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With heroin supply snapped, drug addicts take to cheaper substitutes
Quacks make most of police’s anti-drug drive
No additional labs, HC censures state
Furore over CM’s remark on corrupt bureaucrats
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No rain: Maize, vegetable crops dying in kandi & bet areas
An almost dry paddy field along the Jalandhar-Nurmahal road. Tribune Photo: Malkiat Singh
Sukhbir to lead delegation to President
Shortcomings in party cost us LS seats: Jakhar
Langah, Kahlon aides on top ZP positions
Illegal colonies: 83,000 applicants await NOCs
Millions visit Virasat-e-Khalsa in 2 yrs
Officials return 'bribe' after MP's intervention
Grievance portal of little help
Fatehgarh Sahib residents protest erratic power supply
Accident victim’s kin want docs booked for negligence
Abohar residents vow to preserve Bhatner Fort
Social activists light candles at Bhatner Fort in Hanumangarh on Saturday.
A tribune photograph
Eight IAS officers transferred
Probe ordered into ‘corruption’
Sangrur synthetic track nears completion
2 kg of opium seized in Abohar; 2 held
Gang of vehicle thieves busted; two held
Two persons killed in road accidents
Youth held for blackmail
Man shoots brother over water-sharing
Doctor’s car injures eight, case filed
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With heroin supply snapped, drug addicts take to cheaper substitutes
Amritsar, July 13 As heroin originating from Pakistan and Afghanistan comes costly (its sells around Rs 5 crore in the international market), the addicts have taken to cheaper substitutes for a high. The most popular among them are ‘dode’ (poppy husk or powder), opium and chemical-based intoxicants. ‘Dode’ is a derivative of highly addictive opium that is commonly used in Punjab. It tends to produce an initial high, then a calm but wakeful feeling that lasts several hours.
Dr Jagdeep Pal Singh Bhatia, who runs a de-addiction centre in Amritsar, said even children between the age group of 11 to 16 years had been hooked on to ‘dode’ or ‘khas khas’ (dried poppy husk). “Due to its high price and non-availability, the consumption of pure form of heroin or smack is quite less. But, there has been an increase in the number of patients who consume cheaper substitutes. A daily doze of heroin costs Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 whereas poppy husk of almost the same potency can be fetched just for Rs 200 to Rs 400. My patients who consume poppy husk and opium generally belong to rural areas. They mostly comprise agriculturists, labourers and youths in their twenties,” he said. Ishwar Chander, Inspector General of Police, Amritsar, said the supply chain of drugs like heroin, smack and ice had been broken to a larger extent in Punjab. “The problem of drug abuse here is mainly because of poppy husk and chemical drugs like capsules and tablets. The younger generation is hooked on to synthetic substitutes like lomotil, painkillers and morphines,” he said. Chander said meetings were being held with chemists, doctors and rural medical practitioners to wean the youth from drugs. Over the past fortnight, more than 80,000 addicts had been treated as OPD patients and over 1,200 as indoor patients in various state hospitals, community health centres and de-addiction centres. Of them, over 10,000 were brought or referred for treatment by the police. Chander said 100.9 kg of heroin was seized in 2011, 278.46 kg in 2012, 416.6 kg in 2013 and 369 kg to date this year. Over the last six months, the police claim to have confiscated 66,020 kg of poppy husk. Till June 30, the police had recovered 17 lakh pills or capsules, as per official records. The seizure of capsules rose from 61 lakh in 2011 to over 3 crore in 2013.
