours on Tuesday after an altercation over kite-flying. The police complaint lodged by the brother of the deceased states six persons, including their neighbours had first thrashed Mohan Lal and thereafter hit him with sharp-edged weapons. A murder case had been registered.
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Kite string forces emergency landing Jalandhar, February 7 However, the defence authorities denied this. The police issued an appeal to the people not to allow their wards to purchase the lethal kite string which was made of synthetic matter, coated with glass powder. The defence authorities denied the incident. Defence PRO Naresh Vig said the helicopter was on a routine sortie. On landing, it was noticed that the kite string had got stuck in the copter's tail rotor.
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Stamp on Udham Singh out of stock
Faridkot, February 7 The Postal Department released a postal stamp on July 31, 1992, in memory of Shaheed Udham Singh. The stamp is now out
of stock. When Rakesh Kumar, a Railway employee and a resident of Sunam, approached the Department of Posts on the issue, he was told that stamps on a subject were issued only once. Only stamps on subjects such as wildlife, environment and transport were printed regularly. Rashmi Sharma, Central Public Information Officer, said the commemorative postal stamp on Udham Singh of the denomination of Re 1 was issued on July 31, 1992. It was now out of stock and was not available for sale at any philatelic bureau.
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Government mulls Police Security Academy
Moga, February 7 A few months ago, the government had initiated a move to constitute the SPU on the lines of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that protects the President, Prime Minister, members of the Gandhi family and former Presidents and PMs. A senior official in the office of the Deputy CM said the institute would have a physical training centre. It would design training programmes and implement these.
Main features of the new training institute
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New tax policy for traders from Feb 13
Mandi Gobindgarh, February 7 Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced this at a function organised by the Steel Chamber of Commerce and Industries. He said that under the new policy, the traders have been put in four categories. Traders having Rs 25 lakh annual turnover would have to pay Rs 5,000 once. Traders with an annual turnover from Rs 25 lakh to 50 lakh and from Rs 50 lakh to 75 lakh will have to pay Rs 10,000 and 15,000 respectively while the traders and shopkeepers with annual sales up to Rs 1 crore will have to deposit Rs 20,000. Sukhbir said that in lieu of this lump-sum tax, the state government would provide them and their families cashless treatment up to Rs 50,000 every year, life and accidental insurance for Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh insurance in case of damage to property due to fire. He said that it has also been decided to ban the access of excise inspectors in 71 B and C category towns from February 13. On the VAT refund, Sukhbir said that there was a pendency of Rs 450 crore till January 1. Out of it, Rs 125 crore has been paid while the remaining amount would be disbursed soon, he said. Addressing the gathering, Sukhbir said the country needed a strong, decisive leader like Narendra Modi. He also announced a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme to redress the long-pending cases of the industrial units.
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2 years on, no compensation paid to victims in 8 districts
Chandigarh, February 7 This was confirmed by information obtained under the RTI Act. Section 357-A, incorporated in the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973
in December 2009, mandated every state to prepare a scheme to provide funds for the purpose of compensation to the victims or his dependents, who have suffered loss or injury as a result of the crime and who require rehabilitation. Information obtained by Advocate HC Arora from the District Legal Services Authorities has revealed that Ludhiana, Faridkot, Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Barnala, Muktsar, Bathinda and Fazilka districts had not paid any compensation under the scheme that was modified vide notification dated June 17, 2013. In one of the replies, Secretary, District Legal Service Authority, Patiala, has vide his letter dated 28.1.2014 said that three victims have been compensated in the district. However, the letter also added that no amount had been given as compensation after December 2011. In a case of murder in Gurdaspur, Rs 1 lakh has been awarded to Kulwant Kaur, wife of the deceased Sukhjinder Singh, and her minor daughter in equal share. Another Rs 1 lakh has been granted in favour of Kamla Rani. Arora said the information chart revealed that no funds were released by the government to the District Legal Services Authority in the state. The scheme of the Punjab Government provides for a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to families of rape victims, Rs 3 lakh for families of murder with rape, Rs 10,000 to injury to child victim; and Rs 20,000 for the rehabilitation of women and children besides others.
No end to suffering According to information obtained under RTI from the District Legal Services Authorities, Ludhiana, Faridkot, Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Barnala, Muktsar, Bathinda and Fazilka districts have not paid any compensation under the Victim Compensation Scheme 2011.
