Thursday, January 14, 1999
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Thursday, January 14, 1999 |
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 A blood-soaked highway PATIALA, Jan 13 — "The moment you reach Chandigarh, ring us up". This is the advice worried parents give to their only son Kuldeep as he departs for Chandigarh on his car. Thousands seek arms licence |
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CPI to
fight for cause of farmers
Cong
questions govt's claim on Ranjit Sagar dam 75
new leprosy cases in Gurdaspur Edwina's
unusual gift to India? Residents
in fix over town planning scheme |
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Treasuries
keep bills pending ROPAR, Jan 13 — Ms Pushpa Devi, a gram sevika, working in Morinda block under the Development Officer (Woman Programme), Ropar, has fixed the marriage of her son for February 9. She had applied for an amount of Rs 51,600 from her General Provident Fund (GPF) account. Her office sent the bill to the local Treasury office which reportedly refused to accept the same on the plea of imposition of ban on such payments. She is in dire need of the money for the marriage. The case of Parja Ram, a head mechanic in the local Typewriter Workshop, who died some time ago, also met the same fate as his dependents could not get his arrears of revised pay scales. The Treasury has neither passed the bill of arrears nor returned the same to the office for removing objections, if any, the office sources say. The amount of the arrears is a meagre Rs 6480. Though the State Government has been claiming that there is no financial crisis in the state, these two cases tell a different story. Many other persons have been running from pillar to post to get their own money from G.P.F. accounts or against the bills of arrears in the state as the treasuries have been reportedly disallowed by the State Government on telephone to pass the bills except those of regular pay or regular pension. In these circumstances, the bills of T.A., medical, arrears, gratuity, leave encashment, loans from G.P.F., telephone bills and petrol bills etc are not being passed for payments. The stoppage of payments from the G.P.F. accounts as loans has put an adverse affect on the social engagements of the employees who are now not in a position to get loans from their G.P.F. for the marriages of their wards, religious ceremonies, birthdays and other social functions. Another category of employees is retirees, who has also not been spared. Retirees cannot get their gratuity, commutation, arrears of pension revision and final payment of G.P.F. amount etc in the wake of ban on payments. The ban has increased the pendency of payments which is running into crores throughout the state. It may further increase manifold if the ban is not lifted for another few weeks. According to sources, the
bills for payments against all other heads, except
regular pay and regular pension, have been accumulating
in the offices and Treasuries and this tendency will
remain till the fresh orders regarding lifting of ban
from the payments are not received. |
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Maghi
Mela: Badal camp keeps Tohra away AMRITSAR, Jan 13 — The Tohra camp is unlikely to attend the Maghi conference being organised by the Shiromani Akali Dal tomorrow at Muktsar which may witness parting of ways with Badal camp. Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, Secretary, SGPC, and staunch supporter of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, said that neither he nor any other supporter of the SGPC President had received any formal invitation from SAD or the Chief Minister and SAD President Parkash Singh Badal. The advertisement issued in various vernacular papers by the Muktsar unit of SAD did not carry the photograph of Mr Tohra. It has photos of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Mr Manjit Singh Barkandi, district President of the Akali Jatha Muktsar. The supporters of Mr Tohra said that this was for the first time that the photograph of Mr Tohra did not figure for the Maghi conference. So much so, even the name of Mr Tohra was not mentioned in the advertisement, which is considered as an open invitation to the people for attending the conference. When asked about the participation of Mr Tohra, Mr Calcutta said that he was not in touch with him these days. However, he added that the advertisement was a clear signal of the intention of the Muktsar Akali Jatha. The supporters of Mr Tohra said that while Mr Tohra had shown magnanimity by exchanging a siropa (robe of honour) with Mr Badal at the Fatehgarh Sahib conference in the last week of December, Mr Badal has failed to reciprocate the gesture. It may be mentioned that Fatehgarh Sahib is considered the citadel of Mr Tohra while Muktsar is the home turf of Mr Badal. Meanwhile, Akali Dal
sources say that the Tohra camp may make last ditch
efforts to seek support of Akal Takht for maintaning
truce directed by the Sikh clergy till April 13. Appeals
are being made by supporters of Mr Tohra to the Akal
Takht Jathedar to take suo motu action against the Badal
camp for allegedly violating the 'hukamnama'. |
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Devotees