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Quacks make most of police’s anti-drug drive
Gurdaspur, July 13 On one hand while they are finding it difficult to get themselves admitted to rehabilitation centres, which are few, on the other they have now been trapped by quacks. These unqualified doctors are having a field day and are putting addicts on an assortment of steroids. The withdrawal effects of addicts vanish as soon as they get a dose of steroids but little do these youths know that addiction to these steroids is more dangerous than getting hooked on to conventional drugs. Romesh Mahajan, project director of the Red Cross De-addiction Centre, which is overflowing with addicts in the aftermath of the police drive, said recently his centre had treated 53 women addicts. “They were addicted to conventional drugs. However, when they failed to procure their daily dose of dope, they turned to quacks. They were given morphine injections to counter the withdrawal symptoms. Days later, their condition worsened following which they came to our centre for detoxification. All of them have been discharged now after being given proper treatment,” he said. Mahajan said quacks were ruling the roost following the anti-drug drive because rehabilitation centres were inadequate to handle the problem. “The withdrawal symptoms are so intense that the body develops many complications,” he said. The district health authorities have unofficially pegged the number of such “doctors” operating in the district at 3,000. Sample this: a migrant labourer from Bihar working in the fields of a rich landlord got hooked on to drugs. The police launched a crackdown and his daily dose of poppy husk dwindled to a bare minimum before it finally came to a naught. He failed to get treatment from a de-addiction centre following which he consulted a Dhariwal-based quack in an attempt to put an end to his body spasms and agony. He was put on methyl prednisolone steroids and after a few days, he started vomiting profusely. He developed an assortment of problems and now he has been rendered a mere skeleton, barely able to move. The migrant is not alone but is in the company of hundreds of addicts who find succour in the “steroid syndrome” offered by quacks at a hefty price. A senior doctor said, “People, particularly addicts, are being taken for a ride by these quacks because of the archaic Indian Medical Degree Act of 1916, which still goes by fines it imposed almost 98 years ago. This means a penalty of just Rs 250 for flaunting a fake medical degree. Moreover, the Punjab Government does not have an anti-quackery cell.” Taking addicts for ride * There are nearly 3,000 quacks operating in Gurdaspur district * Quacks prescribe morphine injections or an assortment of steroids to addicts * Though withdrawal symptoms vanish with these steroids, these chemicals are more dangerous than conventional drugs 2 kg of opium seized Abohar: A counter-intelligence wing team assisted by the police today seized 2 kg of opium from two motorcyclists, Om Parkash and Ramji Lal of village Dharangwala, at Gobindgarh terminal, 6 km from here. The accused had purchased the opium from Nagaur in Rajasthan for Rs 50,000 a kg. — OC
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No additional labs, HC censures state
Chandigarh, July 13 The admonition came in a “court of its own motion case”. After taking suo motu cognisance of the delay, the High Court had directed that the matter should be treated as public interest litigation. As the issue came up for resumed hearing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Ajay Tewari asserted: “Such an action ought to have been taken by the state government itself, rather than through public interest litigation (court on its own motion)”. The Bench added: “We may note that there is no dispute about the need of these laboratories so as to have the reports within time”. The assertion came after the state of Punjab affirmed that four new laboratories were supposed to be established. On a court query, an Additional Advocate-General representing the state of Punjab told the court that the assessment for four new laboratories was based on “facts and figures”. The Bench was also told that financial concurrence had been obtained for establishment of two new laboratories by creation of 22 posts out of the total four. The High Court was earlier told that “thousands of samples of the NDPS cases were pending analysis and reason for delay in analysing, preparing and sending analysis reports was non-availability of latest and modern equipment for analysis”. The Punjab Government had also admitted before the High Court that samples of seized contraband could be tampered with. The starling revelation was made by Principal Secretary, Department of Health, Vini Mahajan, during the hearing of the “court on its own motion” case on drug menace. Appearing before Justice Paramjeet Singh, Mahajan had admitted there was a problem with maintenance of secrecy of samples. These were forwarded by the police authorities after mentioning the FIR number and detailed particulars of the case. The samples were retained in the State Chemical Laboratory as such.
