Jalandhar, August 22
For failing to comply with the recent directions issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, regarding the universal account number (UAN) of employees, the regional office of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued show-cause notices to over 100 public and state government establishments.

Sources said the Jalandhar EPFO, under whose jurisdiction four districts, including Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala, fall, has warned the establishments to comply with the directions on the UAN within three days, or face prosecution.

Confirming this to The Tribune, Dheeraj Gupta, Regional PF Commissioner, Jalandhar, said, “Today, we have issued show-cause notices to top 100 establishments who have not uploaded the KYC information of their even one employee for the universal account number (UAN).We consider it an intentional and wilful violation of directions. This also includes some public and state government establishments.”

Gupta said the main problem was that most of the companies had outsourced their work to PF consultants and part-timers and they were taking it casually. Employers and owners should understand that in case of the non-submission of the KYC data, the department would initiate legal action against them and not against the PF consultants, Gupta added.

“The non-submission of the information in digital/electronic format as directed by Commissioner under Sub Para 7 of Para 36 of EPF Scheme, 1952, is tantamount to candid-contravention of the provisions of Section 14 of the EPF & MP Act, 1952. Non-compliance makes establishments liable for prosecution and imprisonment which may extend to one year with fine,” the PF Commissioner said.

Some of the top establishments, which were issued show-cause notices included Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Jalandhar, XEN, GRID DIV PSEB Jalandhar, DEO- Sarav Shiksha Abhyian State Mission Authority, Swani Motors Ltd, Punjab Formulations Ltd, Secretary Punjab Khadi Mandal, Civil Surgeon- District Health Society Kapurthala, Mex Switchgear private limited, Wonder Land Amusement Park, Doaba Khalsa Model Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar Leather private limited, The Onkar Bus Service Limited, The New Sutlej Transport Company, Srishti Infrastructure Limited, Industrial Security Consultancy Services, Punjab Containers Services, Sarv Shiksha Abiyan State Mission Authority Punjab, Paradise Rubbers Industry etc.

Jalandhar, August 22
A musical jig happening on the post of the Chief Administrator, Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA), has badly affected the functioning of the department for the past two years.

The frequent change on the post has been leading to the slowing down of the pace of the work, increase of pendency of the issues and no planned scheme coming up anywhere in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur or Kapurthala, which encompass the territorial region of the authority. Ever since July 2007 when the authority was formed, it has failed to develop any planned scheme.

Various officials, including Supreet Gulati and Jaskiran Singh, had started proposing schemes for the area, but before these could develop, they were moved out.

As many as five officials had served the authority in the year 2013. Since March 2, 2012, there have been nine officers coming and going. The seat has also been passed on to former deputy commissioners Shruti Singh and Priyank Bharti, and former ADC Praneet Bhardwaj as their additional charge.

While Bharti remained on the post for seven months, Shruti Singh got the charge for a month and passed it onto Bhardwaj who to retained it for less than a month. Seven months has been the longest tenure of an official on the post, which was in the case of Bharti and Jaskiran Singh.

HS Kandhola, too, held the post as additional charge, his main office being Special Secretary PWD (B&R) at Chandigarh. Even Gulati had a dual charge during their tenure, the second one being the Chairman of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust. Interestingly, Vinay Bublani held four charges at a time, the other three being JIT chairman, MC Commissioner and CEO of Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Foundation. The incumbent Chief Administrator GS Khehra is also Additional Chief Administrator (since the post lies vacant) and Land Acquisition Collector.

The JDA has several issues pending, including the clearance of the NOCs of illegal colonies, implementation of regularisation policy for marriage palaces and providing amenities to the colonies which it is still to hand over to the Municipal Corporation. 

Jalandhar, August 22
An attempt by senior functionaries of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to restructure its organisational set-up in the state after the recent debacle of the party in the Lok Sabha polls took an ugly turn, with various factions coming to blows on the issue during a programme held at the party office near Wadala Chowk here today.

The announcement of the new body had to be stalled thereafter.

