FATEHGARH SAHIB, SEPTEMBER 89 Gurpreet Singh Mehak) Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar) president and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann presided over a meeting of the party’s district presidents, executive members and the party’s 112 candidates declared for SGPC election.  While addressing the meeting Mann appealed to his workers to make all efforts for successful organizing  ‘Punjab Bachao’ rally  on September 28 at Jagron town .  He also criticized Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, former CMs Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Surjit Singh Barnala, former Punjab Assembly speaker Raviinder Singh, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna, Manjit Singh Calcutta, former minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, SAD leader Balwinder Singh as usual.

FATEHGARH SAHIB, SEPTEMBER 8 (Gurpreet Singh Mehak) A forty nine year old truck driver Dilbagh Singh, a resident of village Channa of district Amritsar was killed on spot when his truck was overturned on G.T.Road near village Khanpur. According to information received, the truck , which was loaded with coconut was returning from New Delhi to Amritsar when it suddenly overturned. After the accident, the driver was admitted to Civil Hospital, Fatehgarh Sahib by highway patrolling staff but the doctors declared him brought dead. After conducting post mortem examination, the body was handed over to the relatives of the deceased.

FATEHGARH SAHIB, SEPTEMBER 8(Gurpreet Singh Mehak) A Man was died under suspicious circumstances but the police sources said that the man died due to excess drinking. The Khamano police has registered a case under section 17 4 of CrPC.  According to information received, Avtar Singh, a resident of village Hawara Kalan had gone to meet his relatives yesterday at Samrala town of district Ludhiana , where he allegedly consumed excess liquor. He returned home in evening but he died under suspicious circumstances yesterday evening. Khamano SHO Palwinder Singh said that on the statement of the deceased wife,  the Khamano police has initiated proceeding under section 17 4 of CrPC.

FATEHGARH SAHIB, September 8 (Gurpreet Singh Mehak) District Fatehgarh Sahib of Punjab has one of the largest Banyan tree in the country or may in the world. The tree which spreads over three to four  acres of land stands in village Cholti Kalan is also known as ‘Kaya Kalp Vriksh’. While coming from Sirhind side on the Sher Shah Suri Marg one has to take a left turn off the Marg at Sarai Banjara village and travel about 8 kms or an interior link road to reach the site of the tree which stands out amidst lush fields.

As per information received, the tree  is a few hundred years old. The local belief is that nobody can stop the relentless spread of the tree. As the tree is surrounded by private land, the adjoining land owners dare not cut any branch which may grow and cover their land. It is believed that any person in the past who tried to stop the spread of the tree had to face grave misfortunes. The usage of waste wood or fallen leaves of the tree is considered equally unpropitious. Though great banyan tree continues to grow undisturbed but immediate need of conservation.  He forest department had already taken matter with district Fatehgarh Sahib administration to save the tree . The tree attracts many visitors from nearby areas . Its conservation can be beneficial from tourism point of view as well. A temple and rest house (dharamshala) have been constructed under the tree. Believing that the tree has unique healing power, people suffering from different ailments, too, visit this place to spend some time under its shade in order to get cured. The tree also had cultural significance now with an annual fair being organised under its shade annually on February 15.

The tree nests a number of birds and animals like sparrows, owls and insects. People, on whose land the tree stands, are reluctant to axe down the tree as they venerate it due to religious beliefs and its medicinal value. The  people didn’t want to axe the tree because of its Hindu mythological significance. They believe that anyone who tries to cut even a twig would be damned. the myth surrounding the tree is so effective that people do not even collect rotting wood from the tree for firewood.

Sources said the tree is now set to  become the second biodiversity heritage site in Punjab after Inami Bagh in Hoshiarpur. Sources said Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh during the national biodiversity meeting recently held at Chandigarh has asked the state biodiversity board to prepare a proposal to declare the tree ,  a biodiversity heritage site. Sources said when the Union Minister, was briefed by board officials on the tree, he  had  come to know about it.

CHANDIGARH SEPTEMBER 08 (Gill)-The Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today approved the project of Rs. 1.61 crore for the installation of mobile jamming system in the maximum security jail Nabha to ensure fool-proof security. Presiding over a meeting of the senior officers of the Police and Jail department here at Chief Minister's Office this morning, Mr. Badal also gave approval for the installation of biometric instrument (visitor management system) in the Central Jail Ludhiana on the pilot basis, for which the budgetary provision of Rs.27 lac had already been made. This biometric system would be installed by the National Informatics Center, New Delhi and a payment of Rs.17 lac had already been made to them. The Chief Minister also approved a sum of Rs.5 lac for the construction of a new room in the Central Jail Ludhiana for the installation of hardware of the visitor management system. Mr. Badal also assured the jail department of additional funds to be released for the installation of biometric system in other jails of the state. The Chief Minister was also apprised about the installation of PCO facility in all the central/district jails of the state except Nabha and Sangrur with an objective to curb the practice of misuse of mobile phones. The facility of PCO had been given to the inmates so that they could freely converse with their family members. Likewise, the Chief Minister also took stock of the situation regarding the facility of video conferencing of the trial of inmates between jails and local courts in the state. He was informed that the jail department was in touch with the BSNL to provide trained staff for the operational maintenance of video conferencing facility as both the jails and courts were facing acute shortage of manpower to handle the facility of video conferencing. The Chief Minister also directed the Principal Secretary Technical Education to moot a proposal for opening skill development centers in the central as well as district jails to train the inmates so that they could lead a life with dignity after completing their term of imprisonment. The Chief Minister also asked the ADGP Prisons to finalize the modalities to immediately fill up 24 posts of Assistant Superintendents of Jails and six posts of Deputy Superintendents of Jails to ensure smooth functioning of the jail department. Reviewing the status of infrastructural development at the police station level in the state, Mr. Badal gave nod to the Punjab Police Housing Corporation Ltd. to tie up with the HUDCO for getting its project of Rs. 100 crore financed for the construction of police station buildings and SHO houses on the pattern of Haryana Police Housing Corporation, which had also sought a loan of Rs.300 crore for police institutional buildings from HUDCO. Managing Director of the Punjab Police Housing Corporation (PPHC) Mr. MK Tiwari informed the Chief Minister that a detailed proposal at an estimated cost of Rs.103.96 crore had been sent to the state home department in this regard. He said that the sanctioned strengthen of all police stations in Punjab was 342 which also included newly notified police station buildings. PPHC had constructed only 116 police stations so far which fulfilled the functional requirements of the police stations whereas all other polices stations were running in old dilapidated buildings or having insufficient capacity to accommodate the full strength of police station. Out of 226 remaining police stations, 17 were being constructed by PUDA in district Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Bathinda. Therefore, out of the balance 209 police stations, 48 have been proposed to be constructed depending upon the land availability. Apart from this number of other buildings 9 SHO residence, 272 NGO/OR houses at these police stations, 4 DSP office-cum-residence and 18 'F' type police stations which were partially completed in the first phase as per available funds have also been taken in the estimate. Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Jail Minister Mr. Hira Singh Gabria, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. DS Guru, Principal Secretary Home Mr. AR Talwar, DGP Mr. PS Gill, ADGP Jails Mr. Anil Kaushik, ADGP Intelligence Mr. Suresh Arora, Principal Secretary Technical Education Mr. Suresh Kumar Special Principal Secrteary to Chief Minister Mr. KJS Cheema and Additional Advocate General Mr.Rupinder Khosla.