Muktsar MC Prez insulted me, alleges SAD councillor; Announces to lodge protest

Muktsar MC Prez insulted me, alleges SAD councillor

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 31

All is not well within the SAD in Muktsar as Akali councillor Parminder Singh ‘Pasha’ has accused Muktsar Municipal Council President Harpal Singh Bedi of insulting him in the council’s house meeting yesterday. 

Angry over the “ill-treatment”, Pasha has decided to burn the effigy of Bedi on August 3 at the MC office. Pasha is also the district president of SAD’s SC wing and son of former MLA Malout Baldev Singh Ballamgarh. A SAD woman sarpanch had slapped him on December 15 last year in a party meeting.

Pasha alleged, “I am being targetted time and again. Earlier, I was slapped for no fault of mine. Now, the MC President has insulted me in front of MC employees... I am an elected representative of people.”

He alleged, “When I raised some issues pertaining to my ward No. 15 in the meeting yesterday, Bedi told me to shut up. He further insulted me saying the works would be done as per his wish not as per the demand of any councillor.” Pasha alleged he was ill-treated as he belonged to the Scheduled Caste community.

Refuting the allegation, Bedi, said: “I did not insult anyone in the meeting. Pasha is unnecessarily creating an issue. All members of the municipal council and senior employees were present in the meeting and nothing objectionable happened there.” This issue is in the notice of senior SAD leadership as well.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Badal govt sanctions Rs 150 crore for works in Lambi segment

Deputy CM laid foundation stones in 35 villages last week

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Lambi, July 30

With about one-and-a-half-year left for the assembly elections in the state, the Parkash Singh Badal-led state government has started diverting huge funds for the development of his Lambi assembly constituency.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal last week laid 37 foundation stones for various development works in 35 villages in the Lambi segment. The estimated cost of these works is about Rs 150 crore.

The state government has even given the administrative approval to carry out these works, which mainly consist of the construction of concrete streets, drains (sewage lines) and minors.

The Panchayati Raj Department has been told to lay concrete streets in 15 villages of the Lambi segment at a cost of Rs 41.5 crore. Similarly, the Punjab Mandi Board has been told to carry out development works worth Rs 53 crore in this constituency. The Irrigation Department has been told to renovate six minor canals and construct a new minor canal in the Lambi segment at the total cost of about Rs 52 crore.

Parveen Gandhi, Executive Engineer, Panchayati Raj Department, said, “Our department has to carry out development works in 15 villages of Lambi with about Rs 41.5 crore. The state government has given the administrative approval to the DC to carry out the works. The tendering procedure will begin soon.”

Notably, in the past too, whenever the Chief Minister has held Sangat Darshans in his Lambi assembly segment, he sanctioned grants of Rs 50-80 lakh on an average for each village. Sources close to the Chief Minister said he held Sangat Darshans in all villages once a year.

Further, the CM has adopted three villages – Rattakhera Vadda, Rattakhera Chhota and Kangankhera – in his constituency to develop them into model villages. Besides, his daughter-in-law Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has adopted Mann village, also in this constituency, under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) to develop it as a model village. Though she has just sanctioned about Rs 5 lakh for the sports infrastructure, the state government has sanctioned about Rs 8.36 crore for this village since November 15 last year, when Harsimrat had adopted this village.

Courtesy: The Tribune

State funding for village adopted by Harsimrat

Projects announced

• Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal on Monday laid the foundation stone for the construction of concrete streets and drains for nearly Rs 7.5 crore
• Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, during his Sangat Darshan on January 2, announced Rs 80 lakh for development works

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Lambi, July 27

Mann village in the Lambi Assembly segment is being developed into a model village largely with state government funding even though Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has adopted it under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on July 21 laid the foundation stone for the construction of concrete streets and drains for nearly Rs7.5 crore. This work has to be executed by the Punjab Mandi Board.

Sham Behari Kansal, Executive Engineer, Punjab Mandi Board, Muktsar, said: “Nearly 10-km-long concrete streets and drains will be built in the village for which the Deputy Chief Minister has laid the foundation stone.”

Similarly, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, during his Sangat Darshan on January 2, had announced Rs80 lakh for development works.

In contrast, Harsimrat — during her recent visit last month – did not announce any funds for the village. She just directed the administration to buy a fogging machine to control mosquitoes.

Then, she just appealed the residents to develop their thinking to become residents of a model village, saying, “A village is not called developed until its residents take part in positive activities. The village must set an example of communal harmony and respect for women. All residents must make self-help groups to solve their problems at their end.” Harsimrat had adopted the village on November 15 last year. This village falls in the CM’s home turf Lambi.

Harsimrat has initiated the construction of a community hall in the village. Teja Singh, sarpanch, said: “The Union Minister has sanctioned a grant of Rs62 lakh for the construction of the village community hall. The Mandi Board officials have been assigned this task and the work is under way.”

After witnessing the state’s overexcitement to meet Harsimrat’s desires by going the extra mile, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann had raised objection with reference to the village adopted by him.

Quick to react to Mann’s grouse, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had replied: “The village has been adopted by Bhagwant Mann. Let him spend from his allocated funds to develop it as a model village. It is not the responsibility of the state exchequer to spend money and develop his adopted village.”

Courtesy: The Tribune

Security men with VIPs carry ‘useless’ carbines in Punjab

Security men with VIPs carry ‘useless’ carbines

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 28

How safe are bureaucrats, politicians and other important persons in Punjab? The answer to the question lies in the 9mm carbines provided to security personnel which have turned “useless”. In many cases, security personnel have to use rubber band to keep the magazine intact with the carbine.

