PCMS doctors’ transfer hits patients
Our Correspondent

Nabha, October 3
The transfer of PCMS doctors, carried in the name of rationalisation of health services in the state, is alleged to have been carried in haste.

According to a senior doctor of the hospital, due to the transfer of five doctors from the hospital, the emergency services have been affected.

The transfer of two specialists, Dr Lajinder Verma and Dr Amarjit Singh Swahney, an ophthalmologist, Dr Parshotam Goel, a paediatrician, Dr Pardeep Chawla, and a surgeon, Dr Sanjay Goel, has been condemned by the Senior Citizens Association, the Pensioners Association and the Dalit Federation. The hospital, where around 700 patients turn up at the OPD on an average daily, has been hit hard by these transfers.

Sources said the only pathologist, Dr Dalbir Kaur, posted in the Civil Hospital had been shifted to the Gynaecology Department and now the post of pathologist was vacant. This had left the laboratory of the hospital under a lab technician, resulting in inconvenience to patients who came for sophisticated tests which needed to be conducted under the supervision of a qualified pathologist.

Punjab Infotech Chairman and Nabha MLA Kaka Randeep Singh told a delegation that met him regarding cancellation of these transfers that he would bring back all transferred doctors to Nabha and he had already spoken to the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and the Health Minister, Mr Surinder Singla, regarding this.

Pathankot, October 3
Twenty-six girls belonging to poor families were married at mass marriage ceremony held at community hall, Sujanpur 10 km from here on Monday.

The simple ceremony was organised by the Agyawati Des Raj Puri charitable trust run by Punjab Transport minister Raghunath Sahai Puri.

Members of marriage parties were welcomed by the minister and his family members including Naresh Puri, president of the Municipal Council, Sujanpur and son of Mr Puri.

Mr Puri said that all newly married couples would be given Rs 15000 each by the Punjab government under the Ashirwad scheme. Household articles — sewing machines, bicycles, utensils and Rs 500 in cash as shagun to each were given to newly wedded couple.

Mr Vivek Partap Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur and Mr Amarjit Pal, SDM, Pathankot were also present on the occasion.

Fatehgarh Sahib, October 3
Mr B.S. Shergill, ADC(D), during preliminary inquiry, has unearthed embezzlement to the tune of Rs 12 lakh by the sarpanch of Tangrala village in Amloh subdivision in connivance with panchayat secretaries and a Junior Engineer.

He has written to the Director, Rural Development, seeking the suspension of two panchayat secretaries and the sarpanch for embezzling panchayat funds and government grants, not completing records and not utilising panchayat funds properly.

Mr Shergill said he had received a complaint against Mr Dev Singh, the sarpanch, from the state headquarters, following which he sought records of the village panchayat.

He said the sarpanch, the panchayat secretaries or the Junior Engineer did not present the records in spite of repeated orders, following which he visited the village and held an on-the-spot inquiry.

He stated that the records of the panchayat from 2003 to 2006 were incomplete and no prior technical or administrative approval had been taken from the department.

He said streets and drains in the village had been constructed only in front of houses of supporters of the sarpanch and sewage had been overflowing in the streets.

He said he had ordered the pumping of sewage, directed the SDO, Panchayati Raj, to make an assessment and told the BDPO to give the records to the SDO.

Mr Shergill added that as per reports given by the SDO and the BDPO, the records had not been presented by panchayat secretaries Rajinder Kumar and Gurpreet Singh, who proceeded on leave, along with the Junior Engineer.

Sources said the panchayat had its own income to the tune of Rs 5 lakh per year from shamlat land and the funds were being embezzled for the past five years.

The sources added that it was just the tip of the iceberg and the figure might cross the Rs 20-lakh mark if a thorough inquiry was conducted.

Kharar, October 3
A probe into the death of a woman due to the alleged negligence of the local Civil Hospital began here today.

Narinder Kaur ( 29 ) had died within hours after giving birth to a male child on Friday night. Her husband, Mr Ravinder Singh, had that his wife had died due to the negligence of the staff on duty. A police case was registered in this regard.

Dr H.K.Bajwa, Additional Director, Health Services, Punjab, who is conducting the probe, today recorded the statements of the doctor on duty on the day of the incident, Dr Sukhwinder Kaur, the husband of the deceased , Mr Ravinder Singh, mother of Ravinder Singh, Ms Krishna Kaur, mother of the deceased , Ms Surinder Kaur, and a paternal aunt of the deceased, Ms Sukhwinder Kaur.

The MLA also visited the hospital and told Dr Bajwa to enquire why the blood bank on the premises was not kept open round the clock and why the hospital ambulance was not fully equipped. The MLA asked the authorities concerned to deploy a gyneacologist even on night duty.

The probe was ordered by Dr Sukhdev Singh, Director, Health Services.

Fatehgarh Sahib, October 3
Mr Charanjit Singh Walia, Chairman, Punjabi Khadi Board, and president of the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation, while addressing a press conference here yesterday, said the Punjab Government would soon concede all major demands of the government employees and a declaration in this regard would be made by the Chief Minister during a state-level rally of employees to be held on October 14 at Patiala.

