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Hopeful of bailout by Centre: CM
Sangrur MC defaults on Rs 8-cr loan
Data yet to be compiled, scholarships delayed
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More breaches, thousands stranded
Flood-hit take shelter in schools
Akali Dal, Congress trade barbs over Jaitley’s letter
Badal deputes officer to take up MSP issue with Union Govt
BJP faction wants Sharma removed as party chief
Little money, yet govt spending
Rs 3 lakh a day on helicopter
D-Day for handing over shrine today; Amritsar cops on alert
SAD rejig tilts equations, Babbehali left in the cold
Hopes dashed, Mansa farmer kills himself
Border villages hit too, link roads damaged
Drain bane: Muktsar still waterlogged
CM to dedicate hospital to Nawanshahr residents
Water samples from Ropar schools fail
RMOs divided over move to shift them
41 MBBS seats still vacant at Adesh college
Web portal for driver’s licence
Now grow sugarcane at lesser cost
Traffickers hand confirmed in Sikh stowaways
Now, bougainvillea to beautify Badal village
Punjabi killed by co-workers in Boston
Release BPL pensions in a month, HC tells state
Lok Adalat quashes PSPCL demand notice
Two arrested with Rs 45-crore heroin
Stopped at naka, van driver attacks excise officer
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Hopeful of bailout by Centre: CM
Ludhiana, September 7 Badal’s statement comes in the wake of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s letter to the state government, advising it to rationalise power subsidy. He was speaking on the sidelines of a function organised by Nishkam Sewa Vidya Mandir here. The letter, apart from listing the occasions on which Punjab had received funds from the Centre over the past decade, also said the power subsidy being given by the state government exceeded its revenue deficit. Punjab, it is learnt, had made a representation before the Centre to seek a special package for financial restructuring. Badal also said he would soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek an industrial and agricultural package for the state. “We are already in talks with the Centre regarding industrial and agricultural packages for Punjab. I will take up this issue on a priority during my meeting with the Prime Minister,” he said. The Chief Minister expressed hope that the Centre would soon announce an industrial as well as an agricultural package for Punjab, “which will be a boon for the state”. Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, had hailed Jaitley’s letter as a vindication of what the then Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre had been saying about grants to Punjab. Amarinder said the letter “exposed the state government’s lies” that the Centre had not provided any grants. Responding to Capt Amarinder’s charges, Badal today accused the Congress leaders of “indulging in false propaganda for their vested political interests”. The Chief Minister claimed the UPA Government knew that they would not be able to form government in 2014 and that was why they emptied the coffers of the exchequer during their rule. Denying that there was any rift between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, Badal said the alliance in the state was “unbreakable” and both the parties had a “strong bonding”. Dal Khalsa: Demand royalty from non-riparian states Amritsar: The Dal Khalsa has an advice for the government to sort out its financial problems. In a statement, party head HS Dhami said Punjab should focus on royalty from non-riparian states. He said the Chief Minister should set a deadline to get the royalty so as to put the state's financial position in order. He said but in case the state had to give its water to Haryana and other non-riparian states as goodwill gesture, Punjab on its own could strike a fresh deal with them. "There is no room for central intervention as river water is a state subject," he said. Dhami said, "Instead of begging for concessions and grants from the Union Government, why can't Badal ask for royalty from non-riparian states (Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana). Or else, the Punjab Assembly should scrap Clause 5 of the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act, 2004." He reminded the Chief Minister of his forgotten poll promise of scrapping Clause 5 of the Act to stop the "illegal loot of river water". "The river water is an asset for Punjab as minerals are for other states. Any use of it by other states should be accounted for in terms of money. Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand have coal mines, Rajasthan has marble and several other states have iron ore. They are all charging royalty for mining," he said.
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Sangrur MC defaults on Rs 8-cr loan
Sangrur, September 7 Sources said despite being aware of the council's poor fiscal health, the council authorities had taken the loan to execute development works. The loan had been taken to persuade people to vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the Lok Sabha elections, they added. The loan has to be repaid in 10 half-yearly instalments in five years. The instalments have to be paid by the council in August and February every year. The last instalment is to be paid on February 19, 2019. Executive officer (EO) of the council Surjit Singh confirmed that the council could not pay the first instalment as it faced a financial crisis. The agreement that was signed between the authorities of local municipal council and Sangrur Improvement Trust stated that the normal rate of interest on the loan would be 12 per cent per annum. In case of default of payment, the council will pay two per cent extra per month as penal interest. In the agreement, it is also mentioned that in case the municipal council fails to repay the loan, the council will have to sell the old site of the fire brigade office. State secretary of the BJP and former Municipal Councillor Jatinder Kalra said the council authorities should not have taken the loan as the council body had not been elected at the time.
