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| Sunday,
December 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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CEC reviews poll preparations Chandigarh, December 15 Prior to his visit, his other two colleagues in the Election Commission, Mr T.S. Krisnamurthy and Mr D.D. Tandon, have already visited the state. So has the Deputy Election Commissioner, Mr S. Chatterjee. The Commission Secretary, Mr K.R. Prasad is reportedly looking into complaints of “inclusion and deletion” of names in the electoral lists of three Assembly constituencies, Lambi, Naushehra Pannua and Tarn Taran. The Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Mrs Usha Sharma, told TNS that at the high-level meeting this morning, Mr Lyngdoh was briefed about the requirements in terms of security personnel and other inputs. He was informed that the process of examining claims and objections, in respect of electoral rolls now in progress, would be completed by December 18. Thereafter, the process of printing would begin. The final electoral rolls would be ready by January 7. The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had a meeting with all the deputy commissioners here today. The primary purpose was to “review” the progress and implementation of the schemes related to the development and the social sector — disbursement of pensions (some participants complained of non-co-operation by the banks) and ‘shagun’, allotment of five marla plots to houseless poor of the weaker sections, progress of the “sarv sikhiya abhiyan” (literacy programme), work on additional road links and strengthening and widening of the existing roads, disbursement of paddy dues to the “ahrtiyas” and the like. Mr Badal, reportedly, also took the opportunity of getting political feedback. Besides such official reviews, even the political parties in the state are beginning to put their act together. If the ruling SAD President, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has started district-wise meetings of his party workers at his residence here, the BJP President, Mr Brij Lal Rinwa, has held a meeting of the state Executive Committee here on Friday and drawn up the strategy for the elections. The crisis-ridden CPM held a public meeting, which was addressed by Mr Harkishan Singh Surjeet, in Garhshankar, while, the former CPM state Secretary, Mr Mangat Ram Pasla, has been holding separate rallies. Panthic Morcha is basking in the glory of its “impressive” state-level rally in Ludhiana on December 9. All parties are keeping the options for alliances open. The Congress, despite the internal disquiet, has held a series of meetings, some of which were attended by Punjab in charge, Mr Moti Lal Vora. Though Mr Lyngdoh has not gone beyond saying that Punjab would go to the polls along with other three states, the announcement of the date for elections is eagerly awaited. With that the code of conduct will also come into force, simultaneously. Understandably, the government is keen to complete the unfinished agenda in hand before the elections are announced. There is intense lobbying for a ticket in every political party. Such and related developments are pointers to the election environment that is building up. This has put the state into an election-mode. The SAD and BJP are busy in political stock- taking and reviewing the implementation of promises and populist measures announced in the past five years. If the Congress is preparing a “charge sheet”, the Panthic Morcha is working on a “white paper” against the government. Wordy duels among politicians are now the order of the day. As cold intensifies, so does political heat. |
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Bogus
voters: EC begins investigation Malout (Muktsar), December 15 Official sources said Mr K.R. Parsad, Secretary, Election Commission, who came to this town to make an inquiry regarding registration of bogus voters in Lambi Assembly segment represented by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, listened to verbal complaints and entertained the written ones made by leaders and functionaries of the District Congress Committee, Muktsar. The sources said Mr Parsad checked the list of claims made in connection with the registration of new voters and the list of objections filed by the people regarding such claims. He also held meetings with those officials who were entrusted with the job of revising electoral rolls for the Assembly elections. The DCC president, Mr Raghubir Singh, and other Congress leaders met Mr Parsad in the local rest house. The Congress leaders alleged that bogus voters had been registered in all four Assembly segments, namely Malout, Muktsar, Lambi and Gidderbaha, of Muktsar district by ruling politicians in connivance with government officials. Official sources said Mr Parsad would submit his report to the Election Commission shortly. He also instructed government officials not to indulge in foul play in connection with the revision of electoral rolls. AMRITSAR (OC):
