Wednesday, October 6, 1999
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P U N J A B | |
Wednesday, October 6, 1999 |
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Badal
orders prosecution of 18 Ramoowalia for status quo on
gurdwara Act |
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Held for
leaking JBT papers Special team to monitor dengue
cases AISAD to give memorandum to
President Tohra ‘playing into Cong
hands’ Move to check benami deals in rice
mills Civic body ex-chief’s
dismissal upheld Residents block traffic Impersonator arrested Betting on election results To Hemkund Sahib on motor cycle Decision to allot prime land
decried Consumer forum rejects complaint Health Dept’s list on doctors
decried ‘Spare’ martyrs’
kin of bank commission |
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Badal orders prosecution of 18 CHANDIGARH, Oct 5 —Tightening the noose against a deep-rooted nexus between corrupt transporters who were found in league with the manufacturers and traders, causing large-scale evasion of sales tax, the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has ordered the prosecution of 18 persons on the suggestion of the CBI. The CBI had reported that different transport companies, manufacturers and traders prepared fake and bogus documents showing under valuation of goods. In most cases, the bills of the cash memos were prepared in the name of non-existing firms and fictitious ST numbers were recorded on the bills. Transport companies charged heavily for ferrying goods without sales tax with the understanding that if any penalty is levied by officials it would be borne by the transport companies. Manufacturers and traders paid transport companies higher charges for evading ST and in case of a checking, they were saved of any reasonable action. Traders indulged in not only the evasion of ST, but also the related income tax and Central Excise. It was found that the nexus between the transporters and traders was such that the transporters got maximum business for the goods without ST and traders could happily evade income tax and Central Excise, besides ST. It was also found in certain cases that the goods were originally booked with proper bills from the starting point but the original bills were either destroyed or replaced in Haryana. When such illegalities* were checked by officials, there was a tendency on the part of transporters, manufacturers and traders to collect in large numbers and ‘gherao’ officials and charge them with allegations of demanding bribes. As a sequel to the
clearance given by Mr Badal, the CBI will launch criminal
prosecution soon under Section 120-B read with Section
420, 420/471 IPC, against Nirmal Singh, Narinder Singh,
Vinay Kumar, Subash Kumar and Hardial Singh of Patiala
Carriers, Ludhiana, Avtar Singh, Sunder Singh, Kamaljit
Singh of Patiala Express Goods Co, Gurbachan Singh and
Vasist Kumar of Libra Carriers, Ludhiana, Surjit Singh
and Subash Chander of New Kohle Transport Co, Balbir
Sharma, Pardeep Kumar and Puran Chand of Jalandhar Delhi
Transport Co, Gurjit Singh of Delhi Ludhiana Transport
Co, Ravinder Pal Singh of P.K. Transport Company, and
Parminder Singh of Hind Rattan Transport Co, Ludhiana. |
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DTO's powers diluted CHANDIGARH, Oct 5 — Taking a major decision to dilute the powers of the District Transport Officers and to cut down the work load in their offices, the Punjab Council of Ministers here today approved in principle to give powers to private authorised dealers to register non-transport vehicles and tractors used for farm purposes. Informed sources said as far as postings and transfers of the DTOs in the state was concerned, the authorities concerned in the state government had to face all sorts of pulls and pressures. Keeping in view this fact, the authorities decided to dilute the powers of the DTOs. Earlier there used to be a craze among the PCS officers to get themselves appointed as Subdivisional Magistrates but in recent years almost all PCS officers either wanted to be posted as DTOs or Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioners as these have become "Wet" posts. Lot of pressure from all sides used to put on he Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary for securing such posts. As Chief Minister was fed up with such a practice, he, according to informed sources, urged the authorities concerned to find a way out. Earlier the transport department had vested certain powers with regard to checking of vehicles with the SDMs. There are reports that the authorities are working on to prepare a proposal for privatisation of issuing driving licences and giving authority to qualified persons to approve the issuance of driving licences which at present is done by the Motor Vehicle Inspectors. Sources said such a step would go a long way in reducing corruption in the government office concerned and harassment of public would come down. Meanwhile, as regards authorising dealers to register non-transport