throng Muktsar MUKTSAR, Jan 13 — Braving chilly winds, thousands of devotees have reached here to take a dip in the holy sarovar of Gurdwara Tutigandhi Sahib on the occasion of Maghi Mela. The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the convenience of the devotees and has allocated space to different political parties for holding conferences. The ruling SAD-BJP party, the Congress, the BSP, Akali Dal (M) and the BKU will hold conferences here tomorrow. Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, will be the main speaker. Mr Rajesh Pilot and Ms Meira Kumar will address the Congress conference. Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President, SAD(M), will address his party's conference. Mr Phulwant Singh, Deputy Commissioner, said for maintaining law and order during the three-day mela, nine control rooms, including a main control room had been set up. One Duty Magistrate, police, and medical teams had been stationed at each control room. He said gambling had been banned during the mela. Arrangements for parking, temporary bus stands, toilets drinking water and dispensaries had also been made. A team of divers had been requisitioned to avoid any mishap and an exhibition by different departments of Punjab Government had also been organised at the mela site. Mr Kuldip Singh, SSP, said
28 gazetted officers and 2,400 policemen had been
deployed for security. |
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How
Guru won battle of Muktsar MUKTSAR: There are certain events which leave an indelible mark on the minds of the people forever. The last battle between Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughals was fought at Dhaab Khidrana, now Muktsar, in which the latter suffered defeat and had to run away from the battlefield is one such historical event. However, for this victory the Sikhs, too, had to make supreme sacrifices. The most prominent among the martyrs were the 40 Muktas (liberated ones), who fought with the enemy under the command of a great woman, Mai Bhago. A story concerning the Guru illustrates his boundless love and compassion. Those among his followers who had panicked and handed over a disclaimer 'bedava' repudiating his pontificate were roaming about leaderless when they ran into a section of the Mughal army pursuing the Guru. A fierce and close encounter took place at Dhaab Khidrana. The Guru had foreseen all this and at the right moment started unleashing a volley of arrows from a mound, Tibbi, in support of his alienated followers. This unnerved the Mughal army and made them retreat. In this fierce battle most of the Sikhs, including Bhai Mahan Singh, lay either wounded or dead. The Guru on seeing all this came down from the Tibbi to the battlefield to nurse the injured. Bhai Mahan Singh was bleeding to death when the Guru approached him. On seeing the Guru, he made an effort to rise. At once he took him in his embrace and sat down with him. When asked, Bhai Mahan Singh, with tears in his eyes, requested the Master (Guru Gobind Singh) to destroy the disclaimer (bedava) and restore the broken link so that he could die peacefully. Following, the request of Guru Gobind Singh took out the disclaimer and tore it up. On the other hand, the troops of Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, who came in pursuit of the Guru, were routed as the Sikhs had taken possession of the pond, the only source of water in the desert at that time. The Guru himself cremated the martyrs on the Sangrand of Magh, the day following Lohri. There are a number of gurdwaras built in the memory of those who sacrificed their lives and also to keep alive other historical events. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib is the place where after the battle of Khidrana, Guru Gobind Singh tore up the disclaimer (bedava). Gurdwara Tibbi Sahib stands on the mounds to the south-west of Muktsar from where the Guru shot his arrows at the Mughal force. The history of Muktsar
remains even today a source of inspiration and strength
to the Sikhs and will continue to remind them of their
rich heritage being ready to make any sacrifice for their
faith. |
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Tight
security at Maghi Mela MUKTSAR, Jan 13 — Elaborate security arrangements have been made for political conferences starting here tomorrow on the occasion of the Maghi Mela. A large number of people are expected to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Siri Darbar Sahib and take bath in the sacred sarovar tomorrow. Langar was organised by various organisations in connection with the mela. Thousands of devotees paid obeisance at various gurdwaras today. The SAD-BJP will organise a conference near Dera Bhai Mastan Singh on the Malout Road. It is likely to be addressed by Mr Madan Lal Khurana, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Mr Surjeet Singh Barnala, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi and other senior Akali leaders. The Congress will hold its conference at Bhai Mahan Singh Pandal near Rajpal Cinema on the Malout Road. Mr Rajesh
Pilot, Mrs Meira Kumar, Capt Amarinder Singh and other
senior state leaders are likely to address it. |
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A
