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Low basmati prices set to hit diversification
Jakhar: Rs 100 crore to check waterlogging not spent
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Robbers attack six of family in Mansa, 1 dead
Mid-term review of
SAD-BJP govt: Health
PPCC to protest outside CM’s house
Bickering at AAP’s district convention
On anvil: Policy to refuse extension to tainted staff
Will make state No. 1 in 2 yrs: Badal
SC coal shock: PSPCL may have to pay Rs
1,460 cr fine
Chief Engineer accused of embezzlement
Rlys to begin trial booking of meals
SAD leader’s supporters trying to grab my land: NRI woman
SGPC wants special aid for J&K Sikhs
Four villages to be made tourism hub
MGNREGA funds embezzled in Moga village
29 die in govt hospitals every day: RTI plea
Kisan Sabha ends 3-day fast
HC takes note of ‘forum shopping’
Court bars PTU VC from ‘major decisions’
State draws HC ire for gagging Press
3 get life term for murder
52 youths jailed for submitting fake certificates for Army recruitment
Ultrasound centre sealed
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Low basmati prices set to hit diversification
Chandigarh/Amritsar, September 25 The opening price of basmati about two weeks ago was around Rs 2,800 per quintal. But yesterday, the price fell from Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,200. The crop is fetching Rs 3,000 in neighbouring Haryana. The fall in prices is being attributed to alleged pooling in various markets by traders having vested interests. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has convened a meeting of various departments on September 27 to deal with the issue. The government had earlier allowed 7 per cent exemption to Punjab-based rice millers in market fee, rural development fund and infrastructure development fund on the purchase of basmati for export purpose. The aim was to encourage competition in domestic markets. The total benefit passed on to them was to the tune of Rs 490 crore and most of the revenue loss on this account was suffered by Punjab Mandi Board. Last year, the basmati fetched up to Rs 4,200 per quintal. As such, the area under basmati this year went up from 5.6 lakh hectares to 8.5 lakh hectares. Punjab Mandi Board chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said to promote competition in the market, they would urge the Chief Minister to either allow exemption to all those interested in purchasing basmati or withdraw it completely. “The step will promote competition and eliminate the chances of pooling by traders in grain markets. Ultimately, the farmers will benefit,” he said. Lakhowal said the Agriculture Department, the Farmers Commission and other departments concerned had agreed to his suggestion, but the final decision would be taken by the Chief Minister. He said he had also asked district mandi officers to keep a watch on erring traders and take action in case anyone was found resorting to pooling to bring down the price of basmati. Satnam Singh, who sowed basmati on his three acres of land at Kuhala village in Amritsar, blamed policymakers for the pathetic state of affairs. He said the trend was disheartening for the farmers. Amritsar Chief Agriculture Officer Paramjit Singh Sandhu attributed the drop in prices to the rise in the area under basmati; up in the district from 1.05 lakh hectares last year to 1.25 lakh hectares this year. He ruled out the possibility of the recent spell of rainfall taking a toll on basmati’s quality and consequently hitting its price. Farmer leader Rattan Singh Randhawa alleged the government was “conniving” with the traders who were fleecing the farmers. He said the government must fix a minimum support price for basmati. Also, reports of blight attack on basmati are pouring in from different pockets of Amritsar and Tarn Taran. Randhawa claimed many farmers had brought it to his notice. The Chief Agriculture Officer said the farmers should not water their crop much these days. He said some farmers were resorting to spray, which could prove harmful. He cautioned them against it as their basmati may fail quality tests at the international level due to excessive use of pesticides.