On the directions of the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr K.R. Parsad on Saturday conducted an inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the preparation of electoral rolls in Gidderbaha, the constituency of Mr Badal’s nephew, Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, Naushehra Pannuan (Amritsar), the constituency of Mr Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Cooperation Minister, and Tarn Taran. Talking to newspersons, Mr Parsad said he would submit the report to CEC on Sunday. Mr Parsad said he had visited Gidderbaha on Friday where representatives of political parties, including the MLA of the constituency, had apprised him about the charges being levelled by the Opposition. Mr Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, along with leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal, called on the Secretary to present their point of view with regard to the complaints. Congress leaders, including Master Jagir Singh, a former minister and MLA of Naushehra Pannuan, presented evidence about the irregularities. |
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GND varsity
honours Arun Jaitley Amritsar, December 15 Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of the university, presided over the convocation while Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, welcomed the guest and degree recipients. Mr Jaitley, who was the chief guest on the occasion, delivered the convocation address. General Jacob conferred the degree of doctor of laws (honoris causa) upon Mr Jaitley for his contribution to the legal field and political service while Dr K. Kasturirangan was awarded the degree of doctor of science (honoris causa) for his contribution to the field of spacecraft and remote sensing and scientific satellites. He also conferred degrees of doctor of philosophy (honoris causa) upon Mr Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi in the faculty of humanities and religious studies for his contribution to Sikh religion. Ms Surinder Kaur was awarded the degree of doctor of philosophy (honoris causa) in the faculty of music and fine arts for her contribution to the field of Punjabi folk singing. Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor read out citations on these prominent personalities and highlighted their achievements. General Jacob also honoured Jasbir Singh Jassi by presenting him with a gold medal for his contribution to the development of Punjabi singing. Addressing scholars, Mr Jaitley said the objective of education was not limited to get employment, but to produce civilised citizens so that they could contribute more to the national development. Mr Jaitley, Mr Kasturirangan, Mr Yogi, Ms Surinder Kaur and Jassi thanked the Guru Nanak Dev University authorities, especially the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.P. Singh, members of the syndicate and the Senate, for honouring them. TNS adds: Later, talking to newspersons, Mr Jaitley said the world was not well equipped to prevent suicide attacks. He, however, praised the security men who foiled the
suicides attack on the symbol of democracy. |
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PSEB steps to check power theft Patiala, December 15 The PSEB has taken both the steps to check
direct theft of power by tampering of meters. Consumers have been caught making holes in the meter’s bodies and meter cupboards, tampering the current coils, counters, meter glasses and meter seals to steal electricity. Board Member (Operations) Kirpal Singh said initially it had been decided to shift meters of all commercial consumers outside their premises. He said the Board had experimented with shifting meters of commercial consumers in Gur Mandi and Akal Mandi outside the premises. It paid off and revenue
increased. He said concept of installing meters outside the consumer’s premises was being extended to other towns and cities of Punjab. Mr Kirpal Singh said anti-theft
drives of by the Board had also resulted into the replacement of air conditioners with air coolers which helped conserve electricity considerably. He said approximately 50 per cent of the revenue of the Board came from 3200 large big consumers and that electronic meters had been installed in the premises of all these consumers for correct measurement of energy consumed by them. The Member, Operations said a scheme for Remote Monitoring of large supply consumers had been introduced by the Board following which chances of theft would be eliminated to a large extent. He said under the scheme, the meter readings could be assessed from the central office. He said besides this nearly 6000 consumers of the total of 17,000 consumers who had taken medium supply connections, had been provided with electronic meters. He said likewise electro-mechanical meters of other industrial, commercial and domestic consumers had been replaced with electronic meters in a phased manner which would help measure correctly the power and reduce theft. Other measures by the Board included introduction of three-phase and one phase electronic meters with transparent housing and ultrasonic welding. Besides this he said all generation stations would be provided with Solid State Electronic meters with high accuracy levels along with energy audit systems. Meters have also been installed on feeders upto 11KV for energy accounting which shall enable correct assessment of losses in transmission and distribution system. |
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IC-814 plane hijack accused identified Patiala, December 15 Guest house owner Mohammad Shah Nawaz identified Abdul Lateef as one of the two persons who had stayed in his Ameenia Guest House in Kolkata. Deposing before the court, the guest house owner said an entry had also been recorded in their name in the register at the guest house. Mr Nawaz, however, could not identify the second person named Saed Akhtar who had also stayed in his guest house. Three of the accused in the case — Abdul Lateef, Dalip Kumar Bhujail and Bhopal Mandamai — are at present in judicial remand in Central Jail here. |