blood-soaked highway PATIALA, Jan 13 — "The moment you reach Chandigarh, ring us up". This is the advice worried parents give to their only son Kuldeep as he departs for Chandigarh on his car. What is telling on the minds of the aged parents is the danger of accidents lurking on the Patiala-Rajpura-Banur-Chandigarh highway. It has become one of the most blood-soaked roads in this region due to accidents. Hardly a day passes without a fatal accident. One or two overturned vehicles on this 70 km highway is a daily feature. A few years ago it was counted among the safest roads to drive on. But today it is one of the "unsafest" ones. Ask Satish Kumar, driver of an ambulance parked at the Rajpura trijunction from where roads lead to Delhi, Chandigarh and Ludhiana. Satish Kumar comes to the crossing with his ambulance early in the morning and leaves for his home, not very far from there, around mid-night. "Virtually every day I take one or two injured persons either to Rajindra Hospital at Patiala or to the PGI, Chandigarh. In the past two and a half years I have transported about 200 to 250 dead persons to various places. All these lost their lives in accidents on this highway", he says. The ambulance has been provided by Rotary Club, Rajpura for transporting injured persons to nearby hospitals. Traffic policemen on duty at the crossing agree with Satish Kumar. A head constable on duty at the crossing says policemen posted at the crossing remain on their toes round the clock. It has become difficult to manage traffic on this road as it has become the busiest road. In fact, as vehicles from three sides — Ludhiana, Patiala and Shambu — take a turn towards Chandigarh the traffic flow increases manifold. Some of the most fatal accidents are embedded in the memory of Satish Kumar. A few months ago several persons were killed in a bus accident near Jansuan village just a short distance from Rajpura on the Chandigarh side. A Punjabi family returning from abroad was wiped out near Rajpura a few weeks ago, he says. Recently a bus fell from "Uchha bridge" near Rajpura killing several persons. Last week a washerman's daughter was knocked to death by a car. The driver escaped after taking the girl to hospital. In fact, the journey starts turning nightmarish on this highway right from here. Just outside the city towards Punjabi University the road is so crowded that even drivers with very strong nerves get confused. It is a single road from here to Chandigarh except a portion of 14 km from Patiala to Bahadurgarh town which is four-laned. After reaching Rajpura by-pass the journey turns into hell. One has to drive the vehicle at the minimum possible speed to avoid a collision. The road is being widened to link the bypass with the Ludhiana-Delhi national highway. From Rajpura to Chandigarh the road is bumpy, dotted with pot holes. Even new vehicles start rattling once they move on this stretch of road. The road shoulders have not been maintained for the past several years and it is very risky to take the vehicle off the road on side berms. At certain places the berms are about 1 ft lower than the road level resulting in vehicles going out of control. The entire section remains so busy that it is impossible to overtake the vehicle moving ahead. Movement of VIPs, which is very common on this road, adds to the problems of ordinary mortals. There was a proposal to make this road four-laned. But what happened to this proposal only the government can tell. There was also a proposal to set up traffic aid posts along this highway. But that proposal has remained on paper. According to figures
available with the police about 140 accident cases were
registered on the Chandigarh-Patiala highway during the
last calendar year and all these were fatal. There are
several accidents which go unreported. |
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Thousands
seek arms licence PATIALA, Jan 13 — There has been an unprecedented rush in applications for getting arms licences in this district. Till last week as many as 4,000 arms licences were issued. Yet, nearly 1,000 applications are pending scrutiny in the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police here which forwards the applications after verification to the Additional Deputy Commissioner's office that finally issues, renews or extends the licence. Officials at the ADC's office are also facing a hard time in dealing with the huge rush of people. "Today we are issuing 25 to 30 licences daily" said Capt R.S. Randhawa, Additional Deputy Commissioner, adding that in May last year, less than 20 licences were issued in a whole month. "Things have come to such a pass that nearly eight hours of the office work are used in preparation of files relating to the issuance of the arms licence", Captain Randhawa said. The same has been the condition at the SSP's office. Mr Parampal Singh Sidhu, district police chief, said that the applications for the arms licence increased after July this year after a spate of robbery incidents in this and adjoining districts. Now, even after six months of the incidents, when even the suspected thievs have been arrested, people, citing fear of robbers, are turning out in large numbers to get an arms licence. Mr Sidhu said that the exercise was a waste of time and energy of the Police department as in the end, 80 per cent of those who get the licence do not buy a weapon and the licence expires. Mr Sidhu said that most of the applicants belonged to rural areas, most of whom were living in the outskirts of the villages or small towns. Captain Randhawa said though personal security was one of the reasons behind keeping a weapon in villages, but in most cases carrying a weapon or an arms licence was more of a status symbol. He said there was more rush for getting a licence of the .12 bore gun. Though some villagers were obsessed about getting a 'pucca' licence which is a rural slang used for getting an arms licence for a rifle or revolver. The Captain said one of the contributing