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Jakhar: Rs 100 crore to check waterlogging not spent
Abohar, September 25 Jakhar was here on a visit to waterlogged villages in Balluana segment of Abohar sub-division. He said he had accompanied Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to the then PM Manmohan Singh to plead for special funds to combat waterlogging in Muktsar and Fazilka districts. Under the PM’s directive, the Planning Commission had got approval from the Election Commission to sanction Rs 2,246 crore, but the model code of conduct came into force from March 5, 2014. On March 19, Planning Division Director Kusum Mishra informed the state government that Rs 100 crore had been allocated on the recommendation of the Planning Commission to Punjab to tackle waterlogging in south-west Punjab, Jakhar said. In the letter (a copy of which is available with The Tribune), the Director had also said that the lining of Rajasthan Feeder canal, Sirhind Feeder canal, drainage surface and sub-surface work had also been approved and the total fund allocation was Rs 2,246 crore, to which the state had to contribute Rs 561 crore. Jakhar said the work on drainage was to be taken up immediately after the allocation of funds, but the state government chose not to act on the matter for six months. After the recent flooding, the excess water pumped into drains originating in Muktsar district through one hundred heavy pumps ravaged scores of villages in Balluana segment of Abohar and Fazilka area. “The Centre had made it clear that Rs 50 crore was released each year in the past to strengthen the drains, but the money was not being utilised properly,” Jakhar said. He said that almost a month had passed, but no concrete steps to drain out water had been taken. He said this had resulted in farmers losing their cotton crop. On meagre compensation, he said the government in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan had revised the criteria, but the SAD-BJP government had not done anything
in this regard.
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Robbers attack six of family in Mansa, 1 dead
Mansa, September 25 They then attacked Gurcharan Singh’s two sons, Harpreet Singh and Gurjit Singh and their wives Lakhwinder Kaur and Veerpal Kaur. The latter succumbed to her injuries. Gurjit Singh’s condition was serious, said the police that arrived at the house at 2 am. The robbers fled taking away a pair of earrings, the police said. Doctors said the victims had injuries on the head as well as the arms as they may have tried to protect themselves from the attackers. They had been admitted to the the DMC, Ludhiana. The Mansa police have registered a case and booked seven persons under Sections 458, 459, 460, 148 and 149 of the IPC. The Mansa SSP said the attackers would be nabbed soon. Audacious attack
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Mid-term review of
SAD-BJP govt: Health
Chandigarh, September 25 The public health sector remains plagued by shortage of specialists, doctors and nurses. There have been complaints of doctors prescribing costly medicines to patients when generic versions are available in government hospitals. Absenteeism and overcrowded hospitals are some other problems, especially in border areas, except Amritsar. There is an unmanageable rush at the IPDs in Gurdaspur and Ferozepur civil hospitals. No initiative has been taken to introduce the RO ( reverse osmosis) system throughout the state for safe drinking water. Civil hospitals, primary health centres and dispensaries have neither been upgraded nor modernised. Trauma centres do not have facilities on a par with those at the PGI, Chandigarh as promised. Some success
But due credit must be given to top officials for working hard to plug loopholes in the health system. The Health Department has succeeded in bringing down the infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and total fertility rate (TTR). The IMR in Punjab is 28 per 1,000 infants against the national average of 44 per 1,000 infants. The MMR stands at 172 per 100,000 live births as against the national average of 212. Another big achievement has been the increase in institutional delivery rate at 86 per cent. Of a total of 3,56, 682 institutional deliveries, as many as, 18,2160 (51 per cent) were conducted in government hospitals and 1,74,522 (49 per cent) in private hospitals. Doctors’ shortage
Against the sanctioned strength of 1,739 specialists, only 300 are working in government hospitals. The government hospitals are short of 417 doctors. The total sanctioned strength of medical officers is 2,389. “We are in the process of recruiting doctors,” said Vikas Garg, Special Principal Secretary, Health. There is no surgeon or anaesthetist at the government hospitals in Amritsar and Pathankot. The state of several other hospitals in no different with specialists opting for jobs in the private sector. Unkept promises
MinisterSpeak Surjit Kumar Jiyani, Health Minister Surinder Singla, ex-Health Minister What experts say
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PPCC to protest outside CM’s house
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 25 All Congress MLAs and leaders, accompanied by industrialists and traders from all over the state, will march from the PPCC office in Chandigarh to the CM's residence and submit a memorandum of demands, said PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa. He was addressing a dharna by traders at Mandi Gobindgarh today. Bajwa said if the Chief Minister did not accept the demands, they would start an indefinite dharna. The traders have been on a dharna for the past nine days. They will observe a bandh in Mandi Gobindgarh on September 26 and 27. Bajwa claimed that only 125 new units had come up in the state, while 18,770 units had been closed, rendering at least 10 lakh people jobless.