vehicles, etc, a government spokesman said it would be mandatory for the dealers to install computers for registration and maintenance of records. The dealers would have to deposit adequate security and the audit of records would be done by the government designated authority. The Council of Ministers also approved the proposal to extend the amnesty scheme for two months for clearing road tax dues of transport vehicles. A decision was also taken to impound the vehicles of defaulters after expiry of the amnesty period. The Council of Ministers also decided to appoint a Cabinet subcommittee for proposing changes in the relevant laws, rules etc, relating to the acquisition of land by various departments. The aim behind the move is to streamline the existing procedures and to ensure that the land owners get maximum market price in lumpsum and face no subsequent harassment. Mr R.S. Mann, Chief Secretary said the Punjab Government had earlier set up district land price fixation committees to determine the payable price in individual cases. The Council in another decision granted Class II status to the reporters of the Punjab Assembly Secretariat and also granted an extension in contract appointment to a retired Special Secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as Class I Reader in the office of the Lok Pal, Punjab, for one year. It also approved the
creation of 10 posts of Law Officers in the office of the
Punjab Advocate-General. |
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Ramoowalia for status quo on
gurdwara Act BATHINDA, Oct 5 — The Lok Bhalai Party, President, Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, today alleged that it was the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who opposed the voting right to Sehajdharis and representation to the women in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections. Addressing a press conference here, he pointed out that Mr Badal submitted a memorandum to the Minority Commission of India in 1995, in which he pleaded that Sehajdharis should be barred from voting for the SGPC elections and no women should be given representation in the house. He alleged that Mr Badal and his associates were trying to divide the Sikh history into two parts from 1469 AD to 1699 AD and from 1699 to present and it would cause great harm to communal harmony of the country. He added that Justice Harbans Singh had drafted the controversial Gurdwara Act on the ‘directions’ of Mr Badal. Mr Ramoowalia said the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, should not be disturbed otherwise a major controversy would grip the Punjabis in general and Sikhs in particular. He added that 30 seats in the SGPC house were reserved in 1997 when he was a union minister. He alleged that Mr Badal was doing all this to divert the attention of public from the failure of the Punjab Government on all fronts. He said under the command of Mr Badal development activities had come to a standstill, residents of Punjab had topped the list of debtors, per capita income had decreased, paddy growers were suffering in the grain markets and the Centre government had not released Rs 300 crore which it promised for compensating the cotton and paddy growers whose crops worth Rs 1140 crore were damaged due to untimely rains last year. He alleged that Mr Badal's government was selling the government properties at a throw away price to individuals despite the fact that the SAD-BJP alliance had not mandate on this issue. He pointed out that in the past two and half years, the percentage of literacy had gone down, the health facilities had become inadequate, law and order problem had gone from bad to worse and new channels of corruption had been explored in Punjab. He said Mr Badal should
change his style of functioning to save Punjab from
economic disaster and unburden the common man from debt. |
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Held for leaking JBT papers GURDASPUR, Oct 5 —The police today arrested Sukhdeep Singh, alias Jolly, resident of Basrawan village near Qadian, in this district for his involvement in leaking final semester question papers of JBT being held these days. According to Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, the psychology question paper was recovered from the suspect much before the scheduled time for the examination today. The district police chief said the suspect, who is jobless, had developed contacts with Ajit Ram, an employee of a printing press at Chandigarh and used to leak the papers with his help. A police naka party on specific information arrested the suspect at Paniar bus stand, 5 km from here, in the morning and recovered the psychology paper which was to be held at 2 p.m. today. The police informed the Secretary, Education and the Director, S.C.E.R.T., Punjab, about the leakage. The district police chief said the suspect used to charge Rs 1,000 to 4,000 for leaking papers in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur districts. The police said the suspect was being interrogated. Ajit Ram has not been arrested so far. It may be recalled that two years ago the police had arrested more than 20 persons, including teachers, students and others for their involvement in solving JBT question papers at Sarna. According to UNI, Jolly informed the police that Ajit Ram had been leaking question papers to him telephonically. The police officer said the racket was busted on the basis of information provided by local resident Jatinder Pal who told the police that he had already paid Rs 10,000 to Jolly for getting advance information of all 11 question papers of the JBT examinations. The SSP said a case