factors for the rush of getting the licence was the sale of a cheap variety of revolvers and pistols by a Kanpur-based manufacturer. Talking to this correspondent, some applicants said that they needed a weapon to protect themselves from robbers next season that is why they were keen on getting a licence. A number of applicants alleged that persons who had some recommendation got the licence issued without difficulty while the common man who may be the real needy one had to wait longer. An official in the department said that interestingly whenever an Akali Government is in power in the State, the demand for arms licence increases. Captain Randhawa said that steps like increasing the price of registration of an arms licence can help discourage the 'casual' applicants for the purpose. The price for getting a .12 bore is Rs 40 and for a pistol Rs 100 which are easily affordable. Another step can be to issue a licence for longer duration. At present, a licence is issued for three years which can be extended to 10 years. This would reduce the rush of applicants coming for renewal of licence. He said issuing too many
licences is dangerous as the civil population is not
skilled in handling a weapon. The Government should
introduce provisions for taking a test of an applicant
before giving him an arms licence. |
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CPI
to fight for cause of farmers CHANDIGARH, Jan 13 — The Punjab State Council of the CPI said here today that Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, Union State Minister for Industry, was operating as the de facto Chief Minister of Punjab. Addressing a press conference here today, Dr Joginder Dayal, Secretary of the state unit of the party, said that Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was calling the shots as far as the taking of vital decisions pertaining to governance of the state were concerned. He said that the Tohra-Badal feud was casting its shadow on the state's development. Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his Cabinet colleagues were more busy in the political affairs of their party instead of running the state administration. Already, the bureaucracy had established its domination over the popular government headed by Mr Badal, Dr Dayal added. He said that his party would launch a "jail bharo" agitation from February 15 in all districts of the state. The agitation was being launched to press the State Government to do justice with farmers and other communities facing serious financial crisis due to the anti-people policies of the State Government. He said that Punjab's peasantry was under a debt of Rs 5700 crore and no national agriculture policy had been framed even after 50 years of Independence. There was none to protect the interest of the farming community, he added. The weak kisan movement had contributed in the exploitation of farmers and now the CPI had decided to start a "militant struggle" to save them from economic ruin, he added. He said that political parties were trying to gave political advantage of the tercentenary celebrations whereas they had no love for the Panth. He said that it was an important occasion which should be celebrated by religious organisations concerned and political parties should stay away from it. Already, political parties, especially the Akali Dal and the Congress party, were facing crisis on the issue of celebrations, he added. Dr Dayal said that his
party was against forced conversions but it also did not
approve the actions of the Bajrang Dal and other front
organisations of the BJP, VHP and RSS. |
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Cong questions govt's claim on
Ranjit Sagar dam CHANDIGARH, Jan 13 — The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has challenged the claim of the Punjab Government that the Ranjit Sagar dam project, when commissioned would generate 600 MW of power. Mr R.R. Bhardwaj, Chairman of the Economic and Planning Cell of the PPCC, said that the power prospects from this project had been studied by an expert, Dr G.S. Dhillon, a member of the cell. As per the study, four units each of 150 MW installed as part of the project would work only for a few hours during the day as the water release would be in flashes only until the Shahpur Kandi barrage was completed, Mr Bhardwaj said. He said that as per the study at the present stage only two units could be operated and in view of these two significant factors peaking load of 600 MW just could not be achieved. He said that the claims of
the Punjab Government with regard to availability of 600
MW of power from this project were "wrong and
misleading". |
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75
new leprosy cases in Gurdaspur GURDASPUR, Jan 13 — As many as 75 new cases of leprosy have been detected till date during this financial year against 54 detected last year. The worst affected area is Kandi and the sub-mountain area of Dhar subdivision, where 19 cases have been detected. Mr SK Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, held a meeting here today of the District Leprosy Association which took various measures to check the spread of the disease in the district. He ordered proper monitoring of the health centres and hospitals to detect and prevent leprosy. The society has decided to hold seminars in the last week of this month to create awarness among the people regarding leprosy. Panchayats and nagar councils are also being involved to arrange for medical examination of the migratory labourers. Seminars will be held at Dhariwal under Gurdaspur subdivision and Dunera under Dhar subdivision. Slogan-writing competitions will be organised among school children to cause awareness about the disease. The district has three colonies of lepers at Batala, Dinanagar and Fetehgarh Churian with respective strengths of 65, 64 and 35. These colonies have "burnt out" cases which have already been treated under multi-drug therapy treatment for one year. The intensity of leprosy