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Data yet to be compiled, scholarships delayed
Bathinda, September 7 The data forwarded to the department, pertaining to scholarships for reserved categories, girls, meritorious students, handicapped and classes XI and XII students, is full of flaws. A report in this regard has underlined instances where a single account number has been shown allotted to many students. The data sent by various schools has been found to have overlooked income limits of families of children who have applied for the scholarship. Names of a sizable number of students who do not qualify for the scholarship have been recommended. Kamal Garg, DPI (Schools), in an official communication to the schools, has taken strong note of glaring mistakes in the data. He maintained the department would not clear any scholarship till the entire database was streamlined. Schools and officials would face departmental inquiry in case of dereliction of duty in the disbursal of scholarships, he added. Kamaljit Majithia, principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Jethunangal (Amritsar), said: “The department has not issued clear instructions under the new system of online transfer. The department has not even clarified whether a student getting scholarship under one scheme could avail another in case he or she qualifies. In fact, the lack of clarity had led to students belonging to minority communities getting a higher scholarship in many cases last year.” Another principal of a government school in Hoshiarpur district said: “The schools have nothing to do with the bank accounts of students. Parents are supposed to open the accounts. In case of Class XII students who are to apply online for scholarships, the process is being carried out by the respective schools in a large number of cases. The department needs to spell out a clear plan of action for the implementation of these schemes.” Nalini Sharma, OSD, scholarships, said the students would be given scholarship amount in their respective bank accounts. “In case a student qualifies for a total fee exemption, he or she can use the scholarship amount for purchasing books and other material. The amount per student under different scholarship schemes varies between Rs 5,000 and Rs 9,000 per annum,” she added.
Glitches galore
'Streamline data’ The department will not clear any scholarship till the entire database is streamlined. Schools and officials will face departmental inquiry in case of dereliction of duty in the disbursal of
scholarships. 'Vague instructions' The department has not issued clear instructions under the new system. It has not even clarified whether a student getting scholarship under one scheme could avail another one.~
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More breaches, thousands stranded
Abohar, September 7 At least 1,000 remained trapped in their homes in Jain Nagar for the fourth consecutive day today. Alleging that the administration had failed to come to their help, residents of Idgah Basti staged a dharna at the old Fazilka road. They refused to budge till the local administration installed machines to remove water accumulated in the locality for the past four days. Highway submerged
Fazilka: Water has entered paddy fields following breaches in the Trobari drain near Ladhuka village on the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway yesterday. A portion of the state highway has been submerged. “The water on the highway will be removed within 24 hours,” claimed the Superintending Engineer (SE), Drainage, Gurdial Singh. He said the breaches had been plugged and there was no loss to the standing paddy crop.Meanwhile, KS Pannu, Secretary, Irrigation Department, visited Fazilka district today. He said the area received an unprecedented 233 mm of rainfall in the past few days. He inspected a creek near Mohar Jamsher village. He said that the Jalalabad-Mauzam drain and the ditch channel drain, the two main systems that carried rainwater in South-West Punjab, were full. The former was carrying 13,414 cusecs and the latter 1,827 cusecs of water. Capt: Strengthen embankments Amritsar: Senior Congress leader Harpartap Singh Ajnala toured the affected areas in Rajasansi and Ajnala and briefed Amarinder Singh, Amritsar MP, about the situation. Amarinder said the floods had become an annual feature and it was important that embankments from Dharamkot to Saharan were strengthened. Cotton growers panic Abohar: The downpour has created a scare among cotton growers. Progressive farmers Mohinderjit Singh Wahabwala, Sukhjit Singh Daulatpura, Karnail Singh Gidderanwali and Kuldeep Singh Arniwala said that cotton fields had been submerged and the water needed to be removed within two days to prevent damage to the cotton plant. The rain may also damage kinnow plants.The border villages of Bakayanwala, Roopnagar, Bareka and Jandwala Meerasangla are the worst-hit. “We have not been able to arrange for pumping sets to drain out the water from our fields. No official has visited us so far,” the farmers complained. Bajwa demands special girdawari Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday demanded that special girdawari be ordered in villages affected by heavy rain in the last couple of days. In a statement, he said Punjab earlier suffered due to drought, but the farmers managed to save their paddy crop by using diesel pump sets. Now when the crop was nearing maturity, parts of the state had been hit by heavy rain, he said. He rapped the state government for “failing” to get adequate relief from the Centre. He said the worst sufferers were the cotton growers in the Malwa belt.