under Section 420 of the IPC had been registered against
Jolly. |
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Special team to monitor dengue
cases LUDHIANA, Oct 5 — A rapid response team has been set up in the wake of the rising number of dengue cases in the city. So far about 180, suspected as well as confirmed, dengue cases have been reported from the city. The team comprises of Dr Alex Zachariah, Dr P.S. Brar, Health Officer, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, Dr Ajit Singh Chawla, district epidemiologist, and Dr Prema Zachariah, Professor and Head, Social and Preventive Medicine. This was announced at a press conference at Christian Medical College (CMC) here today. A round-the-clock control room has been set up at CMC where the suspected cases from the 70 wards of the city would be reported. Twenty PCMS doctors would visit the suspected dengue patients in various localities of the city and advise them to get a serology test done. About 40 medical officers of the ESI hospital and various ESI dispensaries would also be involved. A noted virologist, Dr Gurkirpal Singh, has requested the National Institute of Communicable Diseases to depute a team under him for mapping the density of the Aedes egypti mosquito in various wards of the city. Meanwhile, about 27 fresh cases of dengue have been confirmed from various hospitals. While 10 suspected cases have arrived in Bhagwan Ram Charitable Hospital (BRCH), nine have been reported in Dayanand Medical College (DMC) and eight in CMC. The number of dengue
cases so far in DMC have been 57, 82 in CMC and 41 in
BRCH. These numbers include both confirmed as well as
suspected cases. However, the Civil Surgeon’s office
has confirmed 89 dengue cases and another 74 are
suspected to be dengue positive. |
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25 dengue cases reported HOSHIARPUR, Oct 5 — About 25 cases of suspected dengue have been reported in the city during the last fortnight which has alerted the Health Department. Dr Bal Gopal Goyal, chief patron of the local branch of the IMA and a leading physician said today that about 20 suspected dengue cases had been reported at his clinic during the past fortnight. He said in the absence of confirmatory tests facilities in the city, doctors had to rely upon clinical tests such as platelet counts and presence of red blood corpuscles in urine. The suspected dengue patients have reported high fever and severe body aches. Dr Goyal said he had already referred two cases of suspected dengue to the CMC, Ludhiana. Another leading physician of the city informed that five cases of suspected dengue were reported at his clinic during the past week. He referred two of these cases to Ludhiana for confirmation. However, Dr S.N. Tiwari, Senior Medical Officer and in charge at the local Civil Hospital, said no such case had been reported at the hospital. He said facilities for confirmed diagnosis of dengue were not available at the hospital. Dr Ajay Bagga of the PCMS Association said the present climatic conditions were most suitable for the spread of dengue. He remarked the municipal authorities should immediately improve sanitary conditions in and around the city to prevent the spread of the disease. He advised people to clear stagnant water from their coolers and in and around their houses. Heaps of garbage are lying in most of the bazars and lanes of the city. Sullage stagnates in the drains in the city which are choking. These insanitary conditions are likely to abet the spread of the disease. Dr Kiranjit Kumar, Civil Surgeon here, said he had sent instructions to the municipal authorities to carry out fogging operations in the city and also spray anti-larva oil, especially in the slum areas. He said he had also instructed the District Health Officer to take steps to prevent the sale of rotten fruit and vegetables. FATEHGARH SAHIB: Panic prevailed among the residents of Duffera village, 10 km from here, and nine other adjoining villages, as two children in the village died allegedly of dengue fever. Two children of adjoining Mukaronpur village are undergoing treatment at the PGI, Chandigarh. According to the villagers, some more children are suffering from fever. However, Dr C.P. Bansal,
Civil Surgeon, denied that the children had died of
dengue. He said two cases of encephalitis had been
reported from Duffera village and both children had died.
