castudyweb.com€¦ · 13 AGR DUES: SC LASHES OUT AT CENTRE, TELCOS BUSINESS GOVT, DMK SPAR OVER 2G SCAM NATION BIDEN SWEEPS THREE STATES IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES WORLD PIL …

13AGR DUES: SC LASHES OUT AT

CENTRE, TELCOS BUSINESSGOVT, DMK SPAR OVER 2G SCAM NATION

BIDEN SWEEPS THREE STATES INDEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES WORLD

PIL in SC seeks ban on CAAprotests across IndiaNew Delhi: A PIL has been filed inthe Supreme Court seeking aban on protests for and againstthe Citizenship (Amendment) Actacross India in view of the Covid-19 outbreak. Filed by Hindu Dhar-ma Parishad, the plea seeksguidelines to deal with political,religious and other protests. TNS

Pawar to appear beforeKoregaon panel on Apr 4 Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawarwill appear before the KoregaonBhima Commission, which isholding an inquiry into the Janu-ary 2018 caste violence in Punedistrict, on April 4, Maharashtraminister Nawab Malik said. PTI

Wadhawans cite virusthreat, reject ED summons Mumbai: After skipping ED sum-mons thrice, DHFL promoters,Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan,have cited Covid-19 for not appear-ing in money laundering caseprobe against Yes Bank founderRana Kapoor, officials said. PTI

IN BRIEF

SC: Won’t have rebel MLAs paraded Cut public transport useto prevent spread: Centre

Gogoi’s RS nominationchallenged in top courtNew Delhi, March 18Amid criticism over former CJIRanjan Gogoi being nominat-ed by the President to theRajya Sabha, noted activistMadhu Kishwar on Wednes-day moved the Supreme Courtchallenging it on the groundthat “it compromises the inde-pendence and credibility of ourjudiciary at the highest levels.”

Justice Gogoi – who was nom-inated by President Ram NathKovind on Monday as a mem-ber of the Council of Statesagainst a vacancy created byresignation of senior advocateKTS Tulsi — is scheduled totake oath on Thursday.

Contending that ‘inde-pendence of judiciary’ is anessential part of the basicstructure of the Constitutionand a pillar of democracy, shesaid, “Any act which createsany adverse impression onthe independence of judici-ary like the present one,

wherein former CJI has beennominated to Rajya Sabha,amounts to an assault on theindependence of judiciary.”

She requested the top courtto stay Justice Gogoi’s nomi-nation to the Rajya Sabha.Noting that there was arestriction on employmentby Chairperson and Mem-bers of Lokpal after ceasingto hold office, she said a simi-lar restriction should be thereon former judges. — TNS

Ravi DhaliwalTribune News Service

Sri Hargobindpur, (Gurdaspur), March 18Rivalry between two groupsof students of a Qadian-basedprivate school culminated inmurder, leaving local resi-dents shell-shocked. One ofthe groups, led by Class XIstudent Lakhwinder Singh,opened indiscriminate fire,resulting in the death of themother of his rival late Tues-day night. Batala SSP Opin-derjit Singh Ghuman andofficials of the Sri Hargobind-pur police station rushed tothe crime scene.

Lakhwinder and hisschoolmate Amarjit Singhhad an old rivalry. Alarmed,village elders intervened,asking the warring groups tocease hostilities. Both partiesagreed to stop bad-mouthingeach other in school and out-side. But Lakhwinder andhis friends later renegedfrom the pact and conspiredto eliminate Amarjit. Theyreached Amarjit’s residenceat Harchowal village andopened indiscriminate fir-ing. The firing continued for10 minutes and 20 rounds

were fired. Word on the inci-dent spread in the villageand an SOS was sent to theSSP by the SHO. In themeantime, Lakhwinder andhis group members fled.

After the firing stopped, pan-icky family members cameout of their house. They foundAmarjit’s mother, Jasbir Kaur,lying in a pool of blood. Amar-jit’s father Niranjan Singh,uncle Partap Singh and auntNarinder Kaur received bulletinjuries and were rushed tothe Batala Civil Hospitalwhere doctors referred themto an Amritsar hospital.

A case under Sections 302,307 and 120-B has been regis-tered. “A team under a DSP-rank officer has been consti-tuted to trace the sequence ofevents leading to the crime. Afew hideouts have been iden-tified,” SSP Ghuman said.

“Investigations are on.Nothing, including theinvolvement of a girl, can beruled out,” he added.

4 from Hry, HP make it toUpper House unopposedChandigarh, March 18Ram Chander Jangra andDushyant Kumar Gautam ofthe BJP and DeependerSingh Hooda of the Congresshave been elected unop-posed to the Rajya Sabhafrom Haryana. They werehanded over their certifi-cates by Returning OfficerAjit Balaji Joshi today.

The three Rajya Sabhavacancies had arisen follow-ing the resignation of BJP’sRam Kumar Kashyap, whowas elected MLA last year,the expiry of Congress’Kumari Selja’s term (nextmonth) and the resignationof former Union Minister andBJP leader Birender Singh.

While Jangra and Deepen-der’s term will begin fromApril 10, Gautam has beenelected for the remainder ofSingh’s term that would endon August 1, 2022. The twoBJP MPs were accompanied

by state party chief SubhashBarala when they came to col-lect their certificates. Deepen-der was accompanied by legis-lators owing allegiance to hisfather BS Hooda.

Former president of theBJP Mahila Morcha InduGoswami, 52, was elected tothe Rajya Sabha fromHimachal Pradesh. — TNS

NewDelhi, March 18In a rare move, the SupremeCourt on Wednesday invokedits plenary powers andordered forthwith theremoval of BJP lawmakerand Manipur Forest CabinetMinister ThounaojamShyamkumar, restraininghim from entering theAssembly till further orders.

The top court rarelyinvokes its plenary powersunder Article 142 of the Con-stitution to remove a Cabinetminister from any govern-ment. Shyamkumar had won

the Assembly elections in2017 as a Congress candidatebut later joined the BJP gov-ernment. The plea of his dis-qualification is still pendingwith the Speaker.

The top court had on Janu-ary 21 taken note of inordi-nate delays in deciding 13pleas for disqualification oflawmakers pending since

April 2017 and had asked theManipur Assembly Speakerto decide within four weeksthe plea of a Congress leaderseeking disqualification ofShyamkumar.

The Speaker on Tuesdayappealed to the top court fordeferment of the matter tillMarch 28. A Bench of Justices RF Nariman and S RavindraBhat said that given the extraor-dinary facts in the present case,“We are constrained to use ourpowers under Article 142 of theConstitution of India.”

continued on page 7

New Delhi, March 18The government todaypulled out all the stops inintensifying efforts to pre-vent further transmission ofCovid-19 by asking states tominimise the use of publictransport. This effectivelymeans curbs on metros andbus transport.

With Covid-19 positive cas-es reaching 151 as of Wednes-day, the Ministry of RoadTransport and Highwaysasked the states to minimisetravelling by public and con-sider refunding fare foradvance bookings by peopleto discourage travel.

“States and UTs have alsobeen requested to makearrangements for sendingSMSs to passengers for mak-ing them aware of social dis-tancing steps,” said the min-istry’s letter to stateprincipal secretaries, secre-taries (transport) and trans-port commissioners.

As of now, the Covid-19transmission in India is atstage 2, which means allinfections are imported orthrough contact with peoplewho have come back fromvirus-affected countries. Thenext step in disease trans-mission – stage 3— is whatGovernment is gearing for.

continued on page 7

MP CRISIS Justice Chandrachud-led Bench says the legislators can’t be held captiveTribune News Service

New Delhi, March 18The Supreme Court todayrefused to have 16 rebel Con-gress MLAs from MadhyaPradesh paraded before it injudges’ chamber but saidthey can’t be held captive. ABench headed by Justice DYChandrachud turned downthe suggestion, saying itwould not be appropriate. Itrefused to send a judicial offi-cer to meet them in Bengalu-ru. Rebel Congress MLAssaid they didn’t want toappear before the Speaker.

Noting that the rebel MLAsmay or may not go to theAssembly, the Bench made itclear that the court would notcome in the way of the legis-lature. However, the Bench,which on Tuesday issued anotice to Speaker NP Prajap-ati, CM Kamal Nath and Gov-ernor Lalji Tandon on a peti-

tion by BJP leader ShivrajSingh Chouhan and nine oth-er BJP MLAs seeking a floortest, said it had to ensure thatthe rebel MLAs could freelyexercise their choice. “As a

constitutional court, we haveto discharge our duties,” saidthe Bench. After a day-longhearing during which BJPand Congress accused eachother of subverting democra-

cy, the Bench posted the mat-ter for hearing on Thursdayat 10.30 am, asking thelawyers from both sides toassist it on modalities toensure free access to the

Assembly and exercise ofchoice by the MLAs. After theSpeaker accepted the resig-nation of six Congress MLAson Saturday, the party nowhas 108 legislators.

DK Gautam, Hry

Deepender Hooda, Hry Indu Goswami, HP

Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs leave after meeting Governor Lalji Tandon in Bhopal on Wednesday. PTI

School rivalry turnsugly, student’s motherkilled in Gurdaspur

In 10 minutes, 20 roundsfired| Local residents

aghast| Case filed

SC removes Manipur minister RC Jangra, Hry

Invokes plenary powersto restrain BJP MLA

from entering Assembly

HIGH DRAMA■ High drama unfolded in

Bengaluru with Congressleader Digvijaya Singh trying tomeet rebel MLAs lodged in aresort there

■ Detained briefly, he accusedUnion Home Minister AmitShah and Karnataka CM oftrying to block his efforts toget in touch with the MLAs

■ He said they were ‘voters’for theRS poll in MP. Subsequently, theBJP state unit complained to theEC, claiming he was putting“pressure on the rebel MLAs” tovote for him in the RS polls

■ In Bhopal, Congress workersstaged a protest outside thestate BJP office againstDigvijaya’s detention

COVID: PM to address nation at 8 pm todayCBSE exams, JEE Main postponed

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu being screened at Parliament House. PTI

SENSEX TANKS 1,709.58 POINTS

CLOSES AT 28,869.51Below 29,000 for the first time in 3 yrs

VAISHNO DEVI YATRA CLOSEDThe J&K Admin announced onWednesday closure of theVaishno Devi yatra and ban-ning of all interstate buses

PUNJAB MAN ENDS LIFE A suspected Covid patient, hailingfrom Punjab’s Balachaur, commit-ted suicide by jumping off the seventh floor of a Delhi hospital

ARMY CANCELS LEAVEThe Army on Wednesday issuedinstructions to allow leave to itspersonnel only underexceptional circumstances

SWISS FIRM GETS TEST NOD Swiss firm Roche DiagnosticsIndia got licence for conductingcoronavirus tests after nodfrom drug regulator DCGI

GLOBAL COUNT OVER 2,00,000Number of confirmed cases ofthe new virus worldwide hassurpassed 2,00,000

COUNT

151DISCHARGED 14DEATHS 3

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 18The Supreme Courton Wednesdayasked the Centreand Jammu andKashmir Adminis-tration to spell outby next week if itplanned to releaseformer Chief Minis-ter Omar Abdullah,who has been under preven-tive detention since the nul-lification of Article 370 in

August last year. “If you arereleasing him, then releasehim soon or we will hear the

matter on merits,” aBench headed byJustice Arun Mishratold the advocate pre-senting the Centreduring hearing on for-mer CM’s sister SaraAbdullah Pilot’s pleachallenging hisdetention after it was

told Solicitor General TusharMehta was arguing a case inanother court.

