Fatehgarh Sahib, February 21 (DNS)- The police has arrested a person involved in lifting and selling vehicles after preparing fake documents. The police recovered a Balero jeep, a laptop, two printers from his possession.
SSP BL Meena said Kamal Bhatti had stolen the vehicle from Himachal Pradesh and prepared fake documents of the vehicle on his computer. He also admitted that he had also stolen one Indigo car and Discover motorcycle from ... Read Full Story
Patiala, February 21 (DNS)- The police has arrested three persons with fake currency worth Rs 2 lakh here yesterday. Initial probe suggests that the currency was brought to India through Pakistan and was almost identical to original Indian currency with minor differences not visible to naked eye.
The police arrested Vijay Kumar, Jarnail Singh and Dilbagh Singh and allegedly recovered fake currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination from them. "They claimed to have bought the currency notes from Amritsar after paying Rs 60,000 for every Rs 1 lakh and so far circulated fake currency worth Rs 10 lakh", said police officials.
The state government is contemplating a notification following which every district would have one police station dedicated to burst fake currency racket and would be well-equipped with modern gadgets to carry anti-piracy operations against smuggling and circulation of the fake currency.
Senior Punjab Police officers confirmed that following a recent meeting of the state-level committee against fake currency, which was attended by the top brass of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), crime and intelligence wings, it was decided to notify police stations in each district of the state. "Moving in that direction, we have already distributed 68 ultra violet lamps to district police wings and also the counter-intelligence department to check this growing menace of counterfeit currency", they said.
Punjab is one of the biggest markets for fake currency due to its border proximity with ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 21 (DNS)- While his younger brother Paramdeep Singh Gill is waiting for March 6 results of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections, Rajdeep Singh Gill, however, awaits release of his three books on the gallant men and officers of the Punjab Police, which the two brothers had commanded.
Immediately after superannuating from the Indian Police Service, PS Gill opted for politics, while his elder brother RS Gill, who headed the state police during the 2007 assembly elections, has decided to dedicate his life to Punjab sports in general and the Punjab Police in particular.
Though Gills are not the only brothers to have risen to the rank of Director Generals of Punjab Police, Aulakh brothers had a similar distinction to their credit already. While the younger of Aulakh brothers, NP Singh, not only commanded Punjab Police during the present SAD-BJP regime but also headed the country's crack National Security Guards before attaining the age of superannuation a couple of years ago.
RS Gill, who is also the president of the Punjab Basketball Association as well as the Basketball Federation of India, is ready with the manuscripts of three of his well researched books on men and officers of the Punjab Police. One of these books is about the achievements of the Punjab Police in the All-India Police Sports and Duty Meets since the partition of the country in 1947.
RS Gill, who is credited with the most credible book on sportsmen and women of Punjab Police -- Grit and Glory -- is also ready with another ... Read Full Story
Moga, February 21 (DNS)- Women in the Malwa belt of Punjab are facing the threat of breast cancer, if one goes by the reports compiled by Roko Cancer, a UK-based organisation. It has been conducting free mammography tests in collaboration with several NRIs and the state Health Department in the state.
In the last around five years, Roko Cancer organised 700 cancer detection camps and checked over a lakh women, of which 16,000 underwent mammography. Reports found 950 women suffering from breast cancer in the state. Besides, there were over 2,000 suspected cases.
As many as 145 women have been found suffering from the disease in Ferozepur district alone. The count is 106 in Faridkot, 76 in Muktsar and 75 in Moga.
Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal of Roko Cancer has stressed upon the need to take up concerted efforts to spread awareness on breast cancer in the state. “Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in Punjab. The mortality rate can be reduced significantly if it is diagnosed in preliminary stages using latest diagnostic technology, which is available with us,” he said.
If detected at an early stage, he said, the disease could be cured completely with medication and surgery.
“We have two buses fully equipped with the facilities of mammography tests in Punjab for holding breast cancer detection camps for rural women. We are also contemplating opening a cancer hospital in Moga district,” he said. Dhaliwal said excessive use of pesticides and change in lifestyle were the ... Read Full Story
Patiala, February 21 (DNS)- In what has come as a relief to the industrial sector, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has decided to do away with the weekly offs imposed on the state industry. The domestic sector too would not experience cuts, else for those due to maintenance work, a PSPCL said. In view of the growing supply-demand gap, the Power Corporation had recently imposed one-day weekly off on the general industry and twice a week on the induction furnaces and rolling mills.