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Bickering at AAP’s district convention
Jalandhar, September 25 But AAP supporters from Nakodar and Shahkot alleged that Jyoti had not bothered to visit their areas after the Lok Sabha elections. Chhotepur later reportedly told Jyoti that it was her job to visit people and remove all misgivings. Chhotepur said discipline in the party was a must. The party’s Sangrur MP, Bhagwant Mann, who was in the city to promote a Punjabi film, did not attend the convention. Party volunteers from across the state will gather at Khatkar Kalan for a state convention where all four party MPs will be present.
Mandi Gobindgarh: To provide a platform to all those protesting against government “apathy”, the Aam Aadmi Party will organise “Maha Berozgar Rally” in Chandigarh on October 10, said Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann. He was addressing a protest by steel rolling and allied industries associations here. Mann said more than one lakh unemployed youth would attend the rally. The party would provide a similar platform to agitating farmers, ETT teachers, pharmacists and MGNREGA and Asha workers, he said.
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On anvil: Policy to refuse extension to tainted staff
Chandigarh, September 25 Sources said the issue of discontinuing the practice to give extension in service by two years (one year and then extended by another year) was discussed informally between all ministers after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. It is learnt all the ministers were unanimous in their decision that extension should be done only in those cases where the employee had an unblemished service record. The ministers have now asked the Finance and Personnel departments to formulate a new policy where those having poor annual confidential reports (ACRs), facing inquiries or a charge-sheet would not be eligible to seek extension beyond 58 years. Since the policy of giving extension to all ends on September 30, the government will be framing the new policy soon and place it before the next Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet has already okayed reverting the eligibility for government job from 38 years to 37 years. The maximum entry age was also increased by a year when the government decided to extend the retirement age from 58 to 59 years. Despite having poor ACRs, pending inquiries or already having been charge-sheeted, many employees, including PCS officers, had secured extension in service. Many had even bagged plum postings, some even with statutory powers. The cash-starved Punjab Government had introduced the policy of extending the retirement age of all categories of its employees from 58 to 59 years, and then to 60 years, in 2010. The aim was to defer payment to retirees by two years and, thus, save the government from spending an average of Rs 700 to Rs 750 crore each year. However, sources in the Finance Department said the policy did not serve much purpose as fewer than expected employees opted for it. It also doubled the liability of the government in one single year when the employees were finally retired. Sources said the department had already given its opinion that the policy could be scrapped as it had failed to serve the purpose of helping the government save money on paying retirement dues. Weeding the corrupt
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Will make state No. 1 in 2 yrs: Badal
Chandigarh, September 25 Interacting with mediapersons on the sidelines of the inauguration of Ranbaj Multispecialty Hospital in Sector 82 of
Mohali, he said the government had left no stone unturned for the overall development of the state over the past two-and-a-half years. The trend would be replicated during the remaining term of the alliance government, he said. A major push would be lent to the growth of the state and prosperity of its people, he added. He said the people were happy with the present government as they had time and again given a clear verdict to the pro-people and progressive policies of his government. He termed the reports regarding strain in the
SAD-BJP relationship as "completely baseless".
