Jalandhar, April 19
Going by the records of the district police department, more and more law keepers are getting embroiled in criminal activities.

The offenses of the accused policemen vary from cases of murder to fraud, misbehaviour with fellow policemen, theft and even eve-teasing. The number of cases are spiralling.

Over the past five years, a total of 135 cases have been registered against policemen, including 14 cases in 2001, 28 in 2002, 25 in 2003, 24 in 2004, and 40 last year. This year till date, the total number of cases stand at four.

Thirtyone cases of corruption have been registered against policemen in the five-year period. One case was lodged this year. The policemen have been booked under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Corruption cases from three in 2001 increased to seven the next year, returned to three in 2003, decreased to one in 2004 but shot to a staggering 17 last year.

An almost equal number of fraud cases by policemen were witnessed. Over the past five years, 30 cases were registered under Sections 419 and 420 of the IPC; this year one case has been registered.

In 2001, seven cases of fraud were reported against policemen, an equal number next year, in 2003, the numbers fell to six and in 2004, it was down to three cases. But last year, the number stood at seven.

Policemen have also been found guilty of misbehaving with fellow officers and found involved in scuffles with other officers.

Over the past five years, 18 officers in the district have been found indulging in such crimes. No such case has been reported till date this year.

The other more extreme cases, in which policemen have been booked, include running away from police custody or helping others run away, killing after robbery, killing without intention, forgery, dowry harassment, eve-teasing, accidents, destroying property and armed thefts.

The SSP, Mr Ishwar Singh, claimed that the police department was largely disciplined, thanks to their training regimen. “The internal system in place too has a provision of counselling and hearing the version of any officer flouting the rules. As such, there are no special programs besides training and counseling,” he added. “Though criminal elements are detected in the department, the cases are few,” the SSP claimed. 

Kapurthala, April 19
The Acting General Manager of the Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Mr Pratap Srivastava, today said that the Railway Board was completing the procedural formalities for dropping the proposal of declaring the RCF a PSU.

Talking to media persons here, he said the matter would be discussed by the new Staff Council, which would be elected on April 22 and its recommendations on the issue would be forwarded to the Railway Board.

The new General Manager claimed that the workers had started returning to the workshops and the management was holding meetings with the union leaders to persuade them to let the contract labourers enter the factory in order to meet the targets.

Recently, the workers had forcibly restrained the entry of contract labourers into the workshop resulting in the decline in production of coaches.

Earlier, Mr Shiv Gopal Mishra, Additional General Secretary of Railway Federation and president of the Northern Railways Men’s Union, held a meeting with the RCF General Manager and the union leaders to further normalise the relations between the workers and the management.

Mr Mishra appealed to the new General Manager to understand the feelings and psyche of workers from this region and treat them with affection.

The union leaders also assured him of full cooperation and maintaining the productivity as well as the quality of the coaches.

In the evening, while addressing a gate rally of workers and their families, Mr Mishra said that the All India Railway Federation and National Federation of Indian Railways had objected to the proposal of the alleged corporatisation of the RCF in a meeting held by the Joint Consultative Machinery of the Railway Board in New Delhi yesterday.

After the meeting, the Board, he said, had decided to send the comments of both the federations in favour of dropping the proposal to the Railway Minister, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav.

In the meeting on the maintenance of industrial relations over RCF’s proposed corporatisation, Mr R. R. Bhandari, Member Mechanical, Mr R. S. Vasane, Member Staff, along with Additional Member, Staff Board Advisor, and the representatives of both the federations participated, Mr Mishra added.

He said that the Railway Minister had also announced on April 10 during the Railway Week Award Ceremony that the proposal of declaring the RCF a PSU would be dropped keeping in view the resentment among the factory workers.

Phagwara, April 19
The Punjab Government has decided to form a power transmission company to be known as Transco.

The setting up of the company would fulfill a condition under the Electricity Act, 2003 for unbundling of the Punjab State Electricity Board, the remaining structure functioning under the mother body to be known as Powercom.

Though the government is now clearer about the steps to be taken for the implementation of the Act, it is not satisfied with the time granted, despite a request for more.

The deadline to implement the Electricity Act, 2003, expired December 9 last year. But before the expiry of the date, the state government had sought time till March 31, 2007.

The tenure of the Congress-led state government ends in February 2007. Despite requests by the state government, the Centre had granted it six more months for the Act’s implementation.

Talking to The Tribune, the Punjab Power Minister, Mr Lal Singh, said that the unbundling of the state electricity board could be effected just by forming a separate transmission company.

He added that earlier the government had proposed to form six different companies for generation, transmission and distribution.

“Separate distribution companies were proposed for different regions of the state. Since Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is one of the best electricity boards in the country, there is no justification in breaking it up into different companies,” he said.

When asked as to why the government had demanded more than a year’s time in implementing the new plan, the minister said they did not want to implement the Act without considering its different aspects.

“Punjab wants to evolve a successful model for other states, without compromising on the quality and availability of power at genuine rates,” Mr Lal Singh said.

The minister added that before the expiry of the granted period of six months, the state government might again send a request to the Central government to extend the period up to March 31, 2007.

Punjab was not the only state which had asked for more time, he said, adding that states like Himachal Pradesh had also sent their request for more time in implementing the Act.

Meanwhile, PSEB has decided to set up 43 new grid power-stations in different phases provide uninterrupted power supply in the state.

Stating this, PSEB sources said the board was committed to 24-hour power supply to all the villages.

They added that work had been completed in 10,564 villages and the remaining villages would be covered this financial year.

A sum of Rs 447.50 crore would be spent on modernisation and repairing thermal plants, sources said. 

Jalandhar, April 19
In an effort to involve school students in various environment awareness activities, the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology has decided to launch a project under which vermi-compositing units would be set up in 12 government schools of the district.

Part of the National Environment Awareness Campaign, the project would be launched in the district tomorrow near the Government Junior Model School campus in Ladowali Road.

The project, sponsored by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of India, aims to minimise solid waste in the city and its periphery and producing nutrient-rich manure at the same time.

Giving details of the project, Mr Sanjeevan Singh Didwal, district coordinator of the campaign, said that such projects were earlier being assigned to NGOs and other social bodies only. “It is for the first time that students are being involved for the purpose,” he added.

He said that other than helping in waste product minimisation, the project would also facilitate production of manure for qualitative crops, free from white ants and termites.

Mr Didwal said the manure produced by earthworms had certain chemicals produced by its saliva that did not allow white ants into the crops.

He added that the manure thus manufactured would be used for providing organic nutrients to the plants and tree saplings in school campuses. “In case the schools manage to produce surplus manure, they can even sell it in packets,” he said.

A science teacher, Mr Didwal said the pits for vermi-compositing would be dug up in shady areas in various school campuses. “Schools with larger campuses can have larger pits wherein production of manure can go on at a larger scale,” he added.

The project coordinator said the school students were being involved in a number of other environment-related projects under the Eco-Club Scheme, which had been extended to 150 government schools in the district.

The new project would be launched in three city schools— Government Model Co-Education Senior Secondary School, Government Model Senior Secondary School, both at Ladowali Road and Government High School at Kot Sadiqui.

The other schools where the project has been extended are Government High School, Ucha, Government High School near Adampur, Government Middle School, Khurla Kingra, Government Middle School, Sainiwal in Nakodar, Government High School, Mansurpur, Government High School, Apra in Phillaur, Government Senior Secondary School, Mahsempur and Government Middle School, Tahli Mohalla.

The project would be inaugurated by the District Education Officer (Secondary), and the District Science Supervisor.