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Atta-Dal Scheme runs into rough weather
Pepsu Transport Corp stuck in loss lane
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Colleagues of ‘assaulted’ teacher seek police action
350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib
AAP workers raise ruckus
Work on Ropar IIT complex to begin in 3 months
Scorching heat no deterrent for devotees
Wrong to ignore PSGPC, says Sarna
Education Dept to launch web portal, toll-free service
Deceased Vidhu Jain’s family shifts to
Ludhiana
De-addiction centres to come up in Badal village, Bathinda
Govt to create land banks for new projects
Counselling cancelled, chaos prevails at Adesh University
MGnrega
scam
Dalits on dharna at DC office
Heat wave claims 2 lives in Jalandhar
'Toothless'
NRI wing
15 vehicles recovered,
one arrested
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Atta-Dal Scheme runs into rough weather
Gurdaspur, June 17 In Gurdaspur district alone, there are 1,37028 blue card holders awaiting the benefits of the scheme, under which wheat is to be given at Rs 1 per kg while dal is to be given at Rs 20 per kg. The maximum limit of 35 kg per person per month was fixed for wheat while the limit of Dal was pegged at 2.5 kg per household at Rs 20 per kg. Just before the General Election, Punjab was the first non-Congress state to implement the National Food Security Act after merging it with its own version of the Atta-Dal Scheme. However, the scheme has got bogged down in logistics due to various reasons. Officials were all set to distribute wheat and dal on a six-month basis for the lot pertaining to December (2013)-May (2014) when the Election Commission of India directed the state government to distribute the food stock on a monthly basis. This decision meant that the beneficiaries in Gurdaspur district got their quota for the month of April. However, these beneficiaries are yet to receive the rest of their five-month quota. Apart from the existing 1.37 lakh blue card holders in the district, the applications of another 20,474 Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, to whom blue cards have been given, were in the pipeline in this district. The Gurdaspur District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Joginder Singh Sidhu, said, “In Gurdaspur district, there are nine storage points and all have abundant stocks of wheat. We are awaiting instructions from the head office and the moment we get them, we will distribute ration to the beneficiaries. Our storage points are located at strategic locations, which will ensure speedy distribution of ration when we receive the green signal.” To compound matters, the 1,144 ration depot holders of this district are up in arms against the government. They claim that the transportation and labour charges incurred by them on bringing wheat stocks from storage points to their depots should be paid by the state government. “These depot holders had some problems when the stocks were distributed in April. However, the government is now ready to pay the transportation and labour charges,” said one of the officials in charge of executing the scheme in this district.
Change of rule Officials were all set to distribute the six-month stock of wheat and dal for December to May when the Election Commission of India directed the state government to distribute the food stock on a monthly basis. Following that, the beneficiaries in Gurdaspur district got their share only for the month of April.
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Pepsu Transport Corp stuck in loss lane
Patiala, June 17 While the PRTC owes Rs 28 crore as pension commutation, it is yet to deposit Rs 48 crore in the GPF trust, Rs 22 crore as gratuity, Rs 8 crore against pending leave encashment and over Rs 1 crore as medical bills. To top it all, the PRTC fleet is short of 92 buses. Against the approved limit of 1,075, it has only 983 buses in operation currently. Due to this shortage, the corporation is losing Rs 2.5 crore a month. The corporation did have a few monopoly routes that ensured it profit, but private transporters have been overlapping there too, and no action is being taken by the authorities concerned. The corporation recently approached the government for help for getting rid of the debt. The management also submitted a proposal suggesting steps that would enhance the PRTC income and also demanded financial aid. In a meeting with the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, the management urged the state government to complete PRTC’s fleet and to control all “illegal operations” in the state so that they could get more passengers. It also demanded action against vehicles ferrying passengers illegally on a daily basis, thus causing losses worth crores to the government as well as the PRTC. Patiala depot general manager Pardeep Sachdeva said the PRTC buses covered a distance of around 3 lakh km daily. With the 8 paise hike per km, the PRTC would generate an additional income of Rs 2.4 lakh per day (Rs 72 lakh a month and Rs 8.64 crore per year). This amount would help the PRTC balance its operational cost, which comes out to around Rs 50 lakh a month. However, the liability of the pensioners would continue to haunt the PRTC till the government helped it settle the pending bills of Rs 145 crore. PRTC Pensioners Association general secretary Hari Singh Chamak said the bus fare hike may not help much until there was a check on the recurrent hikes in diesel prices. “The government will have to control the diesel prices and take tough measures to ensure that daily revenue is increased. The months of March and June are peak months and the daily receipt two days ago was over Rs 93.5 lakh. Then there are days when the receipt is as low as Rs 60 lakh, which speaks volumes about the anomalies in the system,” he said.
