MINISTER'S FLYING SQUAD FINDS FIVE BUSES PLYING ON UNSCHEDULED ROUTES, CATCHES THREE TICKET THEFT: LALJIT SINGH BHULLAR

PASSENGERS HARASSMENT WON'T BE TOLERATED, WARNS TRANSPORT MINISTER

Chandigarh, May 28:Punjab Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Sunday, informed that "Minister's Flying Squad" found five buses of PUNBUS plying on unscheduled routes besides reporting three cases of ticket theft during checking spree.

S. Laljit Singh Bhullar said, based on the complaints that some buses are passing without boarding passengers and using other routes, the flying squad had conducted checking at various places. He said, during checking at Morinda Bypass, Patti Depot bus no. PB-02-LG 4279 found using the unscheduled route. Similarly, Batala Depot bus No. PB-06-BX-0213 caught during checking on Khanna Flyover, Ludhiana Depot bus No. PB-10GX 5376 on Khanna Bypass, Amritsar-1 Depot bus No. PB-02-EG 5739 and Batala Depot bus No. PB-06-BC 0216 caught during checking on Goraya Bridge. These buses were using unscheduled routes from the prescribed ones.

The Transport Minister said, three cases of ticket theft have also been reported in buses. The ticket conductor of Hoshiarpur depot bus no. PB-07-BQ 0824 caught with ticket theft worth Rs.90 during checking at Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), conductor of Chandigarh Depot Bus No. PB-65-BB 9360 caught with ticket theft worth Rs.30 during checking at Kot Putli, while Jagraon Depot Bus No. PB-10-GX 6852 conductor caught with ticket theft of Rs.20 during checking at Tihara.

The Transport Minister asked Director State Transport to take immediate departmental action against the drivers and conductors, adding that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Mann led government is committed to provide better travel facilities to the people of the state. And, harassment to the passengers will not be tolerated at any cost, warned the Cabinet Minister.

-----------

CABINET MINISTER DR. BALJIT KAUR HONORED STUDENTS WHO STOOD FIRST IN 10TH CLASS EXAMINATION

PUNJAB GOVERNMENT LED BY CHIEF MINISTER BHAGWANT MANN, IS COMMITTED TO WELFARE OF STUDENTS

Chandigarh, May 28:Today, Dr. Baljit Kaur, the Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development, and Social Justice, Empowerment and Minority, honored the toppers of Class 10 from Harji Ram Senior Secondary School in Malout.

Dr. Baljit Kaur disclosed that this achievement is a result of the concerted efforts made by the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to ensure the availability of quality education throughout the state. She congratulated the meritorious students of Harji Ram Senior Secondary School who passed the examination with flying colors, wished them well for their future, and praised their dedication and hard work.

The Cabinet Minister stated that Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust presented books on medical and non-medical subjects to needy students in class 11 and 12. The objective is to assist these aspiring students in pursuing their higher education. She also mentioned that Edward Ganj Institution in Malout donated benches for the children of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Malout.

Dr. Baljit Kaur expressed her appreciation for the excellent contribution made by Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust and Edward Ganj Institute, Malout, which will significantly impact the academic journey of the students.

The minister hopes that these students will serve as role models for others, inspiring them to excel in education and pursue higher studies

_----------

EXCISE DEPARTMENT CARRIES OUT ‘NIGHT SWEEP’ TO CHECK ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AT LIQUOR BARS: CHEEMA

MORE THAN 13 TEAMS SWUNG INTO ACTION DURING THIS OPERATION LAST SATURDAY NIGHT

Chandigarh, May 28:Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday said that the Excise department has carried out a massive state-wide Liquor Bar’s Checking and monitoring operation code named as “Night Sweep” last Saturday night. He said that during this operation, the compliance of various laws by Bars, Pubs and Restaurants of Mohali, Jalandhar and Amritsar area were also checked by the teams during night time and on the spot action was taken against the violators as per provisions of law.

Divulging further, the Excise and Taxation Minster Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said that this special drive was launched to check the menace of smoking ‘Hookahs’ and other illegal activities in the Bars, Pubs and Restaurants. He said that more than 13 teams swung into action during last Saturday night under the direct supervision of Financial Commissioner Taxation Vikas Partap and Excise Commissioner Varun Roojam.

Giving details of the operation, the Excise and Taxation Minister said that in SAS Nagar (Mohali) district’s Nayagaon area, one Restaurant namely ‘I love Hot shot’ was found serving ‘Hookahs’ to its customers for smoking along with Beer which was meant for sale in Chandigarh only, thereby violating various provisions of law. During search of the restaurant, 20 Hookahs, 07 Bottles of Beer, various tobacco flavors and charcoal were confiscated. In this case FIR No 40 dated 28.05.2023 has been registered against owners of the restaurant under various provisions of The Punjab Excise Act 1914, The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act 2003, Poison Act 1919 and Indian Penal Code 1860 at Police Station Nayagaon, Mohali. In addition to it, in Bestech Mall, Sector 66 Mohali, three bars namely, ‘Burj’ (W White Hospitality), ‘Skull’ (Friend’s Hospitality) and ‘Mask Lounge & Bars’ were found carrying out their operations beyond permitted timings. Resultantly, the penal action has been initiated against these violating Bars as per relevant provisions of the Punjab Excise Act 1914 and the Punjab Liquor License Rules 1956.

