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controversy over separate haryana gurdwara management panel
Cong seeks discussion in LS on communal discord
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Haryana gurdwara Act challenged
Ask Badal not to disturb peace, Ashwani urges PM
AAP will form govt in Punjab: Kejriwal
HC questions timing of Punjab initiative on de-addiction centres
BJP no more willing to
play a ‘minor partner’ in government
Child battles for life as hospital staff slip up
the
pious
Amarinder backs Chahal for Talwandi Sabo
Traders get more time to file returns
Relax criteria for NRI quota seats, state asks MCI
Bittu raises delay in NH-1 completion in House
Jalandhar DC inspects Dhussi Bundh
encroachments on common land
Soon, jails to offer Punjabi cuisine
Sangrur DC raids DTO’s office
Police Complaints Authority an eyewash: Jakhar
5 juveniles escape, 1 nabbed
DC pulls up DTO staff over delay in services
Applications invited to operate 11 Adarsh Schools
Vigilance panels formed to abolish bonded labour
land row
Eight held for running fake visa racket
Travel agent arrested for duping youths of
Cop among 2 held with fake currency, heroin
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controversy over separate haryana gurdwara management panel
Talking to the mediapersons after performing prayers at Akal Takht, the group members led by SGPC member from Mohali Bhai Hardeep Singh, said: "The tension is building up which is not in the interest of the Sikh community. We have prayed for a unanimous decision as per the Panthic traditions rather than adopting pressure tactics to tide over the current situation. We also prayed to rid Sikh institutions of political dominance and enable Takht Jathedars to take a fair decision." Bhai Hardeep Singh said it would not make any difference if the Sikhs in Haryana were allowed to manage gurdwaras in their state. "We should rather make an effort to unite Sikhs across the country under an umbrella organisation under the All India Sikh Gurdwara Act while the gurdwaras could be maintained by local Sikh Sangat. For this, the ruling party could approach its alliance partner which is at the helm of affairs at the Centre." He said the move to ex-communicate Sikhs was not yielding desirable results and the trend should be reversed. He opined that Panthic issues should not be politicised. "In this war between the SAD and the Congress, the Sikh community is sure to lose," he said while attributing the current state of affairs to the political interference in Sikh institutions. Former Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Giani Kewal Singh, and representatives of Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Chandigarh, International Sikh Confederation, Institute of Sikh Studies, Sikh Missionary College, and Akhand Kirtani Jatha were present. Meanwhile, the SGPC has booked around 1,000-1,500 rooms in its sarais (inns) and nearby hotels for facilitating the stay of participants of the SAD conclave here on July 27. Besides, it will also be preparing 'langar' for around one lakh people. The SGPC will also be holding 'langar' for the conclave participants in different parts of the city. Akal Takht Jathedar calls for unity With less than 48 hours to go for the SAD's Panthic conclave, the Akal Takht Jathedar has renewed his call for unity among the Sikhs. Talking to the media here today, Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said: "There is still time to evade a battle among the Sikh brethren. All Sikhs should come together to unite on a single platform. The separate gurdwara panel for Haryana is an indirect attack on the Sikh Panth." He said the Akal Takht would initiate all possible measures to bridge the divide after holding consultations with the Jathedars of other Takhts. He said any bid to damage the SGPC, which had come into being after numerous sacrifices, was not at all in the interest of the community. "As per the Nehru-Tara Singh pact, it was acknowledged that the Central Government will not interfere in the gurdwara affairs and will not make any amendment in the Gurdwara Act without the consent of the SGPC. Even the British had refrained from meddling into the Sikh affairs after the Gurdwara Act. However, efforts are still being made to divide and weaken the SGPC which cannot be tolerated," he added. Earlier, the Akal Takht's move to ex-communicate Haryana Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha, and Haryana Sikh leaders Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Deedar Singh Nalvi had drawn flak from various quarters. While some said it was done in a haste, others felt that they should have been at least given an opportunity to appear before Akal Takht to present their viewpoint. ‘Resolve it peacefully’ The current scenario is not in the interest of the Sikhs. In this war between political parties, the community is sure to lose. We have prayed for a unanimous decision as per the Panthic traditions rather than adopting pressure tactics to tide over the current situation. We also want to rid the Sikh institutions of political dominance to enable the Takht Jathedars to take a fair