in the district is .35 per ten thousand population. |
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Edwina's
unusual gift to India? FATEHGARH SAHIB, Jan 13 — Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President SAD (A) in a press statement issued here today has said that his party does not agree with Prof V.N. Dutta of Kurukshetra University's contention that colonial Britain had "favoured" the Sikhs by including Gurdaspur and Ferozepur in India as he wanted the Sikhs to have a link to Amritsar. Nothing can be further removed from this presumption he said. The Sikh states had been deprived of their sovereignty by the annexation of the Punjab in 1849 and it was the moral duty of the British to restore this sovereignty in 1947 when they left India. Thus while they created two states, one for Hindus and another for Muslims, the Sikhs, the third nationality, were 'diddled' out of a sovereign nation. The historic fact was that if Gurdaspur came to India it's because Jawaharlal Nehru, enjoyed a speical relationship with Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of the Viceroy. Through her, he persuaded Mountbatten to let Gurdaspur remain with India as it linked Jammu and Kashmir with India. Without Gurdaspur all road contact with Nehru's Kashmir would have been lost. As far as Ferozepur is concerned, Nehru again worked through Edwina Mountbatten to retain this for India. Had Ferozepur gone to Pakistan, the Sutlej barrage at Hussainiwala too would have gone to that country stopping the Sutlej waters from flowing into Rajasthan. However he agreed with
Prof Dutta that Kapurthala was kept in India to link
Amritsar with Punjab. |
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Residents
in fix over town planning scheme BATHINDA, Jan 13 — Residents of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar have urged the Punjab Government to either implement or drop the town planning scheme of their area. In a letter to the state local bodies authorities, they alleged that they had been running from pillar to post to get the scheme implemented for the past 10 years but without any success. They said a number of times the scheme of this area known as "3 part 2", had been recast and passed by the local municipal council after hearing pubic objections. The scheme was later divided into five pockets — A, B, C, D and E — but never implemented. They pointed out that due to the negligent attitude of the authorities concerned, they were facing difficulty in getting their house map plans sanctioned. They said the higher local bodies authorities had now asked the municipal council to make this scheme afresh when more than 80 per cent construction had been done in the area. They said according to the ruling of the Supreme Court, no fresh scheme could be made by the municipal council without fully compensating those whose land was acquired for the scheme. Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, President, municipal council, when contacted said the Local Bodies Minister, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, had deputed the Chief Town Planner of Punjab and Additional Director of the Local Bodies Department to inspect the site and suggest possible solutions. He pointed out that a
fresh scheme could not be made in this area as the
municipal council had no funds to compensate the land
owners as per the ruling of the Supreme Court. |
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PWSSB
staff on strike FEROZEPORE, Jan 13 — Employees of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) went on an indefinite strike yesterday in support of their demands. They stopped the supply of tap water in the municipal area, putting the residents to greet inconvenience. The striking employees sat on a day-long dharna outside the office of the board's Xen and demanded the release of payment of arrears from January 1, 1996. They also demanded the payment of salaries in time. The employees' leaders said the strike would continue till their demands were met. The board's Subdivisional
Engineer, Mr Gurmel Singh, said the local Municipal
Council had failed to deposit the requisite funds for
various purposes, including salaries, with the board due
to shortage of funds. The board required a monthly sum of
Rs 4 lakh for salaries and maintenance of water supply
and sewerage in the town. |
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Duggal