Are you releasing Omar,apex court asks Centre

/thetribunechd /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com thursday, march 19,2020

chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | jammu | srinagar | vol.4 no.77 | 16 pages | ~4.50 | regd.no.chd/0006/2018-2020 established in 1881

Aman SoodTribune News Service

Patiala, March 18Mukesh Kumar (40), a locallabourer, has been withoutwork for the past five days.He’s finding it difficult to fendfor his family of four afterreduction in construction activ-ity in the state amid efforts tocontain the spread of Covid.There are hundreds of dailyearners like Mukesh who havebeen left jobless, and even pen-niless, due to the lockdown.

Many of the contractors TheTribune team met said con-struction work had been

largely put off by a couple ofweeks as a precautionarymeasure. “I was working on ahouse in Model Town. On Sat-urday, I was told not to cometill April,” said Rishi, who hasover 20 men working for him.“My men are asking for someadvance but I can do little tohelp them,” he stated.

A local juice seller said hisdaily earnings had droppedbelow Rs 100 from Rs 500.“How will I feed my wife andtwo daughters? My wife worksas a cook and helper duringmarriages, but is without worknow,” said 40-year-old Bachan

Kumar, who has his kiosk onthe Bhupindra Road. While afew states have set up high-level committees to protect

and safeguard the interestsof daily earners, Punjab isyet to take such steps.

Many companies have

already asked their staff towork from home or proceedon leave in the wake of thevirus threat even as the state

government has shut col-leges, temples and othertourist places. The closure ofpublic places and touristattractions has added to thewoes of many daily earnerslike vendors who had theirstalls near these sites.

Meanwhile, Chief Whip ofthe Congress in the VidhanSabha Hardyal Kambojsaid he would take up thematter with the Chief Min-ister. “Daily earners are theworst sufferers. We will tryto provide them free foodand some monetary com-pensation,” Kamboj said.

Sushil ManavTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18The Haryana Lokayukta madeas many as 463 recommenda-tions to the state government incases of complaints lodged withit in the past nine years, but in75 per cent of the cases noaction has been taken.

Information obtained underthe Right to Information Actby Samalkha (Panipat)-basedactivist PP Kapoor revealsthat from April 1, 2010, tillMarch 31, 2019, the Lokayuk-ta made recommendations tothe government for action in463 cases of corruption,

embezzlement, forgery, etc,but action has been takenonly in 113 of the cases.

Under Section 17 (2) of theHaryana Lokayukta Act, 2002,the government is supposed toget the report sent by theLokayukta examined and com-municated to him within threemonths the action taken, if any.

Kapoor said the record of

both the BJP governmentfrom April 1, 2015, to March 1,2019, as well as the Congressgovernment from April 1, 2010,to March 31, 2015, (though theCongress remained in powertill October 2014, but thereports are for complete finan-cial years) has been equallybad in the matter of treatingrecommendations of the

Lokayukta. However, thereply shows that the record ofthe BJP government is muchbetter than its predecessorwhen it comes to taking actionon the Lokayukta’s reports.The information receivedunder the RTI reveals that in 5years from April 1, 2010, toMarch 31, 2015, recommenda-tions on 347 complaints weresent by the Lokayukta, but thegovernment took action only in37 cases, that is 15 per cent.

When the BJP was at thehelm, the Lokayukta sentrecommendations in 116cases and the governmenttook action in 76 cases.

No action taken over 75% Lokayukta reports

463recommendationsmade by Lokayuktato state govt from 2010-19

350cases invite noaction from the govt

Since 2006, when Lokayuktainstitution was set up in thestate, 6,641 complaints havebeen received, 5,422 resolvedat its level & 1,219 are pending

CASES OVER 9 YEARS IN HARYANA

WILL MAKE AMENDS: CONG

Will take up the matterwith the Chief Minister. Wewill try to provide themfree food and somemonetary compensationHardyal Kamboj, CONG CHIEF WHIP

Labourers sit idle as they awaitwork in Patiala on Wednesday.TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAJESH SACHAR

❝

Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi to take oath today

Omar Abdullah

No safety net, daily wage earners hit hard by lockdown

THE TRIBUNE02 JALANDHAR | THURSDAY | 19 MARCH 2020PUNJAB

Karam PrakashTribune News Service

Patiala, March 18In spite of an advisory bythe World Health Organi-sation (WHO) to ramp upthe testing of suspectedCovid patients to mitigateits spread, the state gov-ernment has tested only115 out of 1,187 personsquarantined so far.

Of the quarantined per-sons, 14 are in hospitals whilethe rest are under self-isola-tion in their homes.

Health experts say com-munity spread cannot bechecked without aggressivetesting. The best strategy tocontain the spread of thevirus is rapid testing andimmediate isolation ofinfected patients.

The Health Department,however, say the state hasnot reached a stage whererapid testing was required.So far, only one positivecase has been reported inthe state and there is “nosign” of community trans-mission, it says.

Nodal officer GaganGrover, who is heading thestate’s coronavirus pro-

gramme, said: “The timehas not come to increase thesampling. We have only onepositive case so far. Wedon’t have communitytransmission yet. However,we are closely monitoringthe situation.”

Another official said it wasan early stage for aggres-sive testing given the costof the Covid test, whichcosts around ~50,000.

Health experts praised thestate government for takingpro-active in taking precau-tionary measures inresponse to the Covid threat.Apart from closing educa-tional institutions, malls,swimming pools and cinemahalls, experts hailed the gov-ernment for sanitising ASHAworkers, the foot soldiers.

A nodal officer said,“Social distancing is themain precaution. Like oth-er countries, if we too exer-cise caution, we can quellthe spread of Covid. Thepeople need to cooperate.In case of fever, cough orcold, one should immedi-ately rush to nearby hospi-tal. This way, we can battlethe deadly disease.”

Of 1,187 quarantined, only 115 persons tested

A health worker checks the temperature of devotees at the entrance of Golden Temple on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR

■ Amritsar: The SGPC on Wednesday reduced the water lev-el in the “sarovar” at the Golden Temple so that it becomeseasy to maintain constant water circulation. This step hasbeen taken in view of large number of devotees taking adip in the ‘sarovar’ in spite of Covid threat. Health expertssay taking a dip in the “sarovar” should be avoided.

■ Meanwhile, the thermal screening of devotees started onWednesday. District Pharmacy Officer RK Devgan said,“The body temperature of devotees is checked through a thermo gun. If it is between 34 and 40 degree Fahren-heit, the person would be immediately recommended for further medical treatment.” TNS


Chandigarh, March 18Not a single suspected coro-navirus patient is eithermissing or absconding inPunjab, Health Minister Bal-bir Singh Sidhu clarified onWednesday. He categoricallyrejected media reports to thecontrary as “irresponsibleand incorrect”.

The 167 missing personsreferred to by Ludhiana civilsurgeon were not Covid sus-pected cases but were merelypeople with foreign travel his-tory who could not be traceddue to incomplete contactdetails shared by the CentralGovernment, said Sidhu, amidreports suggesting that theywere suspected cases who hadabsconded or gone missing.

All these persons hadalready been screened at theairports in Delhi, said theminister, adding that sincethe outbreak, the Centre hadbeen sharing reports of pas-sengers with internationaltravel with all states, includ-ing Punjab. “While thosefound symptomatic are

admitted in hospital and keptin isolation, as per protocol,the lists of asymptomatic pas-sengers are shared with thestate concerned,” he said,adding that as a matter of pre-caution, the Punjab Govern-ment contacted these passen-gers to re-verify their historyand medical condition.

In this case, the contactdetails of 335 passengersshared by the Centre wereincomplete and lists of thesepassengers were shared withthe district administrationand the Centre was also dulyinformed, Sidhu disclosed.

No suspected patientmissing, says minister


Jalandhar, March 18A day after the state govern-ment ordered closure ofshopping malls in view ofthe Covid threat, allmajor malls and shoppingmarts here are still open.The malls saw a hugerush on Wednesday.

One reason for theheavy rush is that peoplehave started resorted topanic buying, apprehend-ing that grocery storeswould be shut next.

Saroj, a local resident buy-ing groceries at a mall, said,“I am buying groceries incase the government closes

shops selling essentialitems. I think Covid threathas not attained seriousproportion in Punjab ascompared with otherstates.” When asked the rea-son for not wearing a mask,she said: “As per healthexperts, masks are not

going to be of any help. I amusing a sanitiser regularly.The situation is bad in Italy,but not in India.”

The Punjab Institute ofMedical Sciences (PIMS),meanwhile, began infra-redscreening of patients andattendants on Wednesday.

A special team has beendeputed at the entrance toscreen all visitors.

The city has alreadyreported more than 15patients suspected to beinfected with Covid. ThePIMS authorities said themedical and travel history

of patients were beingchecked. They have readieda 10-bed isolation ward incase of an emergency.

Amit Singh, Chief Execu-tive Officer (CEO), PIMS,said, “We are prepared.There are enough masksand sanitisers.”

Notwithstanding theguidelines to close medicalinstitutions across thestate, the PIMS continuesto hold classes. To this, theCEO said, “None of themedical institutes affiliat-ed to the Baba Farid Uni-versity of Health Scienceshave been closed. Thedi-rections are only for pri-vate medical colleges.”

Jalandhar malls defy guidelines, remain open


Chandigarh, March 18The Punjab and HaryanaHigh Court today statedthat all ordinary and regu-lar cases in the list would beadjourned for four weeks inview of the Covid threat.The next date would beshown on the High Court’sofficial website, except forcases in which an “earlierdate” would be given onspecial mentioning by theBench before which thematter was listed.