The national general secretary of the party Narinder Kashyap was in the city to announce the district presidents and the constituency heads. On the basis of the performance of the 22 district bodies for sometime, a state body was to be announced later. After announcing that the names had been finalised by the state president Parkash Singh Jandali, Kashyap started taking the names of the district presidents. He had barely taken a few names when a hue and cry was raised. Jandali’s supporers too reportedly opposed him by saying that it was not the team they had suggested.

Starting with a verbal duel, the fight turned into a scuffle, with workers exchanging blows and pushing one another. There were several allegations and counter-allegations raised by the groups within the party. The workers accused one another of being the middlemen for settling police disputes. There were voices raised also over giving clarity on the use of party fund. The workers even went on to argue with Kashyap who had been holding the mike at that time. The workers then even stated snatching mike from one another to make their voice heard.

Meanwhile, infighting within the party has been on for a long time. The base of the party in the SC-dominated Doaba region had started dwindling since the last parliamentary elections. In the Lok Sabha polls this year, the party’s vote had fallen to just 1.9 per cent from 5.75 per cent in 2009. The state body had been dissolved on May 29, soon after the Lok Sabha polls this year.

Kashyap said the announcement of the state body had been withheld for the time being. He said the resentment of the party workers would be first resolved before making any announcement. 

Jalandhar, August 22
In the first of its kind mammoth exercise, the Regional Passport Office at Jalandhar, including nine districts of Punjab has done the record printing of 15,000 passports in three days.

The department was reporting huge backlog from the last three months due to the non availability of the passport booklets it receive from the India Security Press at Nashik in Maharashtra. But now with Nasik resuming the supply of the booklets just three days ago, the department swinging back to action took the herculean task of clearing the backlog and finally got successful in clearing the 100 per cent backlog of printing 15000 passports within three days.

"It was indeed a herculean task. As we are felicitating around 9 districts, we receive around 1000 applications for new passport every day. Over and above, such huge backlog was a serious cause of concern to us. So, we took the challenge and decided to clear the backlog within 3 days hence providing big respite to thousands of applicants who are waiting for their passports from the last few months," said Harmanbir Singh Gill, Regional Passport Officer. He also informed that the staff managed to achieve the target by working in two extra shifts from 6 pm to 3 am and again from 6 am to 9 am after taking a 3 hours rest in between.

The department was not able to make new passports as the booklets were not available from the last few months. There were only 100 booklets left which the department had kept for emergency purposes. A severe shortage of passport booklets has forced thousands of people to put on hold plans to travel abroad.

The huge backlog was created because India Security Press, in Nashik, Maharashtra, which prints various government documents including passports, visas and postage stamps, has since the start of this year suspended production of passports for weeks at a stretch several times owing to a shortage in import of laminated sheets required to make the 36-page booklets.

The import shortfall, officials said, was a result of suppliers not being able to meet orders in time for laminated sheets with new security features. The halt in production at the Nashik press, the only facility in the country that produces passports, has left tens of thousands of applicants all over the country in limbo. Apart from job-seekers, several of the applicants awaiting their passports need to go abroad for medical treatment, officials said.

Jalandhar, August 22
Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Departemnt Jaswinder Singh Gill today asked the college principals to help the SC students apply under the Centre's Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme before August 31 and ensure that their data is sent to them in proper format for a quick reimbursement of the dues.

Gill, along with ADC (D) Kumar Amit interacted with the principals in the district administrative complex this afternoon. He urged the principals to ensure that all those students who had Aadhar Card applied with a copy of it so that they could easily check any case of duplicity. "Out of the 2.16 lakh applications under the scheme which we received last year from across the state, we detected 9600 double cases. It will be easy for us to check duplicity as well as genuineness with Aadhar Card copy", he said.

The Deputy Director said that the bank account number and the IFSC code should be clearly mentioned for each application. He said that owing to ambiguity, the payment in all such cases got delayed and had to be done by way of cheques which took a lot of time.

