IEP Chandigarh, November 24

State Election Commissioner, Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that all preparations have been completed for the third phase of Sarpanch and Panch post-elections in the state.  Voting will be held on November 25 for 929 Sarpanch and 10362 Panch posts in 25 blocks of 4 districts namely, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Hisar and Palwal, he added. 

Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that in the 4 districts where the third phase of polling is going to be held, all the preparations related to security and all other facilities have been completed.  

Guidelines have been issued to all the supervisors.  Along with this, the additional police force has been deployed in sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths as compared to normal polling booths, added Sh. Dhanpat Singh. 

He said that for the convenience of the voters, arrangements for drinking water, electricity and wheelchairs etc. have been made well in advance for the Persons With Disabilities voters at all the polling booths.

Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that the result of the election for the post of Panch and Sarpanch will be declared soon after the elections.  In the third phase, the voting of Panchayat Samiti members and Zilla Parishad committee members has been completed on November 22.  The results of these elections will be declared on 27 November.

22,26,319  lakh registered voters in the third phase

Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that there are a total of 22, 27,319 voters in the 4 districts of the third phase.  He informed that there are a total of 2655  polling stations in these 4 districts, out of which 615 are sensitive and 781 are hypersensitive.

Panchayat election activities can be seen on the ‘Mhari Panchayat’ portal

Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that this time all the activities related to Panchayat elections can be seen on the ‘Mhari Panchayat’ portal. An e-dashboard has been prepared for the day of polling and counting so that anyone can see the poll trends, voting percentage and final results sitting at home, informed Sh. Dhanpat Singh.

IEP Chandigarh, November 24

With the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP)-2022 being implemented at a fast pace in Haryana, the state will continue to top the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings this year also; like it did the last year, said Haryana Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal while presiding over the review meeting regarding the progress of implementation of the State Business Reform Action Plan (S-BRAP), held here today.

The Chief Secretary directed all the administrative secretaries to personally review the work for these reforms action plan and share the user data related to all reforms and services with the Industries and Commerce Department by November 25. “Under BRAP-2022, the department of Industry and Commerce should ensure uploading of user data related to all the departments on the portal of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India, by November 30,” he added.

He further sought fast completion on the points requiring improvements on priority basis and directed the officials of the Labour Department to complete four reforms within two days; while the officials of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department were asked to complete the pending reforms related to their department before November 30.

All concerned departments should work in coordination for business reforms: Chief Secretary

Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal instructed the officials of all the concerned departments to work in coordination for business reforms and to ensure that all the services were delivered through online mode within the prescribed time limit.

During the meeting, it was apprised that 352 points have to be implemented by the Union government under the Business Reform Action Plan – 2022. These points have been divided into two parts; with 261 reform points related to business included in Action Plan-A and 91 reform points related to civil service in Action Plan-B.

It was informed that for the remarkable work done in the field of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Haryana has been ranked third at the national level by the central government; while Haryana has been included in the top achievers category in the fifth edition of the ‘State Ease of Doing Business’ released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Sh. Anand Mohan Sharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Smt. G. Anupama, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V Umashankar, Chairman, Power Utilities, Sh. PK Das, Commissioner and Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Sh. Pankaj Agarwal, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Sh. Ashok Meena, among other senior officers were present during the meeting

IEP Chandigarh, November 24

As part of the commitment to provide a clean and livable environment to the people of the state, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led government has decided that a rejuvenation project of the Tung Dhab drain in Amritsar will be designed on the lines of Buddha Nullah.

Presiding over an important meeting of urban and rural area committees formed to clean the drain, the Local Government Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar said, in order to make the state pollution-free, more attention towards cleanliness of the rivers, streams and seasonal drains is the need of the hour.

While focusing on various aspects to clean the Tung Dhab drain, Dr. Nijjar said that cleaning project should be divided into three parts for dealing with industrial, dairy and domestic waste separately.

The cabinet minister was apprised that 39 industries are situated along the 20 km long drain passing through the city. Of which 19 industries are water polluting and discharging 28 MLD polluted waste into Tung drain. Similarly, the domestic Sewerage of 17 villages is falling into drain. Apart from this, 176 dairies discharging about 550 KLD waste, throwing livestock dung and other animal waste into the Tung Dhab drain.