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Furore over CM’s remark on corrupt bureaucrats
Chandigarh, July 13 The bureaucrats are worried that with the Chief Minister venting his ire against them at a public function, things are going to be difficult for them, at least for the time being. Most of thems, including those present at the NABARD function, said the CM's comment made it evident that they were under the scanner. "It could mean more raids to check if officers are attending office and more control over them. Whenever politicians lose elections, they start blaming the bureaucracy," said a senior officer. Congress MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, criticising Badal, said: "It's strange that the Chief Secretary, who was present at the function where the CM made the remark regarding bureaucrats being corrupt, chose to keep mum and not defend his team of officers. Badal's admission shows he has lost control over the bureaucracy and is unable to check corruption. Either he should resign for failure to exercise administrative control or book the corrupt bureaucrats." The Punjab IAS Officers Association expressed its unwillingness to react to the CM's remark. The association is in the process of electing a new president. Its outgoing president, Sarvesh Kaushal, had resigned when he took over as Chief Secretary, Punjab. Former Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira dared Badal to either name the corrupt bureaucrats and take action against them or quit. "The startling disclosure by the CM needs to be probed," he said, adding that Badal should draw up a roadmap for dealing with corruption. The Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh, asked Badal to set his own house in order rather than finding fault with the bureaucracy. "Such a remark from a five-time CM is rather strange. He ought to have learnt the art of working with bureaucrats by now. Bureaucracy is a part and parcel of any government. When you blame the bureaucracy, you are at fault too," he said, adding that Badal had now realised that the people of Punjab were angry with him and his government.
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No rain: Maize, vegetable crops dying in kandi & bet areas
Hoshiarpur, July 13 With rain eluding the region and power supply getting scarce, the farmers are helpless in saving their dying crops. The maize crop in kandi and bet areas is on the verge of ruin. Similar is the condition of vegetable crops, including arbi, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, pumpkin and ridge gourd. The farmers say if it does not rain in a couple of days, they will have to incur heavy losses. Besides, there will be a scarcity of vegetables in the market leading to a further price rise. Raj Paul Pabla, a progressive farmer of Khanaura village, says the failure of the government to supply enough electricity to the farm sector amid scarce rains will hurt their economic condition. He says: "Those who had sown maize early have harvested the crop, but those who sowed it late are suffering. Vine vegetables are the worst affected as almost 50 per cent of the crop has dried up." Gurmit Singh, sarpanch, Baghpur village, is also worried over his drying crops. He says, "Power supply is inadequate and the rain is nowhere in sight. The government should have made adequate arrangements in view of the prediction of a weak monsoon. We are in for tough times ahead." Kulbir Singh Deol, Chief Agricultural Officer, said though vegetable growers were suffering, the situation was not too grim yet. "In lower areas there are enough sources of irrigation, but in kandi and bet areas crops are dependent on rains," he said, adding that the situation would be grim if it did not rain for another eight to 10 days. But since the monsoon was approaching, things would be all right, he added.
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HSGPC row
Chandigarh, July 13 In a statement, Sukhbir said the delegation would demand that none be allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of the Sikhs. He alleged that the Hooda Government wanted to hand over the religious places of the Sikhs in Haryana to its “agents” by passing a Bill in this regard. “Everyone knows that the Haryana Assembly does not have the power to implement the Act, unless it is approved by the Union Government and the President,” Sukhbir said. He said that Sikhs across the world would come together on this issue and ensure the defeat of the Hooda government in the coming Assembly elections.
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Shortcomings in party cost us LS seats: Jakhar
Ludhiana, July 13 There were some "inadequacies and shortcomings" within the party that prevented it from cashing in on the anti-incumbency against the SAD-BJP government in the state, he said, adding that it rather went in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party. He said they were trying to mend the problem areas. Claiming that the state Congress was united, Jakhar said the party had learnt its lesson the hard way. "Now our only concern is to strengthen the party," he said. Replying to a query on "differences" between senior Congress leaders in the state, he said their style of functioning might be different, but the party was united as far as the people of Punjab were concerned. 'Will raise power issue' The CLP leader, who met industry representatives in Ludhiana today, said the party would take up industry-related issues in the Budget Session. "I'm surprised how industry is sustaining in Punjab. Inspector Raj continues to hound them while the power situation is dismal," he said. He flayed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal for "befooling" people with surplus power claims. Alleging that "all is not well" with the process of allocation of non-conventional energy projects in the state, he said non-conventional sources of power should be tapped to ease the power situation. "Uninterrupted supply of power to industrial and domestic sectors at affordable price is imperative," he said. Jakhar said the Congress would also raise issues pertaining to the drug menace, sand mafia, property tax, unemployment and social welfare schemes during the Budget Session.
