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Four medical students hurt in clash
Hospital staff charge Rs 200 illegally for discharge slip
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GNDU Senate, Syndicate approve budget estimates of Rs
300 crore
Woman set afire, husband held
Youths snatch purse from woman
With 12 cops suspended, police on its toes
Health Dept asks for accurate reporting of underweight babies
5-day police remand for kidnappers
Engg college gets new lab
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Four medical students hurt in clash
Amritsar, February 26 However, they left the hospital after threatening of dire consequences when the hospital management called the police. At least, four medical students were injured in the clash. Three of the outsiders' group were also stated to be injured. The incident has once again brought forth the issue of inadequate security arrangements in the college as well as in the hospital complex. According to the information, a cricket match was under progress at the college ground when the outsiders entered the ground. They allegedly entered into a verbal duel with college students over playing in the ground. The situation turned ugly when both the groups clashed. The injured were identified as Maninder Singh Labana, Keshav, Dapinder Singh and Mohit. They were admitted in the emergency ward of the hospital. Maninder reportedly suffered head injury while Keshav sustained abdominal injuries. “We were playing cricket in the ground when these outsiders started unnecessary interfering,” the students alleged. They said when they reached the emergency ward of the hospital, the accused followed them created a scene at the hospital. Later, they fled from the spot while calling themselves supporters of a local political leader and threatened them of dire consequences. Dr Sujata Sharma, Principal of the college, said she had demanded security in the college from the Police Commissioner apprehending that the outsiders might attack the students again. She said an emergency meeting of the faculty would be called tomorrow to take stock of the situation and discuss about stepping up security arrangements in the college and the hospital complex. Sukhwinder Singh, SHO, Civil Lines police, said statements of the students were being recorded and the action would be taken accordingly.
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Hospital staff charge Rs 200 illegally for discharge slip
Amritsar, February 26 In the video recording, a female employee can be seen asking for Rs 200 for the slip. When Joga Singh, husband of a patient, Majinder Kaur, who was discharged on February 23, asked why the amount was being charged, the female employee can be heard saying that these are card charges. Joga Singh said hat he was denied the receipt for money even when he asked for it. A social activist Rajinder Sharma, who was with Joga Singh during the incident said, 'The discharge slip at the centre is issued after few days. In this case the patient was discharged on February 23 but the slip was provided today.' He said hat the patients should be given the slip on the same day. Interestingly, the incident had occurred in the Gynaecology ward headed by Government Medical College Principal, Dr Sujata Sharma. Dr Sharma is also the Medical Superintendent of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. The occurrence of such an incident in a ward headed by the college's most senior official has raised many questions. Dr Sujata Sharma said, 'I am deeply disturbed because of the incident. If it has happened, I will take the strictest possible action against employees who are collecting money from patients.' She said the matter would be probed and the truth would be brought out. Dr Sharma said there was no such thing as 'card fees' and employees could not charge anything for issuing the discharge slip.
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Deputy Chief Minister lays stone of Rs 580-crore BRTS project
Amritsar, February 26 Laying the foundation stone of this first of its own kind project which will come up at a cost of Rs 580 crore, the Deputy Chief Minister said a fleet of 90 Metro buses will completely transform the tourism scenario besides providing complete and ultimate mobility solution to commuters. He said the Metro buses would be fully air conditioned and this project would have a six-kilometre elevated passage along with the metro stations. He said the project was being constructed and implemented under the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the holy city. Giving details of the project, Sukhbir said the system would have dedicated runway lanes for high class buses for rapid transit of commuters besides setting up of adequate bus shelters. He said this project would reduce the traffic nuisance and bottlenecks in the holy city. He said the project having total length of 30.73 kilometer had been divided into seven corridors including Albert Road, Bhandari Bridge Loop, Bhandari Bridge round about to Daburji bypass, Central Core Hussainpura Chowk to Celebration Mall to Kitchlu Chowk to Albert Road Junction, SSSS Chowk to Crystal Chowk, Celebration Mall to NH Bypass, NH Byepass to Verka Canal and ROB at Verka Excluding Railway portion. He said the project will involve improvement of existing roads, construction of high end bus stations, elevated BRT portions and foot over bridges. The tenders of the project have already been received and the work will start shortly. Sukhbir reiterated his commitment to develop Amritsar as one of the most beautiful cities of the country adding Mission Amritsar would fructify in two years. Answering a query he said the City Bus service will get another fleet of 140 buses to facilitate lakhs of commuters out of which 40 buses will be included within a week. When asked about the Solid Waste Management system envisaged for the city, he said the department was working at a war level to implement the project. He said Punjab had decided to widen the ambit of CCTV project and that it would now be launched on a large scale. He said the commencement of work on world class Sport Complex was also expected soon.