decision. Tight security in place in holy city Over 5,000 policemen would be deputed for providing security and thwart any untoward incident during the SAD conclave to be held at Manji Sahib Diwan Hall at the Golden Temple Complex here on July 27. Senior police officials said police force from other districts of the border zone had been requisitioned (in pic) in view of the convention. Top police officials also held a meeting with the SGPC authorities on Friday to review the security arrangements. The city police have restricted the entry of four-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, taxis and horsecarts in the walled city from 5 am onwards on July 26 till 6 pm on July 27, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Babu Lal Meena. He appealed to the public to cooperate
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Cong seeks discussion in LS on communal discord
New Delhi, July 25 Top Congress strategists met here today to discuss the party’s parliamentary strategy and debated the situation arising out of series of events that have of late heightened communal tension. Congress MP and party’s West Bengal unit president Adhir Ranjan Choudhry has given a notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to debate communal discord as a matter of urgent public importance. “I have sought a discussion on communal discord on behalf of the party,” Choudhry told The Tribune. The Congress has demand discussion in the wake of several events — communal build-up in Punjab following Haryana’s decision to form a separate gurdwara management committee; the recent incident where Shiv Sena MPs force-fed a Muslim employee of the IRCTC who was fasting during Ramzan and the incident involving the burning of the Quran in Maharashtra, among others. “Tension around gurdwara politics is worrisome. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has no right to object to Haryana’s decision to manage its own gurdwaras. All states have a right to manage gurdwaras in their jurisdictions. Badal is afraid of losing his money bank. He wants control of gurdwaras because he gets money from them,” Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh said. The Congress wondered why the BJP has not been able to tame its allies who have been caught triggering communal strife. The Shiv Sena is involved in the forced-feeding issue and the Akali Dal is resisting Haryana’s move to set up its own gurdwara management committee. Party strategists added they had also decided to demand a discussion on drug menace in Punjab where a probe was on to determine the scale of the problem and sources of its procurement and supply.
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Haryana gurdwara Act challenged
Chandigarh, July 25 In his petition expected to come up for hearing before a Division Bench on Monday, Fatehgarh Sahib-based advocate Ram Singh Somal asserted that the Haryana Assembly was "not competent" to enact the Act. Elaborating, he asserted that the SGPC became an interstate body corporate with the reorganisation of the Punjab state through the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966. He added any law regarding the incorporation, regulation and its winding could exclusively be passed by Parliament. He said the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 assumed the character of a Central Act with the reorganisation. "In the present case, the Central Government amended the Sikh Gurdwara Act from time to time by issuing different notifications. The Haryana Assembly did not have the legislative competence to exclude the operation of the Sikh Gurdwara Act in the state, which amounts to repeal of the Act as far as Haryana is concerned. Only Parliament has the legislative competence to do so". Petitioner's counsel Harchand Singh Bath said: "The provisions of the Gurdwara Management Act are repugnant to the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, which has been amended by Parliament after the Punjab Reorganisation Act came in to force and is, thus, a law made by Parliament; and further Parliament is competent to enact such law”.
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Ask Badal not to disturb peace, Ashwani urges PM
New Delhi, July 25 Speaking to The Tribune today, Ashwani Kumar said the repeated threats of Badal to launch a morcha and court arrest against the Haryana gurdwara panel move would provoke emotional sensitivities that could result in a serious law and order situation in both Punjab and Haryana – a result that must be avoided. “All outstanding issues can be easily resolved through negotiations in true tradition of democratic discourse. To allege that the HSGMC is a conspiracy of the Congress against the Sikhs is a totally undesirable charge that must be rejected with all force at our command,” Ashwani Kumar said. He added that Badal’s stand was totally inconsistent with the basic principles of federal polity. “Badal should know that such conflicts can lead to devastating consequences throughout the country. Any attempt to polarize people’s minds around religious sensitivities should be resisted. I urge the PM to prevent Badal from creating a communally tense environment,” the former minister said.