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SGPC chief woos Kabir followers
Jalandhar, February 7 It was for the first time that Makkar has visited the dera since his appointment as SGPC chief. He described the installing of a separate granth at a Vienna gurdwara as " most unfortunate". Gurbani preached oneness of God and such a move was uncalled for, he told the congregation of people who had come to attend the Hari Manav Ekta Sant Sammelan organised by Sant Surinder Dass in memory of Sant Hari Dass. Makkar tried to woo the Kabir followers, telling them that the SGPC had invested crores of rupees on the construction a gurdwara in the name of Sant Kabir at Maghar near Gorakhpur. He said he was not visiting the dera for any political end. “I am trying to unite various sects," he claimed. Tinu represents the Adampur assembly constituency and is among the frontrunners to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.
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Private firm builds langar
hall, SGPC draws flak
Amritsar, February 7 The SGPC had given the contract to build the facility to a private firm after floating tenders. However, Dhadhi Sabha chief Baldev Singh said those engaged in the construction were non-Punjabis who smoked and consumed tobacco while carrying out construction, which is a violation of
the ‘maryada’. He said the building should have ideally been constructed through ‘kar sewa’. The Dhadhi Sabha chief said he would organise a seminar tomorrow to sensitise the Sikh Sangat
on the issue. Baldev Singh belongs to the ruling SAD and has been an SGPC member. Similarly, Bhai Ranjeet Singh said the buildings associated with shrines were always constructed through ‘kar sewa’. He said construction of various inns by private contractors in the past
had not been found up to the mark. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar cautioned the community against the “misinformation campaign” by Baldev Singh. He said the SGPC had
got a majority of its buildings constructed through ‘kar sewa’. He said the contract
for the langar facility building was awarded to a private firm only with
an intention to complete it within a stipulated time-frame as thousands of pilgrims partake
langar at the shrine every day.
Why the opposition
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Akal Takht Secretariat to get new look
Amritsar, February 7 At present, the Akal Takht Secretariat doesn't have adequate space for visitors. It has a room for the Secretariat staff and a hall where the Sikh high priests hold their meetings. Apart from it there is a hall in the basement. Due to the lack of space, the visitors have to sit outside during the Sikh clergy's meeting. The existing premises don't even have a designated space to keep the records. Akal Takht Jathedar's personal assistant Jaswinder Singh said the 'kar sewa' for the new premises was likely to start from February 20 and it would be completed in a span of three months. The entire area will be air-conditioned and equipped with a Wi-Fi facility. He said two more adjacent rooms would be included in the secretariat. The new secretariat will have a hall, where the visitors can meet the Jathedar apart from another hall for the secretariat staff. Besides, there will be separate areas for facilitating the Sikh clergy meet and press conferences. There will also be a kitchen and a toilet. A Mumbai-based architect prepared the map of the new Akal Takht Secretariat. SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar said it was an appreciable move and it would add to the convenience of the visitors. Meanwhile, former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur felt that there wasn’t a requirement of a huge paraphernalia for the Akal Takht Secretariat. “The Secretariat should have a facility where the Akal Takth Jathedar can entertain the visiting dignitaries. Besides, it should have computerised record facility and Internet access so as to keep the record of correspondence.” Noted Sikh scholar Ashok Singh Bagrian said though the secretariat should have all the necessary facilities, what is of utmost importance was the fact that the Akal Takht Jathedar should function in an independent manner.
The new project
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Jyani asks people to take to AYUSH medicines
Fazilka, February 7 Stalls of various AYUSH medicines were put up at the fair. Youths presented a yoga show. Jyani was accompanied by Ferozepur Akali MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, CPS (Health) Navjot Kaur Sidhu. He said the state government was committed to providing ayurvedic, yoga, unani, siddha and homeopathic treatment facilities along with allopathic system of medicine. “This is the 9th Arogya Mela of the state and more such fairs will be organised in other towns of the state in the near future,” he said. Later, while talking to mediapersons, the minister said a decision on private practice by doctors serving in the state Health Department would be taken shortly. He said the committee headed by Navjot Kaur Sidhu had held two meetings in this regard to consider all aspects. In reply to a query on the non-payment of salaries for two to three months to thousands of employees of the health department, he said the salaries would be released next week. A meeting in this regard with senior officers had been held on Thursday, he said. Navjot Kaur Sidhu said the government was exploring possibilities of generating more revenue by promoting medical tourism by cultivation of herbal medicinal ayurvedic plants.