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Ongoing work to install escalator at railway station comes to a halt
Amritsar, February 26 With the objective of providing a smooth and trouble-free journey to passengers and tourists, the Railways started work on the installation of an escalator at Amritsar railway station in December. A vendor operator on the platform, on condition of anonymity, said the civil work to facilitate installation of the escalator had been stalled for the past nearly months. It was causing much inconvenience to the visitors and passengers at the railway station. Since a staircase connecting platform number one with the rest of the platforms was lying closed, passengers have to walk more and cross two bridges to reach across. Many passengers in order to avoid a long walk along with heavy luggage are risking their life by crossing railway lines. The Northern Railways Ferozepur Division initiated the process to provide world-class facilities under the Railways International Tourist Destination Programme. According to the plan, escalators were to be installed in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Jammu, besides Amritsar. The holy city became the first among these railway stations to get the facility. The Railways hired a private consultant to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) in May to construct state-of-the-art facilities at the local railway station at a cost of Rs 12 crore. The Union Ministries of Tourism and Railway will share the cost. Under the programme, the railway station will have a retiring room, a VIP lounge, a waiting room, a waiting hall, a parking area and a circulating area etc. The facilities will be added to the railway station that witnesses the arrival and departure of over 130 trains daily and records a daily footfall of about 30,000 passengers. Besides, a move for setting up a food plaza at the railway station was also initiated and the tender process is about to start for the purpose. The only refreshment room at the railway station remains closed many a time for non-payment of dues. The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was seized of the matter to allot the responsibility to a private company with a proven track record in the cooked-food profession. The Railways authorities have been facing criticism for not providing quality amenities, infrastructure and an environment at Amritsar railway station. The construction department of the Northern Railway floated tender for civil work in connection with provision of escalator on platform number one and other miscellaneous and allied work at Amritsar railway station on July 8, 2013 and tender bids were opened on August 20, 2013. As per the tender, the work was to be completed in three months of the opening of the tender. Sources in the railway stated that the work was anticipated to finish by February as it was started in December. They said delay in the release of the payment to the contractor engaged for dismantling the stair case on platform number one prompted him to stop work midway. Assistant Traffic Manager Ashok Salaria said the matter pertained to the construction department and as much as he was aware of it electric work is to be carried out before installation of the escalator.
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GNDU Senate, Syndicate approve budget estimates of Rs
300 crore
Amritsar, February 26 The university Vice-Chancellor, Prof AS Brar, who presided over both the meetings, stressed that special efforts were made to see that no financial burden was imposed on students. He added that no fee hike had been imposed in various classes for the past two years. This year also the fee structure would remain the same. Dr Inderjit Singh, Registrar of the varsity, presented the agenda in both the houses. Prof MS Hundal, Dean, Academic Affairs, along with a large number of senators and syndics were present. The university will receive a maintenance grant of over Rs 35 crore from the state government. The remaining amount of over Rs 160 crore will be raised by the university from grants, fee and its own sources. Hence, a total income of over Rs 195 crore has been estimated for the financial year 2014-15. The university will try to meet the deficit of over Rs 40 crore by keeping a control on the expenditure. Similarly, out of the total budget, 55.19 per cent will be spent on teaching, applied teaching, research and improvement of education while 11.86 per cent will be spent on non-teaching departments which include hostels, publications, estate, construction, NSS, landscape, guest house, public relations and health centre. About 12.07 per cent has been allocated for general administration and 5.24 per cent for conduct of examinations. In the budget there will be provision of 12.97 per cent for general provision for teaching and non-teaching, including retirement benefits, vehicles, printing, legal expenses, PABX, advertisements, insurance and modernisation of departments and 2.67 per cent for construction of buildings. During financial year 2013-14, the university has spent Rs 2.81 crore to help the economically weak and intelligent students. Similarly, an amount of Rs 22 lakh was also spent to help handicapped students in the form of scholarships. Special scholarships and facilities in terms of finance were also provided to sportspersons and student-artists to encourage them to participate in cultural and sports activities. Prof Brar said a claim of about Rs 2. 85 crore has also been submitted to the state government to provide scholarship to the students belonging to scheduled castes and backward communities. He said the university would provide financial support to all students for attending conferences and seminars and conducting of lecture by subject experts not only from India but abroad. He said the Education Department had also become functional from this academic session 2013-14 while the Department of Commerce and Business Management would also be bifurcated into Commerce and University Business School in the next fiscal to offer students quality education and research in their chosen fields.