Running short of 92 buses
A ‘fair’ hike for the transport body
Contempt cases up The PRTC has been facing around 100 cases of contempt of court for defaulting on the payment of mandatory dues to its employees. The inability to make timely payment of pensions to the retired staff even after strictures from the Punjab and Haryana High Court had led to the attachment of the salaries of all of its senior officers twice in four years: July 2010 and May 2014.
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Colleagues of ‘assaulted’ teacher seek police action
Abohar, June 17 Radha Rani had alleged that she was dragged from her house and thrashed by her father-in-law, his elder son and six other goons hired by them as her husband had refused to follow their diktat over allowing a passage to their farmhouse illegally last week. She was taken to the health centre by some locals and the Seetogunno
police were informed, but they “did not act”. The EGC union said such atrocities on women won’t be permitted. The police should act or be ready to face the stir, it said. SAD Women Wing president Nirmala Bishnoi condemned the incident and called upon the administration to ensure safety of women in the sub-division. The police said investigation was on and the allegations were yet to be wetted.
The case: Radha Rani alleged that she was dragged from her house and thrashed by her father-in-law, his elder son and six other goons hired by them as her husband had refused to follow their diktat over allowing a passage to their farmhouse
illegally last week
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350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib
Chandigarh, June 17 The SGPC has constituted a committee to celebrate the town's 350th anniversary. The town, that has a fort, is now a subdivisional headquarters where thousands of devotees and tourists gather for Hola Mohalla in March every year. EcoSikh, a non-government organisation, has appealed to the state government and the SGPC to work towards making this holy city eco-friendly. Dr Rajwant Singh, president of EcoSikh, said: “Anandpur Sahib should be declared a green city. The town's tranquil environment should be protected and preserved." Ranjodh Singh, state convener of EcoSikh, said: "Construction around sacred sites, such as Takht Sahib, should be restricted. The town's serene environment should not be tampered with. The Punjab Government should declare Anandpur Sahib a plastic-free town.” He said that in consonance with the trend worldwide, the state government should look at the possibility of promoting alternative systems of medicine in the area. EcoSikh is working with national and international organisations to use technology to make Nanded Sahib, which houses Takht Hazur Sahib, an eco-friendly town.