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AAP will form govt in Punjab: Kejriwal
Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Yogendra Yadav, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Bhagwant Mann paid floral tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh at the Shaheed Samarak. Several other members of the national executive were also present. Kejriwal said AAP laid a lot of emphasis on the state as the party won four seats in the Lok Sabha poll here, bagging 24 per cent of the votes. He said this was the first time the national executive was meeting outside Delhi. Kejriwal said they chose to hold the meeting in Sunam, since it was the birthplace of Shaheed Udham Singh. On having dinner with people to raise money, Kejriwal said it was a transparent way to collect donations for the party. He said he was willing to address the grievances of those unhappy with the event. Kejriwal along with members of national executive of the AAP reached Sangrur railway station at 10.50 am. Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and his supporters received them and escorted them to a hotel. Meanwhile, the three-day meet of its national executive began at Sunam. Addressing a press conference, senior leader Yogendra Yadav said their aim was to prepare party’s policy document at the meeting. He said the party would hold discussions on a draft policy document, which had been prepared on the basis of 31 reports, prepared by 31 committees. AAP leader Manish Sisodia said they would also hold discussions on “Mission Vistar” (expansion mission) of the party. He said the party had been busy strengthening its base in all the states since the Lok Sabha elections. He said in Punjab, AAP had constituted a state-level committee to run its affairs, while district-level committees would be formed soon. With regard to the party’s decision on contesting Patiala and Talwandi Sabo assembly by-elections, Sisodia said an official announcement in this regard would be made on Sunday. On party’s decision to not contest the Haryana assembly elections, Yadav said the Haryana unit had sent its proposal to the national executive and they would soon take a decision on the matter. On the row over control of gurdwaras in Haryana, Yadav said Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal were playing with the sentiments of the people. Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann were also present on the occasion. However, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal did not attend the press conference. 4 members expelled for ‘anti-party’ activities
Panel to select candidates for bypolls
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HC questions timing of Punjab initiative on de-addiction centres
Chandigarh, July 25 As a petition filed in 2008 by Talwinder Pal Singh and another petitioner came up for resumed hearing this afternoon, Justice Bhalla minced no words to say that he must have filled more than 500 sheets while passing orders after observing that the state was “awash” with contraband. But, the orders were apparently thrown into the dustbin and the government woke up only after a “few seats were lost in the elections”. Justice Bhalla made it clear that the issue here was not of taking credit, but saving lives. Dubbing the inaction as “shameful”, Justice Bhalla said a timely action could have saved many lives. Justice Bhalla observed that the rules on running de-addiction centres were framed after the high court intervention; and every de-addiction centre was there because of judicial involvement. But, nothing really happened from the government side for nearly five years. “Now what has happened? Suddenly you have woken up!” Justice Bhalla observed. Taking note of a sudden surge in the number of de-addiction centres, Justice Bhalla said for years there were no doctors, no psychiatrists and no medicines. “Now where have the doctors and the psychiatrists come from?” Expressing anguish, he said even now things would be forgotten “if everything goes well in the next round”. Referreing to Janer de-addiction centre in Moga, Justice Bhalla said the 50-bedded hospital had just about 17 in-house patients. “Despite the government having woken up at last, the message has not percolated….. Information suggests the police have been putting people in the de-addiction centres, but you cannot force someone to go in for treatment. A system has to be in place where you identify and encourage people to come for cure.” Before parting with the case, Justice Bhalla called for a list of all centres, their contact details and expenses involved in treatment; and suggested that the media could play a positive role in informing masses about such centres. This is not the first time that Justice Bhalla has rapped the authorities concerned for inaction. In December 2012, he had asserted: “It appears that the states of Punjab and Haryana are paying lip services to the cause of de-addiction and making statements in the Press almost on daily basis, but doing nothing in the matter. It further appears that officers of the department concerned are making an effort but officers of other departments, who are responsible for providing finance and infrastructure in the matter, are not cooperating….” What the judge said
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BJP no more willing to play a ‘minor partner’ in government