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Langah, Kahlon aides on top ZP positions
Gurdaspur, July 13 Amrik Singh Bhandal, a Langah loyalist, and Santokh Singh Randhawa, a Kahlon confidant, were appointed chairman and vice-chairman amid protest by BJP activists who argued that as had been the tradition, the post of vice-chairman should have gone to the saffron party. The protesters raised slogans against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for his “partisan role." Among them were district BJP president Ramesh Sharma, former president Rakesh Jyoti, former vice-Chairman of the Punjab Forest Corporation Rajinder Bitta and BD Dhuppar, halqa in charge of the Dinanagar Vidhan Sabha seat. A prominent BJP leader, Neelam Mahant, who is chairperson of the District Planning Board, remained inside her office, adjacent to the office of the ADC (Development), where deliberations were on. Minutes later, Bhandal and Randhawa were elected unopposed. Mahant, whose security was withdrawn, said: “I did not take part in the protest. I have no clue why my security has been withdrawn. I have informed state BJP president Kamal Sharma about it," Mahant said. With Langah and Kahlon loyalists on key posts, Akali leaders SS Sekhwan and Chief Parliamentary Secretary GS Babbehali have been marginalised. Sekhwan had four members in the zila parishad.. All of them boycotted the proceedings. Sources claim that Langah’s son Sonu proposed Bhandal's name while Kahlon’s son Ravi Karan manoeuvred the situation in Randhawa's favour. Both Langah and Kahlon had six members each in the 23-member House. As the post of chairman is reserved for SCs, Langah got his man appointed to the post as one member of his group belonged to the SC community.
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Illegal colonies: 83,000 applicants await NOCs
Jalandhar, July 13 At least 1,07,752 applications for regularising properties were pending with PUDA. Of these, 77,690 have been cleared and an NOC issued to them. As many as 30,062 applications are yet to be processed. The authority has already collected close to Rs 500 crore from across the state on this account, Secretary A Venu Prasad said. No coloniser, however, has been issued an NOC yet. The Secretary has issued directions to the Chief Administrator, PUDA, MC commissioners, executive officers and the Deputy Director, Local Bodies, asking them to clear the backlog by July 18. For those who have made only part-payment, he has instructed that notices be issued, asking them to make full payment in 15 days. The Local Bodies Department had received 1.28 lakh applications of which 75,000 have been issued NOCs. Having failed to meet the March 31 deadline, several NRIs are in a fix.
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Millions visit Virasat-e-Khalsa in 2 yrs
Anandpur Sahib, July 13 The income of nearby Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib has registered an annual increase of Rs 15 crore since the opening of the museum, while shopkeepers and banks in the town have seen a boom in their business. Rents of the shops in the area have increased manifold during the past couple of years and the annual business of banks has crossed over Rs 500-crore mark. The result: Banks such as HDFC, AXIS Bank, UCO Bank and Allahabad Bank have opened their branches here over past couple of years. Anandpur Sahib Vyapar Mandal president Inderjit Singh Arora said there was no big industry in the area and the major source of income for the local residents was from shops. During the past two years, the shopkeepers have witnessed a sudden boom in their business. The annual rent of the land auctioned by the SGPC to set up vends near Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib has increased to Rs 3.5 crore from Rs 75 lakh over the past three years, he said. The Virasat-e-Khalsa, a museum of Punjab culture and history of Sikhism, was opened on November 27, 2011. It stands at the site that is the birthplace of the Khalsa Panth. It was here in 1699, on the day of Baisakhi, that Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth and baptised the "'Panj Piaras". Till now, over 46 lakh persons, comprising around 20 per cent NRIs and foreigners, have visited the Virasat-e-Khalsa. Dr Karamjit Singh Sra, chief executive officer, Anandpur Sahib Foundation, said the museum was built considering that 4,000 persons would visit it everyday and the staff was employed accordingly. However, the number remained nearly its double. On many occasions, around 25,000 visitors reached here on a single day, he said. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and ambassadors of many countries have visited it so far. Prince Charles with his wife Camilla Parker came here during its construction in 2006. This was perhaps the only museum in the world that displayed religious exhibits without asking the visitors to follow any religious norms while entering and that might be one of the reasons behind such a big footfall, Sra said. It was also an attraction for students of architecture and civil engineering. A 72-minute round of the museum told a whole lot of things about Sikh history to the visitors, he added. The work on the second part of the museum was going on smoothly and four of the 17 galleries of that part would be opened for the visitors very soon. The first phase displayed Sikh history till the installation of Guru Granth Sahib. The second phase would acquaint visitors about Sikh history from the installation of Guru Granth Sahib to the present day, he added. The museum
