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Terrorists wanted to activate sleeper cells
98% households in villages under debt: Study
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Byelection means little to Kanakwal residents
Kirpan row: Rajasthan minister orders probe
Brar writes to Ahmed, denies remarks against Sonia, Rahul
HSGMC row: Badal meets party MPs in Delhi
Will sue MLA over land grab remark: Adaltiwala
patiala assembly byelection
Balad Kalan land row
CM orders review of post-2007 works in Lambi constituency
Pak delegation visits sugarcane farms
2 years on, traders resent lack of facilities at ICP
$600 for woman rickshaw-puller
Sufi singer Jyoti, husband sent to protection home
SC students protest in Hoshiarpur
Badal’s picture back on ‘108’ ambulances
EC to inquire into Juneja’s affidavit
Prisoner’s murder: 4 cops surrender
Get medical fitness certificate without check-up for
Rs 50
Govt denotifies colleges, draws flak
smuggling
Drug racket: Charges framed against Jagdish Bhola, 8 others
Technical snag in car no basis to deny relief: HC
Milk contractor booked for fraud
Minor girl kidnapped in Bassi Pathana
Doc held for graft
Woman’s body found in Cong leader’s house
Liquor worth Rs 60 lakh seized
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Terrorists wanted to activate sleeper cells
Jalandhar, August 5 Three terrorists, Harpreet Singh alias Harmeet alias Pintu, Karanjit Singh alias Pamma and Sarwan Singh Shabba, were arrested from Jammu yesterday. They were today produced in a Jalandhar court, which remanded them in police custody for nine days. The police, though, had sought a remand for 14 days. While the police remained tightlipped, sources said interrogation of the trio had given several leads, which may help bust the terror network in Punjab. A senior police official confirmed to The Tribune that the trio had been working on the directions of Khalistan Zindabad Force chief Ranjit Singh Neeta and Khalistan Liberation Force head Harminder Singh Mintu. Both these terrorist outfit have reportedly been operating from Pakistan. The official confirmed that the trio’s aim was to activate the sleeper cells in Punjab, and to motivate them to carry out strikes in the near future. “We will investigate whether they managed to activate any sleeper cell. And if yes, from where are they operating,” he said. Sources said all the three arrested persons were allegedly associated with the terrorist outfits for the past over 15 years. “They have also visited Pakistan to meet their bosses for furthering militancy in Punjab,” the sources said. The sources said acting on the revelations by the terrorists, police teams were already engaged in identifying the whereabouts of the sleeper cells who were in touch with them. Teams were also raiding various places in Punjab and Jammu to recover arms and ammunition, if any, they had stored for their mission. Following intelligence inputs, the Jalandhar police had camped for two days in Jammu and arrested the trio. Two of them had reportedly even received arms training in Pakistan. Those arrested
Not first activation bid
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98% households in villages under debt: Study
Chandigarh, August 5 At least 52.77 per cent rural households in the state are dependent on non-institutional sources for loans, says Dr Satish Verma, Professor, Reserve Bank of India Chair, CRRID. He says the demand for credit for productive and consumption purposes from non-institutional sources is high in villages that do not have banks. He says the decision-makers must keep in mind the interest of the landless, marginal cultivators and craftsmen while designing a credit policy for the rural sector. “Rural indebtedness in Punjab is high with 98 per cent households under debt. Each household has an outstanding debt of Rs 4.79 lakh or 96.73 per cent of its annual income. The challenge to institutional sources mainly comes from commission agents (arhtiyas). They mediate between the cultivator and food procuring agencies, lend money to farmers and supply inputs to the cultivator. It is this dependence of the cultivator on the commission agent which makes him an easy pray,” contends Verma. He says that for the larger benefit of the farmers, cooperative societies, as an institutional source of rural credit, must be strengthened.These should be promoted as marketing agencies (as an alternative to commission agents). A study by Verma shows that in rural Punjab, merely 52.81 per cent adults have a bank account and only 25 per cent-30 per cent adult females have an account. It shows that 72.50 per cent labourers, agricultural and non-agricultural, have taken loans from commission agents and big landlords. In villages with banks, non-institutional sources charge less interest on loans for consumption purposes (18 per cent) than on agricultural loans (18-36 per cent), In villages without any bank, the interest rate for consumption purposes is 18-60 per cent and for agricultural purposes 24 per cent. In these villages, landlords and the moneylenders charge the highest rate of interest. Verma says indebtedness, particularly among the marginal/small and medium farmers, is very high. A way out could be increasing the share of institutional sources in rural credit, expanding the banking network in villages and reducing the dependence of the cultivator on the commission agent. Barriers in the flow of institutional credit ought to be minimised, says Verma. “Cultivators should be helped in selling their produce directly to the purchaser,” says