Chandigarh, July 25 The threat issued by Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi in Amritsar yesterday that he would lead a protest against the state government on the issue of charging advance tax on stocks, follows the earlier stance against the government adopted by BJP state president Kamal Sharma. The latter, in the aftermath of defeat suffered by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley from the Amritsar parliamentary seat, too, had blamed the government of failure on various fronts and said the “misdoings” of the Akalis had cost the BJP dear. The BJP, while reflecting on the party’s performance in the elections had also blamed the government for failing to gauge the people’s anger. The Tandon committee set up by the party to assess the reasons for the party’s “less than expected” performance in the state had put the blame on the government, which led to the party seeking the resignation of its four ministers. The committee had concluded that the Akali- BJP alliance received poor response in urban areas due to a “wave of anger” among the people. Since this report was submitted to the BJP high command and the resignations submitted by the party’s four ministers in the government — Anil Joshi, Madan Mohan Mittal, Chunni Lal Bhagat and Surjit Kumar Jyani — speculation has been rife that the other group within the party (Manoranjan Kalia and Ashwani Sharma) will be inducted as ministers. Over the past few weeks, the four ministers have been lobbying to retain their ministerial berths, while the Kamal Sharma group has also been trying to dilute the issue and ensure that the Kalia group remains out of the government. It is thus that the new public posturing adopted by party leaders and ministers is more to distance themselves from the Akalis before their own party high command, and at the same time try and consolidate their urban votes. Most BJP ministers and state unit leaders have been accused by the opposite camp of being more Akali than BJP and failing to take a stand when it came to protecting their urban vote bank. Sources say the party leaders and ministers are also wary of the Akali Dal trying to bifurcate the ministries given to the BJP in the government, by taking away the better departments. When the government was formed, the Investment Promotion Department was carved out of the Industries Department and retained by the SAD, while the BJP got the Industries Department. Now, the government is trying to carve out a separate sewerage board from the Local Bodies Department, which again is seen by many within the BJP as an attempt to undermine them. This is also being attributed as a reason for the party’s new aggressiveness. The indicators
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Child battles for life as hospital staff slip up
Ropar, July 25 The district police have already started investigation into the case following a complaint by victim’s father Sumit Gambhir. Sumit has alleged that his son was injected with an overdose of diazepam by hospital staff following which he suffered a cardiac arrest. The child’s brain also suffered some damage, he said. The physician concerned, however, blamed it on the operation theatre attendant Mandeep Singh alleging that he gave the injection to the boy without any directions from him. Sumit, a manager at HDFC Bank said his son Yash suffered a minor head injury on May 3 and he took him to Mata Nanki Charitable Hospital. As Yash was crying and restive, Dr Gurpal Singh and OT attendant Mandeep Singh decided to give diazepam injection (a sedative) to make him calm, before going for sutures, he said. Dr Gurpal Singh, however, claimed that he had only asked the staff to take Yash to the operation theatre so that his injury could be treated. OT assistant Mandeep Singh gave him diazepam injection without any prescription from him, he said. Mandeep denied the allegations. The case
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Amarinder backs Chahal for Talwandi Sabo
Chandigarh, July 25 Other strong contender for the party ticket is Harminder Singh Jassi, a former MLA. Jassi is being supported by PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa. Last time, Jassi had contested from Bathinda and had lost to Sarup Chand Singla, SAD candidate. Sukhdev Singh Chahal, who is said to be close to former Bhattal, had quit the Congress and joined the People’s Party of Punjab, headed by Manpreet Singh Badal before the last Assembly elections. Manpreet had given him party ticket to contest the Assembly elections from Talwandi Sabo constituency. In fact, the reason behind Chahal quitting the Congress was that the party had denied him from Talwadi Sabo and had opted for Jeet Mohinder Singh instead. Interestingly, a few months ago, Jeet Mohinder, who had won the Assembly elections, quit the Congress to join the Shiormani Akali Dal (SAD). Following this development, Chahal quit the PPP and joined the Congress again. Sources said Bhattal wanted Jassi to be given the first preference for the ticket. About the leader
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Traders get more time to file returns
Chandigarh, July 25 The government has also allowed the dealers the option to use either the old Vat 15 form or the new one. A decision to this effect was taken after reviewing the representations received from various organisations of traders. A press note issued by the Excise and Taxation Department said a number of dealers were avoiding payment of VAT by creating bogus stocks. It was observed that on March 31, some dealers had stock of as high as 50 per cent of their annual sales, which was contrary to the general trade practices.