Recently, a PCS officer of the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) showed a service rifle (9mm carbine) of his gunman to this correspondent. It had a rubber band fitted on the magazine’s release catch to keep it from falling out on its own.

“The weapon has turned old and magazine gets loose, so to keep it in place we have to use rubber band or adjust its catch with a tape. While travelling, we have to remove the magazine to avoid losing it on the way. Although a majority of officials prefer to carry the weapon because of its small size, it carries a lot of risk as well,” said the gunman of the officer.

Similarly, another security man said, “Besides the release catch problem, the magazine can’t be fully loaded. We load just 15 cartridges in the magazine against the total capacity of 30 rounds.”

In such a situation, most of the protectees have asked their security personnel to change the weapon from their department. A senior police officer too admitted the fact that the policemen had to adjust the magazine using some improvised method. “Normally, the 9mm carbine is allotted to the head constables. They may be attached with any officer, politician or doing duty in police stations,” he added.

He, however, further said the obsolete weapons could be repaired or replaced from the department. A recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) too had exposed that the state policemen were equipped with obsolete weapons.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Mortuaries at govt hospitals in poor state

Cry for attention

• a number of mortuaries in the state are in a dilapidated condition and require immediate renovation, while some of them even lack freezers to keep the bodies
• Two of the four freezers at Sub-Divisional Hospital, Samrala, are not working. There is no freezer available at the mortuary in Sub-Divisional Hospital, Gidderbaha. The building too needs renovation

Archiot Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 24

As per the official records recently uploaded on the Health Department’s official website, a number of mortuaries in the state are in a dilapidated condition and require immediate renovation, while some of them even lack freezers to keep the bodies.

Perusal of the records revealed that the mortuary at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, needed renovation of building. The Sub-Divisional Hospital (SDH), Talwandi Sabo, requires two freezers to store bodies. The District Hospital, Faridkot, also required freezers. Freezers at the Community Health Centre (CHC), Bassi Pathana, were not working and it required a genset. The mortuary of SDH, Nakodar, and SDH, Phillaur, too needed renovation. Two of the four freezers at SDH, Samrala, too were not working. There was no freezer available at the mortuary in SDH, Gidderbaha. The building too needed renovation and electrical fittings.

The mortuary of SDH, Malout, also required renovation. The mortuary of SDH, Nabha, required a double body freezer, a genset and an air-conditioner. There was not even a single freezer available at the mortuary of SDH, Sunam, and SDH, Dhuri. The condition of mortuary building at SDH, Patti, was also poor.

The mortuary building at CHC, Lambi, has not yet been handed over to the Health Department and the work is stalled midway. Dr Sukhpal Singh, Deputy Medical Commissioner, Muktsar, said, “We are yet to take over the building from the PWD (B&R) officials as some work is lying pending.”

Dr Gurpal Singh, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Faridkot, said, “We don’t keep the bodies in Civil Hospital, Faridkot, and send all to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital.”

Dr RL Bassan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Jalandhar, said, “We have sent the report about requirements of hospitals to the higher-ups. As soon as we will get funds, the work will be started.”

Courtesy: The Tribune

Cops told to tighten Badals’ security

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 24

In view of Surat Singh Khalsa’s protest, the district police chiefs in the state have been told to tighten security arrangements for the ruling Badal family members – Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

A senior officer said there were inputs that radical Sikhs might try to disrupt functions of the Badals. “We have been told not to let large groups meet the Badals. Only acquaintances of the Badals or persons checked by the police will be allowed to meet them,” he said. The officer further said they had been told not to allow any radical Sikh meet the Badals. However, Varinder Kumar, IGP, Intelligence, denied the issuance of such an alert.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Relining of canals: State govt giving relaxations to interested firms

Delay in starting project

• The state government had first floated the tenders for this project in 2012 and then in 2014, but no private company showed interest both times. The tenders were again floated this year and the Irrigation Department brought about some changes in conditions during pre-bid meetings

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 16

As there has been a lot of delay in starting the relining of Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind Feeder canals, the process for which started in 2011, the state government is giving some relaxations to contractors who have finally shown interest in the Rs 1,800-crore project. The work is meant to be completed in four years in four phases.

The state government has agreed to charge taxes, duties, levies, VAT, labour, cess, royalty, toll, etc, only at the time of submission of the bid. If there is any variation in taxes in the next four years, the increased amount of taxes collected would be reimbursed.

Notably, seepage from the twin canals is a major cause of waterlogging in this region.

The state government had first floated the tenders for this project in 2012 and then in 2014, but no private company had shown interest both times. The tenders were again floated this year and the Irrigation Department brought some changes in the conditions during the first and second pre-bid meetings.

Now, the third and final pre-bid meeting is scheduled on July 20, where some more relaxations are likely to be given to those parties who have shown interest in the project.

Sources in the Irrigation Department said the parties which had applied for the tenders included Hindustan Construction Company, Sadbhavana Construction Company, NCC Construction and Duncan Construction.

They said the state’s Chief Secretary was personally looking after the project. The Chief Secretary himself has formed some committees to look into this project and change the specifications, they said.

When contacted, SS Grewal, Chief Engineer (Canals), Irrigation department, said, “The tendering process is on and we are hopeful that it will be allotted this time.”

Courtesy: The Tribune