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SHO arrested for illegal confinement
Amritsar, February 26 The police have also booked two more persons, Suresh of Bhikhiwind and Bikramjit Singh of Parris town, Batala Road, in the case and raids were being conducted to nab them. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh while confirming the incident said no police official would be spared if they were found indulging in corrupt practices. Paramjit Kaur, a resident of New Jawahar Nagar, Batala road in her complaint to the police said that her son Jaskirat Singh had gone to pay obeisance at the shrine near Pul Taran wala. However, he did not return. In the evening, Suresh along with another unidentified person came to her house and asked her to talk to her son on the mobile phone. She said her son told her to give Rs 25,000 to them. She said she was informed that the police had recovered smack from her son. However, they did not release her son, She alleged. Later on, she said, she received a call from a mobile number 75083-52379 in which the accused said that SHO has been demanding Rs 1.50 lakh for releasing Jaskirat Singh. She said that the deal was struck at Rs 70,000 and they asked her to come near Hartej Hospital. But they did not come, she added. A police official said in the meantime Paramjit Kaur, informed senior police officials who laid a trap to arrest the culprit. Incidentally, Paramjit Kaur is the widow of former ASI Satbir Singh who died in 2008. Jatinder Singh Aulakh said that the police arrested the accused cop from the designated spot where Paramjit Kaur was asked to come with the money. They recovered the boy as well as Rs 25,000 from them. A case under section 342 (wrongful confinement), 384 (extortion), 388 (extortion by threat of accusation of an offence), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation of an offence) of Indian Penal Code besides under section 7 (13) of Prevention of Corruption act against the sub- inspector and his two accomplices.
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Woman set afire, husband held
Amritsar, February 26 Sarabjit Singh, SHO, Kotwali police station, said the woman gave her statement in the presence of Ruchi Kamboj, Judicial Magistrate (First Class), at a private hospital. "As her condition was critical we urged the court to depute a Judicial
Magistrate to record her statement," the SHO said. He said the incident took place at around 12.30 am while her statement was recorded at around 3.30 am this morning. The victim in her statement said the accused harassed and thrashed her for jewellery and money. When she refused, the accused, who was heavily drunk, poured petrol on her and set her on fire. The couple have two children from their marriage. The SHO said a case under Sections 307 and 498 A of the Indian Penal Code had been registered against the accused.
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Youths snatch purse from woman
Amritsar, February 26 The victim in her complaint to Chheharta police stated that she was going to her house from the old Chungi side when the youths snatched her purse. She said she had Rs 42,000 in cash, a mobile phone, 5 ATM cards besides other important documents in her purse. The police have registered a case under Section 382 of the IPC in this regard.
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Two arrested with Rs
18 crore heroin
Amritsar, February 26 The accused have been identified as Swarn Singh of Gandiwind village in Tarn Taran and Satbir Singh, alias Satta, of Sarangdev village. They were arrested by a police team, headed by Harvinder Singh, SHO of the cell, from near Dhapai where they were waiting for a party to deliver the consignment on their motorcycle. "They have been
booked under Section 21/25/29/61/85 of the NDPS Act," informed Manmohan Singh, AIG, counter intelligence wing. The AIG said the consignment was further to be delivered at Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Delhi. He said the investigation was on to identify the drug peddler who was to take the consignment. According to sources, the preliminary investigation revealed that Satbir, who belongs to a border village, has his land across the fence in the Ajnala sector. The consignment was smuggled into India by him through a "concealed and clear" method, in which the Pakistan-based smugglers, hid the contraband at a designated place and informed them about them about the
consignment.Later, Satbir retrieved them, said the sources.
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Encroachments galore around city hospitals
Amritsar, February 26 Most of the encroachers have constructed permanent structures on these roads and have occupied the footpaths. The road on the side of post-mortem house near the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital have been encroached upon by the vendors selling food items. The hospital already has many eateries. Hardev Singh, a resident of the area, said, “These shops have come up in no time on the footpaths. Nobody from the Municipal Corporation or the hospital has objected to it.” He said some influential people have also rented out the space to shopkeepers to run businesses. Meanwhile, commuters said the roads should be freed from encroachers so that they could use footpaths. “The footpaths are hardly visible. Either the government remove these encroachments or the encroachers be asked to pay the rent so that the government could earn some revenue,” said Rajiv Kumar, another resident of the area. Meanwhile, the authorities at these hospitals said removing encroachments was the responsibility of the MC and the police. “ Doctors cannot fight with encroachers. It is the duty of the police and the MC,” said a senior official.