Flood-hit take shelter in schools
Abohar, September 7 The water supply from Harike barrage through Gang (Bikaner) canal was reduced from 2,650 to 700 cusecs and supply in eight sub-canals was suspended. Kisan Sangharsh Samiti spokesman Subhash Sehgal said the guar and cotton crop might suffer 60 per cent damage since all the distributaries had been closed due to eight breaches. He said the state government had not learnt any lesson from past disasters. The government should have rationalised water supply to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home turf to prevent waterlogging, he said. With the administration not carrying out any relief work, NGOs Baba Deep Singh Seva Samiti, Marwari Manch, Tapovan Prinyas and Lions Club Vikas were working overtime to provide food to displaced persons in gurdwaras, dharamsalas and schools.
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Akali Dal, Congress trade barbs over Jaitley’s letter
Chandigarh, September 7 Amarinder had yesterday hit out at the state government over the “denial” of a financial package by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He had hailed Jaitley for “exposing” the lies of the Badals who claimed all these years the Congress-led UPA Government didn’t give anything to the state. Maheshinder Grewal, SAD general secretary and spokesman, said Amarinder should stop showing “fake concern” for the people of Punjab. He alleged the Congress leader was only trying to prove his presence to party president Sonia Gandhi. “The truth is that Amarinder did not go back to Amritsar after being elected from there and left Patiala a day before the polling took place recently. He is not likely to visit the city soon,” he said. Grewal alleged the UPA Government never released funds as per Punjab’s specific needs. “Even our share in central taxes was reduced from 2.4 per cent to 1.3 per cent. The Bathinda airport was not allowed to become functional and no major project was given clearance. This is what we mean when we state that Punjab suffered discrimination at the hands of the UPA,” the SAD spokesman said. Hitting back, Punjab Congress spokesman Sukhpal Khaira said it was a matter of “shame” for an octogenarian and seasoned leader like Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to make “false and baseless” allegations against the UPA Government. “The official letter dated August 19, 2014, written by Jaitely in response to Badal’s demand for a special package for financial restructuring of Punjab has brought the cat out of the bag and exposed Badal’s lies,” he said. In war of words Amarinder should stop showing fake concern for the people of Punjab. The Congress leader is only trying to prove his presence to his party chief Sonia Gandhi. The truth is that Amarinder did not go back to Amritsar after being
elected The official letter dated August 19, 2014, written by Jaitely in response to Badal's demand for a special package for financial restructuring of Punjab has brought the cat out of the bag and exposed Badal’s
lies
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Badal deputes officer to take up MSP issue with Union Govt
Chandigarh, September 7 Badal urged the Centre to review the procedure for fixing the MSP to make it far more remunerative. He also sought a formula for determining the rental value of land as per the actual market rate. The Chief Minister pointed out that the provision in the Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953, to limit the land rent up to one-third of the value of the produce was made to protect the rights of tenants and was no more applicable because of abolition of tenancy. He said the state Agriculture Department had already recommended to the Revenue Department to amend the Act. Badal pleaded that Punjabi farmers should be duly compensated for aptly managing their farms because of inherent skills, vast expertise and innovative farm practices, acquired from their forefathers. Pressing for the implementation of the Swaminathan formula, he said the MSP should include the cost of cultivation plus a margin of 50 per cent, as suggested by the Chairman of the National Farmers' Commission. This was a must if farming was to be made viable, he added. Helping farmers
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BJP faction wants Sharma removed as party chief