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Relax criteria for NRI quota seats, state asks MCI
Faridkot, July 25 In a letter to Secretary, MCI, New Delhi, Manmohan Singh, Deputy Secretary, Department of Medical Education and Research, demanded that the relaxation was needed to fill up the seats. As per the MCI rules, only candidates, who scored a minimum of 50 per cent marks (general category) in AIPMET (All India Pre-Medical Entrance Test-2014), were eligible for admission in medical colleges. Against its quota of 72 MBBS seats for NRI candidates in seven medical colleges in the state, only two applicants have been eligible so far. Singh quoted a notification of the state government, wherein if not an adequate number of candidates met the eligibility criteria, then the state government and the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) could approach the Centre for a relaxation in the eligibility criteria. The state government has also demanded a relaxation in the eligibility criteria to fill MBBS seats under the SC quota. At present, the SC candidates, who scored a minimum of 40 per cent in the AIPMET are eligible for admission. Since 34 seats under the SC quota are still lying vacant in three medical colleges in the state, the state demanded that the minimum marks be reduced by 5 per cent. Dr Gurdeep Singh Kalayan, Joint Director, Medical Education and Research, said the state government was waiting for a response from the MCI. Dr DS Sidhu, Registrar, BFUHS, said if the MCI didn’t relax the eligibility criteria, all vacant seats in the NRI quota will be merged with general seats. Sources said since 300 more MBBS seats in the state were approved, the number of vacant seats will increase further. Earlier, the NRI students got admission in MBBS course on the basis of their marks in XII. Plan to lower the bar
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Bittu raises delay in NH-1 completion in House
Ludhiana, July 25 He said since the concessionaires had failed to complete the project within stipulated time, they should not be allowed to make huge profits at the cost of the common people. He advised the concessionaires to stop collecting toll from the general public till the completion of the entire stretch of the road. Bittu said the Panipat-Jalandhar National Highway project was running 33 months behind schedule. The six-laning project from Panipat to Jalandhar commenced on May 11, 2009, and it was scheduled for completion in 30 months, ending November 11, 2011, at a total cost of Rs 2,747.55 crore. Since then, it has missed five deadlines and the last being March 31, 2013. In the meantime, the project cost has escalated, the expenditure on the project was Rs 3,280 crore by the end of October, 2012, and about 30 per cent work was still to be completed. The NHAI had planned to finish 25 per cent of the work by May 2010, 65 per cent by May 2011, and the entire project by November 2011, but only 80 per cent work was completed by the end of March 2014, with most of the flyovers and underpasses still under construction. There are four toll plazas on the stretch at Panipat, Karnal, Shambu and another near Ludhiana. The Karnal toll plaza alone is earning average revenue of Rs 35 to Rs 37 lakh per day. The total revenue earned from the toll plaza from 2002 to 2011-12 is about Rs 753 crore and it is consistently increasing due to an increase in the number of vehicles. The revenue which was Rs 38.92 crore in 2002-03 jumped to Rs 134.55 crore in 2011-12.
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Jalandhar DC inspects Dhussi Bundh
Phagwara, July 25 The Deputy Commissioner told mediapersons that Rs 3.5 crore would be spent on strengthening the bundh in the district. Around 95 per cent of the repair work on the bundh had been already completed, he said. When villagers raised the issue of sand mafia operating in the area, he directed the officials concerned to actively work against the mafia and book the persons found violating the norms as regards sand mining.
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encroachments on common land
Moga, July 25 The notices had been issued in wake of long-standing problem of discharge of waste and rainwater into natural drains. Several villagers had encroached upon the common land, comprising ponds, and constructed their houses. Two days ago, a controversy over the discharge of rainwater between residents of Gill Patti and Sandhu Patti led to a clash in which three policemen were injured. Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) Sarbjit Singh said these people had been asked to remove the encroachments within 15 days otherwise legal action would be initiated against them. The BDPO said after the expiry of deadline, he would prepare a detailed report and file an application before the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) to remove the encroachments and restore the natural status of the common land in the village. The Punjab Government in November 2011 had issued a notification granting the powers of the Collector and custodian of the village common land to the DDPO. Deputy Commissioner Parminder Singh Gill had called a meeting of officials of various departments to discuss the problem. He would visit the village tomorrow to review the situation.
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Soon, jails to offer Punjabi cuisine
Patiala, July 25 Prisoners, who have a good track record and are not accused of heinous crimes, will be selected to work at these restaurants built in the semi-open prisons. Sources confirmed that Badal was keen to start this food chain in the jails, which would ensure that inmates get employment once they are released. “In Punjab and other states, the food prepared in prisons is in demand as people believe that consuming it will ward off evil,” said a senior jail official. He said people pulled strings to get hold of the food prepared in jails. Initial project reports suggest that some part of the earnings will go towards the welfare programme for inmates. “We will initially have inmates trained in hotel management,” said RP Meena, ADGP (Jails). “Our aim is to serve quality food at reasonable rates,” Meena claimed. The restaurants with a seating capacity of 50 to 100 persons will be open from 10 am to 10:30 pm. The authorities also plan to deliver the food in nearby areas These food chains will serve authentic Punjabi food and sweets.