Dr. Nijjar instructed the officials of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to strictly prevent the industrial waste containing toxic chemicals from falling into the drain and to ensure constant checking of the industries. He said that Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) should be set up in industrial areas as per the requirement. The Minister directed the officials of Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) to initiate action to immediately deliver land to PPCB for setting up CETP. Similarly, he also asked the officials of the Punjab Water Supply & Sewerage Board to initiate the process of expansion of the two sewage treatment plants (STPs) of the city.

The cabinet minister directed the officials of the MC Amritsar and Rural Development department to collect cow dung and other waste from the dairies in and outside the city periphery to prevent the dairies from falling waste into the drain. He said that simultaneously, prepare a proposal for setting up a biogas plant so that cow dung and other waste from dairies could be utilised and the usage of the gas produced from this plant, can be ensured. Dr. Nijjar said that the officials of the district administration and rural development department should prevent the Sewerage of the villages into the drain.

The Cabinet Minister also directed the the drainage department to submit a proposal at the earliest to release clean water in the drain, saying that this process would prove effective in cleaning the drain. He also directed the Secretary, Local Government to form a district level joint committee to resolve the problems for early completion of the cleaning project.

Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjit Singh Aujla, MLA Amritsar North Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Secretary Local Government Vivek Pratap, PMIDC & Punjab Water Supply & Sewerage Board CEO Isha Kalia, Amritsar Municipal Corporation Mayor Karamjit Singh and Commissioner Kumar Saurabh Raj and other officials were also present in the meeting.

IEP Chandigarh, November 24

A Fast Track Special Court in Sirsa has awarded capital punishment to an accused for sexually assaulting his minor daughter.

                    The verdict was pronounced by the Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Sh. Praveen Kumar.

                    The death sentence has been awarded under section 6 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The convict has also been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for seven years along with fine of Rs 50,000 under Section 506 of Indian Penal Code.

                    The crime was reported on September 28, 2020 in which the minor victim accused her father of raping her.  Following the complaint, a case under relevant sections of POCSO and IPC was registered at Women Police Station, Sirsa.

                    On September 29, 2020, the police arrested the accused and investigated the matter. The then Incharge Women Police Station Sirsa, Sub-Inspector Sunita Rani and Investigation Officer thoroughly investigated the case and secured conviction of offender through the effective and concerted presentation of evidence before the court.

IEP Chandigarh, November 24

Progressing towards fulfilling yet another poll promise, Punjab Government led by Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann will soon build School of Eminence to ensure quality school education to children.

Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains revealed this after a meeting with PWD Officials here.

Giving details about the School of Eminence, Mr Bains said that this revolutionary step will give a new direction to school education of the state. Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann will lay foundation stone of the School of Eminence in coming fortnight.

Chairing the meeting with PWD Officials to discuss drawing and design of the schools, Mr. Bains said that education standard of these schools will be at the par of international level. The Education Minister has been holding meetings with the officials to expedite the whole process.

He further informed that 100 schools  of eminence will be built up in first phase.

Education Minister Bains said that the standard of education in these schools will be much better than private schools and he is not only sure but also confident that these schools will become the first choice of parents from the new academic session. He said that days are not far when Punjab will develop its school at the par of international standards as per the vision of Chief Minister of Punjab. Bhagwant Mann is also taking personal interest in making the school education of Punjab up to the date. S. Bains said that the Punjab government is committed to making school education a model education in the entire country and no stone is being left unturned to improve the education system.

IEP Chandigarh, November 24

Aiming to curb the menace of corruption in the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday nabbed a revenue Patwari Lakhbir Singh, posted at Dasuya, in Hoshiarpur district red handed for accepting a bribe of Rs. 10,000. In this case Gurdawar Tejinder Singh Goldy has also been nominated and will be arrested soon.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of VB said the above said Patwari was arrested on the complaint of Jugraj Singh, resident of village Usman Shaheed, Tehsil Dasuya.

Giving more details he informed that the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the above said Patwari and Gurdawar were demanding a bribe of Rs. 10,000 for implementing division and demarcation of his ancestral agriculture land.

After verifying his complaint a VB team laid a trap and the accused Patwari was caught red handed accepting a bribe of Rs. 10,000 and tainted money was recovered from him in the presence of two official witnesses.

          He informed that a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against both the accused at VB police Jallandhar and further investigation was under progress.