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SC coal shock: PSPCL may have to pay Rs
1,460 cr fine
Jalandhar, September 25 The Pachwara (Central) coal block in Pakkur district of Jharkhand was allotted to the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board in 2002. The mine was being operated by Panem Coal Mines Ltd, a joint venture of the PSPCL and Kolkata-based private company EMTA Coal, since 2006. Senior authorities in the PSPCL refused to comment without going through the court judgment. Some officials said the development would have serious financial implications for the cash-strapped corporation. The apex court had yesterday cancelled all but four of the 218 coal blocks allotted since 1993. The holders of 46 blocks, including Panem, have been given time till March 31 next year to wind up their operations. They, however, would have to pay a fine of Rs 295 for every tonne of coal mined. Data procured by The Tribune shows that till date the power corporation has got about 495 lakh tonnes of coal from Panem. “Going by the penalty of Rs 295 per tonne, the amount will be around Rs 1,460 crore. Panem will demand this money from the PSPCL,” said sources. The PSPCL gets about 60 per cent of the coal required to run state-owned thermal plants of Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar from Panem. KD Chaudhri, PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director, said, “It will be premature to comment on the matter. A clear picture will emerge only after studying the court judgment.” Sources said the state government would most likely shift the burden of the penalty to the PSPCL. The decision will now further delay the commissioning of the 540-MW Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant. The plant is ready, but it could not get operational on account of non-availability of coal. Its developer, GVK, has been unable to make the coal block allotted to it in Ranchi (Jharkhand) functional. Sources in the PSPCL said there was nothing to panic as far as the availability of coal is concerned. “The Union Government has given an assurance that it will handle the situation. Most likely, Coal India Limited will take over all the operational mines immediately after the March 31, 2015, deadline expires. In that case, the supply of coal to the PSPCL will continue at the same cost,” said officials.
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Chief Engineer accused of embezzlement
Chandigarh, September 25 Bhatia was found guilty by inquiries conducted by SR Aggarwal, Chief Technical Coordinator, and Lt Gen BS Dhaliwal (retd), Technical Adviser to the Chief Minister following which Suresh Kumar sought the approval of the CM’s office and recommended departmental action against him. Talking to the Tribune, Suresh Kumar said he had sent the case file to the personnel department. “After Bhatia alleged that Aggarwal was biased, we got another inquiry conduced by Lt Gen Dhaliwal. The latter too concluded that he (Bhatia) had committed fraud,” he said. Sarvesh Kaushal, Chief Secretary, Punjab, was not available for comment. When contacted, a rather agitated Bhatia said he had “no time for such talk.” The state government had approved Rs 6.54 crore for a sewerage scheme in Chola Sahib village in July 2010 and Rs 4.63 crore for a scheme in Khadoor Sahib scheme in February, 2010. Both the projects were awarded to a Patiala-based contractor. Sources in the department said Bhatia submitted revised estimates of the schemes — Rs 8,26,52,000 for the Chola Sahib scheme and Rs 6,08,94,000 for the Khadoor Sahib scheme. He raised the cost of both projects by Rs 3,07,23,000. This put a question mark on the functioning of the department top brass and the government asked Chief Technical Coordinator Aggarwal to conduct a technical audit and check the estimates. Asked to comment on Aggarwal’s report, Bhatia alleged that the latter was biased against him. Subsequently, Suresh Kumar referred the report to
Lt Gen Dhaliwal who recorded the statements of engineers engaged in the works and concluded that the revised cost was much less than projected by Bhatia. Subsequently, Bhatia wrote to the Chief Secretary, alleging that Suresh Kumar wanted to ‘fix him’ in the case. About the case
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Rlys to begin trial booking of meals
New Delhi, September 25 They can place the order on the phone or send an
SMS. A trial service will be available on six select trains. These are: the
Kathiar-Amritsar Express, Amritsar-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express, Shan-e-Punjab Express, Delhi-Pathankot Express, New Delhi-Amritsar Express and Shaheed Express. The passengers have the option of ordering vegetarian or non-vegetarian meals (thalis). They will be served food by the the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation food plazas/units at New Delhi, Delhi, Nizamuddin, Amritsar and Ludhiana, official sources said today. The service is available only for those with a confirmed PNR number. Order can be placed by either calling on 1800 1034 139 or 0120 4383892 till 99 (all toll-free numbers). Passengers will be given the menu with the prices. The confirmation order will be sent to them along with the bill. Food will be served on cash payment only. A minimum two hours will be required between the placement of order and delivery. Depending on the success of the trial run, the Railway authorities will decide whether or not to extend the service to other trains, the sources said. The Union Government had in its Railway Budget promised to improve services and provide new facilities to passengers.