He said fogging operations had been undertaken in all
villages. A special team of doctors had been sent to
Duffera and paramedical staff had been asked to conduct a
survey in adjoining villages also. He said there was no
outbreak of dengue disease in the district and the people
need not panic. |
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Tohra ‘playing into Cong
hands’ CHANDIGARH, Oct 5 — Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, Secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal, said today that the former SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, was playing into the hands of the Congress and other anti-Panthic forces. Reacting to the statement of Mr Tohra's party to constitute a shadow Cabinet, Mr Badungar said that earlier such statements were made by Congress leaders. All efforts were being made by Mr Tohra to weaken the Punjab Government. Mr Tohra till recently was a staunch opponent of the Central Government's intervention in the affairs of the state governments and now he was inviting the Centre to intervene in the affairs of the Punjab Government. Mr Tohra was unaware of the consequences of declaring financial emergency in the state. With the declaration of such an emergency, all allowances, perks to employees and subsidies to various sections of society would be stopped. Mr Badungar has urged
the traders, the farmers, the employees and others to
oppose strongly what was being said by Mr Tohra about
financial emergency and other issues. |
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AISAD to give memorandum to
President PHILLAUR, Oct 5 — A deputation of the All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (Tohra) will soon present a memorandum to the President to demand a high-level inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court to find out the reasons of the financial crisis in Punjab. This was stated by the Dal’s General Secretary, Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, while talking to newspersons here today. He said Punjab owed Rs 24,000 crore as loans. While the state was to pay only Rs 8,500 crore, which it spent in its fight against terrorism. He wondered how the state was now under loans of Rs 24,000 crore and had to pay an instalment of Rs 750 crore annually. He demanded the imposition of economic emergency and release of white paper. He said the increase in
tax collection in Punjab was only 2 per cent as compared
to 17 per cent in Haryana. |
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Move to check benami deals in
rice mills BATHINDA, Oct 5 —The state Food and Supplies Department authorities have initiated a move to identify officers having benami shares in the rice mills with the traders in Punjab. The department has taken this decision in order to check the purchase of substandard paddy by officials during the procurement in connivance with the traders and rice mill owners and to solve the problem of resistance of Punjab’s rice by the customers of other states. Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Punjab Food Minister, while talking to newspersons here today pointed out that the Punjab Government had become quality conscious and was making concerted efforts to break the trader-official nexus. He pointed out that to ensure this the Punjab Government had already abolished the quality test laboratories of state agencies and quality of rice accepted after milling was being checked by the laboratories run by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). He admitted that some of the rice mill owners were mixing broken rice with the shelled paddy before supplying the stock to the FCI and other government agencies. The rice mill owners were procuring broken rice from such industries in Uttar Pradesh. He added that steps had been taken to deal with them. He pointed out that the state Food Department had also decentralised its powers to check the modes of corruption and officials were not given discretionary powers which were being used as a tool of corruption in the past. He said such policies which were brought into effect last year had started yielding fruitful results in the current procurement season. He disclosed that till October 4, about 41.70 lakh metric tonne paddy was procured by government agencies and private traders during the current season as compared to 20.32 lakh metric tonne paddy procured during the corresponding period last year. He added that the Punjab Government had made arrangements to procure the total quantity of paddy that would arrive in the markets. Mr Mittal said the department was very vigilant to protect the interests of farmers and was trying to ensure that private traders purchase paddy on the minimum support price (MSP). He added that all cases where the paddy was purchased below the MSP by the traders were being examined. He said the state
Agriculture Department had been urged to supply seeds of
exportable variety of paddy to the farmers so that they
could fetch better price for their crops. Action was
being taken against officials found indulging in any sort
of bungling during the procurement, he added. |
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Civic body ex-chief’s
