Badal for periodic maintenance and repair of entire road infrastructure

Chandigarh, Aug 23

          In a bid to strengthening and upgrading the entire road network envisaging National highways, State highways, Main District Roads (MDR), other district roads and link roads, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today asked the Advisor Roads to state government Major General (Retd.) MS Pillai to formulate a master-plan for periodic maintenance and repair of total length of 60676 kilometers of roads.

          A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister in a high level meeting with the Chief Engineers of the Public Works Department, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Punjab Mandi Board and Border Roads Organization (BRO) here at his residence this afternoon.

          Taking part in deliberations, the Chief Minister also asked Major General (Retd.) Pillai to put in place an effective mechanism to ensure proper usage of material for building roads as per the stipulated norms on one hand and do away with the practice of putting exaggerated estimates on the other. He also impressed upon Major General (Retd.) Pillai to involve elected representatives of people to ensure quality check, which he termed as 'social audit', for better construction of roads and its longevity. Mr. Badal also asked the concerned authorities to ensure that side drains/ cross drainage works of link roads must be completed before the commencement of the roadwork. He also appreciated the ABC classification of link roads on the basis of traffic density so that routine maintenance funds could be allotted to these roads as per their classification.

          The Chief Minister also asked the Advisor roads to prepare a comprehensive proposal for seeking central assistance for the upgradation of state's entire road sector right from link roads to national highways. Mr. Badal said that he would soon meet the Union Defence Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley to seek his personal intervention for getting special funds for the repair and upgradation of Border Roads in the state.

          Underscoring the need to strengthen the rural road network in the state, the Chief Minister asked Mr. Pillai to lay special emphasis on the meticulous planning/ designing and quality assurance for the construction of link roads as these factors had been blatantly ignored so far resulting in poor construction work and hefty amount to be spent on their repair time and again. Mr. Badal also asked the officers of the PWD and Mandi Board to jointly work out a time bound action plan for the periodic repair and upgradation of these arties of rural Punjab, which had played a crucial role in the overall development of these areas. Likewise, he also emphasized to enhance the carriageway width of the Link roads from the existing 3.5-5.5 metres to atleast 10 metres for the decongestion of traffic as a part of futuristic planning.

Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Jathedar Tota Singh, Financial Commissioner Development Mr. Suresh Kumar, Secretary PWD Mr. PS Aujla, Special Principal Secretaries to Chief Minister Mr. Ajoy Sharma and Dr S Karunaraju and Chief Engineer Project Chetak BRO Mr. MS Sodhi.   

BISA to establish Ludhiana as its headquarters

CHANDIGARH AUGUST 23
The new Director General of Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) Mr. HS Gupta along with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre CIMMYT’s Regional Representative Director of Research for South Asia Dr. Etienne Duveiller called on Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal late last evening at his residence.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office said that during the meeting Mr. Gupta apprised the Chief Minister about progress of the prestigious Centre of ‘Borlaug Institute for South Asia’ (BISA) that was being established in the state at Ludhiana under the auspices of Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT). The Master Plan for BISA’s Ludhiana had been finalized and Construction work would be started soon, informed Mr. Gupta.
The Director General who had recently taken the charge also mentioned that considering the strong desire and concern of Mr. Badal to improve the financial condition of state’s agriculture sector hence that of the beleaguered farmers, who had been plummeting financially day by day because of non- remunerative price of their produce, the BISA had decided to setup their headquarter at Ludhiana after the entire construction work would be completed. Expressing his gratitude to the Chief Minister for all the help and Cooperation from the state government side, he said that the a 7-member Coordinate Committee had been established for the smooth functioning of the Institute.
He said that they had also chalked out a long range implication programme for the state and presently initiated the research work at various levels with the help of PAU Ludhiana to develop new verity crops of better yield with less consumption of water besides preserving soil health by enhancing the Nitrogen contents in it. The Executive Committee of BISA would also visit Punjab on August 30, added Mr. Gupta.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress, Mr. Badal asked Director General to make each unit functional simultaneously as its Infrastructure being raised instead of waiting the constructional of entire Institution and then made it functional. Mr. Badal also hoped that this Institute would prove to be a mile stone to herald the second green revolution by encouraging the value added crops like Maize, Basmati and Oil seeds ultimately helping our farmers to come out of the rut of wheat-paddy cycle.
Prominent amongst those who were present on the occasion included Financial Commissioner Development Mr. Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretaries to the Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretaries to the Chief Minister Mr. K.J.S. Cheema and Gaggandip Singh Brar, besides Chief Soil Conservator Dr. BS Sidhu and Sr. Research Engineer BISA Dr. Harminder Singh Sidhu.