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With 12 cops suspended, police on its toes
Bathinda, February 26 After the suspension of a considerable number of policemen in the district, the cops deployed for public dealing now remain on their toes treading cautiously and seem to be carrying out their work in a more meticulous manner. A senior police officer, admitting pressure, said they were waiting eagerly for the election code of conduct to be imposed soon to get rid of the multiple tasks that overburdens them with visits of the VIPs. In view of the elections, the political leaders are trying their best to keep the public in good humour but vents public ire on the government servants. Apart from their negligence, illegal detention, infighting, providing wrong information, the policemen are also suspended on the grounds of not been able to handle the complaints properly. Two policemen, including an SHO at Kotfatta, were suspended for registration of a wrong case and wrongful detention of a woman, three were suspended for entering into arguments with some local political leaders near the bus stand and three others were suspended for providing wrong information to their senior officials. Yesterday, a head constable was suspended for entering into arguments and a scuffle with another head constable over some petite issue. Head constable Harmanjeet Singh was also booked under Sections 324 and 323 of the IPC on the complaint of another policeman, Hardev Singh. Bathinda SSP Gurpreet Bhullar said the increasing number of suspended policemen was due to their own negligence and careless attitude. “Anyone doing something wrong will be punished,” Bhullar said. The police sources revealed that the unremitting visits by the Badal family keep the police force on its toes and if anything happens that inflates the vote bank then the concerned government servant is taken to task. “At times, we bear the brunt of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections and the wrath of the common man. If we try to execute seniors’ orders, then we face public anger and if not then we get suspended,” said a recently suspended policeman. He added that the police’s words become a mere hyperbole and their story is hardly heard when a mob is against the policemen.
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Ministerial staff burn govt’s effigy
Amritsar, February 26 Union's general secretary Jagdish Thakur said the state government was running away from issuing a notification regarding their demands that had already been accepted in principle. He said senior officials of the government were not ready to hold talks with the union despite the fact they had forwarded their demand charter five times in the recent months. Thakur said the association would announce its future course of action after a meeting of the state body of the union at Mohali on Thursday. District president of the union Dalbir Singh Bajwa, senior vice-president Sukhwinder Riar, Gurinder Sodhi, Tajinder Dhillon, Atul Sharma also addressed the rally.
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Health Dept asks for accurate reporting of underweight babies
Amritsar, February 26 According to information, from April 1, 2013, to January 31, 2014, only 476 babies were found having weight less than 2.5 kg at the time of birth. The department believes that children with less than 2.5 kg of weight are much more in the district. As per the information, 107 children were reported underweight in July last year while only 8 babies were reported underweight in January this year. The district health authorities feel that the ANMs and GNMs did not collect the figures responsibly and many of the cases remained unreported. The ANMs and LHVs file regular reports to the department about the health of the every child who has been found underweight at the time of birth. An official in the department said, “The employees want to save themselves from the hassle of paying regular visits to the homes where underweight children take birth.” District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar said they were working to ensure more accurate figures. He said workers at the grassroot level have been asked to be more vigilant and responsible about it. He said reports about such children were very important to ensure their survival.
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Riot victims’ committee calls off stir
Amritsar, February 26 A meeting regarding this was held with Police Commissioner RPS Aulakh and Subdivisional magistrate MS Kang late last night. At a press conference here today, the president of the sangharsh committee, Kashmir Singh, said they had called off their hunger strike after the authorities assured justice in the case. Earlier, the committee had alleged that Giani Puran Singh's family was trying to occupy land in the colony of riot victims. The local police had registered a case against eight persons, including Puran Singh and his son Ajay Singh, yesterday for allegedly attacking the residents in their houses. The incident took place within days of the colony residents starting a hunger strike, seeking evacuation of the land, which was allegedly illegally occupied by the former Jathedar. Kashmir Singh said they hoped that the administration would stick to its promise.
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5-day police remand for kidnappers
Jalandhar February 26 Onkar Singh, SHO, Sadar police station, said the police sought the remand of the accused to further inquire the involvement of any third person in the crime. The couple, Satbir and Meghna, had kidnapped five-year-old Diya, daughter of an army officer from Ranjit Enclave on Monday. The accused later dumped the girl child bundled in a gunny bag near the house of the victim yesterday late evening.
— TNS
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Engg college gets new lab
Amritsar, February 26 Dr Harish Pungotra inaugurated the lab and delivered the keynote address on this occasion. Pungotra said the lab would be the centre of inter-branch robotics activities and would provide the necessary platform to explore the field in detail and develop ideas into working models.
— TNS
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