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US directive on Sikh air passengers Amritsar, December 15 The Sikhs had to lodge a strong protest with the government of the USA when Mr Satpal Singh Kohli, son-in-law of Mr Harbhajan Singh Yogi was forced to take off his turban on October 22 by the security forces. He was stopped from boarding a plane from New Mexico to Los Angeles. Later, he was allowed to board another plane after his turban was checked. Mr Kohli told TNS that the State Transport Ministry of the USA had issued circulars to all airlines that the urban should not be mistaken for hat as it (the turban) was part of the Sikh dress. He, however, said the State Transport Ministry stated that a Sikh should be taken to a private enclosure for checking and might not be asked to take off his turban. |
Yogi’s efforts to
forge Panthic unity Amritsar, December 15 Talking
to The Tribune, Mr Yogi said he had met Mr Badal who had given
a positive response for the unity. He said it was high time for
uniting the entire Panth, if Akali wanted to win the forthcoming
Assembly elections. All election surveys had pointed out that they
(the Akalis) could not win the elections without unity, he added. When
his attention was drawn towards the conditions laid down by the SHSAD
for forging the panthic unity, Mr Yogi said in politics such
conditions should not be raised. Sikhs across the world wanted Panthic
unity at the earliest, he added. |
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SAD manifesto by month-end: Dhindsa Sangrur, December 15 Mr Dhindsa was talking to mediapersons at the local PWD Rest House after attending a meeting of the SAD district unit at the local Gurdwara Singh Sabha. The meeting was organised to discuss the preparations for the SAD conference to be held on December 22 at Sunam in connection with the ensuing Assembly elections. Mr Dhindsa said the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the SAD would discuss tomorrow the survey conducted by the government and private agencies with regard to the allotment of party tickets for the Assembly elections. Mr Dhindsa also announced that the manifesto of the party would be released by the end of December. Among the others who addressed the meeting were Mr Nusrat Ali Khan and Mr Ranjit Singh Balian, both Punjab ministers, Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa, MLA from Sunam, Mr Balbir Singh Ghunas, MLA from Bhadaur, Mr Parkash Chand Garg, Chairman, Punjab Land Development and Reclamation Corporation, Mr Rajinder Singh Kanjhla, Mr Surinder Singh Dhuri and Mr Nachhatar Singh Jahangir, all SAD leaders. |
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‘Dhindsa should
have quit’ Bathinda, December 15 He said his party would contest at least 90 seats in the ensuing Assembly elections. Mr Ramoowalia alleged that permits for plying buses in the sate had been given to members of ruling Akali Dal while deserving unemployed youths had been ignored. |
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Pasla new
state CPM secretary Jalandhar, December 15 The conference adopted resolutions on the deteriorating economic and the law and order situation and cultural degradation in Punjab which was a “result” of globalisation and liberalisation “initiated” by the Congress and “accelerated” by the BJP led NDA government. The conference felt the need for a third alternative comprising Left, democratic and non-Congress secular forces. Referring to the senior CPM leader, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, Mr Chander
Shekhar, a state committee member, said Mr Surjeet’s silence on various charges had proved that he had been accepting funds from Industrial houses leading to the degeneration of the Communist morality. The state committee would hold its meeting on December 20 and 21 here, he added. |
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Cong rally held at Nabha Nabha, December 15 The organisers had to take the help of folk singers in order to keep the audience sitting. Captain Amarinder Singh could not come as he was away to Delhi to meet Ms Sonia Gandhi. Mr Natwar Singh, a senior Congress leader, Mr Randip Surjewala, Mr Devinder Bobby, Mr Randip Singh, Ms Satinder Kaur, Mr Ramesh Singla, Mr Birdevinder Singh and some other senior party leaders addressed the gathering at the New Grain Market here. |
8 killed in road mishap Jalandhar, December 15 The accident, according to eyewitnesses, occurred when the bus driver lost control over the vehicle due to fog and slippery road. As the bus overturned it made blast like sound, alerting villagers who gathered and started rescue work, much before the police reached the spot. Villagers said they had a tough time extricating the dead and injured from the bus and the rain made their job even more difficult. The injured included Gurmit Singh, the driver of the bus. The conductor, Amrik Singh, was killed in the accident. Among the killed were Dhan Bahadur, Harsharanvir, resident of Guru Teg Bahadur locality in Jalandhar, Nirvair Singh, resident of New Jawahar Nagar, Jalandhar and Mohan Singh, also from Jalandhar. The injured includes Sukhwant Singh of Tarn Taran, Tilak Raj of Moga, Suresh Kumar of Malout, Major Singh, Surjan Singh and Kanwaljit. According to the injured, the bus was going at a high speed. |