Economy booster
Vital Info
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Officials return 'bribe' after MP's intervention
Sangrur, July 13 According to a press note issued by the office of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann, the sales tax officials had taken Rs 20,000 from Labh Singh, Kuldip Singh and Jang Singh, residents of Jhaner village, near Malerkotla. These farmers were bringing "khal" (oil cake) for their animals in a vehicle from Hisar (Haryana) when they were stopped at the barrier and forced to pay Rs 20,000. They were told they would have to face action, if they did not pay the amount. Later, the farmers brought the matter to the notice of Bhagwant Mann, who took up the matter with excise and taxation authorities. After that, the sales tax officials reportedly "returned" the money to the farmers. Mann said if any officer or employee demanded bribe from anyone, he or she should approach his office at Sangrur. He said no corrupt employee would be spared. However, Jaspinder Singh, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mobile Wing, Patiala, said no such matter had come to his knowledge so far. He would inquire about it from his staff, he said. The turnaround
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Grievance portal of little help
Mohali, July 13 The portal was launched by then Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh in May last year on the directions of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The government had termed it as a significant step towards ensuring an efficient and effective public delivery system. Nikhil Saraf, president, Mohali Industries and Commerce Association, said: “Complaints regarding lacking of basic facilities at the local industrial area were registered on the portal last month. These were referred to the authorities concerned, but there has been no response so far despite reminders.” The portal was launched to keep public updated on the status of their complaints, but this was not being done, Saraf added.
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Fatehgarh Sahib residents protest erratic power supply
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 13
MLA Kuljeet Singh Nagra said the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister had been claiming that the state had become power-surplus, but the people continued to reel under power cuts. They were having sleepless nights due to repeated The SDM, Fatehgarh Sahib, tried to pacify the protesters. People told the SDM that power was supplied only for a few hours during the night. Undeclared power cuts had made their lives miserable as it also affected the water supply, they said. The SDM called the XEN, PSPCL, and asked him to explain the position to the people. PSPCL spokesman told The Tribune that the state was facing acute shortage of power as the demand had gone up to 2,350 lakh units daily, whereas only 22 lakh units of power was actually available. So the power supply to the agriculture sector had been reduced from eight to six hours, while power cuts had been imposed in urban areas. Summer torture
Power-less Phagwara
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Accident victim’s kin want docs booked for negligence
Faridkot, July 13 Jaspal Singh met with an accident on July 10. The victim was first rushed to Zira Civil Hospital, where the doctors referred him to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College. Jaspal Singh's cousin Roop Pal Singh alleged the doctors at the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College did not attend the victim for three hours, following which he succumbed to his injuries. Thereafter, the family had placed Jaspal Singh's body outside the city police station and demanded action against the doctors. "We ended our protest that day, when the police assured us of booking the erring doctors, but no action has been taken yet," said Roop Pal Singh. He said they had kept Jaspal's body at a mortuary and that they would not cremate it until the police took some action. Jaspal is survived by his wife, three children, and parents. Jas Varinder Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Faridkot, said the police had begun investigating the case and recorded a DDR. He said they were waiting for the medical college authorities to submit their report. JP Singh, Superintendent of the medical college, said the doctors in the hospital provided all necessary treatment and help to Jaspal Singh once he was taken to the hospital on July 10. "However, a panel of doctors is probing the allegations," he said. Roop Pal Singh said they would hold a protest soon if no action was taken in the case.