Mr Walia said he had held a meeting with the Chief Minister in this regard.

Mr Walia had come here to preside over a farmers’ training camp being organised by Punjab National Bank to apprise farmers about latest techniques in agriculture as well as to make available the loan facility schemes provided by the bank to agriculture sector. He also gave information to farmers about the schemes of the Khadi Board. Mr Walis said the Punjab Khadi Board was going to give subsidy to its customers to the tune of Rs 10 crore and out of this, Rs 4 crore had already been distributed to various units.

Sangrur, October 3
Twenty-five senior citizens, from 100 years to 118 years, from various parts of the district, were today honoured on behalf of the State Bank of Patiala by Mr S.R. Ladhar, Deputy Commissioner, at a function at the War Heroes Stadium here. The function was organised to celebrate Senior Citizens Day, World Population Day, and Rajiv Gandhi Akshey Urja Day. Hundreds of persons, including school children, senior citizens, participated in the function.

Earlier, Mr Ladhar flagged off a rally, students from different schools, from the DC’s office complex. The rally passing through main bazaars reached the stadium, venue of the main function.

Chandigarh, October 3
All political appointees who have been working as chairmen of various boards and corporations in Punjab will continue to work in their positions till March 31 next year.

The Punjab Government has decided to extend the tenure of all such appointees whose tenures are coming to end. A few such extensions have been given in the past few weeks and the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, has issued instructions in this regard. Among the ones to get the benefit are Mr Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Mr O.P. Soni and Mrs Sushila Mahajan. However, in the case of Mr Bajwa formal orders are yet to be issued by the Minister concerned despite the Chief Minister’s instructions.

Since the process of extending the tenures has begun, they will maintain their position, official cars and telephones and get a handsome amount as house rent besides entertainment expenses in the run-up to the Assembly elections. Most of these chairmen are political appointees. A majority of them are MLAs who could not be accommodated in the Council of Ministers or be given important positions like Chief Parliamentary Secretary or Parliamentary Secretary as a ceiling exists on the size of the Cabinet. The others are not MLAs but are close to the present ruling Congress and hold sway in their respective areas of operation.

There are a total of 29 such corporations and some of these are flush with funds. The corporations carry out important tasks ranging from facilitating industry to procuring grains to implementing the crop diversification programme. The handling of money runs into crores of rupees in these corporations.

Sources in the government said the Congress was of the opinion that the terms of several such appointees were coming to end during the run-up to the elections. This would have started a needless race among other politically connected persons to grab the posts of chairman. This would have started a competition among party men and resulted in an atmosphere that would not be conducive in the super-charged pre-election scene.

Kharar, October 3
Two trucks transporting buffaloes and calves for slaughter were impounded by the police here today. Three persons have been arrested in this regard.

The trucks in which the cattle had been loaded mercilessly were reportedly coming from Himachal Pradesh and going to Saharanpur. They were stopped at nakas laid by the police near the bus stand and the Badala road T-point. The trucks were then taken to the Anaj Mandi area where the animals were removed from the vehicles.

Four dead buffaloes and three dead calves were also removed from the trucks.

The police has arrested the drivers of both the trucks and another person accompanying the two in this regard. The arrested persons are Mohammad Saleem, Mohammad Intezar and Adam Khan.

A case under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act , 1960, and Section 429 of the IPC was registered against those arrested.

Mr Balkar Singh, in charge of the city police station, said one truck bearing a UP number was carrying 48 animals apart from four dead animals.

There were about 50 animals in the other truck bearing a Haryana registration number which was also carrying two dead buffaloes and one dead calf.

Bathinda, October 3
The police has arrested four persons for stealing vehicles. Seven cars were also recovered from their possession.

Those arrested have been identified as Sajjan Singh, Modha Singh, Gurdev Singh and Lehri Singh. A case has been registered against them under Sections 379, 411, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the IPC. The accused confessed to have been involved in vehicle thefts in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi.

Bathinda, October 3
The Punjabi University will give priority to rural students in its neighbourhood campus to extend them educational amenities on a par with their urban counterparts, stated Vice-Chancellor SS Boparai while addressing a gathering at Baba Yogi Peer Neighbourhood Campus at Ralla village today.

Residents from Ralla village and nearby areas handed over documents regarding the mutation of 110 acres of land to the V-C at a ceremony in the village.

The villagers have donated this land worth crores to the university for the development of neighbourhood campus. Mr Boparai told that the university had released a grant of Rs 16.37 lakh for its Jhunir centre, Rs 9.9 lakh for Sardulgarh centre and Rs 18.8 lakh for Baba Yogi Peer campus. He said the varsity had budget of Rs 165 crore, of which only Rs 7 crore were being spent on rural students. He said the varsity had taken up the matter of widening rural-urban divide in educational facilities with the state government. He said there was an urgent need to extend quality education to students from rural areas. Ex-minister Sukhdev Singh Dhillon said a modern hospital would also be set up in the area where poor would have access to free medical amenities.