About the service
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SAD leader’s supporters trying to grab my land: NRI woman
Chandigarh, September 25 Bibi Upinderjit Kaur has turmed the allegations as a "bundle of lies" and claimed that she did not personally know either of the two parties. She was, however, aware of the issue and had tried to solve it amicably. "The two families had good relations, but now they are opposing each other. Perhaps, the loss of panchayat elections by the complainant party was the reason behind it," she said. Ravinder Kaur, an NRI hailing from Sujjokalia village in Sultanpur Lodhi of Kapurthala district and based in New Jersey (USA), and her son Navdip Singh said they owned 4.5 acres of agricultural land near village gurdwara. Except for 19 marlas, the entire land was being used for agricultural purposes. They alleged Darshan Singh, a member of the village panchayat considered "close to Bibi Upinderjit Kaur", and his supporters were "trying to grab" their four marlas of agricultural land in the name of constructing a "khal" (water channel). "They are threatening to implicate our family members in false cases. The police used to call my sons to the police station and harass them under political pressure," alleged Ravinder Kaur. Darshan Singh said Ravinder Kaur and her son were trying to make an issue out of a "non-issue". "Land grabbing? We have not even tried to re-surrect the old water channel carrying water of a well that was operational till February and was removed by Ravinder Kaur's family. We have never tried to grab any land. We just want an amicable solution to the problem of non-irrigation of our 1.5 acres. Even the SDM had decided in our favour. Why should we grab anyone's land?" said Darshan Singh. Bibi Upinderjit Kaur said her name was being dragged into the controversy for no reason. "In fact, the water channel was there till the two families had good relations and it was blocked by one of the parties when they fell out with each other. The administration had come out with an alternative to make the water channel operational by laying underground pipes so that the other party may get water for irrigation, but the NRI party is not ready for even that," said Upinderjit Kaur.
Claim, counter-claim They are threatening to implicate our family members in false cases. The police used to call my sons to the police station and harass them under political
pressure. Ravinder Kaur, nri
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SGPC wants special aid for J&K Sikhs
Amritsar, September 25 Makkar returned to Punjab today after a two-day visit to J&K. The Governor gave the SGPC delegation a patient hearing and assured them of all help to the flood-affected members of the community. The J&K Chief Minister and the Governor praised the SGPC for the relief work. Makkar handed over a memorandum to the CM regarding the problems being faced by Sikhs in the hill state, besides their rehabilitation issues. In the memorandum, the SGPC said, “Being in minority, the Sikhs are not being looked after properly in J&K. Nothing has been done by the government to rescue and rehabilitate them. The SGPC is trying to provide them maximum help on its own. However, the magnitude of the tragedy necessitates the government to step in as the SGPC has limited resources. We request you to ensure that the Sikhs are not left to fend for themselves and are treated at par with other people of the state.” The SGPC claimed 4,000 Sikh families had been affected by the floods and around 25 to 30 Sikhs had lost their lives.
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Four villages to be made tourism hub
Ropar, September 25 Chandumajra said these villages were shortlisted two years ago. The money needed for the purpose would be released soon, he added. At Katli village, the tourists would be able to visit a fish farm, undertake nature trail and watch migratory birds. Water sports, including rafting and kayaking would also be introduced. At Bahadurpur, the visitors could visit the biogas plant that fulfilled the fuel requirement of all families. At Ranjitpura Bas, they could visit Gurdwara Mata Gujjar Kaur and enjoy travelling in a boat. At Tibba Tapparian, they would get an opportunity to enjoy camping and try their hand at nature photography.