dismissal upheld NANGAL, Oct 5 — The Supreme Court has rejected the plea of the ex-president of local Municipal Counsel challenging his removal from office. Mr Ranjit Singh Saini, the ex-President of the Municipal Council was removed from office by the Director Local Government on June 26, 1998. The Director had removed Mr Ranjit Singh on the charges of disrupting the meeting of the council and snatching the proceeding book from the steno; for appointing teachers on six months basis without information to the Employment Department, in the institutions run by the Municipal Council, for filling 21 vacant posts of teachers in Shivalik Model School without passing any resolution or taking approval from the government for favouring a relative while making appointment of teachers in Shivalik Model School and for not depositing funds for the canal-based water supply scheme. Mr Ranjit Singh had earlier challenged his dismissal from office in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He had pleaded that the competent authority had failed to consider his reply to the charges levelled against him. He had also pleaded that the order of his dismissal was violative of the principles of nature justice and was mala fide. Mr Ranjit Singh’s
plea was rejected by the high court. Thereafter Mr Ranjit
Singh had moved to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court
now has also upheld the decision of the high court and
has rejected the plea of Mr Ranjit Singh. |
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Residents block traffic AMRITSAR, Oct 5 — Residents of Guru Amardas Avenue and from nearby colonies today blocked traffic near the Gumtala chowk on the Ajnala road for several hours in protest against the administration’s apathy towards those who died in accidents. President of the welfare society Jaskaran Singh said today that during the past five to seven years, the traffic on the bypass connecting the Ajnala road to the cantonment had grown manifold which had taken a heavy toll on human lives. According to an estimate over 200 persons had been killed in accidents. Mr Singh attributed the accidents to the lack of planning by the administration, non-existent traffic management and signal lights, besides encroachments on the roads. The SP (Headquarters), Mrs Anita Punj, meanwhile ordered the removal of a police post which was blocking the view of the road. The association also
demanded the installation of traffic lights and
constables to regulate the traffic. |
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Impersonator arrested BATALA, Oct 5 — The chief of Batala police district told mediapersons here today that the local police had apprehended Jagan Nath, a resident of Ludhiana district, for duping privating companies. Jagan Nath, allegedly impersonating as a representative of an agricultural society of Raipur, Bathinda, tried to defraud the owner of a local firm. The owner of the firm had asked him to supply mineral water bottles worth Rs 18.35 lakh to the Raipur firm. The suspect demanded Rs 3 lakh as commission in the deal. The behaviour of the suspect raised suspicion in the mind of the firm’s owner about the credibility of the accused. The owner of the firm informed the police about it, who laid a trap to expose the suspect. The police learnt that the firm mentioned by the accused did not exist in Raipur. A cheque issued by the suspect also turned out to be a fake one. A number of faked cheques were also found from the possession of Jagan Nath. During police investigation, it was learnt that the suspect had earlier been rounded up by the Ludhiana police in another fraud case. The police has
registered a case under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471,
IPC, in this regard and Jagan Nath has been remanded in
police custody. |
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Betting on election results FARIDKOT, Oct 5 — Money worth crores of rupees has been put on stake in the form of betting on the fate of contenders of the Faridkot and Patiala Lok Sabha seats by people of Punjab and its neighbouring states. Though the exit poll predictions have confused the people, they are still laying bets. Since the 1996 general Lok Sabha elections, some parliamentary constituency in Punjab have become a paradise for bookies as more and more people have started indulging in "satta" on elections, irrespective of their political affiliations. Though only one day is left for the counting of votes to begin, a large number of people are putting money on various types of betting. Bookies belonging to Sirsa, Sriganganagar, Abohar, Delhi and Mumbai are controlling the political "satta" in Punjab. According to reports, people have put crores of rupees on stake on the fate of Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, Mr Jagmeet Brar, Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, Mrs Parneet Kaur and Mr S.S. Rakhra. The bookies operating from Delhi and Mumbai have engaged the locals as their agents. These agents are offering amount ranging from double to five times of the amount by bet-layers if their guess is true. Most of the bet-layers used their own judgement instead of considering the claims and counter-claims of supporters of contenders and results predicted by the exit polls. According to a report,
the bookies have given "ranks" to each
