IEP Chandigarh, August 30

Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested three persons including two ex-army personnel, who impersonated as Vigilance officials and took cheques of Rs 25 lakhs from a resident of Bhaini Salu village in Ludhiana district.The arrested accused persons have been identified as Manjeet Singh resident of village Bhaini Salu, Paramjeet Singh of village Mehlon (Ludhiana) and Parminder Singh resident of Akash Colony, Hoshiarpur. Manjeet Singh and Parminder Singh are ex-army personnel. Parminder Singh is Incharge of World Human Rights Corporation of Punjab.Revealing the details here today, an official spokesperson of the VB said that Palwinder Singh resident of village Bhaini Salu lodged a complaint that he had sold 18 acres of his ancestral land a few months ago. Thereafter, he received a Government notice regarding selling a Panchayat land, following which, three unknown persons came to his house on August 12, 2023 and introduced themselves as officials from Vigilance Department at Sector-17, Chandigarh.The complainant alleged that they demanded Rs 50 Lakh from him to sort out the matter of selling panchayat land as they cited that the inquiry is pending at Chandigarh office and a case will be registered against him in this regard. In fear, the complainant agreed to pay Rs 25 Lakh and the accused persons convinced him to sign two cheques— Rs 15 Lakh and 10 Lakh— with a guarantee to return them back once receiving the amount of Rs 25 Lakh in cash. One of the accused persons also took Rs 27000 from his pocket and went away after getting his phone number.Thereafter, the complainant has been receiving threat calls on WhatsApp for registration of a criminal case against him in case the former fails to give promised Rs 25 Lakh cash.The spokesperson said that following the complaint, an FIR 20 dated 28.8.2023 under sections 7, 7-A of Prevention of Corruption Act and 384,120-B of IPC has been registered against Manjeet Singh of village Bhaini Salu and three unknown persons at Police Station VB, Ludhiana Range. Accused Manjeet Singh and Paramjeet Singh of village Mehlon were arrested on Monday, and now they both are on police remand till August 31. Parminder Singh, a resident of Akash Colony Hoshiarpur was also arrested on Tuesday. The VB has also nominated four more persons in the case and a manhunt has been launched to arrest the remaining accused.Notably, accused Manjeet Singh and Paramjit Singh had made recce of the house of complainant and Parminder Singh is one of those three accused persons who went to the house of complainant on August 12.

IEP Chandigarh, August 29

Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday arrested a Lecturer, Umesh Kumar Munjal, posted at Government Senior Secondary School, Lalru in SAS Nagar district, for taking a bribe of Rs 1.16 lakh from P. Ranjan resident of Nanak Nagri Abohar (Fazilka).

Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of VB said that P. Ranjan lodged a complaint that his wife Priya Miglani, who is a government teacher, was posted at Government Senior Secondary School, Kussowal in Ferozepur district. This school is around 180KMs away from their residence. Umesh Kumar contacted him to get his wife transferred near home. He (the Complainant) met him at Sri Muktsar Sahib on 26-10-2021 and the Lecturer demanded Rs 2 lakh for the same. The accused Lecturer had taken Rs 1.16 lakh as a bribe from the complainant on different dates and then started demanding the remaining amount of the bribe but the transfer was not done as the complainant did not pay the remaining amount of the bribe to the accused.

The complainant said that Punjab Education Department had opened the portal for online transfers on 10-06-2022 and on the application, Priya Miglani was transferred to Government Senior Secondary School, Bhitiwala in tehsil Malout of Sri Muktsar Sahib district and she joined the duty on new posting on 16-06-2022. But the accused was harassing them by demanding the remaining amount of bribe.

The spokesperson said that a team of VB unit Fazilka has arrested the Lecturer Umesh Kumar Munjal today after registering an FIR no. 21 dated 29-08-2023 under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act against him at Police Station VB, Ferozepur Range. 

IEP Chandigarh, August 28

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday said that decks are all clear for resumption of domestic flights from Adampur airport in Jalandhar and soon flights will be started from the hub of Doaba region to the other states of the country.

Chairing a meeting of the Civil Aviation department here at his office in Punjab Civil Secretariat- I, the Chief Minister said that this will facilitate the NRI brethren to stay connected with their homes in the motherland. He said that besides saving time, money and energy of the NRIs and other sections of society, this airport will also act as a catalyst in giving further fillip to the economic activity in the region. Bhagwant Singh Mann envisioned that this airport will prove a milestone in the journey of restoring the pristine glory of the state.

 Dwelling on another agenda, the Chief Minister directed the officers to complete the ongoing work for construction of civil air terminal at Halwara at the earliest. He said that the state government has already released Rs 50 crore for early completion of the work at the state of the art civil air terminal. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the timely completion of the project is the need of hour to give impetus to the economic growth of the state.