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MGNREGA funds embezzled in Moga village
Moga, September 25 Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) who conducted an inquiry into the scam, said a grant of Rs 46 lakh was released under the material component head of MGNREGA in April this year. He said a sum of Rs 2 lakh was withdrawn by the Nihalsinghwala APO for earth-filling at Patto Hira Singh village. According to the panchayat record, no such work was undertaken in that village. Not even a plan was formulated on paper. During an inquiry it was found that money was drawn in the name of Jarnail Singh, a local resident from whom a tractor-trailer was shown to be hired for doing that work. The inquiry revealed that Jarnail owned a tractor-trailer, but he did not do any work under the scheme. When the panchayat secretary was asked to show the papers of the work done, he could not produce any record pertaining to the work for which the money was withdrawn from the treasury. Sandhu said he had recommended to the Deputy Commissioner to terminate services of the APO and take disciplinary action against the Block Development and Panchayat Officer for failing to supervise the matter. About the scam
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29 die in govt hospitals every day: RTI plea
Muktsar, September 25 A maximum of 22,777 deaths took place in Amritsar district, 21,108 in Patiala, 14,846 in Ludhiana, 11,937 in Jalandhar, 9,283 in Hoshiarpur, 7,236 in Faridkot, 4,469 in Bathinda, 3,948 in Sangrur, 3,663 in Gurdaspur (including Pathankot), 3,576 in Ferozepur (including Fazilka), 3,463 in Ropar, 3,379 in Kapurthala, 1,434 in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, 1,305 in Mansa, 1,140 in Moga, 857 in Muktsar and 787 in Fatehgarh Sahib. As many as 720 people died in the newly carved out district of Barnala, 690 in Tarn Taran and 138 in Mohali from 2006 to 2012. A senior official of the Health Department said that the number of deaths was negligible when compared with the total number of patients, who availed themselves of the OPD and IPD services in government hospitals. Similarly, the information procured from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, for the corresponding period revealed that on an average, 17 people died in the hospital everyday. As many as 67,292 people died there from 2002 to 2012. This PGIMER caters to the maximum number of patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. A majority of the patients at the hospital suffer from chronic diseases.
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Kisan Sabha ends 3-day fast
Sangrur, September 25 Hardev Singh Bakhshiwala, state secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, said the sabha members would march towards Parliament in November if their demands were not accepted by the Union Government and the state government. He said, if needed, they would also court arrests in Delhi. They demand that the Swaminathan Commission’s report, recommending remunerative prices for farmers, be implemented. They also demand a separate budget for agriculture.
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HC takes note of ‘forum shopping’
Chandigarh, September 25 A Division Bench has taken note of attempts by an "unscrupulous litigant" to obtain favourable verdict and has asked the Bar "to unmask such gamblers", who are "treating courts like casinos for their illegitimate gains". The petitioners hired the services of a senior advocate closely related to one of the Judges in the Division Bench that was to hear the case. But the Judge recused himself from the case.
The case The admonishment by Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jaspal Singh came on a petition by M/s AIP Industries and other petitioners against Punjab National Bank and other respondents. The petitioners failed to repay loan advanced by the bank, which decided to auction some of the hypothecated/mortgaged properties for recovery of the due amount. The petitioners then assailed communication sent by the bank on non-acceptance of their proposal for restructuring the loan account. The Bench asserted: "The instant petition appears to be the last card in a bettor's hand, who wants to win the game by hook or by crook." The Bench added: "The petitioners made successive attempts through writ petitions one after the other to stall the auctioning of their properties…. The petitioners are not the first-time gullible visitors who have been duped at the entry gate of this court. They are habitual litigants, who have taken chance, may be five times at least before this court alone…. "This would indeed leave no doubt in our mind that on every occasion the petitioners entered the court premises with dirty hands and oblique motives. Their successive petitions with the singular object of securing interim protection against the auctioning of the mortgaged properties though failed, nonetheless their obdurate and last-ditch efforts dared them to indulge in forum-shopping also," the Bench observed.
The censure The Bench observed that the new roster became effective from August 1; and the writ petition was subsequently settled by a senior counsel, who was a close relative of one of the Judges sitting in the Division Bench. "It was in this factual backdrop that the Hon'ble Judge took strong exception to the manner in which the petitioners engaged a new senior counsel who had not represented them in the previous rounds of litigation and recused himself from hearing the case in the interest of fair play."
The verdict Dismissing the petition with Rs 50,000 costs, the Bench asserted: "We would say nothing beyond reminding that there are several shady characters who masquerade as victims of injustice while roaming lordly in the corridors of the courts…. "Their dishonest means are unparalleled. There is, therefore, an onerous duty; tedious, but solemn, on every members of the Bar to unmask such gamblers and safeguard the purity of this noble profession."
What the term means "Forum shopping" is an informal term used for describing the practice adopted by some litigants to have cases heard in court thought most likely to provide a favourable judgment.