Chandigarh, September 7 The two-day BJP meeting (September 9 and 10) called by Sharma to chalk out a plan for the municipal elections has acted as a trigger and no invitations have yet been sent to the ministers and the party’s 12 legislators. Various BJP factions accuse the state president of toeing the line of the Akalis. Sources said these factions were angry with Sharma for having called only two meetings of the state executive in the past two years. “We have no information on the September 9 meeting. Earlier, all MLAs and ministers were invited. Does the party president think that MLAs should not share space with district presidents? Or does he think there will be trouble if warring groups are given a platform,” asked a legislator. “Under the party constitution, four meetings in a year are a must. But Sharma has held only two meetings in two years,” pointed out another leader. Calling Sharma inaccessible and questioning the strategy to sideline Navjot Singh Sidhu and field Arun Jaitley from Amritsar instead, certain leaders said they wanted a change in state leadership. “We need a leader who can motivate party workers, if the BJP is to stop playing a second fiddle to the Akalis,” said a senior leader. Rumblings within
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Little money, yet govt spending
Rs 3 lakh a day on helicopter
Bathinda, September 7 Information under the RTI Act revealed that the government had entered into a contract with Pawan Hans for a helicopter even though the state had acquired its own aircraft in May 2013 at a cost of Rs 38 crore. The state spent on an average Rs 50 lakh to operate the helicopter during the financial year 2013-14. The same figures for the Congress regime (2002- 2007) were Rs 22.62 crore, an average of Rs 1.24 lakh. During the tenure of the SAD-BJP government (1997-2002) an amount of Rs 21.44 crore was incurred on this account, an average of Rs 1.17 lakh per day. Figures reveal that the Congress government spent less money on this account. In fact, the present government was spending more than two times of that amount. Experts are of the view that had the government thought prudently, it would have acquired there new helicopters with the rent paid to the company. The helicopters are also used by the Governor and the Deputy CM. Sources said that the state was now planning to acquire an aircraft and talks are underway in this regard. The state helicopter had crashed in 1994 killing the then Governor Surinder Nath and his family members. The KingAir C90 plane of the government also crashed in Ludhiana in 2008. The audit department has raised several objections on leasing of aircraft from Pawan Hans at a high cost even after the expiry of the lease agreement. The government has paid a rent of Rs 1.4 lakh to Rs 2.15 lakh per hour to the company and whenever a helicopter is leased nowadays the state pays Rs 1. 25 lakh per hour, sources said. Civil Aviation Adviser Captain Abhey Chandra said that after the state purchased a helicopter, the costs have been reduced by 40 per cent. Such craft are leased from companies on need basis and only once or twice a month and at Rs 1.2 lakh per hour.
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D-Day for handing over shrine today; Amritsar cops on alert
Ram Tirath (Amritsar), September 7 The state government has mobilised police force from five districts of the border range. Besides, various battalions of Punjab Armed Police, Indian Reserve Battalion and anti-riot units have been summoned to Amritsar. They are likely to reach Amritsar tonight to address any law and order problem tomorrow. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered the police to hand over the possession of the disputed Dhuna Sahib portion of the shrine to Baldev Giri. The portion is under the occupation of Mahant Malkeet Nath, who enjoys the support of the Valmiki community and SAD leader OP Gabbar. The Police Department has been put on high alert as the Valmiki community has been opposing the move to hand over possession to the petitioner (Baldev Giri). Various organisations belonging to the community had warned of dire consequences if force was used for the purpose. Malkeet Nath said they had declined the state government’s appeal to vacate the disputed portion. “We have summoned the members of our community to converge at the shrine,” he said. Gabbar said he had suggested the government to pass a resolution in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and hand over the possession to the Valmiki community, besides suitably compensating the opposite group. Giri, on the other hand, has urged the government to implement the court order in letter and spirit. He said the Dhuna Sahib portion should be vacated and handed over to him. The local administration had tried to strike a compromise and resolve the matter amicably, but its efforts could not yield any result. The police have also provided security cover to the Mahant’s family. Around 25 policemen have been deputed at his residence to prevent any untoward incident.