About Phase II of Virasat-e-Khalsa Chandigarh: The second phase of Virasat-e-Khalsa will be completed within a year. Work on the project has begun and the first installment of funds totalling Rs 17 crore has been released. Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister for Jails, Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Printing and Stationery, put the project cost at Rs 51 crore. He said the second phase would be completed as the yearlong celebrations in Anandpur Sahib come to a close in 2015. The government had demarcated five acres for Bhai Jaita Ji Memorial at Sri Anandpur Sahib, the minister said. "As soon as the concept for this memorial is ready, construction will be started without any loss of time," Thandal said. The town's significance
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AAP workers raise ruckus
Ludhiana, June 17 As party member-observers Manish Sisodia and Jarnail Singh were holing a meeting with state and district committees, several local AAP activists resorted to sloganeering. They were angry at not being allowed to meet Sisodia. Balbir Aggarwal, who claimed to be AAP’s district secretary, said, “We have been working for the party for the past year and a half and have played a key role in strengthening the party at the grassroots level. During the Lok Sabha elections, we worked hard to ensure the party’s victory in four of the nine Assembly segments of the Ludhiana constituency. And now, we are not being allowed to meet the team from Delhi.” Aggarwal claimed that during his visit to Delhi he was told to meet the party leaders when they visited Ludhiana. “Now we are not being heard here too,” he lamented. The protesting workers complained that the party was being restructured without taking into confidence the “grassroots workers”. Some of them threatened to quit the party. Manvir Singh Grewal, convener of AAP’s Ludhiana (rural) wing and his supporters said they were not informed about the meeting. “The party should be restructured on the advice of its core workers. Leaders who enjoy the confidence of the party cadres alone should be appointed on key posts,” he said. Senior leaders had to intervene to stop the party activists from raising slogans. Jarnail Singh said the activists had been asked to come for a meeting tomorrow. “We want to further expand at the grassroots level and connect to the masses. We are preparing the ground for the next Assembly elections,” he said. On AAP’s poor performance in other parts of the country, he claimed it could not be called poor as the party had just been formed. “We have 27 MLAs in Delhi and four MPs in Punjab. Surely, this cannot be a bad start for a party that is only a year old,” he contended. |
Work on Ropar IIT complex to begin in 3 months
Ropar, June 17 CPWD project manager Gopal Varshney said the first phase of the campus would be completed at a cost of Rs 387.79 crore within two years
after the commencement of the work. The institute, which has around 500 students enrolled with it, offers BTech (computer science and engineering),
BTech (electrical engineering) and BTech (mechanical engineering) at present. It also offers PhD courses in computer science and engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, humanities and social science. MTech courses will also be launched very soon, sources maintain. It was in 2008 that the new IIT, a first in the region, was established by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development. The classes for the academic session 2008-2009 were held at the IIT-Delhi before it started functioning from a temporary campus, which was earlier occupied by the Women's Polytechnic, Rupnagar, in August 2009. The foundation stone of the new campus was laid by then Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on February 24, 2009, at a site which is situated around 5 km away from the town. Though the master plan aims at accommodating 10,000 students, the academic block will be set up for 1,500 students in the first phase. A total of 215,739 sq m area of the campus comprising academic and administration blocks with accommodation
for staff and faculty, along with sports and hostel facilities, will be developed. In the first phase, an administration block, academic departments, a school of mechanical, material and energy engineering and three hostels for boys and girls having 790 single-room accommodations will be constructed on the campus with three-star GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment). Classrooms, a lecture hall, a student activity centre, 112 residential units, a mini hospital and a shopping complex will also be part of the first phase.