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Court bars PTU VC from ‘major decisions’
Chandigarh, September 25 Taking up an appeal, the Division Bench of Justice Satish Kumar Mittal and Justice Arun Palli issued notice of motion for October 10 before asserting: “In the meanwhile, the respondent is restrained from taking any major decision with regard to affairs of the Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar.” The appeal in the matter was filed by PTU’s former dean of distance education Narinder Paul Singh against the State of Punjab and other respondents through counsel Gurminder Singh. He had challenged the order of the Single Judge, dismissing a petition challenging Arora’s appointment and further extension in service. Narinder Paul had sought directions for annulling the “extension” granted to Arora as the Vice-Chancellor. The petitioner had claimed that Arora was not eligible to occupy the Vice-Chancellor’s office. His counsel had asserted that Arora was not eligible to be even considered for the Vice-Chancellor’s office in terms of the eligibility conditions prescribed by the University Grants Commission vide notification dated June 3, 2010. Moreover, the Punjab Technical University Act, 1996, does not provide for an extension to the Vice-Chancellor, without following the prescribed procedure. While granting extension to Arora, neither a search committee was constituted nor claims of other eligible candidates were considered, he contended. Therefore, extension could not have been recommended. Also, the extension of three years granted to Arora was vitiated “on account of illegal constitution of the Board of Governors”.
Why the step
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State draws HC ire for gagging Press
Chandigarh, September 25 The admonition by Justice K. Kannan came on a petition filed by Patiala-based Dashmesh (Pita) Weekly and another respondent against the Press Council of India and other respondents. Detailed orders were not yet available. The petitioner’s counsel, Sameer Sachdeva, had earlier told the court that the weekly had come out with a news-report against a section of doctors. Aggrieved, they had complained to the Punjab Government. The counsel added that the petitioners’ “identity card” was in the custody of Patiala District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) and they were being left out of government events. He also told the court that the complaint against DPRO Ishwinder Singh had been dismissed, compelling them to move the High Court. During the course of hearing, the counsel restricted his prayer on the issue of returning the identity card of the petitioner, which was in the custody of DPRO. Taking up the case in January, the High Court had issued notice of motion, which was accepted by the counsel for the State of Punjab in the court itself. Disposing of the matter, Justice Kannan made it clear that the government’s action on the basis of a complaint against the weekly was uncalled for. Press was the fourth pillar and its voice could not be gagged by the government, he maintained.
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3 get life term for murder
Abohar, September 25 The police said the trio along with Raj Kumar had kidnapped Hava Singh (24) in February 2009, strangulated him and threw the body on the national highway near Sherun village village. The police said Hava had been objecting to Romy having an affair with his sister Promila. Hava Singh had gone missing from his village Bhojasar on February 10, 2009. On May 9, his father had lodged a complaint with the police. Two months later, Sushila told the police that Hava had objected to Romy’s affair with Promila. After examining the call details of the accused, the police arrested Promila, Ravinder Romy and Om Parkash of Sherpur, Ratan Singh of Ratanpura and Raj Kumar Jat of Bhodiya Khera village. The court acquitted Promila and Raj Kumar and sentenced Ravinder Romy, Om Parkash and Ratan Singh to life imprisonment.