The High Court also reit-erated that the entry of liti-gants was prohibited in theHigh Court, except in casesof personal appearancespecifically ordered by thecourt. Advocates were alsorequested to ensure atten-dance by only one lawyerper case. A senior advocatecould, however, be assistedby an “assisting counsel”.The lawyers appearing formentioning of cases before aparticular Bench were alsorequested to appear inbatches of five. The entry oflaw interns was also restrict-ed for the time-being.

Ordinary,regular casesadjourned


Chandigarh, March 18While the state governmentis gearing up to launch adoor-to-door awareness cam-paign from Thursday, ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh on Wednesday appealedto religious organisations anddera heads to keep gatheringsunder 50 in support of the gov-ernment’s efforts to check thespread of Covid-19.

The Chief Minister, after aseries of review meetings withhealth and other officials, saidwhile Punjab, with one con-firmed case, was so far safe, itcould not afford to be compla-cent in the face of the spread ofcoronavirus globally.

The government was mullingto give bail to those convicted ofminor offences and parole tothose who had spent consid-erable time in jail, said CaptAmarinder, pointing out thatthe Supreme Court hadtalked about decongestingthe prisons. The final decisionwould, however, depend onthe courts. Advocate-GeneralAtul Nanda was taking up thematter with the Chief Justice

of the Punjab & HaryanaHigh Court, he added.

Strict monitoring was beingconducted of all those arriv-ing from high-risk countriesand so far, 116 suspected cas-es had been tested, he added.

The Chief Minister said hisgovernment was also ready tolook into providing mid-daymeals to students at homes or,alternatively, putting moneyinto their accounts, althoughno such request had beenreceived so far. He urged theelderly to take extra precau-tions and also appreciatedthe hard work of the doctorsand other medical staff.

Deras told to limitreligious gatherings

Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singhreviews situation


Mohali, March 18The state government hasreleased Rs 1 crore to eachmedical college in Amritsar,Faridkot and Patiala to tack-le Covid. Medical Educationand Research Minister,Punjab, OP Soni at a meet-ing with various medicalcouncils of the state as wellas representatives of thePatiala Medical CollegeTeachers Association, saidthe councils should ask itsmembers to educate thepublic about the guidelinesand preventive measures.

He directed officials ofthe pharmacy council toissue instructions to stophoarding masks and sani-tisers. Officials of the den-tal council were told todirect dental surgeons toperform procedures only incase of an emergency.

The minister also directedthe council officials to coor-dinate with civil surgeonsand be ready to offer theirservices in times of need.

He also met the associa-tion of medical college,Patiala, and after listeningto their demands assuredthem of speedy redressal.

Soni appealed to mem-bers of the association toexhort doctors to prescribegeneric medicines.

Among others presentincluded the Principal Sec-retary, Medical Educationand Research, DK Tiwariand Director Medical Edu-cation and Research DrAvneesh Kumar.

~1 cr each to threemedical colleges

Officials have beentold to check

hoarding of masks

New Delhi, March 18A suspected Covid-19 patient,originally from Punjab’s Balachaur, today committedsuicide by jumping off theseventh floor of SafdarjangHospital here.

Tanveer Singh, 23, hadreturned from Sydney thisevening in an Air India flightand reported headache dur-ing the screening process atthe Indira Gandhi Interna-tional Airport.

The Health Ministry saidafter the passenger reported aheadache, one of the symp-toms for Covid-19, he wasreferred to Safdarjung Hospi-tal for further checks as perprotocol being followed tomanage people returning fromCovid-19 affected nations.

“The patient reached Safdar-jang Hospital around 9 pm. Hewas taken to the seventh floorfor admission and evaluation.When doctors reached theroom, he wasn’t found there. Adoctor coming out of buildingobserved a body lying on thefloor at 9.15 pm. She immedi-ately reported. The person was,however, found dead,” theministry said. — TNS

23-year-old, aCovid suspect,commits suicide

A shopping complex in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH

Tribune reporters

Chandigarh, March 18Even as the Group of Minis-ters, headed by the LocalBodies Minister BrahmMohindra, is meeting at regu-lar intervals to take measuresagainst the spread of Covid, a15-day deadline issued to theofficials concerned to makecities and towns garbage-freehas not been met.

Reports from Jalandhar,Ludhiana, Amritsar and otherurban local bodies suggest thatno special drive to make citiesgarbage free was undertaken.

The minister had issuedinstructions on February 17 toensure 100 per cent lifting ofgarbage heaps from everynook and corner of the cities.

Flagging the issue of sanita-tion with Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh in wake ofCovid threat, Punjab Con-

gress chief Sunil Jakhar haspointed towards piles ofgarbage dumps in sometowns and metropolitan citiesdue to strike by sanitationstaff or other reasons.

Seeking the Chief Minis-ter’s intervention, he soughtdirections to the deputy com-

missioners and administra-tors of local bodies to usemoney from disaster man-agement fund and SwachhBharat Mission to ensurecleanliness in their respec-tive segments, saying itwould be difficult to preventspread of pandemic if suchsteps were not taken.

In Jalandhar, every nookand corner stinks in theabsence of a system to dis-pose of garbage. Councillorshave been saying time andagain that cleanliness drivesshould be carried out proper-ly. While hygiene has gone for

a toss, MC officials have beensaying they are makingefforts to ensure that garbageis lifted on a regular basis.

Residents are fearing fortheir health as garbage ispiling up along roads. Twodays ago, the MC Joint Com-missioner held a meetingwith sanitary inspectors,asking them to ensure thatno sanitary worker tookleave and cleanliness driveswere carried out in a propermanner. Recently, 10-daystrike by safai karamcharishad brought the city to astandstill.

Sanitation still a far cry as virus threat looms

A schoolgirl heads home in Patiala. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAJESH SACHAR

■ Ropar: The Indian Insti-tute of Technology,Ropar, which hasextended its mid-semes-ter break till March 31due to Covid fears, hasannounced onlinecourses for its students.

■ Recorded lectures willbe made available to

the students registeredin designated courses.

■ The students will beable to download lec-tures. In the secondphase, the institute will work let studentsinteract with facultymembers in solvingproblems. TNS

Residents on edge as civic bodies fail to follow orders on garbage disposal in citiesLITTERED STREETS, CHOKED DRAINS IN PATIALAPatiala: While posh areas in Patiala are spic-and-span, resi-dents of the old city are fed up with littered streets andchoked drains. In the absence of any check, dairy farm wasteis disposed of into drains.Not only this, the dumping groundat the Sanauri adda, which has over 2 lakh tonnes of garbagepiled up, is yet to catch the attention of the authorities. TNS

SGPC STEPS UP PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AT GOLDEN TEMPLE

IN FIGURES117 SUSPECTED

PATIENTS

1 POSITIVE112 NEGATIVE

4 RESULT AWAITED8 UNDER HOSPITAL

OBSERVATION

1,298 UNDER HOME SURVEILLANCE

Stray cattle rummage through garbage dumped along a road in Jalandhar on Wednesday. SARABJIT SINGH


Jalandhar, March 18Baldev Singh (70), a residentof Pathlawa village, who hadrecently travelled to Germanyand Italy, died at civil hospitalin Banga this morning.

While health officialsmaintain it was a case ofheart attack, at least 15 per-sons, including his familyand the doctor who attendedhim, have been placedunder quarantine. His sam-ple has been sent for testingwhether he had Covid.

Doctors said the family inti-mated the health officials ofBaldev’s travel history only

after he died. Villagers saidwhile the elderly had gone toGermany, he also stoppedover at Italy for a few days,before coming back to India.

Dr Prince Janagill, medicalofficer, said, “The patientreported at the hospital withchest pain early this morn-ing. He died after sometime.All measures as per Covidprotocol were followedthereafter. While the patientdid not visibly display anyCoronavirus symptoms, hehad a history of diabetes andhypertension.

Suspected patient dies in Banga

WILL IMPLEMENT ORDERThe administration

received the notification onWednesday. It takes time forto implement the order. FromThursday, there will be acomplete shutdownVarinder Sharma, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

❝

ONLINE COURSES FOR IIT STUDENTS

Had travelled to Germany, Italy | Kin quarantinedNo suspected case inLudhiana, claims DC

■ DC Pradeep Aggarwal hasclaimed that barring oneperson, whose test reportis awaited, there is no sus-pected case in Ludhiana

■ Of the 11 samples taken bythe Health department inLudhiana, 10 have testednegative. The report of oneis awaited, the DC says

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 19 MARCH 2020 03PUNJAB

Government of IndiaMinistry of Tribal Affairs

National Education Society for Tribal Students

Interested candidates may apply online at https://tribal.nic.in/NESTS.Applications will not be accepted through any other mode. For detailedadvertisement, please visit Ministry’s website (www.tribal.nic.in) under“Whats New”. In case of any query, please contact, Sh. K.C. Meena,Addl. Commissioner at 011-23380068. The last date of receipt ofapplications will be 5th April 2020. Applications received after last datewill not be considered.

S.No.

Position Specialization No. ofPosts

1 Consultant - Grade II Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) 01

2 Consultant - Grade I Human Resource (HR) 01

3 Consultant - Grade I Information Technology (IT) 01

4 Consultant - Grade I Procurement Specialist(Service & Goods)

01

5 Consultant - Grade I Consultant (Finance) 01

6 Young Professional Data Manager 01

7 Consultant - Retired Examination and Processingof Proposals

01

davp 43101/11/0028/1920

Applications are invited from eligible applicants for the followingpositions under the National Education Society for Tribal Students,M/o Tribal Affairs on Contractual basis in its office located at New Delhi.

Job OpportunitiesENGAGEMENT OF CONSULTANTS

Sd/- (K.C. Meena)Additional Commissioner

E-TENDER NOTICEThe Joint Director, Animal Husbandry, Palampur hereby invites

3 separate online tenders from desirous tenderers, for outsourcing servicesof various works at Sperm Station, Palampur, Jersey Cattle BreedingFarm, Palampur and Banuri and ETT Lab. Banuri.

1. Date of online publication of e-tender 17.03.2020, 11 A.M.

2. Last date of physical submission of tenders 06.04.2020 up till 5:00 PM.

3. Last date of online submission of tenders 07.04.2020 till 11:00 A.M.

4. Date of opening of online tenders 07.04.2020 at 11.30 A.M.

The detail of work/s is as under:

1. Outsourcing of services of various works at Sperm Station, Palampur(Separately).

2. Outsourcing of services of various works at Jersey Farm, Palampur& Banuri (Separately).

3. Outsourcing of services of various works at ETT Lab. Banuri (Separately).

The tender documents (Costing Rs. 500/-) containing details/natureof works as well as terms & conditions are available online and should besubmitted online mode on website http://hptenders.gov.in and amountof tender documents can be deposited through DD favouring The JointDirector, Animal Husbandry, Palampur by post or at the time of openingof tenders.