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Beat system brings cops, public closer Ludhiana The most important aspect of this system is the involvement of the constable at the mohalla level or locality, of which he has been given charge. This scheme is the first of its kind scheme being introduced in the country. The beat system will draw the police closer to the public and help in resolving disputes without going to the police station. Each beat is headed by a constable or head constable and each constable maintains a personal diary regarding anti-social elements and other residents of the particular beat. The beat system has been further strengthened with the formation of salahkar samitis in each beat comprising people from all strata. Even rickshaw pullers and beggars are members of this samiti, he claims. According to Mr Sidhu, the entire town has been divided into 400 beats. The beat officer (constable) will receive complaints of the people and register FIRs on the basis of investigation. The beat officer will also verify documents such as passports. The difference between the salahkar samiti and the beat system is that earlier the mohalla pradhan used to be the nodal factor in resolving disputes, who invariably developed contacts with the police officials and anti-social elements which resulted in corruption and injustice to the people, says the SSP. Earlier meetings used to be held at police stations but under the beat system, the salahkar samiti meets in the mohalla, where spot decisions are taken. Each salahkar samiti consists of 50 members, including 10 women members. More than 10,000 residents of the town have been involved in these samitis, which have become operational, and disputes are being settled amicably, he says. Emphasising on the need for introduction of a beat system, Mr Sidhu maintains that like Mumbai, Ludhiana has a number of slums and if immediate steps are not taken to involve these people in the working of the society and disputes are settled with their involvement, the town may face gangsters taking law into their own hands. This is necessary as the town has a very high percentage of migrants from other states. He says that the pradhans are unhappy at the introduction of this system because middlemen have been eliminated and pradhans were working only as agents of police officials and developing vested interests. The beat officer and the salahkar samitis would not only deal with the crime and law and order, but would participate in social and religious functions too. Beat officers have started organising religious functions in mohallas and this would definitely create a more congenial atmosphere in the locality and bring goodwill for the police force. The beat officer, as a matter of fact, will act as representative of the beat, which he represents. Regarding the success of the scheme so far, Mr Sidhu says that acceptability of the police has increased in the town. Further incidents of eve-teasing in front of women's institutions and in high-class residential colonies like Sarabha Nagar have been checked to a great extent. Another thing which Mr Sidhu has done at police stations in the town pertains to the speedy registration of cases. He does not allow any dilly-dallying on the part of the police. He immediately orders the registration of FIRs which would act as a deterrent, resulting in a fall in the crime rate. He has also set up a cell for dealing with atrocities against women. A marriage dispute settlement cell has also been set up at the Police Lines. Mr Sidhu has also written a book in Punjabi on the basis of the beat system which is being translated in to other languages by the Haryana and Maharashtra Governments. |
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Overbridge
still at foundation stone stage Patiala, December 15 Though work on the project was to start immediately after laying of the foundation stone, it later transpired that it would start soon after funds for the project were released following formal approval from the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB). Sources said injury to the Chief Minister had ensured that the work may yet take some time to start because the Chief Minister is the chairman of the PIDB. Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir, when contacted on the issue, said the project could be approved by the executive committee of the PIDB, which was chaired by the Chief Secretary and that the absence of the Chief Minister from any meeting of the PIDB should not come in the way of starting work on the project. However, the delay in the start of the work has caused jitters to residents of the city, many of whom feel that if it is not started immediately, then it may not be taken up before the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, which are expected to be held by two months time. Residents said if a new government came into power after two months, the situation could be politicised again and the construction of the overbridge could be further delayed. Construction of an overbridge over the railway crossing has been a contentious issue since the last more than five years. Though the district administration has been continuously stressing the need for an overbridge at the site, the issue had been bogged down in politics as the shopkeepers who run businesses on the road on both sides of the railway crossing were against the move, feeling it would have an adverse affect on their business. Though shopkeepers now feel that construction of the overbridge is inevitable, the delay has caused them some glee.