In the last few days, the average power consumption in the state was recorded at 1,025-1,050 lakh units whereas the power available was 1,110-1,115 lakh units.
Claiming that there was no power crisis in the state at present, the PSPCL also issued a new schedule for agricultural pumpset users. Therefore, the farmers could now expect eight-hour power supply daily.
Of late, the farming community had been complaining that the Power Corporation was not adhering to its announcement of eight-hour regular power supply. After the January 30 assembly elections, cuts were also imposed on the domestic consumers in various parts of the state.
PSPCL director (distribution) Arun Verma said: “Even after taking into account the transmission and distribution losses, the power availability in the state is more than the demand. The consumption in the farming sector has been more as compared to the concurrent period in the previous years. Still, we have been able to manage the demand.”
Meanwhile, the maintenance work of a unit at the ... Read Full Story
Amritsar, February 21 (DNS)- In a major breakthrough, the Amritsar rural police has nabbed Navdeep Singh, a plus one student and prime accused in the shootout incident at Government Senior Secondary School, Bhangali Kalan village, on February 16.
The illegal firearm used in the shooting was manufactured by a local gas welder, Harjit Singh, who is a member of a gang involved in the trade of illegal arms. Navdeep is also a member of the gang and used to supply arms to customers. Harjit has also been arrested by the police in the case.
Earlier, the police was suspecting that Navdeep might have procured a country-made pistol smuggled from Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang used to manufacture pistols and sell these to robbers and other anti-social elements active in the district and its adjoining areas.
Following the arrest of Navdeep, the police zeroed in on Harjit Singh, a resident of Jijyeani village, who used to work as a gas welder at Thariyewal village, located near Bhangali Kalan village. A gang of robbers used to provide raw material to Harjit for manufacturing pistols.
"It is yet to find out that from where Harjit had learned to make pistols. Harjit had made four such pistols, one of which has been seized from Navdeep while the remaining were sold by him to the gang," said DSP Gursewak Singh.
Navdeep and his associates involved in the crime were the gang's "new recruits". "A search has been launched to nab the robbers and others involved in the illegal ... Read Full Story
Muktsar, February 21 (DNS)- Even as the country is grappling with the problem of food grain shortage, tonnes of wheat stored in the open is rotting in the Chief Minister’s home district, Muktsar. Due to poor upkeep and lack of storage facilities, wheat procured by Markfed in 2010 is getting infested. While the extent of the damage is not known yet, an exercise is on by the wheat procuring agency to assess the loss.
Around 1,65,000 bags of wheat were stored by Markfed at a private plinth on the Muktsar-Maur road. A large number of wheat bags lying on wooden crates there are rotting. While many bags are being eaten up by insects, others have been infested with fungus. A number of empty bags are also lying there. One can also find rats feasting on the wheat stock.
A worker said some time back rainwater seeped into wheat bags because these were not covered with plastic sheets which might have caused the damage.
Kamal Nain, District Manager, Markfed, said there was nothing new in the wheat lying in the open getting damaged. “We had taken all the precautionary measures while storing the wheat stock. The bags were stored at some height from the ground level, still it has rotten. Nevertheless, an action will be taken against those who failed to perform their duties diligently,” said Kamal Nain.
Sources said the authorities had even tried to sell the rotten wheat, but it could not do so due to failed negotiations over the price. However, Nain said not even a single rotten grain would be sold as it was illegal ... Read Full Story
Patiala, February 19 (DNS)- The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) today raided half a dozen industrial units in the Dera Bassi area. During the raids, all the six industrial units were found violating various provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
PPCB Chairman Ravinder Singh said, "As many as six teams, headed by Environmental Engineers posted at various regional offices of the board, were constituted. The teams were directed to conduct raids to ascertain whether pollution control devices are operational in the industrial units and to verify whether industries are following the prescribed pollution control norms."
As per the preliminary reports, one industry was found discharging its effluent directly into the mushroom growing area. "Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) in one industry was not working properly. In rest of the industrial units, violations pertaining to the maintenance of the plantation area and the defunct water meter, were detected by the raiding teams", said PPCB Deputy Director (PR) Dr Charanjit Singh.
Board officers said that the air and water samples of all the six industrial units had been collected and sent to the Central Laboratory of the board for the analysis. "Once the analysis results are received, action in accordance with the laid rules will be initiated against the defaulting industries", said another senior officer of the board.