Verma. Some solutions
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Byelection means little to Kanakwal residents
Phullo Kheri, August 4 Shaken up by a blast in the VGO unit on June 20, residents of Ramsra village want to be relocated too. A similar blast last year had led to a scare among the villagers. Bhakar Singh, nambardar of Kanakwal village, said: “We have irritation in the eyes, ears and skin. A health camp was organised by the local authorities and another by Max Hospital some months ago. No leader has taken up our cause in any significant manner.” A functionary at the plant, requesting anonymity, said: "The outcome of two medical camps has shown that the plant has had no adverse impact on the villagers' health. A section of the staff has been working here for years. They all are physically fit”. Hakam Singh Khalsa of Ramsra village claimed that the crop yield on land adjoining the refinery had dwindled by more than 2.5 quintals per acre. Kulwant Singh, a panchayat member, said: “In the evening, we are forced to move around with our faces covered because of the foul smell. We have met the Deputy Commissioner several times, but to no avail." He said that despite the government promising jobs to the local youth in the refinery, only a few had been employed as security guards.” A company spokesperson said they could not be blamed for the same as it was the government that had promised to create at least 30,000 jobs in the allied industry that had failed to come up.
Chandigarh: The Election Commission on Tuesday appointed two general and two expenditure observers for Talwandi Sabo and Patiala Assembly bypoll. Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said for Talwandi Sabo, Manish Thapliyal had been appointed expenditure observer and Dr Sunil Chaudhary the general observer. For Patiala, PS Bhalla and SA Patel had been appointed the expenditure and general observer, he said.
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Kirpan row: Rajasthan minister orders probe
Abohar, August 5 Hundreds of agitating Sikhs from Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and other districts, who had gathered at Jaipur last night, called off their stir. Rathore held talks with Tejinderpal Singh Timma, Roop Singh Patli, Swaran Singh Gajsinghpur, Jagat Singh Padampur and Maninder Singh Mann in the presence of Sriganganagar former legislator Radhey Shyam and Ajaypal Singh, former chairman of State Housing Board. The minister announced that Kota DIG would inquire into the complaint. Rathore said action would be initiated against the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences since it had imposed a ban on carrying religious symbols. The DIG has been told to submit the inquiry report within two weeks. Akal Takht chief and SGPC president had also criticised the Rajasthan Government for hurting the sentiments of Sikhs.
The incident
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Brar writes to Ahmed, denies remarks against Sonia, Rahul
Chandigarh, August 5 Brar said the media had misquoted him on the issue. Sources said that Brar had submitted evidence to prove that he had only asked Sonia and Rahul to visit various parts of the country and interact with Congress activists to rejuvenate the party. Brar was issued a show-cause notice by PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, asking him to explain his conduct, by August 5. Brar had refused to acknowledge the notice on the plea that being an AICC member, Bajwa could not seek an explanation from him. He had argued that Ahmed alone could issue him a notice. In his submission, Brar said he had stated that it was a blunder not to make Pranab Mukherjee Prime Minister when Dr Manmohan Singh completed his tenure in 2009. Sources said Brar also admitted to have questioned the decision not to appoint Kamal Nath leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. He stood by his assertion that all advisers to the AICC president and vice-president be removed. “They reduced the party from a democratic to a non-democratic entity,” he maintained. Brar also stood by his remark that it was wrong to take action against Haryana’s Chaudhary Birender Singh and that he should be given a due place in the party setup. Brar reiterated his demand for a “chintan shivar” to discuss reasons for the party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and to draw a strategy to counter the BJP-RSS alliance. He reportedly told Ahmed that his utterances were in the larger interest of the party and he did not wish to harm the party.