Joint Director,Animal Husbandry, Palampur,

Distt. Kangra, H.P.Ph. No. 01894-230529

(E-mail: [email protected])DPR/HP/5574


Ludhiana March 18The Organised Crime ControlUnit (OCCU) of the PunjabPolice has recovered 10 kggold from one of the accusedwho looted 30 kg gold from abranch of India InfolineFinance Limited here on Feb-ruary 17. The recovery wasmade from a hideout of Amrit-pal Singh who is currently inthe custody of the OCCU.

Besides, the OCCU hasalso recovered one pistol andtwo rifles from the accused.

Inspector General ofPolice (IGP), OCCU, Kun-war Vijay Pratap Singh,said the gold was recoveredfrom Amritpal’s hideout inMohali. Amritpal wasarrested on Tuesday.

He is one of the five gangmembers who committed thecrime. “Three accused havebeen nabbed so far in the caseafter a breakthrough camewith arrest of gangsterGagandeep Judge. Theremaining accused Jaipal andGursewak Singh will also bearrested soon,” said the IGP.

An OCCU team had on lastThursday arrested Gagan inChandigarh. Gagan and hisgang members are involvedin more than two dozencriminal cases, including acontract killing.

Following his questioning,Pardeep Singh of Gardiwalavillage (Hoshiarpur) andHarpreet Singh of PeerMohammad village (Fer-ozepur) were arrested onSunday. Pardeep was

involved in the robberywhile Harpreet had har-boured the accused.

Praising the efforts of theOCCU in the case, DGPDinkar Gupta said thepolice were committed tomaintaining law and orderin the state. “The OCCU hasdone exemplary work in thecase and broken the back-bone of the gang. Theremaining accused will bearrested soon,” he said.

10 kg gold looted fromLudhiana firm seizedTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18The Vigilance Bureau todaynabbed two Assistant SubInspectors (ASIs) posted inthe narcotic cell, Amritsar,while allegedly accepting abribe of Rs 15,000.

An official spokespersonsaid ASIs Tilak Singh andPragat Singh were nabbedon the complaint of RajeshBabbar of Amrtisar district.The complainant hadapproached the VB andalleged that the accusedwere demanding Rs 20,000for not registering anothernarcotics case against thebrother of complainantregarding recovery oftablets and the deal wasstruck at Rs 15,000.

After verifying the infor-mation, the vigilance teamlaid a trap and the twoAssistant Sub Inspectorswere arrested on the spotwhile taking Rs 15,000 fromthe complainant.

A case under the Preven-tion of Corruption Act has been registered and fur-ther investigations wereunder progress.

Vigilancenabs 2 ASIsfor bribery


Chandigarh, March 18More than 25 years after“militant” Gurnam SinghBandala, alias Neela Tara,was shown to have beenkilled in an encounter butwas found to be alive lateron, a special investigatingteam (SIT) has sought Pun-jab and Haryana HighCourt’s permission to probethe matter.

The SIT, headed by DGPSiddharth Chattopad-hyaya, was constituted bythe High Court after theBench was told that 26-year-old Sukhpal Singhactually died in theencounter, but Bandala wasshown to have been killed.

The plea came in connec-tion a petition filed in 2013by the victim’s wife DalbirKaur and his father JagirSingh of Kala Afghana vil-lage. They had alleged thatBandala, reportedly killedin the police encounter in1994, was later caught alive.

In its status report submit-ted before Justice Lisa Gillof the High Court, SITrecorded the statement ofBandala, Dalbir Kaur and

others was recorded. Itadded that the encounterdated July 29, 1994, pertain-ing to FIR number 63 forattempt to murder andanother offence under Sec-tion 307 and 34 of the IPCand the provisions of theArms Act and TADA atMorinda police station inRopar district appeared tobe “intricately linked” to theprobe being carried out by itregarding disappearance ofSukhdev Singh. As such,

further investigation of bothcases was required to beconducted.

IGP Paramjaj SinghUmranangal’s functioningin the matter has alreadybeen brought to the HighCourt’s notice. Dalbir Kaurhad earlier filed an addition-al affidavit reiterating herdemand for a CBI probe intothe alleged fake encounterafter alleging attempts bythe government to shieldUmranangal.

Referring to the case inhand, she had earlieralleged that the callousnessof the state governmentcould also be seen from thefact that there were directallegations against him, butthe investigation was beingconducted by an officer whowas subordinate to him.

In the affidavit filedthrough counsel R Kartikeya,Dalbir Kaur submitted thathe was habitual of misusinghis power and position. Butunfortunately after everysuch event, the state grantedhim ample time to destroyevidence and cover up hislapses, thereby precludingthe victims from an opportu-nity of seeking justice.

SIT seeks High Court approvalto investigate 1994 encounter

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, March 18A former vice-chairperson ofthe Jalalabad block samiti,Raj Rani, and three othershave been booked forallegedly extorting moneyfrom a man by threatening toimplicate him in a rape case.

Raj Rani, a SAD leader, isa resident of LadhuwalaHithar village in the Jalal-abad subdivision

Daljit Singh, a resident ofSinghewala village, allegedthat he was being black-mailed by the four accused,including three women.The accused demanded Rs5 lakh from Daljit Singhwho reportedly paid theamount to them to preventhimself from social stigma.

Later, both the partiesreached a compromise.

Daljit Singh lodged a com-plaint with the SSP. After con-ducting an inquiry, a case wasregistered today againstSalma, Raj Rani, BinderKaur and Jagroop Singhunder Sections 384, 389, 193,506 and 120-B of the IndianPenal Code. No one has beenarrested so far.

Former blocksamiti leaderbooked forextortion

PLEA FILED IN 2013 ■ The SIT was constituted

after the HC was told that26-year-old Sukhpal Singhactually died in theencounter, but Bandala wasshown to have been killed.

■ The plea came in con-nection a petition filed in2013 by the victim’s wifeDalbir Kaur and hisfather Jagir Singh of KalaAfghana village

Chandigarh March 18Former Chief MinisterParkash Singh Badal todayasked Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh to explain“why his government is notacting against Congress lead-ers Kushaldeep Singh KikiDhillon and Gurpreet SinghKangar despite evidenceagainst them for puttingpressure on the key witnessof Behbal Kalan incident thatled to his death”.

Badal demanded that theaccused should be arrestedon charges of interfering withthe due process of law andquestioned on the motivesbehind “their attempts tocoerce the eyewitness tochange his stance”.

“The hapless widow of theprincipal eye witness hasbeen running from pillar topost seeking action againstthe Congress leaders, allegingthat they put her husbandunder unbearable strain tocoerce him to change hisstatement and tell lies on themost crucial link in the chainof sacrilege events. Why is shebeing denied justice?” theAkali patron asked. — TNS

CM shieldingleaders inwitness deathcase: Badal


Chandigarh, March 18Congress leaders and MLAsare up in arms against itsown government over theappointment of chairmen,vice-chairmen and mem-bers of market committees,announced yesterday.

Several MLAs are upsetover not being consultedwhile making the politicalappointments in theirrespective constituencies,coinciding with the threeyears of Congress govern-ment in the state. Of the total154 market committees,members of over 50 commit-tees have been announced inthe last two days. Membersof 47 other committees wereannounced earlier.

Sources said in view ofstrong resentment from cer-tain quarters, the appoint-ments for the remainingcommittees could bedelayed. Some of the MLAstoday held meetings to dis-cuss the way forward forbeing “ignored”.

Resentment is prevailingamong the MLAs in Lud-

haina, Zira, Amritsar, Fer-ozepur, Patiala, besides oth-er places. Senior ministersSukhjinder Singh Rand-hawa, Tript Rajinder Bajwaand Sukhbinder Sarkariaare learnt to have taken upthe issue with Chief Minis-ter Capt Amarinder Singh,while the MLAs are learntto have approached PPCCchief Sunil Jakhar.

In Ludhiana, Darshan Ladoohas been made chairman ofthe Market Committee. Ash-wani Sharma, a former Ludhi-ana district president, said“Darshan is not even a mem-ber of the party. The recom-mendations of the party MLAshave not been taken in to con-sideration.” In Zira, two familymembers of Congress leadersand a vice chairman in PunjabMandi Board have beenadjusted. Similarly, there isresentment over the appoint-ments in Bhadur (Barnala).

Dissent in Cong as MLAs‘not’ consulted for postings

Amritsar, March 18Congress MLA and former

minister NavjotSingh Sidhu hasposted anothervideo on hisYouTube channel,saying that his

fight was about the ideology,and not with any individual.

In a 4.45-minute clip on hisYouTube channel ‘JittegaPunjab’, Sidhu said he wantedto serve the nation and fightfor the right of its citizens.

Calling upon people tounite for their rights, Sidhusaid whenever he had beenpart of the government, hehad always stood against thecorrupt system. Citing thedark days of terrorism, hesaid it was people’s unity thatovercame it. Now, the timewas to bring back the lost glo-ry of Punjab. Sidhu hadlaunched the channel on March14, but soon its clones emerged.Taking cognisance of it,YouTube has sent notices to ille-gal channel. — TNS

Sidhu: My fight is about ideology

Of 154 market panels,members of over 50

have been announcedin the last two days

SOME JEWELLERS UNDER LENS, SAYS IGP IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, said some of the stolen gold wassold to a few jewellers below the market rate in Punjab. He saidthe suspected jewellers were already under the scanner..

MLA gives ~5 lakhfor repair of roadHoshiarpur:Chabbewal MLARaj Kumar has given Rs 5lakh out of his pocket to thePublic Works Department forimmediate repair of theChabbewal-Bassi Kalan road.Kumar, who inspected theroad on Wednesday, took thedecision after funds could notbe sanctioned for recarpetingdespite repeated requests. OC

THE TRIBUNE04 GURUGRAM | THURSDAY | 19 MARCH 2020PUNJAB

HIMACHAL PRADESH

I&PH DEPARTMENTPRESS NOTICE INVITING OFFLINE TENDERS

The Executive Engineer, IPH Division Hamirpur invites tenders on behalf of Governor of Himachal Pradesh fromapproved eligible contractors for the following work(s) through offline Process:-

Name of work Estimatedcost

EarnestMoney

Time ofcompletion

Construction of inspection Hut and IPH Colony at Salasi in Tehsil and Distt.Hamirpur (SH:- Providing and plantation of selection grade No. 1 Ornamentalgrass and other seasonal flowers and ornamental plants).

Rs.372046/-

Rs.7441/-

3 months

A/R & M/O of Sewerage Scheme to Hamirpur Town in Tehsil and Distt. Hamirpur(SH:- Raising of Manhole chambers from Bye Pass (Pucca Bharoh) to DosarkaChowk near Nadaun Chowk and Anu Chowk) Job-1.