 Reviewing the ongoing work at Adampur, Halwara, Bathinda and Pathankot airports, the Chief Minister said that the starting of flights from these airports will provide direct air connectivity to the people of the state with the rest of the globe. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that massive efforts are also afoot for starting domestic flights from Adampur, Halwara and Bhisiana airports to facilitate the industry and other sectors in the state. He asked the officers to ensure that the entire process is completed in a time bound manner for the progress of the state and prosperity of its people.

IEP Chandigarh August 27

Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has congratulated the teacher of the state who has been selected for the National Teachers Award-2023.

          Applauding the teacher, Mr. Bains said that he has brought laurels for the state and his selection for the prestigious awards will uplift the morale and inspire the other teachers of the government schools to work harder.

          Notably, the list of National Teachers Awards, to be given on the Teachers’ Day-2023 by the Ministry of Education, has been released today, wherein Amritpal Singh of Government Senior Secondary School Chhapar Pakhowal (district Ludhiana) was selected to receive this coveted award.

IEP Chandigarh, August 27

On the direction of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Mining department has tightened noose around the people involved in illegal mining by lodging FIRs against them.

          Divulging the details, Mining and Geology Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said that the department has adopted a  zero tolerance policy for illegal mining. He said that in a raid conducted in Village Dhanansu Ludhiana, illegal sand miming was detected. He said that the material extracted was being stacked  in Jamalpur area of Ludhiana.

          The Minister said that acting swiftly the department has requested the Police department to register an FiR in the matter. Similarly, he said that in Ropar District  FIRs have been lodged in last two days for three incidents of illegal mining. He said that these FIRs have been registered at kalwan chowki  and Nangal police stations and pertain to illegal mining by poclain machines and tippers at Swara/Ailgran village and Khera Village.

          He said that at kalwan chowki in FIR  119 of 26/08/23  has been registered against one poclain machine at Swara/Ailgran village. Likewise, he said that at Nangal police station FIR 129 of 27/08/23 has been lodged against two poclain machines and four tippers in village Khera. Likewise, he said that FIR 130 of 27/08/23 has been registered in Nangal police station against one poclain machine in village Khera.

          All the machines involved in incidents of illegal mining have been impounded and are in police custody

IEP Chandigarh, August 12

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains today announced that Education Providers, IE, EGS, STR, AIE and Special Inclusive Teachers can also apply for the prestigious State Awards conferred by the state government on the occasion of Teacher’s Day.Giving further details, Harjot Singh Bains that the Education Department has recognized the significant contributions of Education Providers, IE, EGS, STR, AIE and Special Inclusive Teachers who have been working tirelessly within the Education Department for a long time.He mentioned that previous despansations had undermined the respect and honour of these teachers by referring to them as “temporary teachers” and causing financial distress by not providing them with regular salaries. But, Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann had regularized the services of 12,710 teachers and provided them with higher salaries.He categorically said, “these teachers also deserve recognition similar to other teachers and have the right to apply for awards. Uptil now, the “State level Award” was not extended to them, which was incorrect. Therefore, apart from the awards given under the “State Level Award,” five special awards have been introduced for teachers in this category.”Starting from the coming year, these teachers will have the opportunity to apply for awards alongside other teachers, said the EducationWhile ordering to open the portal,Minister, said that during this session, these teachers will be given special opportunities to apply for the “State Level Award” and complete other official procedures through the portal, which will remain open until August 18, 2023.