As the college principals created a lot of hue and cry over the delay in reimbursement of the amount, the officer said that an amount of Rs 122 crore would be released shortly. The principals also alleged that since the amount was going directly to the students, they were in dark on what amount had been transferred, when and on what account. They demanded that a list of the amount reimbursed from time to time with a clear bifurcation of maintenance allowance, college fee and corresponding financial year be sent to them as well.

At this, the Deputy Director told the principals that since all such data was available with the District Welfare Officer, they could send their staff anytime at the local office for any clarity on the issue and checking the details from their server. The college authorities made all sorts of excuses to make a point that they were at losses owing to delay in reimbursement of the amount. DAV College authorities said that they had Rs 1.05 crore pending. HMV College principal Dr Rekha Kalia Bhardwaj said that she was awaiting an amount of Rs 1.03 crore on this account. She said that she had applications from 6 ST students, 42 BC students and 868 SC students under the scheme, of whom only 441 had been able to complete their documents including income certificate, SC certificate and other supporting documents. At this, the deputy director asked her to help the students and guide them for the noble cause. He also asked them to display the checklist and other documentary details required for availing the scheme in their admission gallery.

The principals also rued that since Jalandhar had nearly one-third SC population, a large number of applicants were from this section which was resulting in a huge financial burden. At this, the ADC told them not to take the same lame excuse again and again especially after they had been assured that the fee amount would be reimbursed shortly. Among principals who attended the meeting were Dr Sucharita from Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Dr Sarita Verma from BD Arya Girls'College, Dr GS Samra from Lyallpur Khalsa College, and Ranjit Kaur from Lyallpur Khalsa College of Education. 

Jalandhar, August 22
Startling facts about their notorious designs have come to the fore during the interrogation of the three Khalistani terrorists recently apprehended by the Jalandhar rural police.

A senior police official told The Tribune that the Jammu police officials were also on the target list of the terrorists. "They mainly wanted to kill three Jammu police officials, including one medium-rank police officer. Said police officials were having tip-off about the terrorist activities of Khalistani ultras which were not letting their plans to take practical shapes," said the police official.

Further interrogation also led to the recovery of foreign made firearms and live cartridges. Police officials believe that accused might have stored huge cache of fire arms at some undisclosed location so more recovery are underway.

Three Italy and China made pistols and six cartridges were recovered from the accused.

Interestingly, weapons were personally brought by these apprehended terrorists from Pakistan. Otherwise, they were also getting regular supply of fire arms from Pakistan.

The rural police officials, who claimed to have got vital leads from the interrogation of arrested terrorists, will again bring them on production warrant to inquire that how these terrorist could manage to get supply of weapons from Pakistan.

A police team led by Senior Superintendent of Police (Jalandhar rural) Narinder Bhargav had arrested the three Jammu-based accused in Jammu on August 4. They were Harpreet Singh, alias Harmeet, alias Pintu, of Simbal Camp, Karanjit Singh, alias Pamma, of Basti Gobind Puri, and Sarwan Singh Shabba of Narri, who were working for two Pakistan-based outfits, Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).

All were initially interrogated by the police for nine days while remand of one of the accused Pintu was extended by four days, which also ended on August 18. Now, police will again seek further police remand of one of the accused Pintu, who is said to be hardcore among his two associates.

Although the rural police officials are tight lipped on the issue, but sources told The Tribune that police have recovered the above said weapons from the accused. Officials said they are considering this recovery just a tip of the ice berg and more recoveries are likely to be made in the days to come.

A senior police official requesting anonymity said what is more alarming is that weapons were being supplied to these nabbed terrorists from their bosses residing in Pakistan and other countries. "These terrorists had visited Pakistan on several occasions to meet their bosses namely Ranjit Singh Neeta, KZF chief, and Harminder Singh Mintu, KLF chief, who gifted them sophisticated weapons" an official said all have been visiting Pakistan on fake visas only.

It was learnt that terrorists had held series of secret meetings in Punjab at Gurdaspur city, at Dali village in Bhogpur near Jalandhar and at Pathankot (near J&K border), where they reportedly finalised their anti-national plans to orchestrate bomb blasts at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, at Sunday Market, the busiest place at Jyoti chowk in Jalandhar and religious processions on the occasion of Janamashtmi celebrations in Jammu.