Rs.399191/-

Rs.7984/-

3 months

A/R & M/O of Sewerage Scheme to Hamirpur Town in Tehsil and Distt. Hamirpur(SH:- Raising of Manhole Chambers from Bye Pass (Pucca Bharoh) to DosarkaChowk, near Nadaun Chowk and Anu Chowk) Job-II.

Rs.396191/-

Rs.7924/-

3 months

Providing household connection by the Ministry of Jal Shakti Har Ghar Nal Se Jalunder LWSS Bharin Bhalera, LWSS Kangoo Gasota and LWSS Bhalla JamliMandir in Tehsil and Distt. Hamirpur (SH:- Excavation, laying, jointing testing ofGI pipe of 32mm dia Harizen Basti Balah Baroha).

Rs.181060/-

Rs.3621/-

3 months

Improvement and Remodelling of LWSS Hamirpur Town in Tehsil and Distt.Hamirpur (SH:- Excavation, laying, jointing testing of GI pipe of 40mm dia fromHira Nagar tank to Krishna Nagar).

Rs.168818/-

Rs.3376/-

3 months

Construction of inspection Hut and IPH Colony at Salasi in Tehsil and Distt.Hamirpur (SH:- Construction of Cement concrete approach road RD 0/0 to 72 Rmt.

Rs.410352/-

Rs.8207/-

3 Months

A/R & M/O of STP NIT Hamirpur in Tehsil and Distt. Hamirpur (SH:- Deploymentof 3 No. PO, 1 No. Chowkidar 3 Nos. Beldar at STP NIT Hamirpur for 90 days).

Rs.255990/-

Rs.5120/-

3 Months

Last date of sale of tender from divisional office 26.03.2020 up to 3.00 p.m. The tender forms and other detailedconditions can be downloaded from the website: www.hpiph.org or from office of Executive Engineer, IPH DivisionHamirpur upto date specified above.

Executive Engineer,

IPH Division Hamirpur.DPR/HP/5545

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCESRAJASTHAN FEEDER DIVISION, FEROZEPUR

Website: https://eproc.punjab.gov.in/E-Tendering Notice No. 8/Rajasthan/FZR/2019-20 Dated 17.03.2020

TENDER NOTICE

Secure online submission of tendersE-Tenders on work Order Basis for the various works (as per detail given on website) are hereby invited on behalf of the

Governor of Punjab through our website https://eproc. punjab.gov.in/ from approved and eligible Contractors/ Agencies/L&CSocieties registered with Punjab Water Resource Department & Punjab PWD B&R Department as per details given below:-

Bidding Processi) Sale of bid document Form : From 18.03.2020 at 16:00 to 23.03.2020 at 11:00 a.m.ii) Tender Closing Date : 23.03.2020 at 11:00 a.m.iii) Opening of Technical Bid : 23.03.2020 at 12:00 Nooniv) Opening of Financial Bid : 23.03.2020 at 3:00 p.m.

General Instructions to Bidders1) Tenders in any other form except E-tendering shall not be accepted.2) All tendering process such as sale of tender documents, Processing fee, deposit of Earnest Money and submission

of bid document shall be carried out online through our website https://eproc.punjab.gov.in only.3) No Separate corrigendum will be issued in the newspaper.

Sr.No.

Name of Work EstimatedCost (in lacs)

EarnestMoney @2%

Cost of tenderform (Rs.)

1 Estimate for cross bund at RD 496100 of Rajasthan Feeder 68.84 138000/- 5000/-

2 Estimate for cross bund at RD 388900 of Rajasthan Feeder 71.46 142900/- 5000/-

3 Estimate for the diversion cut in common bank of RF & SF at RD 496300 ofRajasthan Feeder

86.28 173000/- 5000/-

4 Estimate for the diversion cut in common bank of RF & SF at RD 388800 ofRajasthan Feeder

67.70 I35000/- 5000/-

Sd/- Executive Engineer, Rajasthan Feeder Division, Ferozepur.DPR/Pb/837D

Ruchika M KhannaTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18Causing a serious threat tothe environment, brick-kilns across the state havestarted using ground rub-ber of used tyres as fuel.This is leading to excessrelease of sulfur dioxide inthe atmosphere.

Brick-kilns are legallyallowed to use only coal orsaw dust as fuel. But to savecosts as well as bake bricksof a much lighter colour,many brick kilns are report-edly getting used truck andbus tyres, getting themground and using the mix-ture as fuel. This is not justleading to release of harm-ful sulfur dioxide in theatmosphere, but also emit-ting an unbearable stench.

Sources told The Tribunethat more than 50 per centof the kilns had switched tousing ground rubber as analternative to coal. “Whilecoal is available for ~10 perkg, ground rubber costs ~7-8 per kg. Several tonnes offuel is required in a kilneach day, especially nowwhen the bricks are madein huge quantities andstocked for the lean periodof monsoons. Since thefumes released are colour-less, the chances of beingdetected by the pollutioncontrol board officials arealso less,” said a kiln ownerin Ludhiana, requesting

anonymity. He said thoughsaw dust was also allowedfor use as fuel, it was notpreferred because of its lowcalorific value.

While the Punjab Pollu-tion Control Board (PPCB)has launched a massivecampaign to check the vio-lation of pollution normsby kilns, sources said theuse of ground rubber wasgoing largely undetected.“There are 2,700 brick-kilns in the state and morethan 60 per cent havestarted using ground rub-ber,” said another kiln

owner in Hoshiarpur. The PPCB has set a limit

of 60 micrograms as permis-sible limit for the sulfurdioxide. Official sourcessaid before this practicestarted, the concentrationof sulfur dioxide was 20micrograms, which couldhave gone up now.

They said they hadlaunched a massive state-wide campaign to check theshifting of kilns to zigzagtechnology when they dis-covered the use of this sul-fur-generating fuel. “Wehave found several kilns

using ground rubber inDehlon block of Ludhianaand in Bathinda. Ourefforts will be intensified incoming days and all thoseusing this banned fuel willbe issued notices for clo-sure,” said Krunesh Garg,member secretary, PPCB.

He added that the boardwas aggressively trying toimplement the switchingover of kilns to the zigzagtechnology, and in the pastfew days, environmentalcompensation of ~1.25 crorehad been imposed ondefaulting kilns.

Brick-kilns flout pollutionnorms, use rubber as fuel


Ludhiana, March 18After samples of road materi-al and interlocking tiles, tak-en from four areas of the city,failed the quality test, theCouncil of RTI Activists hassought a vigilance inquiryinto the matter.

Members alleged publicmoney was being wasted onpoor quality work in the city.

The MC’s quality controlteam had collected ready mixconcrete (RMC) and RCCroads samples from differentareas in the past one month.

The average thickness ofcollected samples at the RKroad was found to be 6 mmagainst the required 12 mm,while the average thicknessof samples at the Circularroad near the Daresi groundwas 4 mm against therequired 6 mm .

Besides, the thickness wasfound to be less than therequired level at BabaMukand Singh Nagar. Ninesamples of interlocking tilescollected from the streets of

the Sewakpura area failedthe strength test too.

Rohit Sabharwal of theCouncil of Engineers hasfiled a complaint with theChief Secretary, Punjab,ADGP-cum-Chief Director(Vigilance) and Secretary(Vigilance), requesting themto mark an inquiry.

He alleged that this was caus-

ing loss to the state exchequeras sub-standard material wasbeing used on roads.

“I have demanded a Vigi-lance inquiry into the matter.Public money should not bewasted this way,” he said.

A number of city roadshave either given way or suf-fered damage days afterrepairs in the past.

VB probe sought into poorroad work in Ludhiana


Ropar, March 18AAP leaders have allegedthat the Punjab State PowerCorportion Ltd (PSPCL) wasfavouring departments andindividuals by not recoveringelectricity bills worth over~110 crore from them.

In a press conference, AAPdistrict observer Satvit Walia,district media in-charge Ran-jit Singh Patialan,spokesman Balwinder SinghGill and senior leaderSurinder Singh claimed theyhad a list of more than 500government and privatedefaulters under the RTI Actwho had not paid power bills.

They alleged the RoparMunicipal Council was on thetop of the list of defaulters. “Ithas not paid power bill ofmore than ~2.7 crore,” he said.They alleged that others whohad not paid bills includedPunjab Alkalies and Chemi-cals Limited, Nangal, (~28.2lakh); Improvement Trust,Ropar (~24.43 lakh); PunjabRoadways (~5 lakh); Mini Sec-retariat (~12.8 lakh); SDO,Sirhind Canal, Mankapur (~18lakh); toll plaza (~12.11 lakh),ITI, Ropar (~5.72 lakh); andCIA staff office (~1.89 lakh).

The power bills of the DCoffice and SSP residencewere also pending, theyclaimed.

PSPCL SuperintendentEngineer Satwinder Singhsaid he had joined recently. Hesaid he would take strict actionagainst the defaulters, if any.

~110 crorepower billspending: AAP

Chandigarh, March 18 Union Food Processing Indus-tries Minister HarsimratBadal has asked CM CaptAmarinder Singh to pay “seri-ous attention” to Ladhowalmega food park project andensure its early completion,saying lethargy on the part ofthe Punjab government haddelayed the project by twoyears and deprived farmersand youth of its benefits.

In a letter to the CM, theminister said the food parkwas approved by her min-istry in 2015 with a grant-in-aid of ~50 crore, out of which~35 crore had been releasedto Punjab Agro IndustriesCorporation (PAIC), the

implementing agency. She said the project had a

completion deadline of 2018,but poor planning and slowdecision making of the Con-gress government had result-ed in frequent changes in theproject components due towhich the PAIC had repeat-edly missed target timelinesfor completion of the project.

Harsimrat, who was reply-ing to the letter from the ChiefMinister requesting therelease of fourth and finalinstallment for the project,told the CM that he was notupdated about the correctposition of the project. Shesaid only four units were oper-ational at the park. — TNS

Expedite food parkproject: Harsimrat

Chandigarh, March 18The High Court todayissued a notice to the Speak-er of Punjab Vidhan Sabhaon a plea seeking directionto take a decision on dis-qualification of BholathMLA Sukhpal Singh Khairafrom the state Assembly.

A notice has also beenissued to Khaira on a petitionfiled by Harsimran Singh.Describing himself as a regis-tered voter, the petitionersubmitted that Khaira waselected MLA from Bholathon AAP ticket in the Assem-bly polls in March 2017.