“Though we know that it is necessary to construct the overbridge, any delay is welcome, as business is going to be affected during the construction period’’, a shopkeeper said. Moreover, as this is the wedding season, shopkeepers feel the delay would do them some good. Residents feel there is no alternative to the construction of the overbridge and that the work should start immediately. Sukhpreet Singh, a resident of Model Town, said it was progressively getting difficult to navigate the railway crossing everyday due to the rapid increase in vehicle population in the city. He said the situation would become worse when the mini secretariat was completed on the Jail Road and all district offices were shifted there. ‘’As Bhupindra Road would be one of the access routes to the secretariat, any delay in construction of the overbridge would cause further hardship to city residents’’, he added. Though a question mark has been put on the construction of the overbridge during the next two months, another bone of contention is whether the railway crossing number 22 would be allowed to remain in operation or not. Shopkeepers feel if the crossing is closed down, it would affect their business. However, according to railway rules, there is no scope of letting the crossing remain in operation. |
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Army area unfenced? Bathinda, December 15 The question is being debated among various state and central agencies involved in protecting vital installations and maintaining law and order in the state, especially after Friday’s terrorist attack on Parliament. However, the terrorist strikes in India, and elsewhere in the world, have failed to concern the authorities and make necessary arrangements to fence the highly sensitive area. Sources reveal that Army Intelligence, on number of occasions, had stressed the need for proper fencing of the cantonment. Even the district police authorities had taken up the matter with the army authorities. It may be mentioned that an intrusion into the Ammunition Depot (AD) inside the military station had been reported in the past. A Pakistan ISI agent, Khalid Mohommad, who had stayed in Bathinda for years had easy access to the military station. He was arrested by the Delhi police about two tears ago. Sources say that the agency, meant for keeping internal and external vigilance of the military station was facing problems due to interaction of civilians with military personnel. A senior official pointed out that urbanisation around the station was also creating security problems. When contacted, Brigadier A.K. Sukhija, Sub-Area Commander, said it was not easy to fence the entire cantonment area. He, however, added that all vital installations in the cantonment were secure and the authorities concerned had taken necessary steps to ensure security inside the military area. Dr Jatinder Kumar Jain, SSP, also said that after the attack on Parliament, security had been strengthened in Bathinda district and the police was keeping a watch on the movement of strangers in the area. |
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SGPC to engage audit agency Ropar, December 15 SGPC President Jathedar Kirpal Singh Badungar gave this information while talking to newsmen at Anandpur Sahib today. He was responding to queries regarding financial misappropriations committed allegedly during the tenure of his predecessors. He, however, declined to commit if audit agencies would also check the accounts or expenditures carried out during the tenure of his predecessors. About the issue of voting right of the
sehajdharis, putting to rest all speculation over the issue, Jathedar Badungar the SGPC did not intend to change the original form of the SGPC Act 1925, under which the sehajdharis had a voting right in the elections. Jathedar Badungar said the SGPC would soon announce gift package for the teachers of the schools and colleges being run by it. Many teachers in the SGPC educational institutes were being paid less than government teachers, a disparity which would soon be removed, he said. About the action against former SGPC President Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi for his utterances against the high priests on Divali, he said the issue was under the purview of the SGPC. Jathedar Badungar, who paid the first visit to Takht Shri Keshgarh Sahib today after taking over as the SGPC President, was given a guard of honour by the students of the Sikh Missionary College. The students gave guard to the new SGPC President holding bare swords. He was also presented a siropa by Gaini Tarlochan Singh Head Granthi of the Takht Shri Keshgarh Sahib. |
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Equipment
display at KV No 1 Bathinda, December 15 The display was organised to highlight the achievements of the Army in the ongoing war in Jammu and Kashmir. The display was a part of the Vijay Divas celebration to remember the brave
soldiers who laid their lives down while safeguarding the borders of the country. Equipment and weapons including 130 mm Russian gun, air defence artillery guns, radars, infantry weapons, state-of-the-art signal communication systems and engineering equipment were displayed. |