Giving a push to research
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Scorching heat no deterrent for devotees
Amritsar, June 17 The SGPC has made special arrangements to facilitate the pilgrims in view of harsh summers. A huge “shamiana” has been erected in front of the Darshani Deodhi as most of the times the queue of pilgrims goes up to Akal Takht. Besides, water cooling fans have been put up to provide succour to the devotees. A weather shield is already in place over the causeway leading to the Golden Temple. The pilgrims are, however, facing a tough time in getting accommodation in this peak season. A number of them can be seen lying either in the waiting area of the inns or the “parikarma” of the Golden Temple. Bachhitar Singh from Ambala said: “All sarais near the shrine are packed to capacity. Though there are a number of hotels around, we cannot afford it. We will now spend the night in the 'parikarma'.” Rajkumar from New Delhi said they had to stay put in “parikarma” with their children and elderly as they could not get accommodation in any sarai. There are many pilgrims who voluntarily opt to stay at “parikarma”. “We usually come as a part of a jatha from our village and prefer to spend night out in the open,” said Kirpal Kaur from Ropar. Though there are about 150 hotels around the Golden Temple, Walled City Hotel Association Chairman Satnam Singh Kanda said none of these witnessed full occupancy even in the peak season. “While the pilgrims from Punjab don’t prefer hotels as their stay is short, those on the way to Vaishno Devi don’t want to shell out money for hotel accommodation and wish to board the next available train,” he said. Kanda said most of the hotels were budget hotels where a non-AC room was available for Rs 400 and an AC room for Rs 800. He said instead of promoting the hotel industry, the state government had burdened it with 8 per cent luxury tax. The SGPC has eight sarais (inns) in the holy city. These are Shri Guru Ram Das Niwas, Shri Guru Nanak Niwas, Shri Guru Arjan Dev Niwas, Shri Guru Hargobind Niwas, Mata Ganga Ji Niwas, Baba Deep Singh Ji Niwas, Mata Bhag Kaur Ji Niwas and NRI Niwas. These inns have 650 rooms. Not many pilgrims prefer to stay at Baba Deep Singh Ji Niwas and Mata Bhag Kaur Ji Niwas as these were a little far from the Golden Temple. The SGPC is coming up with another inn at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Named Sargarhi Niwas, the inn will have 238 rooms, besides halls. The 10-storey building will have a capacity to accommodate 2,000 pilgrims.
Peak season woes
SGPC facilities
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Wrong to ignore PSGPC, says Sarna
Amritsar, June 17 Talking to mediapersons on his return from Pakistan here, Sarna said, “Unlike the SGPC, which manages gurdwaras in Punjab, the PSGPC along with the Evacuee Trust Property Board shoulders the responsibility of the upkeep of gurdwaras in entire Pakistan. Even though the number of Sikhs living in Pakistan is less, they should not be cold-shouldered while taking decisions on key Panthic issues.” Sarna said the Sikhs in Pakistan were dejected over the Nanakshahi calendar controversy, and they only recognised the original Nanakshahi Calendar.
— TNS |
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Education Dept to launch web portal, toll-free service
Mohali, June 17 Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Education Minister, chaired a high-level meeting of senior functionaries of the department here today. He said: “The portal and toll-free service aims to encourage public participation in the decision-making mechanism of the department. We will try to formulate policies on the suggestions of the people.” He said that instructions had been issued to launch the service within a month. Also, a review committee had been set up to ensure timely disposal of court cases and the welfare of the department employees. Dr Cheema emphasised the need for speedy implementation of scholarship schemes at the grassroots level. The minister asked the officials concerned to submit their reports in this regard every three months. Among the senior functionaries who attended the meeting were Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, Rahul Bhandari, Secretary, Gurdeep Singh, Special Secrtary, Dr Kamal Garg, DPI (Secondary Education), Darshan Kaur, DPI (Elementary Education) and all deputy directors, circle education officers and district education officers. |
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Deceased Vidhu Jain’s family shifts to
Ludhiana
Sangrur, June 17 He says the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing his son's death has yet to approach him or any other family member. Talking to The Tribune today, Navneet said they were residing in a rented accommodation in Ludhiana.
"Vidhu's last wish was that his killers be given exemplary punishment. Till this is done, we will not sit quiet. The interest on the money (Rs 25 lakh) given to us by the Punjab Government as compensation is being spent on the welfare of poor persons," said
Navneet. His elder brother Prem Jain said they too were thinking of shifting to Ludhiana. He pointed out that the CBI was yet to visit Malerkotla in search of Vidhu's killers more than five months the central agency was handed over the case. "But in the recent Badaun rape and murder case, the CBI reached the crime site the very next day," he said, adding that they felt let down by the law-enforcing agencies. The Deputy Superintendent of Police
(DSP), Malerkotla, William Jeji, said the police would provide security to Navneet and his family if they so demanded. "Arms licences have been issued to Navneet Jain and his nephew," he added.