But in a press briefing onJanuary 6, 2019, he announcedhis resignation from the pri-mary membership of AAP, theparty on whose ticket he hadcontested the Assembly elec-tions and emerged victorious.Just about two days later,Khaira along with six otherMLAs from Punjab held a con-gregation and floated a newregional political party “Pun-jab Ekta Party”.

“In the present case, Khairahas voluntarily given up themembership of AAP. He alsosubmitted his resignation onApril 25, 2019, to the Speaker.The resignation was with-drawn by him after almost sixmonths,” the petitioner added.

The Bench was also told thefaith of voters belonging to theBholath segment had beencompromised by Khaira’sactions. The Speaker shouldtake a decision on his disqual-ification from the member-ship of the Assembly in accor-dance with 10th schedule ofthe Constitution. — TNS

HC notice to Speaker

Mohali, March 18The NIA on Wednesday fileda chargesheet against ninemembers of Khalistan Zind-abad Force (KZF) terroristgroup for their allegedinvolvement in a case relat-ing to dropping of arms andammunition in Punjab bydrones from Pakistan.

All accused, including twosenior citizens, have beencharged with relevant provi-sions of the IPC, UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act,Arms Act and ExplosivesSubstances Act, an NIAspokesperson said.

Akashdeep Singh (21),Balwant Singh (48), Harbha-jan Singh (65), Balbir Singh(70), Maan Singh (43), Gur-dev Singh (40), ShubhdeepSingh (21), SajanpreetSingh (22) and RomandeepSingh (20) have been namedin the chargesheet.

The case relates to theinformation that Pakistan-based chief of KZF, Ran-jeet Singh in connivancewith Gurmeet Singh havesmuggled arms, ammuni-tion, explosives and fakeIndian currency notes intoIndia via drones from Pak-istan, the investigationagency said.

These consignments werereceived by their associatesAkashdeep, Balwant, Harb-hajan, Balbir and Shubhdeepin India in order to revive ter-rorism in Punjab and carryout a terror attack in the coun-try, the spokesperson said.

Subsequently, Akashdeep,Balwant, Balbir and Harbha-

jan were arrested from TarnTaran on September 22 lastyear along with a huge cacheof arms, ammunition, explo-sives and communicationdevices, the official said.

Akashdeep was recruitedby Maan and Gurdev andthe terror conspiracy washatched in Amritsar CentralJail during 2018-19 when thethree were in judicial cus-tody in other crimes.

Further investigationrevealed that the consign-ments were sent through atotal of eight sorties ofdrones in August and Sep-tember last year. The con-signments were received byAkashdeep, Subhdeep,Sajanpreet and Romandeep.Further investigationagainst absconding accusedGurmeet and Ranjit andother suspects continues,the NIA added. — PTI

NIA files chargesheet against9 KZFactivists in drone case

Coal is available for ~10 per kg,while ground rubber costs ~7 to ~8.Chances of being detected are negligibleas fumes from rubber are colourless.Brick-kiln owner in Ludhiana

❝‘COAL IS EXPENSIVE’

All brick-kilns using ground rubberas fuel will be issued closure notices.The PPCB is trying to implement thezigzag technology in kilns.Krunesh Garg, MEMBER SECRETARY, PPCB

❝OFFICIAL VERSION

Brick-kilns allowedto use only coal or

saw dust as fuel

2,700KILNS IN STATE 60% USE GROUND

RUBBER

All accused, includingtwo senior citizens,

charged under UAPAPetition seeks Khaira’sdisqualification from

House as legislator

WAREHOUSING CORPN CHIEF TAKES CHARGE

Chandigarh: Dwarka Das Arora took over as chairman ofPunjab State Container and Warehousing Corporation, inChandigarh on Friday. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singhhad cleared Arora's name as chairman of the corporations.Arora took charge of office in the presence of Cabinet minis-ters Vijay Inder Singla, Sunder Sham Arora, Om PrakashSoni and Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi. He said he would workto put Punjab industry back on track. TNS

The average thickness of the RK road in Ludhiana was found tobe 6 mm against the required 12 mm. FILE PHOTO

Samples of construction material collectedfrom four areas fail quality test

THE TRIBUNE06 CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 19 MARCH 2020HARYANA

I, Manjit Singh S/o Pritam SinghR/o Raipur Gujran, Tehsil BassiPathana, District Fatehgarh Sahib thatI have changed name of minor sonAmanjot Singh to Amanjot SinghGhuman. (CL19181808)

I, No. 3995445N Ex Hav Ajay Kumars/o Banka Ram, Vill. Harlot, POBasantpur, Teh. Sarkaghat, Distt.Mandi, HP declare that my wife nameand DoB wrongly mention as VeenaKumari 20.11.1980 in my Armyrecord. Correct name Veena Devi9.06.1980. All concerned note.(CL19181797)

I Sinder Kaur W/O Baljit Singh R/OVPO Kachhwa Farm Distt Karnalhave changed my name to SurenderKaur (CL19181778)

I Malik Singh S/O Para Singh R/OVillage Nimnabad Distt Jind havechanged my name to Malak Singh(CL19181773)

I, Rajinder Kaur w/o Ranjit Singhr/o # 1509/1, Manimajra, ChurianwalaMohalla, Chandigarh have changedmy name to Rani. (CL19181694)

It is notified for the information thatmy original passing certificate of mainSenior Secondary Examination ofSession 2011-12, Roll No. 2688865issued by CBSE has been actually lost.Name Harpreet Kaur, Address:Dasmesh Nagar, VPO Chander Kalan,Teh. Tohana (Fatehabad), Haryana.(CL19181676)

I, Sheela Rochak Sharma w/oRochakSharma r/o 87, Sarv MangalSociety, Lohgarh Road, Zirakpur havechanged myminor daughter’s namefrom Chavi Jearth to Chhavi Kaushik.(CL19181673)

I, Harwinder Kaur w/o KarnailSingh, Village Khanpur, PO Hafizabad(Ropar), have changed my name asHarvinder Kaur, please noted.(CL19181672)

I, Umasheesh w/o Ashdeep SinghAneja r/o 848, 1st Floor, Sector 78,Distt. SAS Nagar, Mohali, havechanged my name from Umasheesh toAshmeen Kaur Aneja. (CL19181330)

I, Heera Singh s/o Boota Singh r/o Vill Makhu, Ferozepur, Pb., changed my name to Hira Singh Iganpal for all purposes.(CL19181309)

PUBLIC NOTICES

Principal required in SarvhitkariEducational Society (Regd.) Punjabfor its various schools in Punjab. Application with recent photographs along with testimonials must reach within 15 days. Handsome salary. General Secretary. VidyaDham, Guru Gobind Singh Avenue,Jalandhar. Contact: 78144-17105. Email: [email protected](CL19181834)

Future Flying IELTS & Immigration IELTS, PTE & GTteachers required Talwandi Sabo.Cont.- 94656-92192. (CL19181792)

English, Science, General(Kindergarten), PTI, Punjabi, Art &Craft, Maths and Social Science teachers required for AkalAcademy with B.Ed./ ETT/ D.El.Ed.for Dakra Sahib (Computer Teacher),near Raipur Rani, Akal Academy Holi, near M.M. University Mullana,Barara, Akal Academy Majri (Ambala) and for Akal Academy Manoli Surat, Distt. Mohali. Freshers may also apply Transport facility is available.Salary: 10,000 to 15,000. Walk ininterview & Test: Sharp 10:30 amonly. Gurudwara Saheed Baba DeepSingh Ji, Ichaa Poorak Dham, nearVillage Devinagar, G.T. Road, AmbalaCity (98720-18459) on 21.03.2020.(CL19181768)

DAV Public School, Radaur(Yamuna Nagar), Affiliated to CBSE(Under DAVMC, New Delhi) PGT -English, Chemistry, Maths, PhysicalEducation. TGT/PRT - English,Maths, S.St. Also required MusicTeacher, PTI/Yoga Teacher (Female)and a General Teacher with fluency inspoken English. Experiencedcandidates preferred. Salary Rs.20,000/- to 30,000/-. Even salary nobar for brilliant/ experiencedcandidates. Bright future for brilliantcandidates. Transport facility fromYamuna Nagar. Apply by post orEmail ([email protected])(CL19181700)

Urgently required Teachers PGT: Political Science, History,Computer (JAVA), PRT: English, Art & Craft and Lady Dance Teacher. Send your resume [email protected] or contact: 94789-50505. (CL19181628)

R.K.S. International Public School,Janer, Moga, Punjabi. A CBSEAffiliated School requires energeticand experienced staff as follows: PRTall subjects (02). TGT - English,Science, Computer and PET each one.Handsome salary with CBSE norms.Free transportation from Moga andaccommodation for outstationedcandidates. Fresher may apply,interested may send your resume at:[email protected] or Contact thePrincipal. 75088-03000.(CL19181329)

Required Sales Officer forMarketing in FMCG for tricity. Contact 99998-30192.(CL19180970)

Required TGT - English, Hindi,Mathematics, Social Science & PRT,attend walk-in interview on 21stMarch 2020 (Saturday) at 10.00 a.m.alongwith testimonials, bus facility available from Jalandhar. MD Dayanand Model School,Nakodar, CBSE Affiliated, (UnderDAV College Managing Committee,New Delhi). Manager/Principal.(CL19180956)

SITUATION VACANT

(U/o 5 Rule 20 CPC)In the Court of

Sh. Ravi Gulati, PCS,Civil Judge,

Senior Division,Sri Muktsar Sahib.

Punjab State Civil SupplyVersus

Nanak SinghSuit for the Recovery of Rs.

23,34,676.40/- as principal andinterest @ 12% from 4.10.2016till actual realization.

CNR No.:PBSM02-000876-2019Next Date: 15.04.2020

Publication issued to: NanakSingh son Bhagwant Singh, FieldOfficer (Retired) PUNSUP, SriMuktsar Sahib, now resident ofHouse No. 7387, NirankariBhawan Wali Gali, KKP Road,Sri Muktsar Sahib.

In above titled case, thedefendant(s)/respondent(s) couldnot be served. It is ordered thatdefendant (s ) / respondent (s )should appear in person orthrough counsel on 15.04.2020 at10.00 a.m.

For details logon tohttps://highcourtchd.gov.in/?trs=district_notice&district=

muktsarDated, this day of 07.03.2020.

Sd/-Civil Judge,

Senior Division,Sri Muktsar Sahib.

CL19181810

(U/o 5 Rule 20 CPC)In the Court of

Sh. Kushal SinglaCivil Judge Jr. Divn., Chandigarh.