While making it clear that no industrial unit violating ... Read Full Story
Amritsar, February 19 (DNS)- For the first time after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, a 45-member Hindu jatha, including seven women, left on a pilgrimage to Katasraj in Pakistan from the Attari-Wagah joint check-post near here today.
Led by Yamunanagar-based Kendriya Sanatan Dharam Sabha president Shiv Pratap Bajaj, the pilgrims would celebrate Mahashivratri at ancient Katasraj temple (related to Mahabharata period) on February 20. They would return through the same route on February 23.
Katasraj is believed to be the place where discourse between Yudhishtir and Yaksha took place, as referred to in Mahabharata.
Among the pilgrims is Dharamvir Beniwal, a physically challenged person who was upbeat about having got an opportunity to visit Katasraj. He said there were other prominent Hindu shrines too in Pakistan, the main being Sheetla Mata temple built before the invasion of Alexander.
It would be for the first time after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that a Hindu jatha has left for Katasraj through the Attari-Wagah route. Earlier, a ban on Hindu jathas to Pakistan had been imposed in 1999.
Another pilgrim, Jaswant Singh, who has been to Katasraj earlier as well, said the earlier ban on Hindu jathas going to the neighbouring nation had seen deterioration of ancient temples there. The first batch of Hindu pilgrims had left for Katasraj in 1982, 35 years after the Partition, following the signing of a pact between the leaders of India and ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 19 (DNS)- Facing embarrassment for not being able to solve the sensational murder case of Moga DSP Balraj Gill on February 1, the Punjab police is depending on its old horses to get back in saddle in Ludhiana to crack the case.
These four officers, a DSP and three inspectors, will soon be transferred as the EC has allowed the government to bring them back in the city. These policemen, Surinder Mohan, Balwinder Singh, Prem Singh and a DSP, who have spent more than a decade in Ludhiana, were transferred before the elections.
CEO Kusumjit Sidhu said the EC had given a green signal to the state police on its plea that it required these officials in the town to solve the murder case of Gill and Monica Kapila, who were brutally done to death at a farm house in Ludhiana.
The murder was committed on February 1, but the police has not been able to get a breakthrough in the case even after 18 days. It has worked on several theories, besides interrogating a number of persons, but to no avail.
"It is such a sad state of affairs that the police now wants its cops back who were transferred out a few months ago. It has to depend on a handful of officers to crack such a high-profile case. It indicates that the police is still depending on the age-old style of policing and does not work on scientific system of investigation," said a senior cop requesting ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 19 (DNS)- Lakhs of schoolchildren belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) families in the state may not get free books for the next academic session with the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) informing the State Welfare Department that it won't supply the same in case its whopping book bill of Rs 47 crore was not cleared.
Free schoolbooks are given to all SC students from classes I to X. These books are printed by the PSEB. The Welfare Department has been defaulting on the payment for these books for the last three years.
Sources say the supply of books starts by February 15 so that these reach schools before the start of the new session. However, this time there are problems in even getting the books printed because the printers are demanding their payments, which the PSEB is unable to make.
PSEB Chairman DS Dhillon had requested the government and also met the Finance Secretary on the issue, but to no avail. The sources say if the situation continues, the board will find it difficult to run its 10 Adarsh Schools as well as to meet its salary requirements.
The Welfare Department owes Rs 2 crore to the board for books supplied in 2008-09, Rs 20 crore in 2009-10, and a further Rs 25 crore accumulated because of non-payment on the same account, taking the total pending bill to Rs 47 crore.
Besides, the Welfare Department also owed Rs 30 crore to the board on account of examination fee borne by it for Scheduled Caste students for the last many years.
The board claims that it has been ... Read Full Story
Amritsar, February 19 (DNS)- A day after the Supreme Court allowed the new SGPC House to function, the SGPC today shot off missives to the Centre and the Sikh Gurdwara Election Commission along with the copy of the SC verdict, seeking holding of the SGPC session to elect its new office-bearers at the earliest.
SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, "We have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Sikh Gurdwara Election Commission and the state government to ensure the SGPC session as early as possible so that the new team can be elected. We will need over a month to complete our process for clearing the annual SGPC budget before March 31”. He said any delay in calling the SGPC session now would cast its shadow on the process to pass the annual ... Read Full Story
Bathinda, February 19 (DNS)- The hearing of the case pertaining to "hurting" sentiments of the Sikh community by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been deferred till March 17.