Jalandhar, August 22
The district Health Department today raided 16 IVF, MTP and scanning centres here for allegedly violating the provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act 1994.

The team sealed the scanning equipment of SJ Hospital at Maqsudan and warned Sacchar Hospital and Maternity Home at Central Town after random “field inspection of ultrasound clinics/facilities” .The team members verified the materials and examined records at all scanning centres and instructed the officials concerned to issue show-cause notices to the managements of the centres. The teams were headed by Dr Gurmeet Kaur Duggal and Dr Aruna from the Health Department.

Rules flouted

Jalandhar, August 22
The Jalandhar rural police claimed to have solved an eight-month-old murder case in which a minor boy, along with his two accomplices, had killed the paramour of his mother.

Initially, the police had initiated inquest proceedings, but later, on the statement of the man’s wife, murder charges were added.

The arrested accused were identified as Rajat Sharma, Tarlochan Singh and a minor boy.

The incident had occurred on January 31 this year when Ramesh, alias Dimple, who was a transport vehicle driver, had gone missing. A day later, Ramesh’s wife was informed by the Kartarpur police that Dimple’s body was found in a vehicle (Chota Hathi) in a village near Kartarpur.

Police sources said Simranjit, wife of Krishan, a Kartarpur-based junk dealer, had illicit relations with Dimple. Dimple also used to visit the woman’s house, which was not acceptable to her husband and minor son.

On December 25 last year, Krishan, who was upset over the illicit relations of his wife, had died. Even after his death, Dimple kept on visiting the woman’s house. The woman’s son had also threatened Dimple not to visit his house, but the latter did not agree to this.

On January 31, the woman’s son, along with his two friends, conspired to kill Dimple. They called him to their house on the pretext of selling some junk goods and after serving him tea laced with some sedatives, stifled him by using a pillow. Later to avoid police investigation, the accused dumped the body in his auto-rickshaw on a road in Kartarpur just to show that the victim had died in road accident.

The police said the case was solved after digging up the call details of the accused and the victim.

Jalandhar, August 22
Suspecting illicit relations of his wife, a 58-year-old man from Jharkhand murdered his wife by hitting her on head with a hammer and later committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at Hardyal Nagar on the Garha road here this evening.

Ram Krishan Chobey, a security guard at a factory at Surgical Complex, used to fight with his wife Lakhi Devi (40), who was working as a domestic help in households.

Lakhi was the second wife of Chobey as his first wife had died recently and both were living along with their daughter Anita and a son Ravi.

Sources said today both husband and wife were alone at home and they had heated arguments over some issue. “My father called me in the afternoon and informed me that my mother was quarreling with me. I informed my brother Ravi, who immediately rushed to the spot,” the victim’s daughter Anita said, revealing that when Ravi reached home, he found their mother lying in a pool of blood and her head was brutally wounded. The hammer used to commit the crime was also lying near the body.

Around three hours later, the victim’s husband was also found dead in a park near the house. He had reportedly consumed some poisonous substance after killing his wife.

The police also recovered a suicide note from the spot in which it was reportedly written that the woman had illicit relations due to which he killed her. In the suicide note, the man categorically wrote that he killed his wife because she had an illicit affair with someone. He also wrote that after the killing, he would also commit suicide, a police source said.

Even a daughter-in-law of the couple also said that her father-in- law killed her mother-in-law over her illicit relations. She said otherwise also, both used to quarrel over petty issues like preparation of food or cleanliness of house etc.

Jalandhar, August 22
Two houses were burgled here in the Choggiti area last night. Valuables and cash were stolen from the houses.

The police were suspecting that all family members were rendered unconscious by the burglars by using some chemical spray before they committed the crime.

One of the residents, Om Parkash, of Satnam Nagar said he was working in a factory and had arrived home late at night. Today, when he woke up, he found some valuables and his bike missing. He suspected that he was made unconscious by the thieves by using some spray. — TNS