Sher Singh JainVersus

M/s Curo India P. Ltd.CNR No.: CHCH02-000294-2020

Next Date: 17.04.2020Publication issued to:M/s Curo India P. Ltd. 1. K-28, Green

Park Extension, New Delhi-110016through its Managing Director/Authorised Signatory, 2nd Address: Itslocal and site office as M/s Curo One,Mullanpur Garib Dass, New Chandigarh,Old Barrier, District Mohali (SAS Nagar),3rd Address: H.No. 2087, Sector 15C,Chandigarh. 2. M.D. M/s Curo India P.Ltd., K-28, Green Park Extension, NewDelhi-110016. 2nd Address: ManagingDirector of M/s Curo One, MullanpurGarib Dass, New Chandigarh, Old BarrierDistrict Mohali (SAS Nagar), 3rdAddress: Sh. Pawan Garg, ManagingDirector of M/s Curo India (P) Ltd.,H.No. 2087, Sector 15-C, Chandigarh. 3.Col. Anil Kumar Authorised Signatory ofM/s Curo India P. Ltd., K-28, Green ParkExtension, New Delhi-110016. 2ndAddress: Col. Anil Kumar AuthorisedSignatory of M/s Curo One, MullanpurGarib Dass, New Chandigarh, Old BarrierDistrict Mohali (SAS Nagar), 3rdAddress: Col. Anil Kumar AuthorisedSignatory of M/s Curo India (P) Ltd.,H.No. 2087, Sector 15-C, Chandigarh.

In above titled case, the defendant(s)/respondent(s) could not be served. It isordered that defendant(s)/ respondent(s)should appear in person or throughcounsel on 17.04.2020 at 10.00 a.m.

For details logon tohttps://highcourtchd.gov.in/?trs=

district_notice&district=chandigarhDated, this day of 16.03.2020.

Sd/- Civil Judge Jr. Divn.,CL19181731 Chandigarh.

(U/O 5 Rule 20 CPC)In the Court of

Akshdeep MahajanAdditional Districtand Sessions Judge,

KarnalCNR No.

HRKR01-007898-2017Next date: 02.05.2020

JoginderoVersus

Satish KumarPublication issued to:2. Kamlesh Bhardwaj

spouse: Sh Satya Narayan r/oVillage Gujjar Ghatal, Distt.Rewari. (Regd owner ofoffending vehicle bearingRegistration No. HR-47-A-3870), Haryana.

In above titled case thedefendant(s)/respondent(s)could not be served. It isordered that defendant(s)/respondent(s) should appearin person or through counselon 02.05.2020 at 10.00 a.m.

For details logon tohttps://highcourtchd.gov.in/?

trs=district_notice&district=karnal

Dated, this day of06.03.2020.

Sd/- (Akshdeep Mahajan),Additional District

and Sessions Judge,CL19132242 Karnal.

COURT NOTICES

I, Kulwinder Singh s/o JoginderSingh r/o Vill. Jagatpura, JorrianSadkan, Block Sanour, Patiala, havechanged my minor son’s name fromYuvraj Singh to Yuvraj Singh Bhinder.(CL19181851)

I, Rajeev Kumar S/o Chander BhanR/o H.No. 426, Mandi Gurdaspurdeclare that my name in School recordof my minor daughter Ginni Tripathibe corrected as Rajeev Kumar fromRajeev Tripathi. (CL19181836)

PUBLIC NOTICES

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Rohtak, March 18The state government willestablish two more laborato-ries with facilities to testCovid at the governmentmedical colleges in Karnaland Nalhar in Mewat.

Two such laboratories arealready functional at RohtakPGIMS and BPS MedicalCollege for Women, KhanpurKalan (Sonepat).

The government alsoreleased Rs 4.50 crore forRohtak-PGIMS today forthe purchase of more ven-tilators and other equip-ment required at theintensive-care facilities inorder to strengthen Covidpreparedness.

The decisions were takenat a meeting held throughvideoconferencing chairedby Haryana Additional ChiefSecretary (Medical Educa-tion and Research) AlokNigam and attended byRohtak-based University ofHealth Sciences Vice-Chan-cellor OP Kalra, Registrar DrHK Aggarwal, PGIMS Direc-tor Dr Rohtash K Yadav,Nodal Officer Dr DhruvChaudhary and the directorsof other medical colleges.

Two more testinglabs to come upat Karnal, Nalhar

Sumedha SharmaTribune News Service

Gurugram, March 18With Gurugram getting fourpositive cases of Covid, thecity is headed for a lockdown,with the local administrationclosing all shopping malls,gymnasiums, swimmingpools, spas and weeklybazaars till March 31 andrestricting social and reli-gious gatherings to 50 people.

While official figuresreleased by the state heathauthorities mention onlytwo confirmed patients, thenumber has risen to four,according to senior offi-cials. The third patient isthe wife of a Nirvana Coun-try resident. The 56-year-old patient, admitted toSafdarjung, tested positivefor Covid today and wasshifted. The fourth patientis a 22-year-old womanfrom the Palam Vihar area.She was a student in Lon-don and returned to Indiaon March 14. Though theauthorities refused to offi-cially divulge any furtherdetails, senior officials con-firmed that her sample test-ed in Delhi was positive.

The Pune Institute of Virol-ogy had so far confirmedCovid in just the first case, awoman residing in Sector 9admitted to Fortis, while thereports of the other threewere awaited.

Taking no chances, thelocal authorities shut shop-ping malls, gymnasiums,

swimming pools, spas andweekly bazaars. However,pharmacy and medicalstores, grocery shops andsupermarkets wouldremain open so that peoplecould buy essential items.

Moreover, religious,social, political, academic,sports and mass gather-

ings, including weddings,were restricted to 50 peo-ple. The order came intoforce with immediateeffect. A decision to thiseffect was made during ameeting between the dis-trict administration andAdditional Chief Secre-tary, Health and Family

Welfare, Rajiv Arora.“All restaurants having

dining facility have beenrestricted to 50 seats. Public dealing at govern-ment offices should beminimised while notimpacting time-bound andessential services,” readthe order.

4th positive Covid case in G’gram

A deserted Saral Kendra in Gurugram on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: S.CHANDAN

HOARDING ONGurugram is witnessing hoard-ing of grocery items, with peo-ple buying ration for threemonths suspecting a lock-down like in the USA. Manystores in the city have report-ed shortage of pulses andrice due to heavy sales. Theadministration has appealedto people not to panic as sup-ply of essential items will beensured. The municipal cor-poration has suspended pub-lic interaction and asked itsofficials to take care of thetasks online.

3,632 Persons undersurveillance 3,589 Persons inhome isolation

43 Persons hospitalisedPersons foundnegative91 Samples sentfor testing68

STATE UPDATE NO CLASS I-VIII EXAMS In view ofthe Covid scare, the EducationDepartment has decided that noexamination for classes I to VIIIwill be conducted by governmentand private schools till March 31.

Millennium City heads for lockdown | Cinemas, malls, weekly bazaars shut till March 31

Sushil ManavTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18No rallies and big politicalevents, no handshakes,switching to old traditionalpractice of saying namasteand ‘Ram Ram’ to greet peo-ple, cleaning hands with useof sanitisers or hand washafter every public interactionand avoiding food and othereatable outside.

This is how politicians inthe state are trying to main-tain social distancing toavoid the spread of Covid,which has been declared asan epidemic by severalstates of the country,including Haryana.

CM Manohar Lal Khattar,his ministerial colleagues,Leader of OppositionBhupinder Singh Hooda andother opposition leaders hadalready cancelled all ralliesand other big political eventswhich were already fixed.

“The Chief Minister hascancelled his Hisar rally andthose scheduled to be heldafter that. Other ministersand party leaders, too, havesuspended all rallies and bigpolitical events. Today, we

had a meeting of districtpresidents of the BJP inRohtak, where it was decidedto create awareness amongpeople on how they couldstay safe of Covid,” said Sub-hash Barala, state presidentof the BJP.

Barala said the old tradi-tional system of greetingpeople in Haryana by saying‘Ram Ram’ was being prac-tised again as political lead-ers had stopped shakinghands with people in view of

public safety.Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Educa-

tion Minister, agreed withBarala. “While we have can-celled big events, we cannotstop meeting people in socialevents like birth, death andmarriage in families. But wetake precaution by not shak-ing hands and make do withnamaste,” he said.

Deputy Chief MinisterDushyant Chautala said hewas shying away from shak-ing hands and meeting peo-

ple. “The only thing I do isthat I keep the precaution ofkeeping my hands sani-tised,” he said. Senior INLDleader Abhay Singh Chauta-la was of the view that poli-tics could wait and publicsafety was more important atthis juncture. “Being in poli-tics, it is our utmost duty toensure the safety of peopleby keeping them away fromcrowds and educating themon measures for personalsanitation,” he said.

Leader of OppositionBhupinder Singh Hooda saidhe had postponed all politicalmeetings till further notice.“I had started a tour of myAssembly segment. It hasbeen postponed for the timebeing because of Covidscare,” he said.

Deepender Hooda hadalready announced closureof his offices in Rohtak andDelhi. “The decision hasbeen taken in view of publicsafety because gathering ofhundreds of people is boundto spread the infection. I andmy staff can be contacted onphone. We will definitely beresolving people’s problemson phone,” he said.

No public gathering or handshake,leaders try to dodge Covid threat

VIJ PUTS OFF JANTA DARBARHome and Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday orderedthe suspension of his Janta Darbar held at his Ambala resi-dence every Saturday and Sunday. He said nearly 2,000 per-sons visited his Janta Darbar per day with their complaints.He said given the Covid scare, this could become a potentialdanger for the spread of the virus. He said since the HealthDepartment had banned all community gatherings, JantaDarbars had also been postponed till further notice.

Pradeep SharmaTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18In a bid to curb wastefulexpenditure and keeping inmind environment conserva-tion, the Manohar Lal Khat-tar-led BJP-JJP Governmenthas decided that the digni-taries at the official functionswill not be presented bou-quets or any other itemwrapped in plastic.

“At best, a small bunch offlowers, not more than four, ora plant sapling in a pot or akhadi handkerchief or bookmay be presented to welcomethe dignitary,” an order issuedby Chief Secretary KeshniAnand Arora said.

No plastic material shall beused to wrap any of theseitems, the order read, addingwhile asking officials to strict-ly enforce the new guidelines.

A senior officer said it hadbecome a routine practice topresent elaborate bouquets todignitaries at various officialoccasions, which incurredwasteful expenditure.

The bouquets were alsowrapped in cellophane or oth-er decorative covers, whichwere not environment-friend-

ly. By presenting a sapling ora khadi handkerchief, thestate government’s endeav-our is to spread environmentawareness, expand green cov-er and give a boost to villageindustries, the officer added.