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Work on new Gurdaspur bus stand hits roadblock
Gurdaspur, February 7 To make matters worse, work at the site designated for the new bus stand near the Improvement Trust office no. 7 has hit
a roadblock. District administration officials are wary of shifting a religious place on the premises to another location. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal laid the foundation stone of the new bus stand on the Tibri road about one and a half years ago. The new bus stand is being developed to check congestion in the old bus stand area, which is not only located in the heart of the city but has
also become an accident-prone area. When the Improvement Trust acquired 84.77 acres of land on the Tibri road, five acres were earmarked for the bus stand. However at that time, officials failed to take into consideration the fact that a gurdwara and a showroom were located in
that area. The “politically powerful” owners of the showroom raised objections over the issue, following which it was removed from the area designated for the bus stand. However, sensing that the issue could snowball into a major controversy having religious and
political contours, the administrators refused to change the location of
the gurdwara. “Had we made plans to shift the religious site, there could have been a severe backlash from Sikh organisations. Now, we have been caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. We can not do much about the gurdwara due to which the construction work has hit a roadblock,” said an official. On its part, the gurdwara’s management committee approached the state government with its grievance. The government initially formed a committee headed by Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha to solve the issue. However, some months later, the committee was dissolved and a new
committee under the guidance of Deputy Director, Urban and Local Bodies, was formed. With the committee moving at a snail’s pace over the assignment, there seems to relief in sight yet for residents facing inconvenience. who want the bus stand to be shifted to its new site as early as possible. The DC, however, said the administration was looking into all aspects of the problem. “We hope to solve this vexed issue soon,” he added.
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Remission case: HC raps Home Secy for insensitivity
Chandigarh, February 7 The warning by Justice Mahesh Grover in a remission matter came on a contempt of court petition filed by Sudhir Kumar against Chaudhary and other respondents. His counsel Vijay K Jindal told the court that the respondents were required to consider within two weeks the petitioner’s case for remission, but did not. Taking up the matter, Justice Grover said: “The order of this court dated November 21, 2013, mandated the respondents to consider the case of the petitioner for remission and release from prison in case of his entitlement. The needful was to be done in two weeks from the date of passing of the order.” Justice Grover said the petitioner approached the high court again on January 13. Taking up his plea, notice was issued to the other side for January 24 and the matter was then adjourned to a date in February. Referring to a statement by the state counsel, Justice Grover said the needful had been done and the petitioner was released. The order was passed by the respondents only on January 27. “The solitary grievance aired by the petitioner now is that there is no explanation forthcoming as to why the orders of this court were complied with belatedly,” he said. “A perusal of the orders passed and the reply submitted by the respondents indeed fortify what the counsel for the petitioner has submitted. In matters such as these, where the liberty of persons is involved, authorities cannot be expected to show insensitivity. “Human liberty is paramount and protected by the Constitution of India. It cannot, therefore, be expected that the authorities would betray such a lax attitude by sleeping over matters despite positive directions given by the court. The petition is disposed of as having become infructuous but with a warning to the officials/ respondents. If the court is apprised of dereliction of the sort that has been noticed, the court would be constrained to take a more serious view of the matter,” Justice Grover said. Delay in following orders
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Man sends girl’s obscene pics to principal, jailed
Ropar, February 7 He was awarded a sentence of four years’ imprisonment under Section 67A of the IT Act (punishment for electonically transmitting material with sexual content). The police booked Parminder on the complaint of a girl studying in a college at Bela near Chamkaur Sahib. The victim in her complaint stated Parminder drugged her and took her to his room in Bela. She alleged that he raped her there and took pictures of her. The victim was forced to shift to Mohali after the accused began blackmailing her.
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Bail plea of ‘guar king’ rejected
Abohar, February 7 Aggarwal, Anchi Devi, businessman Manoj Gupta and District Industries Centre’s former employee Ishwer Dev Bunkar had filed applications for anticipatory bail on September 30, 2013, pleading that the case filed against them by the Food and Civil Supplies Department was “false, biased and without justification”. District Food and Civil Supplies officer Ajaypal Jyani had led the team that conducted raids at godowns owned by Vikas Daal and General Mills in 2009 and seized 15,000 quintal of gram stacked there “illegally”. It was alleged that the accused had connived with District Industries Centreofficials to establish that the unit was functioning as per prescribed norms.
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Activists of BJP’s Kisan Morcha staged a 'rail roko' protest at several places in the state to press for their demands.
Dalip, a Bihar resident, today claimed that Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan chief Ashutosh Maharaj was his father.
Patiala,
February 7
The body of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Mohan Lal, a registered medical practitioner
(RMP), was cremated today amid tight security arrangements. He was murdered three days ago.
Local residents have for long been peeved at the state of affairs at the bus stand here.
To make matters worse, work at the site designated for the new bus stand near the Improvement Trust office no. 7 has hit
a roadblock. District administration officials are wary of shifting a religious place on the premises to another location.
The Akal Takht Secretariat will soon have an ultra-modern building at its existing location with Baba Narinder Singh Hazoor Sahibwale taking up the 'kar sewa' for the same.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has warned IAS officer-cum-Punjab Home Secretary Raj Kamal Chaudhary and other respondents “to be more careful in future”.