Army to set up drug deaddition centres in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Jalandhar

CHANDIGSRH, AUG 14

          Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today offered fulsome support and cooperation to the Army for the setting up of drug de-addiction centers in the border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur besides at Jalandhar.

          An assurance to this effect was given by the Chief Minister to the General Officer in Commanding-in-Chief Western Command Lieutenant General KJ Singh, AVSM, who called on him at his residence this afternoon.

          The Chief Minister assured of all possible help for this philanthropic cause and asked the Army Officer and state government officers to jointly work out the modalities for the establishment of such centers. He also offered to allot land free of cost to the Army authorities for these Drug de-addiction centers to be manned by them. Likewise, Mr. Badal also impressed upon the top officer of Western Command to work out a plan for a big project for the development of Border areas jointly with the state government in core sectors of Health and Education, which were currently in a state of sheer neglect due to apathetic attitude of the previous Union government towards this genuine cause.

          The Chief Minister said that since Army had vast experience and expertise to handle such projects efficiently that's why he was insisting to optimally utilise their potential for the successful implementation of these schemes. He also narrated his success story of roping in the services of top Army brass in efficaciously running the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Academy at Mohali, rejuvenation of prestigious Dashmesh Academy at Sri Anandpur Sahib, bringing transparency in the Punjab Public Service Commission and recently handing over the prestigious projects of special schools to a senior most Army officer at the helm of affairs.

          Responding to the proposals put forth by the Chief Minister for setting up of Drug de-addiction centers and a prestigious project in border area aimed at providing the best Health and Education facilities, Lieutenant General KJ Singh welcomed this initiative adding he said the Army would leave no stone unturned in realising these dream projects of Chief Minister into reality. He said both these projects could be aptly implemented with mutual participation of Army and state government.

          Expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister for extending all possible support and cooperation to the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General KJ Singh said that the Punjab Model was best in the country for successfully managing the affairs of PESCO besides safeguarding the interest of ex-servicemen, with perceptible large concentration in the state. He also lauded the state government's unique initiative for building state-of-the Art war museum at Amritsar-Attari road to showcase the gallantry deeds of Army officers and soldiers. Lieutenant General KJ Singh also appreciated Chief Minister's vision for the upcoming Armed Forces Preparatory Academy for Girls at Mohali after beaming success of similar institute for boys, to maintain state's enviable position in the Armed services since time immemorial, which had gradually declined over the past several years.        

          The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretaries Mr. KJS Cheema and Dr. S Karunraju and CMD PESCO Lieutenant General (Retd.) Kuldeep Singh. 

Dope test mandatory during recruitment process

CHANDIGARH, AUG 14

          With a view to containing the entry of drug addicts in the state government services, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, today gave his nod for making the clearance of 'Dope Test' mandatory during the recruitment process in all departments of the state government.

          A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister, while presiding over a high level meeting to review the arrangements for Drug de-addiction and Rehabilitation of drug addicts in the state, here at CMO, this morning.

          Taking part in deliberations, the Chief Minister said that the necessary amendments must be made in the existing rules to incorporate necessary provisions in them for ensuring that any person selected for the government service must clear the 'Dope Test' during his Medical test. He said that if the report of 'Dope Test' of any aspirant was found negative then he/ she must be debarred from joining the government service. Mr. Badal said that this would not only encourage the youth to shun away the menace of drugs but it would also ensure that Healthy officers/ officials join the service in the future. "This is the need of the hour so as to combat the menace of drugs in a more effective manner" he added.

          Dwelling on another issue, the Chief Minister also asked the Divisional Commissioners present in the meeting to personally visit the Drug de-addiction centers falling in their jurisdiction to have first hand information about the working of these centers. He said that effective monitoring of these centers was very important so that drug addicts could be imparted quality treatment and diagnostic facilities. Mr. Badal asked the officers to ensure that rather than being a mere formality these meetings should be result oriented.

          The Chief Minister also asked the officers to appoint a Nodal Officer to monitor the day-to-day functioning of these centers besides maintaining proper record for this. He said that this officer must compile the weekly report regarding the working of these centers and submit it to the officers of the state government at Chandigarh.  

          Dwelling on another issue, the Chief Minister also asked the officers of the state government to explore the feasibility of maintaining a centralized database of the all the drug de-addiction centers so as to check the misuse of medicines by the drug addicts. He said that the Drug addicts undergoing treatment at these centers must be issued identity proofs so as to ensure that they could not avail the medical treatment from more than one center. 

