Jalandhar, November 3
The staff association of DAV Institute of Engineering (DAVIET) have sent a legal notice to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Board of Governors, NIT, Jalandhar, regarding the violation of the National Institutes of Technology Statues, 2009, by Dr AL Sangal, Principal, DAVIET.

They alleged that Dr AL Sangal, who was the Professor of computer science and engineering at Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, joined DAVIET as the Principal on January 3 through a lien for foreign service, issued by NIT, which granted him unlawful permission to join another institute for five years.

Notably, the Schedule D of the NIT statues clearly state that an application from a permanent employee, who is seeking employment elsewhere, should be accompanied by an undertaking that he would either join back or resign from the post held by him in that NIT after three years.

However, they stated that in the Sangal’s case, an exception was made and he was allowed to join another institute with a foreign lien granted for five years.

The staff association stated, “Dr Sangal was on unlawful lien from NIT, Jalandhar, for five years. He managed to take this lien, which can never be more than three years but he was the Registrar and Member Secretary of the Board of Governors, NIT-J, at the time of the grant of the unlawful lien to him. In this regard, the legal notice has been sent by the DAVIET Staff Association (Regd.), Jalandhar.”

They alleged that no modification/cancellation was introduced in the NIT Statutes by the Board of Governors before granting him the lien.

The Tribune has a copy of the office order signed by NIT Director Sameer K Das on January 3 2012, which allows the ‘lien on deputation/foreign service for a period of five years with effect from January 3, 2012, to Dr Sangal. He joined DAVIET on the very same day. He also continues to hold both the positions at both the institutes.

The legal notice has been forwarded to Smriti Zubin Irani, Union HRD Minister, the Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Chief Vigilance Officer and the Joint Secretary (Administration). The notice has also been forwaded to the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Board of Governors, Dr BR Ambedkar NIT, Jalandhar, the Director, Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, and Punam Suri, Chairman, BOG, DAVIET.

Dr Anil Kakodkar said, “The issue can be taken up for discussion at a board meeting. For that, a meeting of the Board has to be called by the Director first.”

Notably, the last meeting of the Board of Governors had taken place on August 9, 2013. While the DAVIET Staff Association first complained against him to the MHRD on August 25, 2014, they sent the legal notice against Dr Sangal to the aforesaid authorities on October 10, 2014 this year.

Jalandhar, November 5
The State Information Commission (SIC), Punjab, has sent a notice to Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dhanpreet Kaur for not furnishing information sought by an appellant regarding the investigation in a case.

The SSP has been directed to file a status report regarding the action taken by her on the RTI request filed by the applicant, along with the supporting documents as per the official record before or on December 2 (copy with Jalandhar Tribune).

Rajesh Kapil, a lawyer who appeared on behalf of appellant Bhagwant Rai Bansal of Mota Singh Nagar here, said Bansal, who lived in Manila for 35 years and returned Jalandhar a few years ago.

“About 10 years ago, Bansal and his friend Rajesh was attacked in Manila. Bansal sustained serious bullet injuries while Rajesh died. Due to the lack of evidence and witnesses, the accused were acquitted by the Manila court,” Kapil said.

In August, Bansal arrived India and he was called by the SP, Phagwara, on a compliant of Rajesh’s wife. She had alleged that her husband was killed under a conspiracy hatched by Bansal in Manila.

Acting on the complaint, the passport of Bansal was seized by the police. Later, Bansal approached the High Court, pleading that the incident had occurred in Manila, in which he and his friend Rajesh were attacked, but the SP impounded his passport on illogical grounds, claiming he was responsible for the attack.

Later, Bansal’s passport was returned and an inquiry was ordered against the SP, which is pending with the Homes Secretary.

Soon, Bansal filed a complaint against Rajesh’s wife with the SSP, Kapurthala, seeking action against her under Section 182 of IPC. The appellant said as no case was registered by the SSP, the RTI application was filed before the SSP, Kapurthala, to inquire about the action taken on the complaint filed by him in January this year.

On October 30, ASI Onkar appeared on behalf of the respondent and told the SIC that the required information had already been furnished but the appellant contended that no information was provided by the SSP.

