Channi’s elephantine act

Chandigarh: Neighbours of Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi were bemused to see him riding an elephant in the courtyard of his house in Kharar. The short ride that saw the minister climbing on the pachyderm barefoot left everyone thinking whether the act was part of an advice from an astrologer or Channi’s love for the animal. For saffron-clad mahants, it was an amusing moment to see Channi, who like his ilk travel in SUVs, ride an elephant. 

‘Uncle, bijli kad aoogi?’ 

Chandigarh: Around 8.30 pm on Thursday, Irrigation and Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh got a call on his mobile phone from an unknown number. “Uncle, bijli kad aoogi?” the caller asked. Startled, the minister asked in return, “To whom did you call?” “Bijli board,” the child from Batala replied. “From where did you get this number?” the minister asked. “Google,” the child answered. Helpless, the minister asked about his details. Rana Gurjit noted them down and asked officials to fix the problem. The power supply was restored in 20 minutes.

Gounder nabbed? No, not yet

Bathinda: When the Bathinda police gunned down two gangsters in an encounter at Gulabgarh village on Friday, an ASI could not hold back his excitement when he inched closer to their vehicle. He started shouting: “It’s Vicky Gounder...Vicky Gounder.” But the sense of exhilaration about nabbing the most-wanted criminal of Punjab was short-lived as CIA-2 incharge Tarjinder Singh, who also reached there, told his colleagues that he was Prabhdeep Singh and not Gounder. The cop apparently confused Prabhdeep for Gounder as the former’s hairstyle and beard cut were similar to that of the wanted criminal. Incidentally, the ASI was not alone, as a police official said many cops involved in chasing the gangsters believed that they were on trail of Gounder. 

Capt reminisces ITC evolution

Kapurthala: When Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was here during the inauguration of the ITC food plant, he talked about employment opportunities with the company. Recalling the days of evolution of the old company, he said, “While we were studying, one of our friends got hired by ITC. We remember having a conversation that he was going to work for the Imperial Tobacco Company. Later, the company came to be called the India Tobacco Company and is now a manufacturer for all sorts of snacks, atta, soaps and other items.”  

Why Sidhu absent from Gujarat polls?

Chandigarh: Rumours are rife over why the Congress leadership did not ask its star campaigner, Navjot Singh Sidhu, to canvass for the Gujarat Assembly elections. When he was in the BJP, he had campaigned aggressively for the party in Gujarat. So, Punjab’s power circles were abuzz about his absence from the Gujarat poll arena. His loyalists in the Congress and within the government say he was busy with the civic body polls. But his political adversaries point out the firebrand minister didn’t want to upset the big bosses in the BJP by campaigning against them on their home turf, especially when the verdict on his road rage case is due in January. tns

No more ‘labour pangs’ 

Chandigarh: To save time, a Labour Department has launched a centralised platform for job registration and delivery of services on its website — pblabour.gov.in. Launched on November 22, the initiative has been a success. Principal Secretary (Labour) Sanjay Kumar says, “About 3,600 factories have already applied for licences under the Factories Act, 1948, and 336 licences for contract labour have been issued under the Contract Labour Act, 1970. At least 1,200 building plans have been approved and at least 3,200 licences issued under the Shops and Commercial Activity Act. About 5,000 inspections have been carried out. The website provides forms, fee details and a flow chart of how the works are being carried out, besides listing out names and contact details of officers. 

Can’t befool this DC, medically 

Muktsar: Meet 2009-batch IAS officer Sumeet Jarangal, who has a sound understanding of medical issues. The Muktsar DC holds an MBBS degree from Government Medical College, Jammu. When elderly persons seek financial help citing illness, he not just reads the medical reports, but also advises them some precautions. Recently, an aged man came to his office for some work and the DC without wasting a minute or seeing his reports, advised him to get his sugar level checked. He also told him it would be around 200. The medical examination corroborated this. On another occasion, an officer sought leave on the grounds of swelling on his eye. The DC immediately granted leave by seeing a photograph sent on WhatsApp. “This is an advantage that nobody can befool me on medical grounds,” the DC says.

Cops once bitten, twice shy

Muktsar: Ask the Muktsar police who they fear and their reply will be: “Seniors and stray cattle.” The home district of the Badals sees a VIP visit almost every day. For the police, managing stray cattle and making passage for the movement of VIPs’ cavalcade smooth are big tasks. And if they fail, they are taken to task. During SAD-BJP rule, a cop was suspended for being ‘negligent’ during Parkash Singh Badal’s Sangat Darshan programme in Muktsar . Recently, when Badal went to Mandi Killianwali, stray cattle disrupted the movement of his cavalcade. Not taking any risk, police officials alighted from their vehicle to clear the way. Once bitten, twice shy, isn’t it?

MLA’s new-found love for cycling 

Muktsar: At a time when a majority of officers in the district have opted for cycling to stay fit, how can politicians remain behind? Local MLA and district SAD chief Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi has joined the bandwagon. “I cycle regularly whenever I am in Muktsar — sometimes for 20 km a day. Because of the civic body elections, the routine has changed. But I will resume cycling soon. We are forming a cycling group of 20 to 25 people,” he says. For how long his love for swanky SUVs will take a back seat? Only time will tell.