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HSGMC row: Badal meets party MPs in Delhi
New Delhi, August 5 Senior leaders SS Dhindsa and Prem Singh Chandumajra told Badal that the Sikks groups were willing to refer the issue to a committee of intellectuals. They said the Haryana Sikh leaders had agreed to manage gurdwaras under the guidance of the SGPC and Akal Takht. Dhindsa said the Chief Minister was looking for an amicable solution without impinging on the authority of the SGPC. The SAD, he said, would review the situation after the intellectuals made their recommendations, he said.
Notes of dissent
Chandigarh: In a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, former policy adviser to the World Bank Dr Shamsher Singh Babra has questioned Badal's opposition to a separate management committee for Haryana’s gurdwaras. Dr Shamsher Singh, who headed the AISSF in the late1940s, said the CM's stand was against the basic philosophy of the Akali Dal that favoured more powers to states. The letter reads: “Your control over the SAD, the SGPC and the state government should have made you an astute statesman. Instead, you seem to have gone back to shallow politics by projecting yourself as the main opponent of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC). You have described it as a fight between the Congress and the Panth. Your stand is untenable". Accusing Badal of going back on the Akali doctrine, he said Master Tara Singh and Giani Kartar Singh had stood for greater devolution of powers to the states.
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Will sue MLA over land grab remark: Adaltiwala
Patiala, August 5 Lal Singh had recently alleged that the AAP leader had illegally acquired land in Adaltiwala village near Devigarh. Adaltiwala refuted the allegations saying that neither he nor his father had been involved in any such case and anyone could go through the revenue records to confirm it. He alleged: "This is a deliberate attempt to tarnish my image ahead of the election. The Congress is baffled by its defeat in the recent Lok Sabha election. Its leaders know that Patiala voters had rejected them and they will meet the same fate in the byelection." He alleged since he and Lal Singh both belonged to the Sanaur Assembly segment, the MLA was feeling insecure due to the rising popularity of AAP. On his poll campaign, Adaltiwala said they had already covered a large part of the constituency and the response had been "overwhelming". "Senior party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav, will visit Patiala in a few days". Party leader Mohanjit Kaur Tiwana said they had constituted 15 teams of volunteers for door-to-door campaign to apprise the voters of the "anti-people" policies of the Congress and the SAD.
State BJP chief in Patiala
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patiala assembly byelection
Patiala, August 5 The faction led by former CM Capt Amarinder Singh wanted to assign duties for the Patiala (Urban) byelection to leaders of his choice. But PPCC chief Partap Bajwa had sent his own list to AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed. Two days back, the high command directed Ahmed to ask the Congress candidates to send a list of leaders that they favoured. A press note issued on behalf of Preneet Kaur this evening read: “The Congress today finalised the arrangements for the Patiala Urban byelection scheduled for August 21. Senior party leaders, including ex-ministers, MLAs and ex-MLAs, district presidents and other office-bearers have been assigned work in different areas. Lal Singh and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa will coordinate various activities related to e campaigning for Preneet Kaur.” The list released by Preneet does not carry the name of Patiala (Rural) MLA Brahm Mohindra. The latter was missing at the luncheon meeting at New Moti Bagh Palace after Preneet filed her nominations. “I have no clue as to why my name has been omitted,” Mohindra said. Captain had already made it clear that he would stay put in Patiala after August 9 and would like to have his “own men in Patiala.” Speaking on the revised formula to keep the Congress factions together, Ahmed told The Tribune that he had asked both the candidates to send him a list of leaders that they wanted to be put on election duty. Those assigned tasks
Lal Singh, Tript Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet, Rana Sodhi, Kewal Dhillon, Arvind Khanna, Jagmohan Singh Kang, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Harchand Kaur, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Amrik Singh Dhillon, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Hardayal Kambhoj, Gurkirat Kotli, Navtej Cheema, Raja Warring, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Tarlochan Soond, Aruna Chaudhary, Karan Kaur Brar, Sunder Shyam Arora, Charanjit Singh Channi, Gurcharan Singh Boparai, Joginder Singh Panjgraian, Ramanjit Sikki, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Kuljeet Nagra, Gur Iqbal Kaur and Mohammad Sadiq (all MLAs), and Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Rana KP Singh, Gurpreet Kangar, Love Kumar Goldy, Surjit Dhiman, Makhan Singh, Nathu Ram, Satnam Kainth, Jagbir Brar (ex-MLAs), Rajinder Beri, Pawan Dewan, Gurjeet Aujla, Harinder Bhambri, KK Puri, district presidents.