4 Mayors get 18-cr grant Chandigarh, December 15 This was stated by the Local Government Minister, Mr Balramji Das Tandon, in an interview to TNS here today before he left for Ludhiana. (He handed over cheques worth Rs 18 crore to the Mayors of four municipal corporations there today.) A total sum of Rs 36 crore will be paid to all municipalities by tomorrow. Mr Tandon said octroi had been abolished on all items, except on electricity and additional excise duty on liquor. The state had given an undertaking to the Court on December 6 that it would “compensate” the municipalities. The court had set December 15 as the deadline. “By our action, we have proved the critics wrong. The government has fulfilled its commitment to the court as well as the people. When the decision to abolish octroi was taken on November 28 by the Council of Ministers, it was made clear that there would be no retrenchment of the staff, development works would not suffer and contractors would get their money. We have received Rs 160 crore as soft loan from the Centre for paying compensation”, he added. In the wake of the Assembly elections, the Directorate of Local Government has brought out a pictorial bulletin titled, “A Golden Era in the History of Urban Local Bodies Punjab”. It lists the major achievements of the SAD-BJP government. Through statistics, facts and figures, it tells the story of socio-economic development and infrastructure that has been built in cities and the incentives and concessions given to the urban poor, traders and businessmen. The range of benefits is wide and encompasses all sections which now avail of house tax exemption and relief from octroi. It also improved water supply and sewerage, bus stands, tenants of municipal shops becoming owners, “tatkal” scheme for passing of building plans, poverty alleviation programme and the Rs 40 crore Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojna. Mr Tandon said most development-oriented initiatives of the government in the past five years had gone unnoticed. Having fulfilled almost all promises made in February 1997, the BJP was now well prepared to counter the “false propaganda” of the Congress that the SAD-BJP government had “ignored'” the urban sector at the cost of the rural sector. ''Such interpretations and creation of an artificial urban rural divide is misplaced. Punjab, for the SAD-BJP, is one, single constituency. And equitable distribution of grants for socio-economic development and civic amenities to improve the standard of living of all people has been our policy'', he added. |
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Municipal
council funds spent on ‘trivial’ matters Ropar, December 15 The reserve funds, nearly Rs 1 crore with the Nangal Municipal Council, were spent in a manner, which has raised many eyebrows. The major portion of the said funds was spent to buy computers. All Municipal officials including the president, executive officer, municipal engineer, assistant municipal engineer and many others, were provided with computer systems without assessing their utility. Nearly Rs 45 lakh was spent to purchase computers for the council office and Shivalik College of Pharmacy run by the council. Some of the councillors in a complaint to the Chief Minister have alleged that the council has spent money to purchase computers for the college despite the fact the purchase had to be made from the students’ fund of the college. Now even when the octroi has been abolished and the entire purpose of purchasing computers for streamlining tax collection defeated, the officials here are trying to spend Rs 6 lakh on developing software for the purchased computers. The other major expenditure was made for purchasing furniture. When economy drive was being followed in all government offices, the Nangal council, spent Rs 2.5 lakh to furnish the official room of the municipal engineer. Furniture of the council office was replaced with new furniture worth Rs 3 lakh. Besides this Rs 5 lakh was spent on the flooring of gymnasiums and other office accessories. Two new Ambassador cars were purchased and accessories worth Rs 60,000 added in the newly purchased cars. The sources said that the executive officers or the presidents of the councils were not entitled to airconditioned cars. However, the officials here made up for this lacunae in the law by getting airconditioned installed in the newly purchased cars in the form of accessories. One of the newly purchased cars, now has been given to the Director, Local Government. During the past four months council officials also purchased dustbins, wheelbarrows, containers and mobile latrines at cost of Rs 17.80 lakh. The mobile latrines have been purchased despite the fact that almost the entire area under the Nangal Municipal Council was planned. There were no slums where mobile latrines would be put to use. Moreover, the containers and dustbins were already available in plenty and there will hardly be any proper utilisation of the newly purchased dustbins. The councillors in their complaint have demanded a vigilance inquiry into the expenditure by the officials of the Nangal Municipal Council in the recent past. They also have alleged that there might be many more undeclared expenditures carried out by the council, which were against the rules. The executive officer had the power to spend up to Rs 20,000 without the approval of council house and large amount have been spent using this lacunae, they alleged. The council officials, when contacted, said the charges of the councillors as baseless. All said expenditures had been carried out with the approval of the council house, they maintained. |
50 kg of poppy seized, 3 held Bathinda, December 15 He said a police party stopped the women near Kot Bakhtoo village and seized 20kg of poppy husk from them. They were identified as Gurpreet Kaur, alias Rani of Bajaewal and Gajo of Rampura. The police registered a case against Angrez Singh under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act at the Phool police station and seized 30 kg of poppy husk from him. |
MD (dentistry) at SGPC institute soon Amritsar, December 15 In a press note issued by the SGPC, the Punjab Government has approved MD courses for conservative dentistry, oral surgery and periodontics from the academic session starting in 2002. |
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