candidate. They take guarantee of a known person before
recognising the bet of a stranger. |
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To Hemkund Sahib on motor
cycle FEROZEPORE: Twentyseven-year-old Capt Gurjeet Singh Sidhu of this town has completed an adventure which is perhaps the first of its kind. He reached Sri Hemkund Sahib gurdwara on a motor cycle. On August 22 this year, when he commenced his journey on a motorcycle from the historic Saragarhi gurdwara here for Sri Hemkund Sahib situated at a height of 15,210 feet above sea level, no one was sure that the young man would be able to complete his journey on the hilly track. He was advised by many not to undertake the arduous journey on a motor cycle. But he did not pay any heed to their warning. Captain Sidhu reached a gurdwara at Rishikesh on August 23. The next day he began his journey on the hilly track and reached Gobind Ghat gurdwara by evening. The journey for the next 19 km at a height of 9,500 ft above sea level was full of risks. "It was indeed a strange sight for villagers and children of these remote areas, including Khar village, to see a motor cycle there for the first time", Captain Sidhu reminisced while talking to this correspondent. He reached his destination on August 26 which was also Raksha Bandhan day. Devotees at Sri Hemkund Sahib greeted him with warmth. He was honoured with a siropa and Sehra Sahib there. "It was indeed a great day in my life", he said and added that on his return journey he was also honoured at Gobind Ghat gurdwara. He reached here on the night of August 29. He says he has earned the distinction of being the first to reach Sri Hemkund Sahib on a motor cycle. Next he plans to pay
obeisance at Amarnath in a similar manner. |
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Decision to allot prime land
decried JALANDHAR, Oct 5 — Resentment prevails among residents of the Urban Estate Phase I over the Punjab Government's decision to allot prime land to some people at a throwaway price. The managing committee of the Urban Estate Welfare Society met last night and decided to observe satyagraha against the drastic changes made in the master plan and allotment of plots to certain so-called charitable institutions. Earlier, the society had passed resolutions cautioning PUDA against such moves. The residents had reportedly been deprived of even those facilities which were earmarked in the master plan. The society had approached PUDA officials to provide facilities like community hall, recreation centre, sports and cultural stadium, library, health centre etc, but nothing had been done so far. So much so that the plot earmarked for community centre was also allotted to some organisation, they alleged. The two primary schools built recently were notified for auction. Dr V.K. Tewari,
President of the society demanded the immediate
cancellation of the allotment of the land. He said a
committee had been formed to spearhead the movement. |
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Consumer forum rejects complaint JALANDHAR, Oct 5 — The local District Consumer Districts Redressal Forum President, Mr N.D. Bhatara, has dismissed as "false" and "frivolous" a report filed by Mr Jai Prakash Sharma, a resident of Kishanpura here, against Dr Sanjeev Dewan, dental surgeon. In his directive, Mr Bhatara directed the complainant to pay Rs 1,500 to Dr Dewan as costs under Section 26 of the Consumer Protection Act. Mr Sharma had filed a complaint against Dr Dewan that he had approached the doctor for a routine check-up and Dr Dewan extracted his tooth despite his refusal. He had to bear, swelling-agony and pain due to an infection. After a few days, Dr Dewan advised the patient to undergo root canal treatment for another tooth which was damaged due to infection, hence, the complainant was forced to lose another tooth. According to Mr Bhatara,
the forum did not find any merit in Mr Sharma's
complaint. |
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Health Dept’s list on
doctors decried BATHINDA, Oct 5 — Dr Sat Pal Bhateja, convener, Indian Medicines Association, yesterday said the list of registered and unregistered medical practitioners prepared by the Health Department was wrong. In a press note issued here, he pointed out that the list was prepared by the senior medical officers (SMOs) and medical officers (MOs) which was not right. He added that the list should have been prepared by the technical wing of the department. He further pointed out that the department was getting criminal cases registered against those medical practitioners who had deposited Rs 4,500 with the government for three-month training for becoming health volunteers. Dr Baba Ram, Civil
Surgeon, when contacted said representations of all
medical practitioners was considered and action would be
taken only against those who were found deficient in any
aspect. |
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‘Spare’ martyrs’ kin of
bank commission CHANDIGARH, Oct 5 — The Director, Sainik Welfare, Punjab, Brig Kuldeep Singh Kahlon, has urged the bankers not to deduct commission on cheques paid to the families of martyrs as financial aid through the banks at a meeting of the various banks convened by the state lead bank. Brigadier Kahlon said the Punjab Government had paid Rs 2 lakh as ex-gratia grant and Rs 5 lakh for buying a plot or house building to the widows of war heroes who laid down their lives in Kargil or elsewhere. Widows have complained that banks deducted a heavy commission while clearing such cheques for payment. Brigadier Kahlon also