Voters in mood to punish SAD, says Bajwa
Bathinda: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Partap Singh Bajwa campaigned for party candidate Harminder Jassi on Tuesday. He said the people of Talwandi Sabo would punish the SAD for destroying the state's economy. He said the farmers were poor, the youth had not been provided jobs and the industry was fleeing to other states.
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Centre promises aid for farmers
New Delhi, August 5 Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a meeting here that the ICAR would expedite the process of setting up a regional centre of the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) to promote fishery in Punjab. He promised to appoint Director-General of the Borlaug Institute of Maize to be set up over 500 acres in Ludhiana. Badal sought a special financial aid of Rs 2,330 crore from the Centre to combat deficient rains in the state. He said that on account of the weak monsoon, farmers had to use submersible pumps to sustain their kharif crop and this would push up their cost of cultivation. Badal told the m Union Minister that the area under paddy had shrunk to 28 lakh hectares. He requested that the Centre should either defer the payment of loans for this season or slash the interest rates. He asked the Centre to explore the possibility of converting short-term credit to medium term.
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Balad Kalan land row
Sangrur, August 5 The Dalits were protesting the auction of panchayat land (reserved for Scheduled Castes) of Balad Kalan village at Bhawanigarh. The protesters were arrested for allegedly clashing with the Bhawanigarh police. They have been lodged in the Sangrur district jail since then. Eleven of the 41 inmates had reportedly launched a hunder strike inside the jail demanding acceptance of their demands, though the police had denied any such protest. Gurpreet Singh Thind, Deputy Superintendent of Police, said it was reported that the protesters had made a murderous attack on the police personnel. At least eight policewomen and three policemen were injured. However, after examining their medical reports, it was found that their injuries could not be termed as fatal. The charges under
Section 307 had thus been dropped, he added.
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CM orders review of post-2007 works in Lambi constituency
Muktsar, August 5 The Chief Minister had held a meeting with the top officials of the district in this regard at Badal village recently. He also directed Deputy Commissioner Jaskiran Singh to check the unutilised funds lying in the accounts of sarpanches. A senior district administration official said in the first phase, 43 villages had been selected for the review. “The Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Malout Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the District Development and Panchayat Officer have been told to complete this task by visiting the villages and inspecting every work,” the official said. He said during his recent sangat darshan programmes in Lambi villages, the Chief Minister had received demands from some sarpanches seeking more funds to complete the ongoing projects even though the government had already sanctioned adequate funds. “It raised some doubt to the Chief Minister and he immediately ordered review of various works,” said the official. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Ramvir Singh said, “The Chief Minister held a meeting and directed the district administration to review the works done in the past. Besides, the lists of total amount of unspent funds lying with the sarpanches are being prepared. The Deputy Commissioner has told me to examine the development works of 15 villages in Lambi segment.” He said the district administration had also made it mandatory for various departments to submit a photograph of the ongoing work to get further installment of funds. Why the move
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Pak delegation visits sugarcane farms
Amritsar, August 5 Talking to The Tribune, Chief Agricultural Officer Dr Paramjeet Singh Sandhu said, “Ramzan Sugar Mill GM Abdul Malik and expert Asanji Bhola visited sugarcane farms in villages like Gagadbhada and Khabbe Rajputa where they interacted with the farmers. They were impressed with the kind of technology being used by our farmers, which has given them high yield of quality produce.” Sandhu said the Pakistani delegation evinced great interest in cane farming techniques and also offered to further extend cooperation in this field through idea and technology exchange programmes in the future. He said Pakistan could gain a lot from Punjabi farmers’ techniques as soil, resources and atmosphere on the other side of the border were almost the same. Similarly, he said, Punjab’s farmers may also learn a lot from their Pakistani counterparts. The delegation members also felt that the two nations could adopt the best of each other’s technology in sugarcane farming and reap benefits in the coming days.