Welcoming the state govern-ment’s decision to do awaywith bouquets, Subhash Lam-ba, president of the SarvKaramchari Sangh, urged it tocut on other wasteful expendi-ture during official functions.

Now, no bouquetfor dignitaries

DOS AND DON’TS■ A small bunch of flowers

(not more than 4) can bepresented

■ A sapling in a pot, bookor khadi handkerchiefcan be given

■ The gift items cannot bewrapped in plastic


Chandigarh, March 18Two BJP candidates, RamChander Jangra andDushyant Kumar Gautam,and lone Congress candidateDeepender Singh Hoodawere elected unopposed tothe Rajya Sabha fromHaryana today.

Speaking to the media,Jangra said the organisationand party decide the priori-ties in the BJP. “We are disci-plined soldiers of the partyand will work in keepingwith the directions conveyedto us,” he said. Gautam, stat-ing that building a strongIndia was top priority, saidthe immediate concern wasthe threat of Covid and con-taining its spread.

Barala, when asked to com-ment on the BJP shying awayfrom fielding a candidateagainst Deepender due to fearof cross-voting and Congressclaims that INLD’s only MLAhad agreed to support Deep-ender, said, “This is just a polit-

ical statement. The Congress,after election, was also claim-ing it was forming the govern-ment with the Jannayak JantaParty. It did not happen. Also,Chaudhry Devi Lal’s familywill never go with the Con-gress. So, there is no questionof Abhay Chautala supportinga Congress candidate.”

Three-time Rohtak MPDeepender Hooda, who wasdefeated in the 2019 Lok Sab-ha polls by BJP’s ArvindSharma, said his prioritywould be to raise the concernsof the youth, farmers and the

have-nots while rising abovepolitical affiliations.

While Leader of Opposi-tion and Deepender’s father,Bhupinder Singh Hooda,has been a four-time MP, hisgrandfather Ranbir SinghHooda was a member of theConstituent Assembly asalso the Lok Sabha andRajya Sabha six times.

Deepender said: “Before me,only Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Kamal Nath was afour-term MP at 45. I knowunemployment is a big con-cern among the youth and the

rate hovers around 30 per cent.The CM should not be disput-ing these figures since thesehave been given credence bynone less than the PM.”

Trying to downplay theabsence of party presidentKumari Selja on the day hefiled his nomination as alsotoday, when the result wasdeclared, Deepender said thathe went to seek her “bless-ings” after the party clearedhis name. “She is the statepresident and we will all workunder her leadership tostrengthen the party,” he said.

State’s welfare our priority, sayJangra, Gautam, Deepender Elected unopposed to RS | Hooda Jr downplays differences with Selja

State BJP chief Subhash Barala with MPs RamChander Jangra and Dushyant Kumar Gautam.

Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda gets pollcertificate from returning officer Ajit Balaji Joshi.

Ambala on alert,no case so farAmbala: Following the Covidscare, Ambala district hasbeen put on high alert afteralmost 300 personsreached different parts ofthe district from foreigncountries. While all suchpersons had been putunder 28-day isolation, fiveof them were untraced. Theadministration has madeelaborate arrangements tocontain the spread. No per-son had so far tested posi-tive in the district. TNS

No visitorsallowed in jails Yamunanagar: Jail authoritieshave banned relatives fromvisiting prisoners in statejails. As per an order issuedby Director General(Prisons) , this ban willremain in force till March31. “We put a notice relatedto banning relatives fromvisiting prisoners fromMarch 18 to March 31,”said Ratan Singh,Superintendent, District Jail,Yamunanagar. TNS

State govt shutsanganwadis tooChandigarh: MoS forWomen and ChildDevelopment KamleshDhanda said the state gov-ernment has decided toclose anganwadi centresacross state with immedi-ate effect till March 31 forthe safety of children. Shesaid workers and helperswill come to the anganwadicentres for record mainte-nance and cleaning andcreate awareness throughhome visits. TNS

Bird sanctuaries,zoos closed Jhajjar: The Department ofForest and Wildlife hasordered closure of all zoos,bird sanctuaries andnational parks in the statetill March 31 as a preven-tive measure to combatCovid spread. It has direct-ed all Divisional WildlifeOfficers to depute anemployee at the entry gateof every zoo, bird sanctu-ary and national park todeal with visitors amicablyand create awareness. TNS

7 trains cancelledover occupancyAmbala: The Ambala divisionof Northern Railways onWednesday hiked the priceof platform ticket from Rs10 to Rs 50 in view of theCovid outbreak. “The rate ofplatform ticket is beinghiked from Rs 10 to Rs 50at stations of Ambala divi-sion,” said Senior DivisionalCommercial Manager HariMohan. In view of pooroccupancy, the Railways onWednesday cancelledseven more trains. TNS

BRIEFLY

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 19 MARCH 2020 07NATION

Vibha SharmaTribune News Service

New Delhi, March 18The Lok Sabha today wit-nessed heated exchangesbetween DMK members andTelecom Minister RaviShankar Prasad over the 2Gspectrum scam and issuesrelated to the beleaguered sec-tor, including the govern-ment’s push for “staggered”payment, amid massive duesaccrued by telecom companies.

To counter DMK members,Prasad said there should be adebate on the issues to know“how much telecom (sector)has suffered because of them.”His remarks were aimed atDMK leaders A Raja andDayanidhi Maran, who servedas telecom ministers duringthe Congress-led UPA regime.

It all happened during theQuestion Hour after an argu-ment erupted betweenPrasad and Raja when thesenior DMK leader raised anissue related to statutorydues faced by telecom com-panies in the wake of aSupreme Court ruling.

The government has filedan application in the Supreme

Court, requesting that telcosbe allowed to spread the pay-ment of adjusted gross rev-enue (AGR) dues over 20years or less, at a reducedinterest rate of 8%, in a bid toprevent an “adverse impact”on the economy, jobs and mil-lions of consumers, accordingto the reports.

Referring to “so-called” Rs1.76 lakh crore loss in 2Gspectrum auction, Raja want-ed to know who gave the con-cession to the government toseek staggered payment ofstatutory dues. “...why sud-denly you make a somersaultin the Supreme Court that Rs

1,00,000 crore can bestretched over 20years….who gave this con-cession to the operators,”Raja wanted to know.

Prasad said “argumentswere still going on inSupreme Court,” and he didnot want to comment on theissue. Talking about thebeleaguered telecom sector,the minister said there werearound 90 crore customersand the government had tolook at balancing various fac-tors, such as survival of thesector, compliance of thecourt’s order and interest ofthe consumers.

The government wants a“fair and transparent” sec-tor, Prasad said, adding thatthere should be a debate onthe subject. Union ministerPiyush Goyal also supportedhim, amid protests by DMKmembers.

Prasad said he is willing to“have a debate as to howmuch telecom has sufferedbecause of them (the UPAgovernment of which theDMK was a part).

The court has ruled thattelecom companies have topay statutory dues wortharound Rs 1.47 lakh crore tothe government.

Govt, DMK spar over 2G scam,dues of telecom companiesCentre flayed for requesting SC to allow firms to make staggered payment

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad speaks in the Lok Sabhaduring the Budget Session of Parliament on Wednesday. PTI

Debate on loss soughtAmid a barrage of questionsby DMK leaders, Union Tele-com Minister Ravi ShankarPrasad says there should bea debate on the issues toknow how much the tele-com (sector) has sufferedbecause of them. Hisremarks were aimed atDMK leaders A Raja andDayanidhi Maran, whoserved as telecom ministersduring the Congress-led UPA regime.

New Delhi, March 18The government todayinformed the Rajya Sabhathat the Delhi Police hadmade several attempts bymeeting stakeholders, includ-ing Aman Committees andresident welfare associations,to end the ongoing anti-CAAprotest at Shaheen Bagh.

In a written reply to a ques-tion in the House, Ministerof State for Home G KishanReddy said the responsibili-ty of maintaining law andorder rests primarily withthe respective state govern-ments. “However, withregard to the protest at Sha-heen Bagh in Delhi, severalmeetings have been held bythe Delhi Police at differentlevels with various stake-holders, including AmanCommittees, resident wel-fare associations, marketwelfare associations andgeneral public, residing inthe area,” he said.

The written reply came inresponse to a question posedby TMC member ShantaChhetri on whether the gov-ernment had made any effortto end the Shaheen Baghprotest and similar demon-strations going on across thecountry and whether the gov-ernment has held discussionwith the protesters. — TNS

Efforts made toend ShaheenBagh stir, RS told


NewDelhi, March 18The ongoing political crisis inMadhya Pradesh which hascaused existential threat tothe Congress governmentfound deep echoes in theRajya Sabha on Wednesdaywith party stalling proceed-ings and forcing adjourn-ment soon after QuestionHour was set in motion.

Congress members were ontheir feet at the fag end of theZero Hour to protest thedetention of Digvijaya Singh.

Digvijaya, former MP CM,who was in Bengaluru thismorning to meet the rebel 22Congress MLAs, was

detained, reportedly in viewof threat to the CongressMLAs who have allegedlyexpressed security concerns.

The Congress demandedSingh’s release. Ignoringthe disruptions of theHouse, Naidu said he wasnot going for the adjourn-ment in view of rights of oth-er members who would liketo speak on matters of publicimportance, and take part inthe Question Hour proceed-ings. The Congress mem-bers entered the well whilesloganeering.

Uncharacteristic of Naidu,he observed the protests insilence in wait for the Houseto be in order.

Ruckus in RS overDigvijaya’s detention


New Delhi, March 18The Opposition Rajya Sab-ha members today demand-ed curtailment of the ongo-ing Budget session, whichis due to end on April 3, inview of the novel coron-avirus scare, but the gov-ernment seemed unwilling.

House Chairman M Venka-iah Naidu drew curtains onthe matter, saying the govern-ment had to take call on it tak-ing all concerned on board.

Congress members AnandSharma and MV Rajeev Gow-da suggested that in line withgovernment’s advocacy forsocial distancing to check thespread of the virus, the ses-sion should either be cur-tailed or shelved.

Sharma said the govern-ment was not practicing inParliament what it preachedon social distancing.

Minority Affairs MinisterMukhtar Abbas Naqvi coun-tered Opposition’s sugges-tion, saying the government’smeasures to check the spreadof the virus has been appreci-ated widely. Curtailment ofthe session would send awrong signal and create panic.Parliament should not show

panic, but demonstrate anindomitable spirit to fight it.

Gowda’s reasoning thatmany

castudyweb.com€¦ · 13 AGR DUES: SC LASHES OUT AT CENTRE, TELCOS BUSINESS GOVT, DMK SPAR OVER 2G SCAM NATION BIDEN SWEEPS THREE STATES IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES WORLD PIL …

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