urged the bankers not to force ex-Servicemen to get their
pension account transferred to banks concerned while
advancing them a loan for starting self-employment
ventures or for such purposes. He said ex-Servicemen had
to face a lot of problems in getting their pension
accounts transferred to loanee banks. |
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Rs 96,000 for war heroes
fund CHANDIGARH, Oct 5 —
Mr B.R. Bajaj, president of the Punjab State IAS
Officers' Association, today presented a cheque for Rs
96,000 on behalf of the association to Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal as the contribution of the
officers for the Punjab War Heroes Family Welfare Relief
Fund. |
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Restore LTC, say ministerial
staff CHANDIGARH, Oct 5 — The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union said today that the state government was pursuing "anti-employees policies". Mr Kulbhushan Kanwar and Mr K.K. Jindal, president and general secretary of the union, said the state government had imposed a heavy cut on the existing posts in the non-plan schemes and the ban on promotions continued. Urging the Chief Minister to remove the so-called financial advisers, the union leader alleged that the advisers were creating a wedge between the government and the employees. Seeking the restoration of LTC, and to stop crediting of DA into GP fund, the union leaders asked the state government to pay 5 per cent DA from July 1 on the Haryana pattern. They have also opposed
the withdrawal of the NPA given to doctors. |
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Union threatens strike JALANDHAR, Oct 5 — The Punjab Market Committee Employees Union has served a 15-day strike ultimatum on the Punjab Government. Mr Surjit Singh Johal,
state president of the union, said here yesterday that
the state government had not released the instalments of
dearness allowance from the employees from January to
July, 1999. He warned if their demands were not accepted
within 15 days, the union would start an agitation and
the state government would be responsible for it. |
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Peace at plant top priority:
CE ROPAR, Oct 5 — Mr Satish Mittal, Chief Engineer of the Ropar Thermal Plant (RTP), today said peace at the plant would be his first priority. Talking to TNS at the plant, Mr Mittal said he would not only make endeavour to maintain the on-going generation capacity but increase it further. Mr Mittal said he would
provide opportunities to the employees to suggest welfare
measures. |
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3 killed in road mishaps HOSHIARPUR, Oct 5 (UNI) — Three persons were killed and one was injured in three road accidents in the district last evening, the police said today. Gujinder Singh was killed, while his friend Pardeep Singh wounded when the Tata Sumo in which they were travelling collided with a tractor trailer near Madiala on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road. Tractor trailer driver Manjit Singh has been arrested and the vehicle impounded. Scooterist Kamalpreet
Singh died when he was hit by a Maruti car near the
Giganwal bridge on the Hoshiarpur-Tanda road, while
driver Jasdir Singh was killed when his truck collided
with another truck at Hariana. |
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2 workers killed GURDASPUR, Oct 5 (UNI) — Two workers were killed and five others injured when a grid tower, being set up by them for the supply of yet-to-be-generated hydel power from the Ranjit Sagar dam, collapsed at Dyal in the dam area this evening. Sources said Suban and
Rajesh Kumar were killed while Muna, Kaushal, Ram Vaisu,
Ram Saran and Mukhia were admitted to the Government
Hospital. |
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Two youths hurt in clash JALANDHAR, Oct 5 (UNI) — Two youths were injured in a clash at Rasta Mohalla in the city today, police sources said here. While Deepak Kumar suffered a sword injury on his head, Rajesh Kumar was knifed by a group of at least eight youths, allegedly led by one Bhalu. The victims had gone to see a friend in the locality when they were attacked. Both were admitted to
the Civil Hospital, where the condition of Rajesh Kumar
was described as serious by a doctor. |
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2-day holiday for 5
institutions ROPAR, Oct 5 — The District Magistrate has ordered the closure of five educational institutions on October 6 and 7 in this district where counting of votes will be held tomorrow. The institutions are Government College, Ropar, Government Polytechnic for Women, Ropar, Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Anandpur Sahib; Government Polytechnic at Khooni Majra (Kharar) and Shivalik Public School, Phase-VI at SAS Nagar. All liquor shops in this
district will also remain closed on October 6 and 7. |
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