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SAD rejig tilts equations, Babbehali left in the cold
Gurdaspur, September 7 Babbehali, who at one time was given unbridled powers by the party high command, has not been given any post. Several sitting MLAs and ministers have been given plum posts in the new set up, After the 2012 Assembly elections, the Gurdaspur MLA had become the most powerful Akali leader in the district. Former Cabinet Ministers SS Sekhwan and Langah and Kahlon had lost their respective seats. Langah has been asked to lead the SAD’s Gurdaspur (rural) unit. This means despite losing the Assembly poll, he enjoys the Chief Minister’s confidence. His appointment is on the expected lines. He had managed a 26,000-plus lead for BJP candidate Vinod Khanna during the parliamentary elections from his Vidhan Sabha seat of Dera Baba Nanak. Kahlon has been adjusted as general secretary. His son Ravi Karan Kahlon, whom the former Speaker had been nurturing as his heir apparent in view the next elections, has already been given the important post of Chairman of the Punjab Tubewell Corporation. The father-son duo has been nurturing their native seat of Fatehgarh Churian for the last two and a half years. Barring Babbehali, all senior leaders have been given something commensurate with their seniority. Sekhwan, who managed a 2,500-plus lead from the Qadian Vidhan Sabha seat during the General Election, has been made general secretary. Batala SAD in charge LS Lodhinangal has managed to push the candidature of a Hindu leader, Subhash Ohri, for the president of SAD’s Gurdaspur (urban) unit. “Ohri is a Hindu face and his appointment is seen as an attempt to reduce the party’s dependence on the BJP in the municipal committee areas of Batala, Gurdaspur (city), Dhariwal, Fatehgarh Churian, Dera Baba Nanak and Dinanagar,” a senior leader claimed. Who gets what
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Hopes dashed, Mansa farmer kills himself
Mansa, September 7 He was to undergo a surgery on his foot this week. To marry one of her daughters, Roop Singh had mortgage his 2 acres of land for Rs 4 lakh to a private money lender and had got 2 acres of land on contract for Rs 80,000 for cultivating cotton crop. Deceased's brother Labh SIngh said: "Roop Singh had planned to repay some of his debt by selling his crop. But all his hopes were dashed after the crop got damaged due to waterlogging. He was under depression for the last three days. Yesterday, he went to Maur division of Bathinda and jumped before a train." Balla Singh, sarpanch of Chehlanwala village, said: "The entire agricultural land in our village has been inundated. Most of the cotton crop has been damaged." Ram Singh Bhenibagha. district president, BKU (Dkaunda), said: "The state government should provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Roop Singh's family, besides waiving his debt." A number of villages, including Jherianwali, Raipur and Tandian villages in Sardulgarh subdivision and Bhainibagha, Sadda Singh Wala, Khokhar Khurd, Karamgarh, Autanwali, Talwandi Aklia, Banawali, Chehlanwala and Peron in Mansa subdivision, were affected by heavy rain. Caught in debt trap
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Border villages hit too, link roads damaged
Dera Baba Nanak, September 7 Residents of one of the worst-affected villages, Ghanian-Ke-Bet, claimed that incessant rain over the past three days had caused breaches in the Dhusi bandh. “The water in the Ravi rose from 16 ft to 19 ft last night and the river wreaked havoc in villages located on the India-Pakistan border,” they said. The roofs of several houses in the village reportedly caved in. Purana Wahla, Laluwal, Gunia, Dhola Gola, Mansurke and Rasulpur villages were affected too. “People were forced to shift to the rooftops. More than 1,500 cattlehead were reported to be trapped in the swirling waters,” said an eyewitness. Bhola Singh, sarpanch of Ghiana-ke-Bet village, claimed that more than 250 persons in his village were stuck. He said that breaches in the Dhusi bandh had swept away the road joining Dharamkot Pattan village with six villages. He claimed that till Sunday morning, only one boat was working. A boat belonging to the BSF, that was being used for the past several days, too was out of order. Another resident Jaswant Singh (70) said he and his family members were stuck in their house since three days. Sources in the BSF said that several link roads had been damaged by strong water currents and that efforts were on to rescue residents trapped on the other side of the
Ravi. 2 die as wall collapses Phagwara: Aman (7) and his younger brother Nania (5), were killed while their third brother Deepa (9) was injured as the wall of their house at Jafar Colony here collapsed on Sunday evening. Avtar Singh, a toy-maker, said his neighbours rushed to their rescue but his eldest son alone could be saved. He has been admitted to a hospital in Jalandhar. Former minister Joginder Singh Maan expressed sympathies with the bereaved family and sought adequate compensation — Ashok Kaura.