Seeking justice Vidhu's relatives held a demonstration against the state government in Malerkotla on Tuesday. Prem Jain said the family had no faith in the state government as it had failed to identify and nab Vidhu's killers. He said the Chief Minister had announced that Vidhu would be accorded the status of a martyr but this had not been done so far. The protesters were led by Vidhu's paternal uncles Prem and Vinod, cousins Amit, Sachin, Pyush and Ishu and aunts Kiran and
Ranjana. |
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De-addiction centres to come up in Badal village, Bathinda
Faridkot, June 17 The state government has also decided to hand over the supervision of a 25-bed de-addiction centre in Bathinda to the university. Though Bathinda already has two de-addiction centres, these are in a deplorable condition. For the Bathinda centre, the state government will pay the medical university
Rs 1.90 crore annually. It has already sanctioned a grant of Rs 96.96 lakh, university sources said. The government plans to establish an ultra-modern superspecialty de-addiction centre in Bathinda on the pattern of the Faridkot centre. Work on this 50-bed centre will start soon, said Dr Satish Thapar, head of the university’s psychiatry department. He said with the help of senior psychiatrists Dr Ajit Avasthi and Dr Debasish Basu from the PGI, Chandigarh, the university had started work on these new de-addiction centres. He said the latest techniques would be used for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the patients. Sources said after the SAD’s poor showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the state government was keen on an effective de-addiction initiative in Bathinda. The Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency is represented by Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The Lambi segment, which is represented by the CM, is a part of the Bathinda constituency. Reliable sources said since the construction of the super-specialty de-addiction centre in Faridkot was almost complete, the government had handed over the supervision of the Bathinda and Badal village centres to the university. A de-addiction centre that was set up in Bathinda in 2002 (a joint venture of the Civil Hospital and the Red Cross) gets financial aid from Guru Gobind Singh Refinery. Succour for addicts
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Govt to create land banks for new projects
Chandigarh, June 17 Reviewing the status of new projects and functioning of the Punjab Investment Promotion Board, the Deputy Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to create a land bank near Dera Bassi with four or six-lane roads and other amenities. He said Punjab would create adequate land banks across the state to facilitate investors. Sukhbir told the meeting that the government was contemplating setting up regional offices to promote investment. He said the government planned to set up such offices in key cities such as Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Bathinda. He said prior to hosting the second investment promotion summit, there would be a feedback session to learn about the problems being faced by the investors. He said the next summit would showcase the achievements of Punjab’s “investment vision”. Later presiding over a meeting of senior officials of the Excise and Taxation and Finance Departments here, Sukhbir instructed the Excise Commissioner to take a feedback on the apprehensions of traders before framing a policy to simplify tax collection. Taking up the issue of rationalising the licence fee for marriage palaces, the Deputy Chief Minister told the officials to make a list of all marriage palaces, legal or illegal, in the state. He said besides a mapping exercise by July 1, the Excise Department should create a data on top 50 marriage palaces in the state. |
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Counselling cancelled, chaos prevails at Adesh University
Bathinda, June 17 The university was barred from holding separate counselling to fill MBBS seats after a high-level meeting was convened yesterday to look into the allegations that the university was charging around Rs 40 lakh for the five-year course from every student. Although the news about the cancellation of counselling had been circulating, varsity officials feigned ignorance about it and went ahead with announcing the merit list and even put it up on the notice board. It was only after a letter notifying the government decision was delivered to university officials that they made an announcement about the cancellation of counselling. Parents of students accused the varsity management of keeping them in the dark and jeopardising the future of their children. Usha Rani, who had come from Patiala to get her son Harjot Singh admitted to the university, said since they didn't know about the cancellation of counselling, Harjot ended up wasting crucial time that he could have utilised to prepare for the veterinary sciences examination scheduled to be held
on Thursday. Pathankot residents Anjana Rani and her daughter Aanchal also rued the wastage of time and money. Harvir Singh, who accompanied his cousin from Ludhiana, said they had brought with them a demand draft for Rs 6.6 lakh as per instructions from the university authorities for payment of fee for the first year.