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Sangrur DC raids DTO’s office
Sangrur, July 25 Thind also caught a person (may be an agent) carrying some driving licences and other papers in his pocket. The Deputy Commissioner handed over the person to the police for initiating further action. Thind said he had conducted the raid on the instructions of the Chief Secretary, Punjab, to check attendance, pending work etc. He said the DTO had been asked to initiate action against the employees who were found absent from duty. District Transport Officer Rajesh Dhiman said a computerised help desk was being set up in the office for the convenience of people visiting the office.
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Police Complaints Authority an eyewash: Jakhar
Abohar, July 25 He said, “It is nothing more than a hogwash attempt to make changes in the Police Act, which will serve no purpose. The Akali-BJP government does not want to establish any transparency in the police administration and wants Akali jathedars to control the police stations like before. The common man will continue to suffer injustice as before at the hands of the highly politicised police force.” If the directions of the apex court are not complied with in its true letter and spirit then, he would approach the court, Jakhar warned. “While the directions of the apex court mandate that the head of the complaints authority at the state level shall be chosen by the state government out of a panel proposed by the Chief Justice and who may be retired high court/Supreme Court Judge and the heads at the district level shall be chosen by the panel proposed by the Chief Justice or by the judge of the high court nominated by him, the Punjab Government is bypassing it to appoint officers of its own choice… “Such an authority, which would be a stooge of the government in power, cannot deliver justice and by creating such an authority, the state government has indulged in eyewash and the real purpose to have an independent agency to check police’s arbitrariness remains defeated,” he said.
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5 juveniles escape, 1 nabbed
Abohar, July 25 As many as 17 juveniles, some of them accused of rape of minors, were housed in Bal Sudhar Greh under the directions of a special court. Preliminary inquiries indicated that the department had got a house on rent to run the correctional centre near Leela Chowk. The building had a boundary wall made of mud. Five inmates managed to create a hole in the wall despite the presence of security guards and fled. The department has ordered an inquiry. — OC
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DC pulls up DTO staff over delay in services
Fazilka, July 25 He said under the Right to Service Act, they were supposed to issue licenses within seven days and registration certificates within 21 days of receiving applications. It was found that 333 cases of registration certificates and 60 cases of driving licenses were to be issued and in most of the cases, the stipulated time period to provide the service had lapsed. — OC
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Applications invited to operate 11 Adarsh Schools
Bathinda, July 25 Out of these schools, while 10 are in the Malwa region, one is in Hoshiarpur. The public players, who were in the fray and running Adarsh Schools under the PPP mode had backed out, citing several reasons, including varying demands by teachers and other staff members of the schools. Ever since the companies backed out from the projects, the student strength too began diminishing. Assistant State Project Director, PEDB, Amarjit Singh said, “The schools were running fine under the PPP mode and the government plans to continue the functioning of these schools under the mode. We are looking for interested organisations or firms, which are willing to make their contribution to the initiative, which aims at providing free and quality education to students from financially weak background.” Due to the lack of interest of private companies handling the schools, the teachers of these schools formed unions to protest delay in the release of salaries.
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Vigilance panels formed to abolish bonded labour
Hoshiarpur, July 25 A notification in this regard has already been issued. An official spokesperson of the state government said these committees had been constituted under the sub-section (1) of Section 13 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Rules, 1976. The district vigilance committee is comprised of chairman and members. The additional district magistrate will be the chairman of the district-level committee. Sarabjeet Singh, District Food and Supply Controller, Hari Ram Aadiya, District Development and Panchayat Officer, Bhagwan Dass, Deputy Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Vijay Kumar Khurana, lead bank officer, Punjab National Bank, and Pardeep Gupta will be inducted as members. He further said that for Hoshiarpur sub-division vigilance committee, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Hoshiarpur, would be the chairman.