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Drain bane: Muktsar still waterlogged
Muktsar, September 7 In the last one year, only certain drains have been cleaned and some damaged structures repaired. Even a number of village ponds, which have to be cleaned before the onset of the monsoon, have not been cleaned. Gurdev Singh, Chief Engineer, Drainage, said: “Work on widening of the drains has not been initiated. The new drains have to be designed taking 0.5 metre interval contours. The department had approached the Survey of India, but its officials have sought 18 months’ time to do the job. We are now planning to construct drains using LIDAR technology with the assistance of the IIT, Kanpur. The file is lying with the Chief Minister for his approval.” At least 12 drains were proposed to be built in Muktsar and Fazilka districts, but the work on just one drain (Shujrana drain in Fazilka) has started. Speaking over the phone, Lt Gen BS Dhaliwal (retd), technical adviser to Chief Minister, said: “The government is working on the recommendations of fact-finding reports. It will take some time. The new drains will be built using 0.5 metre interval contours.” Residential areas and agricultural fields in a number of villages are still flooded. A number of kutcha houses have collapsed. Sources say the extent of loss would be learnt only after the water recedes. Stagnant water is proving a breeding ground for mosquitoes, but the fogging work is yet to begin. A number of people have moved to safer locations. Kulwant Singh, a resident of Fatehpur Manian village, said: “I am already under debt. I can’t bear losses due to rains every year. I have decided to sell my land here and shift to some other village.” There are a number of villages which have been at the receiving end year after year. Increase in affected area
The southwestern districts of Punjab, especially Muktsar, Fazilka, Faridkot and Ferozepur, face acute hardships because of waterlogging every year. A government study reveals that the waterlogged area in the region has increased from 19,900 hectares in 2001 to 52,500 hectares in 2009. In Muktsar, the waterlogging affected area increased from 9,200 hectares to 43,100 hectares. As per a report submitted to the Planning Commission, about 2 lakh hectares of fertile land is hit by waterlogging. There are certain patches where not even a single crop has been grown for more than a decade. Under the present circumstances, more than 2 lakh farmers have lost their primary income source from agriculture. ‘Huge money spent’
Nearly Rs 1,100 crore have been spent so far to check waterlogging in Muktsar district, said a drainage official. The government has constructed drains, installed pumps to lift accumulated water, laid underground pipes and installed pumps along the Rajasthan Feeder canal, but the situation is still grim, he said. What has led to waterlogging
‘need to redesign chandbhan drain’ The government must carry out a water balance study in Muktsar and make it public. The World Bank's Rs 464 crore project for Faridkot approved in 1997 should be updated. The opinion of experts should be taken. The strategic Chandbhan drain should be designed keeping all technical aspects into
consideration.
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CM to dedicate hospital to Nawanshahr residents
Jalandhar, September 7 Terming it as a "Green Field Hospital", Mitra said patients would get a peaceful environment here as compared to other hospitals. Civil Surgeon Dharmpal said there were 25 rooms in the OPD block while the Emergency Block had five operation theatres (OTs). Apart from a labour room and 10- bed Sick Neo Natal Care Unit, there would be 10 private rooms in the hospital. The foundation stone of the hospital was laid by the Chief Minister on March 28, 2011. The DC said the old building that had a capacity of 50 beds, would be used for running a district de-addiction and rehabilitation
centre.
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Water samples from Ropar schools fail
Ropar, September 7 The health authorities collected 140 water samples from various government schools in the district between April and July this year. Test reports have been received in 135 cases and 39 samples have failed the test. The results in case of the remaining five samples are still awaited. Ganger said most of the samples that failed the test were taken from schools that were not receiving supply from waterworks. These schools depended on submersible or hand pumps for water, she said. The problem had been already brought to the notice of Ropar Deputy Commissioner Tanu Kashyap, she added. The Civil Surgeon said letters had been written to the heads of such schools to initiate steps to improve the quality of drinking water in their respective institutions. In cases of bacteriological contamination, the respective school authorities had been advised to get deeper bores dug for submersible and hand pumps. They had also been told to chlorinate water. In case of high fluoride content, the school heads had been asked to close the water source and arrange supply from some alternative source, she added.
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RMOs divided over move to shift them
Jalandhar, September 7 While a section of these officers is strongly opposed to the move of bringing their services under the Health Department, another section is ready for it, provided the state government accepts their demands. One of the main objections of the RMOs is that if shifted to the Health Department, their day of appointment would be the date on which the notification would be issued and not from the year (2006) when they joined the service. President of the Association of All Rural Medical Officers of Punjab (ARMOP) Jagjit Singh Bajwa said the RMOs wanted to work in their parent department instead of being shifted to the Health Department. "The RMOs are serving the rural masses for eight years and there is no point in sacrificing our seniority," he said. They had met Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Sikander Singh Maluka and conveyed their concerns to him, he added. However, Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA) president Aslam Parvez has a different opinion. He said after lot of deliberations with association members, they had reached a consensus that the RMOs were not averse to the move of shifting them to the Health Department, but the government must ensure that their seniority would be counted from 2006. Other demands of the RMSA include fixation of the PG quota for RMOs and keeping the post of RMO non-transferable. At present, 1,186 Subsidiary Health Centres (rural dispensaries) are functional in the state. These dispensaries were under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Family Welfare. In 2006, these were brought under the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats (DRDP) and are being run by the zila praishad in every district. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the RMSA representatives would also meet Maluka to discuss the matter. Conflicting views
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41 MBBS seats still vacant at Adesh college
Faridkot, September 7 The BFUHS started counselling this morning to fill 267 vacant seats in four medical colleges of the state. The Adesh medical college was at liberty to fill these on its own, said Dr Gill. Earlier, the Adesh college had locked horns with the BFUHS over its “right” to conduct counselling to fill its 150 seats. Both universities had held parallel counselling for about 100 seats that led to a controversy. Later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued directions to BFUHS to conduct counselling.