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2 years on, traders resent lack of facilities at ICP
Amritsar, August 5 Says leading exporter Rajdeep Uppal, “The government, in fact, has done well in setting up a massive infrastructure in the form of the ICP. It is spread on over 120 acres. But, it still has miles to go before it can boast of being fully equipped to handle any volume of trade between the two countries in an efficient manner.” Uppal says the ICP needs to be equipped with full-truck scanners. All-India Cement Importers Association president MPS Chatha says they are having a tough time in getting their cement consignments from Pakistan as the ICP doesn’t have adequate number of warehouses for its storage. “At times trucks loaded with cement have to be sent back to Pakistan and they return the next day when there is some space available in the warehouses at the ICP,” he says. Leading gypsum importer Iqbal Singh Bedi says, “Our gypsum isn’t safe due to lack of infrastructure at the ICP. There is no concrete floor and shed where gypsum can be safely unloaded in the event of rain. It is unloaded in the open, thus being exposed to the vagaries of weather. The entire area earmarked for gypsum unloading is waterlogged during the rainy season.” The ICP authorities claim that they have adequate warehousing facility. About the installation of full truck scanners, they say they haven’t got any official word on it yet.
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$600 for woman rickshaw-puller
Muktsar, August 5 Jinder was given the cheque in the presence of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Ramvir Singh and Deputy Manager of State Bank of Patiala Gurdeep Singh at the zila parishad office here. The Tribune had carried a report on Jinder’s plight on June 19. She has been plying rickshaw for a living after her husband allegedly abandoned her as she could not bear any child. Earlier, the State Bank of Patiala had given her a new rickshaw. The Punjab State Human Rights Commission too had taken notice of the matter and had sought a report from the Muktsar Deputy Commissioner.
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Sufi singer Jyoti, husband sent to protection home
Chandigarh, August 5 Facing the music for “marrying” against her family’s wishes about three days back, the singer and her “husband” are seeking protection of life and liberty from her parents and sisters. Directions have been sought to the parents and sister against interfering in their “married life”. The two have been sent by Justice TPS Mann to a protection home and have been given time to prove Jyoti’s age. The direction on age came after the Sufi crooner’s family claimed that the girl was a minor. Describing her parents as “very clever and greedy persons”, Jyoti, through her counsel Mohammad Salim, claimed that she and her husband Kunal Passi were major and they had tied the knot on August 2. But the relevant documents were with her parents. In an attempt to project her as minor, they had forged her matriculation certificate and changed her age. Giving reasons for the discord, Salim claimed that Jyoti’s parents wanted to get her married to someone “unsuitable”. The couple, he claimed, had known each other for two years and was in love. “Jyoti tried to convince her parents, but they did not agree to the match.” He said after the parents threatened the couple, they approached the Jalandhar Police Commissioner. As the matter came up for hearing before Justice Mann, Kunal claimed that the certificate had been forged, but a bone test could be conducted for verifying the age. A property dealer, Kunal told the Bench that he was willing to undergo punishment if caught lying on the age issue. Justice Mann fixed August 21 as the next date of hearing.
