Philanthropist does his bit

Gurdaspur: With the Covid scare thick in the air and the district being short of ventilators, Dubai-based philanthropist Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi has come forward to donate two ventilators to the local civil hospital. On Friday, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq received a call from Oberoi informing him that the machines had arrived in Amritsar from Gujarat, but the administration was not allowing the vehicle to travel to Gurdaspur. The DC got in touch with civil surgeon Dr Kishen Chand, who arranged an ambulance to bring the ventilators to Gurdaspur. Oberoi also asked his old friend and chairman of Gurdaspur District Planning Board Dr Satnam Singh Nijjar to oversee the installation process. On his part, Dr Nijjar made his own contribution to the cause by donating Rs51,000.

Advertisement

Announce, withdraw, repeat

Muktsar: Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring found himself in the midst of a controversy. On Sunday, he circulated an audio clip, appealing to sarpanches to make public announcement in villages that the farmers would get bonus for selling wheat in May and June. Within a few minutes, he released another audio to clarify that the state government had just raised the demand in this regard and the previous message should be ignored. Earlier on Tuesday, he had first released an audio clip, saying that a Covid positive patient had been detected in Malout. But within minutes, he released another clip to clarify that the man was just a suspect and his sample had been sent for testing.

Passion pays off

Gurdaspur: Judicial officer Vishesh Kamboj is passionate about photography. His fascination finally paid off with UK-based Caters News Agency requesting him to send pictures clicked by him for which he will be paid. The judge is yet to accept the offer. His forte lies in wildlife photography. He can be regularly spotted wandering in Keshopur wetland. The UK agency particularly liked a picture posted by the judge on social media showing a rose ringed parakeet kissing its mother midair. Kamboj had captured the moment after hours of waiting near mustard fields near his residence in Dala colony here. “It is difficult for me to take time off my judicial duties but since photography has become a passion, it is not possible for me to ignore it,” says Kamboj.

Initiative beyond CSR

Fatehgarh Sahib: The local civil hospital finally got a ventilator, which was donated by Jaspal Singh Kandhari, the owner of Coca Cola bottling plant at Nabipur. The move came as a relief for residents of the district in this hour of crisis. During a recent review meeting for preparation of Covid outbreak, the Civil Surgeon had flagged the matter that there was no ventilator in the district. Following this, Deputy Commissioner Amrit Kaur Gill approached donors. The Kandhari group came forward and delivered one.