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Web portal for driver’s licence
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 7 He said every applicant making an online application through websites "sarathi.nic.in or punjabtransport.org" would get a unique reference number (URN) that he could later on use to check the status of his application online. Aggarwal said the aim was to simplify the process and minimise hassle. He said around 40 computerised driving test centres would be set up in various cities across the state. These centres would also have helpdesks for the convenience of applicants who were not computer savvy, he added.
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Now grow sugarcane at lesser cost
Moga, September 7 Agriculture Development Officer Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar, in charge of this 50-acre seed farm, said the seedlings of sugarcane were being planted in rows at a distance of 8 feet with 4 feet distance between the plants. He said in the traditional cropping method, 35 to 40 quintals of seedlings were required to plant sugarcane on an acre against the 2 quintals of seedlings in the wide space row cultivation method. As many as 1,200 to 1,300 seedlings were planted on an acre in the new technique, he said. Dr Brar claimed the production of sugarcane was not affected in the widely spaced row cultivation method despite using lesser number of seedlings. He said that the total production of sugarcane in the traditional and the new method was 350 to 400 quintals. He said apart from this, the space between the rows and plants provided the farmers a chance for intercropping of other crops such as vegetables, maize, potatoes, onions, garlic, pulses and mustard. He said farmers could also grow fodder for cattle and increase financial returns. Dr Brar further said farmers could save 80 per cent water with this technique. He said in the new technique, the consumption of pesticides and chemical fertilisers would also be less and labour cost would come down. “This technique can motivate farmers to grow crops other than paddy and wheat,” he added.
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Traffickers hand confirmed in Sikh stowaways
London, September 7 Police arrested a third man in connection with the death, a special investigation by the 'Sunday Telegraph' has confirmed the hand of human traffickers behind the death of one of the Afghan Sikh men and how 34 others, including women and children ended up close to suffocation in the container. Meet Singh Kapoor, 40, was one of 35 persons from Afghanistan, discovered at Tilbury Docks in Essex on August 16. A 47-year-old man from Dungannon in Northern Ireland has been arrested at Liverpool Ferry Port and will be transferred into the custody of Essex Police. Two other men also charged in connection with the death remain in custody to appear at Basildon Crown Court in November, the police said. — PTI
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Now, bougainvillea to beautify Badal village
Badal (Muktsar), September 7 Sources in the district administration said the Deputy CM during his recent visit to Badal had directed Deputy Commissioner Jaskiran Singh and the Lambi Forest Range Officer to beautify the main road leading up to Badal village. Sukhbir had also ordered the officials to replace the dried date palm trees, said sources. The State Forest Department had transplanted nearly 390 date palm trees in Badal village in December 2013 ahead of Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's visit. Of these, nearly 160 date palms have now dried up. These trees were brought from the nurseries of Forest Department in Patiala. Earlier, the Forest Department had planted a large number of kaner plants on this Kheowali-Badal-Bathinda road, which leads to the mansion of ruling Badals. Sanjay Bansal, Divisional Forest Officer, Muktsar, said, "We have started work to plant bougainvillea and ornamental trees. The bougainvillea trees are available in various colours and we will try to plant all the varieties. In case, the department's nurseries do not have bougainvillea trees, then these will be purchased from private nurseries. Each tree will be planted at a gap of 10 ft. "We will also plant some ornamental trees between the already planted date palm trees," he said. On a large number of date palm trees drying up, Bansal said, "We do not have specialisation in transplanting date palm trees. However, we are making efforts to save the rest." The decision to transplant date palm trees had attracted a lot of criticism from the opposition parties. Earlier moves
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Punjabi killed by co-workers in Boston
Bhogpur, September 7 Family members of the deceased said that they had received a call yesterday morning from Annu Patel who informed them that Malkit Singh had been killed by his co- workers Karamjit Singh of Karnailganj (Kapurthala) and Salinder Singh of Kaithal (Haryana) with sharp-edged weapons. The accused have been arrested, the caller informed. Enquiries from Tirath Singh, an elder brother of Malkit Singh at Mumandpur village, revealed that the phone of all the family members of his brother were switched off and he too was anxious about their well being.