Jalandhar, November 5
To provide easy access to all government services, the unified citizen service delivery centres will be opened soon. People can get their work done without any trouble at the centres. In Jalandhar district, 100 cyber services centre will be opened at the subdivisional level. Twenty such centres will be set-up in the city.

Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav said it would bring a huge change as people would be able to get their work done online rather than standing in long queues. The centre will be opened in the areas where population is between 8,000-10000. To open such centres at the subdivisional level, SDMs have been appointed as nodal officers.

The DC has instructed the officials concerned to select the areas for the centres and send reports along with photographs before November 13.

He said within four months, the construction of the buildings would be completed.

Jalandhar, November 5
A resident of the Gandhi Camp locality allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance. He committed suicide after a woman from the locality alleged that he outraged her modesty.

The deceased has been identified as Raj Kumar (32), a painter.

After the victim committed suicide, his kin and the residents held a protest outside the police station division no. 1 and alleged that Raj committed suicide because the woman had leveled false allegations against him. The victim consumed some poisonous substance last night.The protesting residents said two days ago, the police was called by the woman but they had to return empty-handed after the residents protested against the police. They had told the police that the woman and her kin was leveling false allegation against Raj Kumar. ASI Gurdev Singh said the police had registered a case against Surinder Kaur and her kin Munna, Happy, Sonu and Rani for abetment to suicide.

Jalandhar, November 5
The National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA), Punjab, has condemned the action taken by the Punjab Medical Council (PMC) against two ayurvedic doctors practicing in Patiala.

The PMC had issued show-cause noticed to the medical practitioners and asked them to answer within 15 days. The PMC has stated that by by prescribing allopathic/modern medicines to patients, the doctors were practicing the allopathic/modern system of medicine and therefore pretending to be a registered practitioner (within the meaning of section 2(4) of the Punjab Medical Registration Act).

Speaking at a press conference here today, Dr Vishal Bhanot, press secretary, NIMA, Punjab, said since the Indian System of Medicine graduates came under the Ayurveda and Unani System of Medicine, Punjab, formed under the Ayurvedic and Unani Practitioner Act, 1963, it was perplexing as to how the PMC could act against them.

They said the PMC should have consulted the Board of Ayurveda and Unani System of Medicine, Punjab, before initiating an action against the ayurvedic doctors.

Dr Bhanot said as the health sector is on the concurrent list, the state had given the ISM graduates the right to prescribe ayurvedic as well as allopathic medicines under Section 19D of the. All these facts have been validated by the Supreme Court in the 1998 Mukhtair Chand vs State of Punjab case and reaffirmed in 2003 in the Subash Bakshi vs West Bengal case. He said the doctors under the ayurvedic board include family physicians, treating poor patients in society. These doctors, he said, included 50,000 graduates in Punjab and more than 8.5 lakh in India. The NIMA members said the PMC should act within its jurisdiction.

Jalandhar, November 5
Parshotam Lal, a mechanic, at the BSNL exchange in Shahkot has been awarded the state-level Sanchar Sewa Award for rendering excellent services to the department. He was also given a cash reward of Rs 21,000.

Senior General Manager SK Nigam conferred the award on Parshotam at the Shahkot BSNL exchange.

Nigam said the award was conferred on employees on the basis of their performance. Nigam said to motivate the employees, BSNL had been presenting the state as well as India-level awards. In the state-level award, an employee gets Rs 21,000 in cash while in the India-level award, an employee get Rs 1 lakh in cash.

Parshotam said, “I am happy as the department considered my name for the prestigious award. This award is a source of inspiration and I will continue to work hard for the betterment of the department.”

BSNL employees said Parshotam had also carried out a cleanliness drive at the telephone exchange on his own expense for which he was praised by the senior officials.

Jalandhar, November 5
With the efforts and inspiration of SM Singh, founder chairman of the NGO Dishadeep and project director of the Project Body Donation for Lions, three persons have donated their bodies.

At Lions Bhawan, Jalandhar, they handed over the legal papers to the president of the Lions Club

Addressing the gathering, Bhasin said he was grateful to Madan Singh Rana and his wife Veena Devi Rana of village Passi Kandi in district Hoshiarpur and Gopal Krishan of Jalandhar, who took the decision to donate their bodies. The donors were garlanded and given mementoes and presented shawls. As many as eight organs and 22 tissues can be transplanted in other bodies from the donated bodies.