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Abohar residents vow to preserve Bhatner Fort
Abohar, July 13 The Bhatner Fort, one of the oldest forts in the country, is situated in the middle of Hanumangarh town, 65 km from here in Rajasthan. The fort is mentioned in "Aaine-Akbari", an authentic book of Mughal king Akbar's time. Hanumangarh, previously known as Bhatner, was carved out of Sriganganagar district and formally created on July 12, 1994 as the 31st district of Rajasthan. Social activists, including Prof Suman Chawla, Monica Swar and Manjula Garg, said the foundation of the fort was laid in 286 AD. The fort was built by Abhay Rao Bhatti, also known as the architect of Abha Nagari, presently known as Abohar. Colonel (retd) Rajinder Prasad said, "The fourth ruler of Bikaner, Maharaj Jait Singh, captured the fort in 1527." They said the Mughals and the Bikaner rulers fought several times to capture the fort. In 1805, the Bhatti Rajputs held possession of the fort for an elongated period of time. Turko-Mongol ruler Timur the Lame in his autobiography Tuzuk-i-Timuri had mentioned Bhatner Fort. The activists said that during the rule of Maharaja Ganga Singh, the Bhatner Fort was repaired. After Independence, it was declared a protected monument. The NGOs said the state and central governments should free the fort from encroachments and renovate the ancient monument. Rich heritage
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Eight IAS officers transferred
Chandigarh, July 13 Mohinder Pal Arora has been transferred as Special Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department. Supreet Singh Gulati becomes Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Ludhiana. Isha, who is Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Mansa, has been given the charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Mansa. Sumeet Jarangal is Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Bathinda, and Ghanshyam Thori becomes Additional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana.
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Probe ordered into ‘corruption’
Chandigarh, July 13 In a press release, Milkfed managing director Alaknanda Dayal said that keeping in view various issues raised, Milkfed had ordered the inquiry committee comprising the Chief Vigilance Officer of Milkfed and heads of Finance, Procurement and Marketing sections to inquire into all aspects of the issue and submit a report within a month. Bains had alleged that synthetic milk was bought by Ludhiana milk plant by flouting rules and had also produced audit reports showing the anomalies. He alleged that there was a lot of under-reporting of milk sold from Ludhiana milk plant, and that money meant for up-gradation of machinery at Jalandhar milk plant was siphoned off. Independent MLA from Atamnagar (Ludhiana) Simarjit Singh Bains on Thursday accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of ignoring corruption in the Cooperatives Department. Bringing to light "irregularities" in the functioning of Milkfed, the MLA alleged synthetic milk was being supplied to the milk plant at Ludhiana.
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Sangrur synthetic track nears completion
Sangrur, July 13 Built at a cost of Rs 6.87 crore, the project is the brainchild of former Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla, who contributed Rs 1.37 crore from his MPLAD fund. The remaining amount of Rs 5.5 crore was provided by the Union Government under its Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme. The foundation stone was laid by then Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on December 3, 2013. Though the entire 400-metre-long track has been laid, the lines are yet to be painted. These would be painted by a two-member specialist team from either England or Malaysia, which will arrive in around 10 days, it has been learnt. The track was laid by a team from Dubai in a mere 22 days by using glue and rubber. The team laid two layers with glue and black rubber while the upper layer was laid with red rubber and glue to make the track 15 millimetres thick. A drainage system with holes in the middle of the track has also been prepared to drain out water.
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2 kg of opium seized in Abohar; 2 held
Abohar, July 13 Preliminary investigations suggested that the accused had purchased the opium from Nagaur in Rajasthan for Rs 50,000 a kg and were to sell it at double the amount in Abohar, Malout and Muktsar areas. Counter-intelligence AIG Ajay Maluja said over the past six months, they had seized 50 kg heroin, 157 kg opium, 16 kg charas, 880 gm smack, Rs 4 lakh drug money, Rs 5.62 lakh fake currency, eight pistols, six magazines, 91 live cartridges, six Pakistan SIM cards, three mobile phones, 67 vehicles and nabbed 173 inter-state and international smugglers. In other incidents, the police seized 23 kg poppy husk and arrested Kabul Singh of Ferozepur even as two of his accomplices escaped.
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Gang of vehicle thieves busted; two held
Batala, July 13 Bikram Pal Singh Bhatti, Senior Superintendent of Police, on a tip-off, a police team arrested Kuldeep Singh of Barriar and recovered a stolen Bolaro jeep from him. The accused alleged Jugraj Singh Khalsa of Mangey Sarai village in Amritsar, who is chief of Nishan-e-Khalsa, was their kingpin. The Senior Superintendent of Police said: “We have arrested Jugraj and recovered four SUVs from him. The gang used to steal vehicles from Punjab and adjoining states and sold these using with fake registration copies.” He said two more members of the gang, Satnam Singh of Sahari village and Harpinder Singh of Harpura village, were at large. Police teams had been formed to nab them, he added.