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SC students protest in Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur, August 5 The students, who have been demanding that the marks list be shown to them, had yesterday given a written representation to the DC, who had then faxed it to the Panjab University, seeking its intervention. Since there has been no reply from the PU, the students decided to lodge a four-hour protest daily outside the DC’s office. Ravinder Kaur, a protester, said, “We will continue our protest until the authorities look into our problem.” The students had in their written representation alleged that they had all been awarded less than 60 per cent marks while students in the general category had scored higher.
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Badal’s picture back on ‘108’ ambulances
Ludhiana, August 5 Badal’s pictures were covered following the enforcement of the model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha elections. The pictures have once again been uncovered and figure prominently on the ambulances. An ambulance staff member said they had uncovered the pictures on the orders of the higher authorities. The Centre had provided 240 air-conditioned ambulances to Punjab in 2011 for the transportation of patients to hospitals free of cost. But the state government projected the scheme as its own by putting up pictures of the Chief Minister on all vehicles. The then UPA Government had advised the state authorities not to use the ambulances as publicity vehicles and remove the CM’s pictures. The state was also told to display National Ambulance Service on all vehicles.
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EC to inquire into Juneja’s affidavit
Patiala, August 5 In his affidavit filed with his nomination papers for the Assembly byelection, Bhagwan Dass Juneja has marked as "nil" the column seeking information about his social media accounts. The entry against
Juneja's educational qualification column reads "under primary". However, posters pasted in the city on behalf of Juneja mention that he has presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The posters mention his Facebook account as "f/bhagwaandassjuneja", while his Twitter account is "t@junejadasss". His YouTube account is "YouTube/bhagwaandassjuneja". Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said it was a technical issue and he would look into it. "We can surely take action in the election petition subsequently, if the affidavit is wrong or it conceals facts," he said.
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Prisoner’s murder: 4 cops surrender
Amritsar, August 5 Those who surrendered in the court included prime accused dismissed Inspector Narang Singh and three head constables Jagjit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh. ASI Baljit Singh, who was still evading arrest, has been declared a proclaimed offender. ADCP (Crime) Naresh Kumar Sharma, who is heading the special investigating team in the case, confirmed their surrender and added they had been arrested. Bikramjit, a murder convict, was allegedly kidnapped by policemen belonging to the counter intelligence wing on May 5 from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital where he was admitted due to an orthopaedic problem. He was tortured to death in illegal custody. His body was found in a canal in the Kiratpur Sahib area on May 8. After keeping it for identification for five days, it was cremated on May 13.
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Get medical fitness certificate without check-up for
Rs 50
Muktsar, August 5 The administration got the idea from Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav, who had deputed doctors at Suwidha Centre in Jalandhar district. The doctors there conducted medical check-up of applicants. At the local Suwidha Centre, a special counter has been set up for the medical officer and those who want to get a medical fitness certificate are charged Rs 50. However, the local administration has failed to provide the doctors with the necessary equipment to check eyesight, colour blindness and blood group. On an average, 8-10 people are getting medical fitness certificates. Rajiv Gupta, in charge, Suwidha Centre, said, “We hope to get the equipment in a day or two. The Health Department has also been requested to depute a laboratory technician, who can test blood groups, at the Suwidha Centre.” From August 10, the district administration is planning to make it mandatory for everyone to get medical fitness certificates from the Suwidha Centre. At present, people can get these certificates from any doctor.
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Govt denotifies colleges, draws flak
Abohar, August 5 The institutes in question, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College in Raisinghnagar segment, Gyan Jyoti College in Srikaranpur and Meera Girls College in Sangria, are running in losses.