IEP Chandigarh

Keeping up with the success of earlier editions, the 5-Day HPB Surgery Certificate Course being organised by PGIMER’s Deptt. of Surgical Gastroenterology from 22nd -26th November under the aegis of IHPBA (International Hepato Pancreatic Biliary Association) Indian Chapter here at PGIMER is receiving huge appreciation from the participants. Sharing about the intent behind organising this course with media, Prof. Rajesh Gupta, Head, Deptt. of Surgical Gastroenterology, PGIMER & Chairman, Organising Committee  stated, “The course is meant for the training and teaching of the intricacies of the Hepatobillary and Pancreatic Surgery by the distinguished  faculties of the country.”Prof. Gupta further detailed, “About 30 to 35 students who have already achieved super-specialist training in Surgical Gastroenterology have been selected based on their CV from across the country to participate in this distinguished course. 45 eminent faculties from different parts of the count are their wisdom and experience with the younger generation through this course.”Through an interesting and rich mix of lecture sessions, presentations with case studies, panel discussions, and group exercises, the course is providing hands-on learning /training on the wet tissue model wherein all the participants will learn vascular, biliary, and pancreatic anastomosis under the direct supervision of the seasoned faculties,” elaborated Prof. Gupta.During the media interaction, President Dr. Sanjay Govil, Hon. Secretary Dr. Chetan Kantharia,  Chairman Scientific Committee Dr. Sujoy Pal and Treasurer Dr. Nagesh Gowda were personally present representing  IHPBA Indian Chapter. In addition to Prof. Gupta, those representing Organising Committee included  Prof. Vikas Gupta, Vice Chairman, and Dr. Harjeet Singh, Organising Secretary.

IEP New Delhi, November, 24

 Justice Arun Mishra, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India today expressed concern that all State and UT police organizations are still not fully compliant with the Supreme Court directions for the installation of CCTV cameras having audio recording and night vision at every police station with 18th month storage of the recordings. He was chairing a meeting to discuss the measures to be taken to ensure the proper working of the CCTVs at police stations with data backup.  Justice Mishra said that transparency in policing should be the hallmark of law & order management.  He said that the Commission is willing to examine the scope of preparing an SOP, if necessary, with the help of police officers, experts, and other different stakeholders to see how the directions of the Supreme Court are implemented. Let us improve the image of our police forces by cutting the scope of any misgivings about their functioning.  He said that the aim of the NHRC is to improve the credibility of our police as well as the law & order system by holding discussions with police organizations and different stakeholders.  NHRC Members, Dr. D.M. Mulay, Mr. Rajiv Jain, Secretary General, Mr. D.K. Singh, Director General (Inv.), Mr. Manoj Yadava, Registrar (Law), Mr. Surajit Dey, Joint Secretary, Mr. H.C. Chaudhary, DIG, Mr. Sunil Kumar Meena, SSP, Mr. Anupam Sharma as well as the senior police officers from Gurugram, Faridabad, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Ghaziabad participated in the discussions. The meeting was organized by the Commission in follow up to the inspections of 32 police stations by its Investigation Team in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Jhajjar, and Sonepat districts of Haryana, Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts of Uttar Pradesh in the backdrop of a case of suicide by an under trial prisoner in Tihar jail, which prompted the Commission to have a first- hand assessment of the condition of CCTV cameras in police stations in Delhi-NCR by randomly visiting them. The NHRC inspection found that :  Ø   19 police stations inspected in UP and Haryana are installed with 2-4 CCTV cameras;Ø 13 police stations inspected in Delhi have 10 cameras with DVR/N-DVR;Ø   Many CCTV cameras installed by the police headquarters were not found in working condition.  However, some police stations installed with cameras donated by companies under CSR  were found working;Ø   Some senior police officers were not aware of the working of CCTV system;Ø  CCTV cameras are not installed at appropriate location;.Ø  There was no dedicated CCTV monitoring system available in the police stations. Most of the SHOs have deputed one constable to look after the CCTV system, but he is not trained enough;Ø   The standard data storage for CCTVs in all police stations was 15-75 days (without audio);Ø  None of the SHOs had any knowledge regarding District Level Oversight Committee (DLOC), periodic maintenance and upkeep of CCTV and its equipment and also the budget provision.Ø  There was no budgetary provision for maintenance of CCTV cameras at P.S level;Ø   No SHO carried out any periodic review of footage from CCTV to check any human rights violations. Therefore the basic requirement of installing these CCTV in police stations remained unproductive.