VC’s stand It has been notified by the Punjab Government that all autonomous and private colleges can decide their fee structure and admission process. We will challenge the order of the state government in the HC. Dr HS Gill, university VC The fee controversy The university has 150 MBBS seats. Claiming to admit students on merit, the university charges Rs 6.6 lakh as tuition fee, which is almost equal to the fee for a management quota seat. This goes against the government directive to all medical colleges to fill at least half the seats on merit and charge Rs 2.2 lakh as fee for the first year. The government had also directed that the fee would be subject to an increase of 10 per cent every year. At this rate, every students studying at Adesh University would have to shell out around Rs 40 lakh for the five-year course. |
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MGnrega
scam
Patiala, June 17 Two FIRs were registered at Samana and Patran against these officials on June 15. They are accused of bypassing village panchayats and the technical wing of the Rural Development Department for purchasing bricks, which were never delivered. Meanwhile, Patiala ADC (Development) Rajesh Tripathi has ordered a survey of all villages to tally the material received with the bills raised. Tripathi said it was his duty to ensure that payments had been made only against genuine purchases. After the two officials were booked by the police, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Sikander Singh Maluka had suspended both of them and announced a probe into the scam. The probe team is also examining the possible role of other officers in
the scam. |
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Dalits on dharna at DC office
Sangrur, June 17 They virtually gheraoed the office of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) by staging the dharna in front of the main gate of the office. They have been demanding panchayat land, reserved for SCs in Balad Kalan village, at low rate during auction by officials of the Department of Rural Development and
Panchayat. Mukesh Malaud, a leader of the Sangharsh committee, said the administration did not want to give the panchayat land, reserved for SCs in Balad Kalan village, at low rate to the
Dalits. They would intensify their agitation if that was not done, he said. |
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Heat wave claims 2 lives in Jalandhar
Jalandhar, June 17 The victim was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Aged around 35 years, the victim’s body has been kept at the mortuary of the Civil Hospital for identification. The other person who died was identified as Amrit Lal (45) of Fatehgarh Sahib. The police said the victim was heading to Beas (from Fatehgarh Sahib) in a train. His health started deteriorating near Suranasi railway station and he suddenly fell off the train. He was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
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'Toothless'
NRI wing
Chandigarh, June 17 In a communication to Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, advocate Ashok Sharma Nabhewala has asserted that most of the NRIs he interacted with during his visit to the US were sore over non-redressal of their grievances. They were dissatisfied with the complaint redressal mechanism and were of the view that the NRI wing of the Punjab Police was not serious in handling their cases. The wing usually tried to put off the issues and sidetrack the matters. “Due to political pressure, the matters are not resolved as per law and as such issues remain pending for long without tangible reasons,” he alleged. Nabhewala claimed most NRIs complained that the wing had miserably failed to redress their grievances pertaining to matrimonial quarrels, land disputes and “false” cases registered against them. The procedure adopted by the NRI cell was long and dilly-dallying tactics were adopted by investigating officers. |
15 vehicles recovered,
one arrested
Fazilka, June 17 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Fazilka, Swapan Sharma said on a tip-off, a police team intercepted two persons on a motorcycle near Gobindgarh village and nabbed Parmjit Singh of Chack Mannewala village on June 14. Parmjit’s companion Surjit Singh managed to flee. During the interrogation, Parmjit reportedly confessed that they were going to Malout to sell the stolen motorcycle. The police have recovered 13 more motorcycles and a scooter hidden by the accused at different places in Fazilka district. The SSP said the accused had stolen the vehicles from Dabwali, Bathinda and Moga districts. He said Parmjit had already been booked in eight criminal cases in different police stations of Fazilka district. A hunt is on to nab Surjit. In another case, the police seized 2 kg of opium from Vicky alias Sawan. He was nabbed near Kandhwala village. He has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
— OC |
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