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smuggling
New Delhi, August 5 Justice S Muralidhar passed the order on conclusion of arguments by the department and senior advocate HS Phoolka, who appeared for intervenor Naresh Grover, son of Mohan Lal Grover, who was to travel with Jain from Delhi to Hong Kong in January 1988. The Customs Department had arrested Jain at the Delhi international airport and recorded his statement on January 29 after finding the foreign currency and travellers’ cheques. Jain, then only a businessman, was found to be travelling on a forged passport for which he was convicted but let out on probation as he confessed to the crime. Phoolka contended that Jain should have been convicted in the case by treating his statement pleading guilty in the forged passport case as corroborative evidence. The trial court had ignored this aspect in its September 29, 2006 verdict, he said.
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Drug racket: Charges framed against Jagdish Bhola, 8 others
Mohali, August 5 However, the court discharged NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon, who was arrested last year. Those charegesheeted were Manjinder Singh Aulakh, alias Bittu Aulakh, Baljinder Singh Sonu, Sarabjeet Singh Saba, JS Chahal, Satinder Singh Dhama, Surjit Singh, Paramjit Singh Pamma and Deep Singh Deepu. The next date of hearing was fixed for August 25. Kahlon was arrested first and on the basis of information provided by him, Bhola and others were taken into custody. The probe officer is reported to have adopted a soft approach towards Kahlon who has been assisting the police in the case. In a joint operation by the Banur and the Patiala police on November 11, 2013, Bhola and others were arrested from Delhi. The police had claimed to have recovered drugs worth Rs 18 crore from them. On May 15, 2013 , the police had tried to arrest Bhola, but he escaped. The police claimed to have recovered 18 kg of heroin from his vehicle. Earlier, the police had claimed to have found drugs worth Rs 10 crore from Bhola's Mohali residence. Cases are on against
Bhola in other courts too. His property, valued at Rs 80 crore, has been attached. The police claim that 50 NRIs are involved in the racket. Bhola was booked under Sections 379, 411, 473, 471 and 120- B of the IPC, Sections 21, 22, 25, 25-A, 27 and 29 of the NDPS Act.
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Technical snag in car no basis to deny relief: HC
Chandigarh, August 5 Justice Kannan has clearly held that a vehicle’s maintenance was the owner’s responsibility. The driver could seek absolution, but the owner cannot rely upon a technical snag to escape the rigours of law in case of an accident; and the insurer was liable to pay compensation in such matters. The ruling came in the case of Sudesh Sharma and other appellants against Prahalad Kumar Garg and another respondent. Taking up the matter, Justice Kannan asserted: “As regards the proof of negligence, which is required to be established in this case, the driver dashed against a tree and one passenger died. “An act of a driver dashing against a tree, which by the very nature of things cannot shift itself from one place, must mean that there had been a negligent act only on the part of the driver. “An instance where a driver could plead exoneration of such a responsibility shall be when there is a mechanical failure, but there again the liability of the owner would still be exposed. “A vehicle is bound to be kept in a state of repair and if there was a mechanical defect that resulted in accident, it should still be seen as want of care by the owner, the insurer is liable for any claim arising out of the accident. The minimal requirement is that the death or injury is by the use of a motor vehicle.” In the case in hand, Justice Kannan added the victim was an Enforcement Officer in the Provident Fund office, drawing an income of Rs 7,320. “Having regard to the prospect of increase that was possible in government undertaking, I will provide for 30% increase but subject the same to 10% deduction for tax…. “There shall be an award of Rs 12,14,535 and the amount shall be distributed amongst the widow and children equally. The liability shall be on the insurance company,” he said.