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Two persons killed in road accidents
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 13 Mandi Gobindgarh police station No 2 in charge ASI Kuldeep Singh said the driver of a truck was found unconscious in his vehicle parked near Satsang Bhavan. The police took him to the local Civil Hospital where the doctors declared him "brought dead". The body was handed over to the family members after a post-mortem. The cause of death is not yet known. Motorcyclist Liaqat Ali was killed when his vehicle was hit by a mini truck (PB 10CV 4674) near Bhatmajra village on the GT road last evening. The police said Ali was on his way to Sirhind from Rajpura. He was killed on the spot. The driver of the mini truck managed to flee from the spot leaving his vehicle behind. Two separate cases have been registered.
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Youth held for blackmail
Hoshiarpur, July 13 The victim had complained to the police that she had an affair with a youth of her village over three years ago. She alleged the accused tried to pressure her to meet him after she broke up with her. She said the accused threatened to upload obscene photographs of her on the internet and also molested her.
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Man shoots brother over water-sharing
Tarn Taran, July 13 After the two had a disagreement over sharing a tube well yesterday afternoon, the armed assailants broke into the house of Harbhajan Singh and shot him. Harbhajan Singh died on the spot, while his daughter-in-law Harmeet Kaur (30) got seriously injured. Harmeet, who was admitted to the local Civil Hospital, has been referred to Guru Nanak Hospital,
Amritsar.
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Doctor’s car injures eight, case filed
Hoshiarpur, July 13 Kulvir said she was on her way to the market when she was hit by the car. Kamaljit Singh, who was standing at a shop, was injured too. The others injured were Paramjit Kumar and Kamaljit of Banga town, Parkash of Bhagtupur village, Amandeep of Binjho village, Gurmel Singh of Nadalon village, Resham Lal of Kot Fatuhi village and Mehar Chand of Bharta village. Amandeep was shifted to the PGIMR after his condition deteriorated. The doctor fled, abandoning the car at the accident site. Kuldeep Singh, SHO, said a case under Sections 279, 337, 338 and 427 of the IPC had been registered against the doctor.
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The kandi and bet areas are the worst sufferers of a weak monsoon this year as most of the area under cultivation here has no alternative source of irrigation.
With rain eluding the region and power supply getting scarce, the farmers are helpless in saving their dying crops.
With around five million persons visiting it within two-and-a-half year of its opening, the Virasat-e-Khalsa has not only become one of the most popular museums in world, it has also boosted the economy of Anandpur Sahib town.
The income of nearby Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib has registered an annual increase of Rs 15 crore since the opening of the museum, while shopkeepers and banks in the town have seen a boom in their business.
Sirhind residents held a protest against erratic power and water supply here today. Similar reports were also received from Bassi
Pathana, Talania, Duffehra, Hamayunpur and Mandi Gobindgarh areas in the district. People raised slogans against the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited
(PSPCL) and the state government.
Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital here finds itself in the thick of a controversy. The family of Jaspal Singh (40), who died in an accident on July 10, has been demanding that a criminal case be registered against the doctors at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital. They have refused to cremate the body until the police take necessary action.
As part of Hanumangarh district's founder day celebrations, NGOs took a pledge to preserve the Bhatner Fort and lit candles at the fort last night.
The ceremony was jointly organised by Lions Club, Teachers Association, Innerwheel Club, Social Welfare Society, Jago
Nari, Yuva Sindhi Sangh and Youth Welfare Society.
The work at the multi-crore international-level synthetic athletic track at War Heroes Stadium here is almost complete and only some finishing touches are to be given.
Built at a cost of Rs 6.87 crore, the project is the brainchild of former Sangrur MP Vijay Inder
Singla, who contributed Rs 1.37 crore from his MPLAD fund. The remaining amount of Rs 5.5 crore was provided by the Union Government under its Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme.