Interacting with the media, the donors said they were delighted to donate their bodies.

Jalandhar, November 5
To inaugurate the first set of two skill enhancement programmes developed for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and their family-members; Director General, CRPF, Dilip Trivedi and the president, CRPF Family Welfare Association (CWA) Suneeta Trivedi visited the Lovely Professional University today.

The CRPF DG shared his thoughts about the paramilitary force and interacted with the LPU students on the subject of 'Internal security of the country'. Trivedi addressed the CRPF trainees on skill enhancement programme and advised them to learn sincerely.

In the initial stage, LPU School of Fashion Technology and the School of Hospitality have started two programmes Additional Director General Dr AP Maheshwari, LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal, Pro Chancellor Rashmi Mittal, DIG (Welfare) and co-ordinator, CWA, Nitu Bhattacharya and other senior officials of the CRPF and CWA were present on the occasion.

The two skill enhancement programmes inaugurated are: 'Garment making: Techniques and quality control' and the 'Chefs'. The former programme is for the female members to train them in the stitching of Indian wear and to make them self-reliant right from the beginning.

The second programme is for chef recruits with the CRPF, to make them an expert in all the basic processes of cooking, presentation, nutrition values, hygienic conditions and more. More such employment and entrepreneurship oriented programmes will be started in the near future. Eighty CRPF trainees got enrolled for these two programmes in two batches of 30 females and 50 chefs each.

Informing about the CRPF, DGP Trivedi said, "CRPF is the oldest and largest para-military force especially designated to face the challenges of internal security. To meet the service requirements, the personnel are not often permitted to keep their families with them. These families have to tackle the issues, including education, health and other daily needs. As such, the CWA, as an organization, has been working for the welfare of the CRPF family members and has signed an MoU with the LPU." "We are thankful to the LPU authorities that they have agreed to start special programmes for the benefit of CRPF family members. These programmes will certainly help in skill enhancement of our learners," the CRPF DG said. ADG Dr Maheshwari said these short-term programmes will also be industry-oriented.

Only recently, an MoU was signed between the LPU and CWA during the diamond jubilee celebrations of the CRPF in New Delhi. This celebration was presided over by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani. The MoU was signed to help family members of the CRPF personnel in skill enhancement. The main highlight of the MoU is its implementation by both the sides-- LPU and CRPF-- within a span of just 15 days.

Jalandhar, November 5
The local health authorities will tie-up with Tata Memorial Cancer Institute, Mumbai, to hold a mega camp to facilitate diagnosis of cancer patients on the occasion of National Cancer Awareness Day on November 7.

Dr T Ambumani from the Tata Memorial Cancer Institute will also be present on the occasion and will apprise people about cancer on the occasion.

Speaking to the media about the mega camp, which will be supervised by Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani, Civil Surgeon Dr RL Bassan, said, “It is important for everyone to be aware of cancer and facilitate its early detection for a smooth treatment. He said Dr T Ambumani would also be speaking to patients about the disease’s early detection to prevent physical trauma.

The Civil Surgeon said they would ensure free medical check-up of all patients who come to the hospital and various specialists had also been appinted to make arrangements for the camp.

Dr Bassan said gynaecologist, pathologist, radiologist and ENT specialists will be deputed. Tests like pap smear, blood test, FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology), mammography, X-rays and CT scans will be done free of cost on the occasion.

While arrangements at the previously held three-day camp at the local Civil Hospital were troublesome, the Civil Surgeon said doctors and the support staff had been roped in to ensure smooth check-up of patients.

Jalandhar November 5
The city police today claimed to have nabbed two persons with illegal weapons. The accused have been iduentified as Sukhwinder Singh of Johla village and Gagandeep Singh of Bolina Doaba village. Acting on a tip-off, the police a laid a naka at Focal Point and intercepted a white Zen car.

The accused were nabbed with a .32 bore pistol, two live cartridges and one pistol.The police said the remand of the duo would be sought to inquire about their involvement in several incidents of robbery.