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Milk contractor booked for fraud
Chandigarh, August 5 The accused, Karamjit Singh, and his driver Jagpal Singh were booked for fraud by the Samrala police on August 3. They are yet to be arrested. Sources said samples were taken daily from each tanker. As the cavity was not connected with the main tank, nothing wrong was found. The detection of the fraud has further embarrassed the Ludhiana Co-operative Milk Union. The latter is already mired in a controversy for allegedly supplying spurious milk and illegally buying milk from a Rajasthan firm. Officials of the Co-operative Department are inquiring into these allegations. Karamjit had been supplying milk to the Ludhiana Milk Plant for the past three years. The Samrala police is investigating if the security staff at plant had colluded with him. The bank account of the accused is being looked into. The police said that Karamjit would use 3,400 litres of water daily. In this way, he made more than Rs 2 lakh per day. Presuming that he did not take the risk daily, he may have earned Rs 1 lakh every day. Harsh Bansal, Khanna SSP, said the offence went undetected all these years even though the weight of the vehicle was checked daily at the milk plant. The accused would drain out the water when the tanker was taken away for washing after it was emptied. Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, Samrala SHO, said that Karamjit would collect milk from villages in two tankers. One tanker was authorised to enter the Ludhiana Milk Plant. He would collect about 1,500 litres-1,700 litres of milk in the other tanker and then sell it to vendors at a lower price. The police said that alerted by certain persons, the security staff at the plant weighed the tanker after it was emptied but before the mandatory washing. It was found to weigh about 7,800 kg while the weight of an empty tanker is about 6,100 kg. Modus operandi
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Minor girl kidnapped in Bassi Pathana
Bassi Pathana, August 5 In his complaint, the victim’s father, hailing from a village in Bassi Pathana, alleged that his daughter had gone to school on August 2. When she failed to return home, the girl’s parents started a search in the school and at their relatives. However, later they came to know that she had been allegedly kidnapped by Jagdeep Singh alias Teena, a resident of Shergarh village. — TNS
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Doc held for graft
Chandigarh, August 5 He alleged that Dr Gurseerat Singh demanded Rs 10,000 for releasing his son’s medical report. — TNS
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Woman’s body found in Cong leader’s house
Kotkapura, August 5 There were multiple injuries on the body which the police found lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom of the house in Aman Nagar locality here. Earlier after noticing smoke coming out of the house, local residents informed the police. The house belongs to Naresh Kumar Bawra, a Congress leader. Baljit Singh, Kotkapura DSP, said Bawra’s son Sunny Bawra had been living in the house after his two brothers and mother shifted to Chandigarh a few days ago. The police had registered a case of murder against Sunny. Sources said the husband of the deceased was lodged in jail on the charge of drug trafficking. They said the police had claimed to have found empty bottles of liquor from the house. It was believed that there were more than one accused who set the house on fire after killing the woman, they added. — TNS
Crime file
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Liquor worth Rs 60 lakh seized
Abohar, August 5 The police said the truck was intercepted near Shobhasar village. The driver and his accomplices fled. — OC
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One of the main reasons for a large number of suicides in the agriculture sector is debt. It is an established fact that Punjab farmers turn to non-institutional sources of credit despite a large network of banks in the state.
Elections mean nothing to residents of villages in the vicinity of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in the Talwandi Sabo Assembly constituency.
Former member of the Congress Working Committee Jagmeet Singh Brar today informed AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed that he stood by all issues raised by him in the media, except for the uncharitable remarks on AICC president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, asking them to hand over the party command to somebody else.
Lashing out at senior Congress leader and sitting Sanaur MLA Lal Singh for trying to tarnish his image ahead of the Patiala Urban
byelection, Aam Aadmi Party candidate HS Adaltiwala said the MLA should apologise within a week otherwise he would file a defamation case against him.
Two years after the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari became operational, the trading community is not satisfied with the services at the facility that witnesses India-Pakistan bilateral trade worth millions of dollars every year.
Despite the fact that the ‘108’ ambulance service is a Central scheme under the National Rural Health Mission, the state government tries to project it as its own by putting the picture of Chief Minister on the ambulances.
Charges were framed against alleged drug kingpin Jagdish Bhola and eight others in the multi-crore drug racket case in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge (Senior Division) Parminder Pal Singh here today.
However, the court discharged NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon, who was arrested last year.
Punjab BJP President Kamal Sharma, who visited Patiala on Tuesday, asked the BJP cadre to work as a unit and ensure the victory of SAD-BJP candidate Bhagwan Dass Juneja. “Let us make sure that the BJP leaders work hard for Juneja’s victory”, he told the local leaders.