Heavy police force was deployed around the court complex here in view of the case hearing today. The case was deferred as Chief Judicial Magistrate Harjeet Singh was on leave. Karan Garg, judicial magistrate, who was the duty magistrate today, fixed the next hearing of the case on March 17.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim allegedly hurt sentiments of the Sikh community by wearing robe similar to Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and imitating the guru in all acts during a sermon at Salabatpura dera in Bathinda.
Advocate Navkiran Singh, pleading the case against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, said the case had been heard thrice in Bathinda, but it failed to bring any result. Earlier, the case was delayed by the police in "connivance with senior political leaders" of the state government, he alleged. He said the case was withdrawn near the Vidhan Sabha elections and now it was getting late again.
"We have filed the case in May last year and since then we are making rounds of the court, but to no avail," Navkiran said.
Meanwhile litigants visiting the court today witnessed heavy deployment of police force and felt harassed due to unprecedented ... Read Full Story
Jalandhar, February 19 (DNS)- It is the third bad season for potato growers of the region as most of them have suffered a loss of crop due to untimely rain while the remaining produce will fetch them a low price due to a bumper crop elsewhere in the state and rest of the country.
Farmers like Malkiat Singh of Dalla village, near Lohian, have even ploughed their standing crop to make way for the next crop. In their case, unseasonal rains that lashed the region three weeks ago, came at a time when they had already irrigated their crop. The rainwater thus inundated their fields, leading to a crop failure.
In view of the non-remunerative prices for the third year in a row, such farmers could find no economic sense in spending money on draining out the accumulated water.
Those who were able to save some of their crop hope that it doesn't rain in the coming days. Baldev Singh of Hajipur village is keeping his fingers crossed as the skies are overcast these days. "The fields are still slushy due to the third watering cycle and the previous rains. If it rains again, fully ripened crop on more than 50 per cent of the area will rot and will have to be ploughed," he says.
For Deep Singh of Karalan village, who also owns a cold storage, says, "The situation is so bad that we had no option to spill the previous stored produce onto the roads to draw attention of the government towards our plight and the latter's apathy, especially in Doaba, the potato hub of the region".
Another farmer, Surinder Singh says, "This year ... Read Full Story
Muktsar, February 19 (DNS)- The wheat growers in Muktsar are busy finding ways to save their crop from jassid (kala tela). Earlier, they were confronted by yellow rust. All this while the Agriculture Department is expecting a bumper wheat harvest this season. Jassid is a sucking pest that sucks nutrients of the crop. It is in its initial stage as of now.
Gurjant Singh, a wheat grower, who had come to Muktsar to purchase a pesticide to control the pest, said, "At present, jassid is in its beginning stage. We can control it by spraying pesticides. However, once it spreads in the entire field, it becomes very difficult to control the pest that can ruin the entire crop". He said the pest caused a major affect on the yield or granule.
Similar views were echoed by Dyal Singh, a farmer of Aspal village. He said, "The department should immediately conduct a survey so that the farmers could be given expert advice on how to save their crops".
The local authorities of the agriculture department also accepted the fact that jassid has began to attack wheat crop. They said they had been receiving phone calls from the farmers wanting to know ways to control the pest.
Kuldeep Singh, Agriculture Development Officer, Muktsar, said, "In the past few days, I have received a number of phone calls from the farmers asking about a solution to get rid of this pest".
He said the farmers confronted with this problem should immediately spray pesticides recommended by the department.
Jassid is a sucking pest that sucks nutrients of ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 18 (DNS)- The Punjab and Haryana High Court has set three months deadline for deciding the issue of enhanced sewerage and water charges.
A Division Bench of the High Court has also vacated the stay on the recovery of the enhanced sewerage and water charges ordered by a Single Judge. The directions are significant, as the Division Bench, in its order, has itself observed that the issue affects a "large number of people".
The directions came as the Division Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice AN Jindal took up an appeal by Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. The appeal was filed by the Corporation through senior advocate Salil Sagar and counsel Samarth Sagar against Amrit Lal Joshi and other respondents.
In its detailed order, the Bench observed: "Challenge in the present appeal is to an order passed by a Single Judge of this Court dated October 15, 2011, whereby, the recovery of the enhanced sewerage and water charges were stayed".
Summing up the arguments put forth by the Municipal Corporation, the Bench added: "The appellant asserts that such charges have been levied in pursuance of the directions of the state government and after compliance with the procedure prescribed under Section 90 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976".