          The Chief Minister also asked his Technical Advisor Lieutenant General (Retd.) BS Dhaliwal to negotiate the terms and conditions with the NBCC to construct the Rehabilitation Centers at the earliest so that drug addicts could be brought back into the mainstream.

          During the meeting the Chief Minister was apprised that 50 bedded Drug de-addiction centers at Patiala, Jalandhar and Bathinda would be made operational by the end of this year. Likewise, he was also informed that the process of recruiting the staff from Drug de-addiction centers across the state would be completed by end of this month. Mr. Badal was also informed that that the Drug de-addiction drive was getting a positive response from the people as OPD in the drug de-addiction centers across the state have crossed two lakh.

          Taking part in deliberations Dr. Ajit Awasthi hailed the Chief Minister for taking unprecedented steps to check Drug addiction in the state. He said that due to the personal initiatives of Mr. Badal the state government has been able to channelize its resources well in time to check the curse of drugs. Dr. Awasthi even said that the massive infra structure roped in by the state government was many times more than the other states and even the western countries that were confronting the same problem.

          Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Cabinet Ministers Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Mr. Surjit Kumar Jiyani, Technical Advisor to Chief Minister Lieutenant General (Retd.) BS Dhaliwal, Chief Secretary Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Health Mrs. Vinnie Mahajan, Secretary Home Mr. Jagpal Singh Sandhu, Special Principal Secretaries to Chief Minister Mr. KJS Cheema and Dr. S Karunaraju, Principal Secretary Jails Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Commissioners of Jalandhar, Patiala and Ferozepur Divisions Mr. R Venkatratnam, Mr. Ajit Singh Pannu and Mr. VK Sharma respectively, Special Secretary Health Mr. Vikas Garg, Director Health Dr. Ramanjeet Singh and Chief Architect Ms. Swapna.   

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President’s Police Medal for GD Pandey

Ganesh Dutt Pandey

14 Punjab Police officers/officials to get Police Medal for meritorious service
CHANDIGARH, AUG 14
 Mr. Ganesh Dutt Pandey, IPS, DGP –cum-Commandant General, Home Guards & Director Civil Defence, Punjab has been awarded President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service on the occasion of Independence Day-2014..
         According to a spokesman of Punjab Police 14 other police officer/officials Mr. Khubi Ram, IGP Security, Punjab, Mr. Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, DIG/Jalandhar Range, Mr. Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, DIG-cum-Joint Director, MRS PPA Phillaur , Punjab , Mr. Harcharan Singh Bhullar, SP-cum-Commandant 4th Commando BN, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, Mr. Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab , Mr. Swarandeep Singh, SP, City-1, SAS Nagar, Mr.  Balwinder Singh, Commandant 82nd  PAP, Chandigarh, Punjab , Mr. Simar Pal Singh Dhindsa, AIG, CI, Operation, Chandigarh, Punjab, Mr.  Joban Singh, DSP, CID Unit SAS Nagar, Gurwinder Singh, DSP (C&R), ACP, Amritsar South, Punjab, Mr. Lakhbir Singh, Inspector (LR), SHO City, Tarn Taran, Punjab , Mr. Darshan Singh, Inspector, PRTC, Jahan Khelan, Punjab, Mr. Sucha Singh, Sub Inspector, PRTC, Jahan Khelan, Punjab  and Mr.  Kulwant Singh , ASI, City Traffic, Ludhiana, Punjab, have been awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service
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`Teej' celebrated at KCW with fervor and gaiety

AMRITSAR, AUG 2
`Teej' was celebrated with fervor and gaiety as young students clad in colourful Punjabi costumes, danced to the tunes of traditional Punjabi music at Khalsa College for Women (KCW), here today. The girls recited `Bolian’ (verses from folk music) and performed `Gidda’ to welcome `Savana’, the rain month, with which the festival is associated.
The girls took to Punjabi folk dance to the beat of Dhol. ``The event is dedicated to the girls’ power’’, said KCW Principal Dr.Sukhbir Kaur Mahal who herself performed Gidda and said the festivals reminds us of the good times.
She said that the festival is traditionally celebrated in Punjab during the month of rain and hoped that traditional festivals like these would not be forgotten by younger generation, who spend most of their times on inter-net and watching movies.
``This is the perhaps only festival which is meant entirely for girls’’, said she. We are happy that the girls with active guidance of their teachers organized such an extravaganza meticulously’’, said she. Prof. Jatinder Kaur, Prof Ravinder Kaur, Prof.Manpreet Kaur, were present along with other staff and students.
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