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52 youths jailed for submitting fake certificates for Army recruitment
Patiala, September 25 The Army Recruiting Office, Patiala, has lodged a complaint with the police for a thorough probe into the scandal. A complaint has been moved against 52 boys, majority of them hailing from Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa and Barnala districts. Sources said these youths were handed over to the police "for fudging their age by submitting fake Class X certificates issued by the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Allahabad." "The recruitment process started in April 2014 and many of them were sent for mandatory training at various Army institutes across the country," they said. For recruitment as a Sepoy, the candidate should be below 21 years of age at the time of recruitment. Army Recruiting Officer, Patiala, Colonel Jaisheel Kaushal said, "During a routine crosschecking of documents submitted by the candidates, we noticed that the Class X certificates submitted by a number of youths were issued by the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Allahabad. We got suspicious as these boys belonged to Punjab but they had submitted Class X certificates issued by an institute in Allahabad. A thorough inquiry was undertaken," Col Kaushal said. "Assuming that these candidates must have also appeared in the Class X examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), Mohali, information regarding their correct age was gathered from the board that showed discrepancies in their date of birth," said Army officials. Initially, 44 such cases were noticed. Of them, 29 were jailed at the places of their posting. "Other such candidates who had been already sent to various training centres, were also identified. They were handed over to the police at Nashik and Hyderabad," said the Army Recruiting Officer, Patiala. Eight more candidates have been jailed in Patiala and a formal complaint is now with the Civil Lines Police Station. ASI Gurdev Singh said the matter was under investigation and an FIR had been registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120-B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. "We have received a complaint from the Army stating that these candidates had earlier appeared
in the Class X exam conducted by the Punjab School Education Board, where their different
date of birth is mentioned," he said. The scandal
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Ultrasound centre sealed
Patiala, September 25 The Malhotra Ultrasound Centre has been sealed and a case registered against Dr Hitesh Malhotra under the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act. The CPS said she had been receiving complaints against the centre. To ensure that no information was leaked, she did not even inform the district health officials about the sting operation. Taking the local police into confidence, Sidhu sent an expecting woman as a decoy patient to the centre around 11 am. She handed her Rs 8,000 for payment as "fee" for the sex-determination test. The woman went to the centre and told the doctor that she already had three daughters and wanted to know the sex of her fourth child. Soon after Poonam left the centre, Sidhu raided the centre along with the police and recovered the currency that she had given to the woman for payment of "fee". Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr HS Bali later reached the spot. Apart from sealing the ultrasound centre, Sidhu also wrote to the Principal Secretary (Health)
to direct the department to file a chargesheet against the doctor, besides initiating the process to cancel his licence. This is the second time the department has initiated action against this centre. In August, the ultrasound machines of the centre were sealed due to non-maintenance of record. However, it was opened after five days. Dr Hitesh Malhotra said it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish his image. "My opponents have got me framed on false charges. I gave a report to the patient (who allegedly acted as a decoy patient) after conducting ultrasound of her upper abdomen. I did not disclose the sex of the child," he added.
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The state government has been promoting basmati, a less water consuming crop, as part of its diversification
programme.
Leader of the Opposition Sunil Jakhar today said the recent flooding in Muktsar and Fazilka districts could have been avoided had the state utilised Rs 100 crore
sanctioned by the Centre.
A gang of seven robbers entered the house of Gurcharan Singh (55), an instructor at the ITI
Budhlada, late last night by using a ladder. They hit hard Gurcharan Singh and his wife Paramjit Kaur (50) on the head while they were asleep.
Chandigarh, September 25
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar met J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Governor NN Vohra during his visit to the flood-hit state. He sought a special package for the rehabilitation of Sikhs in the state.
Patiala, September 25
We are going to regularise the services of 1,100 auxiliary nurses so that patients do not suffer. The department has received 75 per cent of the Rs 534 crore outlay under the National Health Mission. Our goal is to provide affordable healthcare to all and to reduce the infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality rate. As many as 236 types of medicines are available in all government
hospitals.
Healthcare has declined during the SAD-BJP rule. There are hardly any facilities in villages. Doctors are not ready to serve in rural areas. So, compulsory service in rural areas for at least five years is a must. Costly equipment in government hospitals
is lying unutilised.
There is lack of infrastructure and medicines at rural dispensaries. The allocation of funds for health facilities in the state needs to be
increased.
Certain doctors have made it a practice to prescribe costly medicines. The government has been unable to check this
menace. 
The Supreme Court’s decision to cancel coal blocks is sure to pose a headache for Punjab. As the penalty on Panem, the firm operating the coal block allotted to Punjab, works out to around Rs 1,460 crore, deliberations have started in Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to deal with the crisis.
An RTI application revealed that on an average, 29 people die in state government hospitals every day. In the last 11 years, 1,16,756 people lost their lives battling various diseases and injuries in government hospitals from 2002 to 2012. A maximum of 12,499 people lost their lives in the year 2002. In 2012, as many as 11,519 people died in the state-run hospitals.