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land row
Sangrur, July 25 A case was registered against them by the Bhawanigarh police on June 27 for attacking and obstructing police personnel from performing their duties. They were arrested while protesting against the auction of panchayat land at Balad Kalan village. Meanwhile, Dalits, under the aegis of the Zamin Prapati Sangharash Committee, held a protest near the Judicial Courts Complex here today. They were demanding the release of the arrested persons, cancellation of cases and registration of a case against alleged erring police officials.
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Eight held for running fake visa racket
Patiala, July 25 The accused have been identified as Sanjiv Kumar alias Sameer Malhotra alias Sushant Malhotra; Gulshan Kumar; Mohit Sharma, a resident of Garhshankar and now residing in Sector 25, Panchkula, Haryana; Charan Davinder Singh, a resident of Rajpura; Aman Kumar, a resident of Jodhewal, Ludhiana; Davinder Pal Singh alias Angad Bhatia, a resident of Dukhandi Colony, Delhi; Jai Deep Singh alias JD, a resident of Tilak Nagar, Delhi; and Rahul Kumar, a resident of Satya Niketen, New Delhi. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) HS Mann said the police also recovered 12 passports, two laptops, a printer, a scanner, 16 rubber-stamps and a Maruti WagonR car and three motorcycles. Mann said gang leader Sanjiv Kumar along with his brothers Gulshan Kumar and Mohit Sharma and other members used to dupe people on the pretext of sending them to Canada, England, America, New Zealand and Australia by giving advertisements in newspapers. He said Sanjiv had also opened an office near Namdev Chowk in Jalandhar and obtained mobile numbers on fake IDs. He had deceived several people from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pardesh. Delhi-based Davinder Pal Singh had worked with the Air India as shift supervisor, while Rahul Kumar had worked as visa officer in New Zealand Embassy for two years and helped Sanjiv in getting fake visas stamped. Jaideep Singh used to print fake visa stickers on passports. Mann said after getting money from people who wanted to go abroad, they used to shut their office and leave the place.
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Travel agent arrested for duping youths of Rs 9 lakh
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 25 In his complaint, Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Chattarpur village, alleged that Balwant Singh struck a deal for Rs 12 lakh to send him to the US. He said they gave him Rs 6 lakh to arrange documents and the remaining amount was to be paid after getting the visa. He said after a long wait, Balwant neither arranged the visa nor returned the money. Investigating Officer Ashok Kumar said Balwant during preliminary investigation revealed that he was working as a taxi driver in Zirakpur and used to take passengers to Delhi where he came in contact with Naresh Kumar, a travel agent. He said he gave the money to Naresh to arrange the visa, but Naresh absconded with the money. Ashok Kumar said Balwant was also involved in a similar case in which he had deceived Gurmail Singh, a resident of Gurbaxpura in Sangrur, for sending his son to California. He said Balwant had demanded Rs 8 lakh for sending Gurmail’s son to California. He said they paid Rs 3 lakh for arranging the documents and Rs 5 lakh was to be paid at the time of his son’s departure. He said after three years, the accused neither arranged the papers nor returned the money.
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Villager cheated of Rs 14 lakh
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 25 In his complaint to the SSP, Bahadur Singh alleged that Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Salana Jiwan Singh Wala village, took Rs 14 lakh from him on the pretext of sending his daughter to Germany. He neither sent her nor returned the money, he said. The SSP marked an inquiry to the DSP, Amloh, who found the allegations true. — TNS
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Cop among 2 held with fake currency, heroin
Superintendent of Police (Detective), Fazilka, Gurmeet Singh said on a tip-off, CIA staff in charge Pawan Kumar conducted a raid at the house of Gudo Rani, alias Kakko Bai, of Jammu Basti in Jalalabad town, near Fazilka. The police team found that besides Kakko Bai, head constable Bachan Singh posted at the fingerprint branch at Jalalabad and their accomplice Bindu of Chhangarai Uttar village (under Guruharsahai police station) were conspiring to plant some objectionable material at the house of Makhan Singh of Fallianwala village in an attempt to implicate him in a false case. Makhan had got a criminal case registered against the head constable and others under Section 452 of the IPC. Bindu managed to flee during the raid. A hunt is on to nab him. The accused have been booked under Section 489 ABC of the IPC, Sections 21, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act. The ploy The accused were planning to plant such objectionable material at the house of their rival Makhan Singh of Fallianwala village in an attempt to implicate him in a false case.
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‘Badal out to divide Sikhs’
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Sunam (Sangrur), July 25
Fazilka, July 25