IEP CHANDIGARH, August 12

With the Aam Aadmi Clinics started by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led state government to transform Punjab into a healthy and disease-free state has almost completed one year, over 44 lakh patients have benefitted from these clinics and over 20 lakhs of patients have undergone free tests in less than one year, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh here on Saturday. Pertinently, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had dedicated 75 Aam Aadmi Clinics to the people of the state to mark the 75th Independence Day last year, which has now increased 583 Aam Aadmi Clinics in the state. Out of these 583 AACs, 180 AACs are located in the urban areas while 403 are located in the rural areas of the State. Dr Balbir Singh, while addressing the press conference at Punjab Bhawan here, said that the humble effort to impart quality Health services has received good feedback and positive response from the people of the state. “Following the success of Aam Aadmi Clinics, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will dedicate another 76 Aam Aadmi Clinics to the people of the state on August 14, 2023, to mark the 76th Independence Day, taking the total number of operational Aam Aadmi clinics to 659,” he said. He informed that as many as 80 types of medicines and 38 diagnostics tests are available for the patients at Aam Aadmi Clinics free of cost. More than 20 lakh free tests and medicines of approximately Rs 30.25 crore have been provided to the patients during the last one year, he added. He said that each clinic has a Medical Officer, Pharmacist, Clinic Assistant and Class IV/Helper, while, all the clinics are IT based with the provision of three Tablets at each clinic for Medical Officer, Pharmacist and Clinic Assistant. Patient registration, prescription and dispensation of medicines are being done through these tablets only, he said. Recounting the other significant achievements in the health sector, the Health Minister said that the state government has appointed 300 House Surgeons to strengthen the emergency services at District and Sub-Divisional Hospitals, while, 200 Post PG Students have been bonded by the Department of Medical Research & Education to serve as contractual Medical Officers with State Health Department. This initiative intended to ensure the availability of Specialist services at Secondary Health facilities, he said. He said that to overcome the shortage of specialist doctors at various District Hospitals of Punjab, a total of 85 Diplomate of National Board (DNB) seats have been approved in the 14 districts. Dr Balbir Singh said that the Punjab Government is all set to upgrade as many as 40 hospitals or Secondary Healthcare Facilities in the state. All the buildings will be constructed and equipped with ultra-modern facilities according to the need and the required strength of doctors and staff will be ensured at all the government hospitals in the state. He said that the Punjab Government has also been focusing on the strengthening of tertiary care services in the state and a Trauma Centre worth Rs 233 crores is being established in Patiala, while, advanced healthcare facilities including PET CT Scan and Nuclear department being started in Amritsar. The Health Minister said that by commencing ‘CM Di Yogshalas’ in the state, the Punjab Government has started a remarkable initiative which is focused on prevention of the disease and promotion of health. He said that, presently, over 7000 people taking benefit of ‘CM di Yogshala’ at 281 yoga camps being organised daily in the state and now, the camps will be increased to 1000, which will cater over 25000 people. He said that the ‘Har Shukarvar, Dengue Te War’ campaign started by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also been getting good response from the public. Meanwhile, the Health Minister said that the Punjab Government is all set to commence yet another unique initiative under which the health teams will check Blood Pressure, Sugar, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Basic Metabolic Rate of all the 3 crore Punjabis for early detection of disease. Around 1 lakh people will be diagnosed under the pilot project, which will be started from Patiala.

IEP Chandigarh, August 9

The Haryana Government has taken action against 4 officers of the Irrigation Department for dereliction of duty during the floods caused by excessive water level in Yamuna river passing through Haryana region. Action has been taken against these officers after the report of an enquiry committee. This committee was formed to investigate the matter of non-opening of 4 gates of ITO Yamuna barrage during floods. The state government has suspended Sandeep Taneja, Chief Engineer of the irrigation department.It was further informed that orders have been issued to charge sheet SE, Tarun Aggarwal and XEN, Manoj Kumar of the department. Along with this, SDO Mukesh Verma, posted at Yamuna Barrage, has been charge sheet under Rule Seven.Due to heavy rains, a significant surge in Yamuna level was witnessed and due to non-opening of 4 gates of the barrage near ITO in Delhi, excess water could not be cleared in time causing massive waterlogging and floods. Taking cognizance of this matter, Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal had formed a three-member committee to investigate the entire matter. Irrigation Department’s Engineer-in-Chief, Dr. Satbir Kadian and Chief Engineer, Sh. Suresh Kumar Yadav were included as members in this committee headed by Engineer-in-Chief, Sh. Rakesh Chauhan.In the furnished report, the committee observed that these gates were submerged in flood water about 12 feet deep. Apart from it, they were also filled with silt. These gates can be open only when both upstream and downstream silt around these gates is removed through special techniques. It has been stated in the report that no power connection was available to carry out the process. Floods in Delhi mainly occurred due to excessive encroachment, due to which the water reached up to the Ring Road. Excessive and unplanned construction around the river is obstructing the flow of Yamuna.According to the report, during the dry season the flow of the river stops completely. The release of polluted water into the river through various drains leads to the accumulation of silt and rise in the river bed levels. In such a situation, Delhi Government should remove the heavy silt in front of gate number 28 to 32 so that flood water can flow through these gates. The Yamuna’s natural flood outlets have been systematically encroached upon for decades. The highest discharge has been recorded at Wazirabad Barrage 1137020 CS in Delhi. Which does not match the release done in HKB or Okhla. UYRB should be asked to re-calibrate all gauges at Wazirabad, Yamuna Barrage ITO and Okhla Barrage so that correct gauges are reported in future. Monsoon season usually starts from July, well before CE YWS(S) headquartered in Delhi requires close liaison with Irrigation and Flood Control Department Delhi and UP Irrigation Department to maintain monitoring to avoid any such situation.