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Release BPL pensions in a month, HC tells state
Chandigarh, September 7 The Union of India has also been directed to release the “amounts” to the State of Punjab under the “Central
Pension Scheme for the BPL category” within two months. The directions before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashutosh Mohunta and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu came on a petition filed in public interest by Kuljit Singh Bedi against the Union of India and other respondents. Bedi had prayed for the issuance of directions to the respondents “to disburse pension as granted by the Government of India to the eligible members of the BPL families”. His counsel had told the court that the pension had been withheld since June-August 2013 in an arbitrary manner. Responding to the allegations, the respondents had contended that the pension “has already been released for the financial year 2013-14”. The counsel for the petitioner, however, refuted the claim by submitting that “the amounts which have been released are only up to December 2013, and no amount has been released for 2014”. The Bench asserted: “We are satisfied that the State of Punjab is releasing the pension and pension has already been released up to December 2013”. Disposing of the petition, the Bench added: "The State of Punjab is directed to release the pension for the year 2014 to all the persons belonging to the below poverty line category within a period of one month from today, if not already released. "The Union of India is directed to release the amounts to the State of Punjab under the Central Pension Scheme for the BPL category within a period of two months from today".
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Lok Adalat quashes PSPCL demand notice
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 7 Complainant Hira Lal, alias Hari Singh, had said that the PSPCL never got checked the disputed electricity connection. He also alleged that the checking of the meter at the ME Lab was not done in his presence. He claimed he had not committed any power theft and that the notice issued by respondents was illegal. He said the PSPCL also did not allow him any hearing before passing the final order on September 10, 2008. Counsel for the PSPCL said a team of officials headed by the AEE Badali Ala Singh had inspected the complainant's electricity meter in the presence of the SDO (City), Bassi Pathana. He said the officials found that the complainant was consuming electricity illegally by making a direct connection. The lok adalat observed the respondents failed to prove that the meter was checked in the presence of the complainant or any other village resident. Moreover, the test report of the ME Lab did not bear the signature of the consumer or his representative. Word "refused" was written on the report, but it was not sufficient to prove that the applicant had actually refused to sign the said report, the adalat observed. The reason
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Two arrested with Rs 45-crore heroin
Fazilka, September 7 On a tip-off, the officials raided the house of Sukhchander Singh of Minnewala village of Jalalabad sub-division in Fazilka district yesterday evening. Sources said the heroin packets were concealed in a plastic pipe. They said Satnam would reportedly deliver the consignment to clients. Sources said the officials of Special Operation Cell had been scrutinising the activities of Sukhchander Singh's father Mahal Singh. He is lodged in Central Jail, Ferozepur. He was arrested with 11 kg of heroin two years ago.
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Stopped at naka, van driver attacks excise officer
Abohar, September 7 Assistant Commissioner Harjinder Singh Sidhu, who reached the spot on receiving the information, took Varun to the Civil Hospital. The team had intercepted a pick-up van that
was allegedly transporting goods from neighbouring Rajasthan. When told to produce the documents, the van staff attacked the officials. A case had been registered, police said. Officials had set up the naka as they had got information that some influential businessmen in Abohar and Fazilka had been transporting goods from neighbouring Sriganganagar as VAT tariff was higher in Punjab. This was causing a huge loss to the state exchequer. Reports indicated that these vehicles reportedly passed through Khuyiansarwer link road to escape checking. In another incident, a police team led by Sub Inspector Iqbal Singh was thrashed in Dodewala village, when they tried to arrest Sunil Kumar, who had been booked under the Gambling Prevention Act. More police personnel led by Balkar Singh, SHO, Wahabwala, arrived at the site to rescue the team. The police said Sunil's wife Priyanka and father Sohan Lal had been arrested, while others fled. In a similar incident, a mob armed with lathis attacked Rajasthan Police Constables Hans Raj Suthar and Kaur Singh in Gobindpura village near Srikaranpur. The mob, led by Bhanwer Singh Bishnoi, attacked them as the policemen visited Kala Singh's house to probe a dispute with Sunder Singh. Several persons have been booked. Kaur Singh had been admitted to a hospital, the police said.
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Ram Tirath (Amritsar), September 7
Jalandhar, September 7
Jalandhar, September 7
Moga, September 7
Badal (Muktsar), September 7
We are already in talks with the Centre regarding industrial and agricultural packages for Punjab. I will take up this issue on a priority during my meeting with the Prime
Minister
May end up paying a heavy price
The state spent Rs 50 lakh on an average to operate the helicopter during the financial year 2013- 14