After taking note of the contentions, the Bench asserted: "Keeping in view the fact that the levy is of a tax, therefore, we find that the order of stay is not sustainable. Consequently, the order dated October 15, 2011, is vacated. The present ... Read Full Story
Amritsar, February 18 (DNS)- Jawans of the Border Security Force shot dead an unidentified Pakistani intruder while he was trying to infiltrate into Indian side of the border near Bharopal check-post last night.
A day earlier, the BSF jawans had recovered around Rs 2.73 lakh in fake currency from the same spot where the intruder was shot.
On being challenged, the intruder tried to escape, following which the BSF personnel opened fire. The Pakistani national was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Meanwhile, Customs officials at Attari-Wagah land route today nabbed a Bangladeshi national while he was trying to cross over to Pakistan without valid documents.
Identified as Abdul Memon Talkudar, a resident of Chasan village in Sunamganj district, the accused had an Indian visa till May 2012. A case has been registered at Gharinda police station. ... Read Full Story
Amritsar, February 18 (DNS)- The Supreme Court verdict, allowing the newly constituted SGPC House to function, has come as a huge respite for the mini-Parliament of Sikhs. The SGPC chief, Avtar Singh Makkar, said: “The Centre should now call a session of the new House without delay for facilitating the election of new office-bearers so that the SGPC can function smoothly.” He said the verdict had paved the way for the passage of the annual SGPC budget next month.
Gurminder Singh, special counsel, said : “The decks are cleared for the election of SGPC office-bearers as well as the passage of the annual budget.” The SGPC budget was to be passed by the executive and the General House before March 31. The SGPC is required to inform its members about the Budget session 21 days in advance after the budget is passed by the executive. The SGPC was finding it difficult to manage its day-to-day affairs. The SGPC president has the powers to sanction a maximum of Rs 25,000 and any amount above this sum has to be sanctioned by the SGPC executive. Noted lawyer HS Phoolka said the new House could not have been stopped from functioning as the court had not declared the 2011 SGPC elections void.
Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh also welcomed the SC ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 18 (DNS)- The Food Security Bill proposed by the Union Government would not only satiate the hunger of the poor but may also take the burden of the atta-dal scheme off the state's shoulders with Punjab already reeling under a financial crisis.
While the Centre has proposed flour at Rs 2 a kg for the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, the state government has been providing it at Rs 4 a kg. In addition, Punjab gives away lentils at Rs 20 a kg and has incurred a bill of Rs 1,300 crore on 15 lakh beneficiaries under the atta-dal scheme over the past over four years.
Both the SAD and the Congress have, in their poll manifestos, have promised flour at Re 1 a kg. Therefore, whichever party forms the government, Punjab would only have to pay a rupee extra for the subsidised flour. The Bill, expected to be passed by April, proposes giving away 7 kg of wheat a month at the rate of Rs 2 per kg to every person belonging to a BPL family.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has identified 74.28 lakh beneficiaries under this category.
Also, those belonging to Above Poverty Line families would be given 3 kg of wheat a month at half its minimum support price. As many as 1.75 crore beneficiaries have been identified under this category.
With the Union Government proposing the Bill, various public sector undertakings, including PUNSUP, MARKFED, Warehousing Corporation and Punjab Agro, have heaved a sigh of relief. As the state government had not set aside any money in the budget for the atta-dal ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, February 18 (DNS)- With the power subsidy bill expected to cross Rs 4,600 crore in the fiscal year 2012-13, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has impressed upon Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to take effective steps to bring down power consumption in the farm sector.
The commission has directed PowerCom to chalk out a time-bound programme to replace the existing motors with more efficient ones that consume 33 per cent less power.
“By replacing the motors installed to operate tubewells, energy worth Rs 750 crore can be saved annually and consequently the subsidy can be decreased,” a senior official said.
The commission is working on new power tariff rates, which will become applicable from April 1. The commission fixes tariff for the farm sector on the basis of which the state government provides subsidy to PowerCom for free power to tubewells. The commission has filed a petition requesting the latter to revise the power tariff to bridge a revenue gap of Rs 8,984 crore.
The state government has been providing money to PowerCom to provide free power to the farm sector and the poor.
PowerCom was to be paid a subsidy of Rs 4257.86 crore during the current fiscal year. Of this, Rs 3879.95 crore was for the farm sector, Rs 365.90 crore for Scheduled Caste families and Rs 12.01 crore for other BPL (below poverty line) families.
Official sources say there is likely to be a 10 per cent increase in the power subsidy bill for the fiscal year 2012-13. Any ... Read Full Story