backs swadeshi model PATIALA, Jan 13 — Eminent Punjabi litterateur and MP Dr Kartar Singh Duggal today said the country should support a home-market based and village-oriented path of development to ensure emergence of an integrated domestic economy. Delivering his presidential address on the theme of the conference "globalisation liberalisation and Punjab" at the inaugural ceremony of the 16th International Conference on Punjabi Development at Punjabi University here, Mr Duggal said if this was not done the country would fall into a dependency trap. The eminent writer said the gap between the rural and the urban sectors was widening and should be narrowed. For this the country must chart its own economic course as it was not possible to integrate the country's economy with rich countries on the present lines. Dr Duggal, whiles endorsing the steps taken by the country's first Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, said the need of the hour was for laying stress on better education and health services. Only then can the basic needs of the people be fulfilled, he added. Speaking on the green revolution he said it had produced irreversible changes in the Indian economy which now posed a problem for future Indian planners. There had been an increase in the use of market inputs in the agriculture sector. Indian agriculture continues to be highly sensitive to the vagaries of the weather, resulting in large fluctuations in production. To remedy this there was an urgent need to accord high priority to long-term measures in respect of irrigation and land and water management as also afforestation and ecological regeneration. Presenting a different point of view eminent economist and former chairman of the Agricultural Price Commission, Dr S.S. Johl, in his inaugural address said every country was dependent on others. With industry employment avenues and prosperity had reached Indians and helped raise living standards. In his keynote address, Dr Prithi Pal Singh Kapoor editor-in-chief, Encyclopaedia of Sikhism dwelt at length on the ideal to strive for establishing a social order wherein justice for all was ensured and to launch an on-going struggle for upholding the truth which was fully integrated in the Sikh religious scheme. Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Joginder Singh Puar in his welcome address, said it was heartening to know that besides concentrating on issues related with the development of Punjabi languages and literature the conference was now also giving equal emphasis to social and natural sciences. Dr Puar said Punjabi
University was making all efforts to make Punjabi
language popular by preparing books for foreign students
besides starting crash courses for foreigners interested
in learning Punjabi. |
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Two
arrested for woman's murder JALANDHAR, Jan 13 — The Nurmahal police has arrested two persons in connection with the murder of Amarjit Kaur. Mr Gaurav Yadav, SSP, Jalandhar, said here today that the deceased had been missing from her Uppal Jagir residence since December 26. Her body was later found wrapped in a cloth near a bridge. An FIR was registered on the basis of a statement of her brother-in-law, Joginder Singh, who alleged that she was murdered at the behest of two travel agents who had taken money from her on the pretext of sending her abroad to join her husband. Further investigations
revealed that Joginder Singh had falsely implicated the
travel agents and had committed the crime in connivance
with Banso, wife of his brother, Meet Singh. |
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1
killed as trucks collide ROPAR, Jan 13 — One person was killed on the spot and another was injured this morning on the Ropar-Chandigarh road, 4 km from here, when two trucks collided while overtaking a tractor-trailer. Giving this information, Mr M.S. Mallhi, SHO of the local police station, said both the trucks collided on the bridge over Sagrao rivulet. One truck was coming from Chandigarh and the other from Nalagarh. He said the driver of one of the trucks was killed on the spot. The driver of the other truck was admitted in the local Civil Hospital. A case under Section 304-A
of the IPC has been registered. |
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GURDASPUR, Jan 13 (UNI) — Ten BDPOs and one Panchayat Secretary in the district have been chargesheeted for the non-disbursement of funds to panchayats following a preliminary inquiry held by the Deputy Commissioner on the directive of the Punjab Chief Minister. Official sources told UNI today that these officers had been charged with having failed to disburse grants totalling Rs 41.64 lakh for a period varying up to 13 months. The suspended BDPOs were Munish Munshi Ram of the Dhariwal block, Panna Lal Sharma of the Fatehgarh Churian block, Avtar Singh of the Batala block, Raghbir Singh of Dinanagar, but Ram of Pathankot, Lakhwinder Singh of Narot Jaimal Singh, Gurdarshan Lal of Bambial, Charanjit Singh of Derababa Nanak, Malkiat Singh of Srihargobindpur and Baldev Singh of the Gurdaspur block. The Panchayat Secretary
was Kashmir Singh of Srihargobindpur, the sources added. |
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The
lone messenger ROPAR, Jan 13 — There is only one messenger at the local telegraph office of the main post office covering more than 36 village in a radius of about 6 km. According to sources, due to the shortage of messengers telegrams are delivered late especially in the rural areas. The sources said that there were 13 telegraph messengers till 1995 but their number went down to one in June last year. The lone messenger has to travel about 20 km daily on a bicycle for delivering the telegrams. The villages served by the telegraph office are Akbarpur, Ahmedpur, Bhaini, Bheora, Dugri, Jhallian Khurd Ladhal, Malikpur, Surtapur Paprala and Rallon Kalan. It is learnt that though
the posted authorities are seized of the matter no action
has been taken in this regard so far. |
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