Disclosing further, he said that in Amritsar a bar namely ‘Peddlers Bar’ was found operating beyond permitted time limit and was also serving the liquor to persons below 25 years of age. During search of the bar, 17 bottles of non-duty paid liquor and 05 bottles of expired Beer was also found which were confiscated on the spot. “Similarly, in Jalandhar, a bar namely ‘Peddlers’ was found operating beyond permitted time limit. During search of the bar, 03 bottles of expired Beer were also found which were confiscated on the spot. Due to these violations, strict penal action against the bar has been initiated under relevant provisions of the Law”, he added.

The Minister said that the Excise teams on the ground were led by the Additional Commissioner (Excise) Naresh Dubey and AIG (Excise) Gurjot Singh along with other senior officers of the department. “The officers of Health department were also roped in. Each team had at least one lady officer and one Health department’s representative in it”, he added.

Highlighting the significance of operation ‘Night Sweep’, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said that this operation of the Excise department was aimed at the checking of smoking of Hookas at Bars and Restaurants considering the detrimental effects of smoking these hookahs on health, which contains harmful substances such as nicotine, known to be carcinogenic. “Also, the charcoal used for burning of tobacco in hookahs produces smoke that contains not only carbon monoxide but also other cancer-causing chemicals and metals, because the water used for filtering the smoke is actually not able to arrest these hazardous chemicals. The sharing of the same device among multiple smokers increases the risk of transmitting various infectious diseases”, he added.

Reiterating the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government’s committed to provide bright future for the young generation of the State, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the state government has adopted zero tolerance policy towards illegal activities of all kinds. He further added that this crusade of the Excise department against Hookah bars and other such illegal activities will be further accelerated in future. He issued stern warning to all those involved in these illegal activities and emphasized that strict action will be taken against them and no violator will be spared.

------------

VIGILANCE BUREAU ACHIEVES SIGNIFICANT RESULTS IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

ANTI-CORRUPTION ACTION LINE RECEIVES 7,939 COMPLAINTS WITH AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING EVIDENCE

VB ARRESTS 359 ACCUSED ACCEPTING GRATIFICATION SINCE APRIL 2022

Chandigarh, May 28 - The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), in its relentless pursuit of eradicating corruption from the state, has made remarkable progress in its recent anti-corruption campaign. From March 23, 2022, until the present date, the Chief Minister Anti-Corruption Action Line (ACAL) has received a staggering total of 7,939 complaints accompanied by the necessary evidence, signifying the unwavering commitment of CM Bhagwant Maan led Punjab Government to promote transparency and accountability in public administration.

Disclosing this here on Sunday, a spokesperson for the state VB stated that the Bureau was fully dedicated to its mission of eradicating corruption and encourages citizens to continue utilizing the ACAL to report any instances of corruption they encounter. On this citizen centric artificial intelligence enabled platform, any person could file complaints 24 x 7 along with relevant audio and video recording regarding demand of illegal gratification, he added.

Furthermore, the spokesperson informed that to ensure an efficient process, an 'automatic bot' had been installed on the web portal to filter out frivolous entries, spam, junk posts and unrelated to corruption. As a result, out of a total of 4,02,133 entries, 3,90,050 entries were identified as irrelevant or classified as junk posts and non-corruption related matters which were duly rejected. This initiative aims to optimize resources and focus solely on actionable complaints that contribute to combating corruption effectively.

Providing additional details, he further explained that out of the remaining 12,083 complaints/entries, a thorough evaluation revealed that 4,144 complaints were further found to be extraneous and unrelated to corruption.

The spokesperson added that among the actionable complaints, the VB handled a total of 7,939 complaints accompanied by audio/video recordings to substantiate the claims made by the complainants. These complaints underwent meticulous analysis, and 3,401 of them were found to be related to other departments. Consequently, these complaints were forwarded to the respective departments for their consideration and appropriate action.

Furthermore, the spokesperson informed that the remaining 394 complaints, supported by audio/video recording evidence, were directly related to corruption allegations. These complaints were forwarded to the concerned Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) in the VB ranges for thorough investigation. As a result of rigorous examinations, a commendable milestone has been achieved, with a total of 88 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered based on the outcomes of the investigations conducted thus far.

He further highlighted that these investigations have resulted in the arrest of 132 accused individuals involved in various bribery cases, including 40 police personnel. Since the commencement of this ongoing anti-corruption campaign in April 2022, the VB has successfully apprehended a total of 359 accused individuals accepting gratification in 298 different corruption cases throughout the state. In addition, 152 vigilance inquiries have been registered for comprehensive investigation, and 99 departmental inquiries have been initiated.

The spokesperson emphasized that the Bureau acknowledges the dedication and professionalism exhibited by its officers, enabling swift and decisive action against those who seek to undermine the principles of honesty and integrity in public service.

----------

POWER MINISTER HARBHAJAN SINGH ETO RESOLVES PSPCL EMPLOYEES’ SALARY ISSUE, ORDERS NO DEDUCTION FROM SALARIES

Ch andigarh, May 28:Punjab Power Minister Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO acted on the complaints of PSPCL employees and taking immediate action ordered the department to stop recovery from the salaries of the employees.

The Power Minister stated that the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Mann is committed to ensure the welfare of the employees and resolve their grievances at the earliest.

“After the issue of salaries of the employees recruited/appointed after July 17,2020 under CRA 293/19, 294/19, 295/19 and 296/19 was brought to my notice, directions were issued to the department to stop the recovery from the salary,” he said.

After receiving directions from the state power minister, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited issued orders regarding the issue of salaries of employees recruited/appointed after July 17,2029 under CRA 293/19, 294/19, 295/19 and 296/19 .

"Till the necessary directions are received from Punjab Govt. regarding issues relating salaries of employees recruited/appointed after 17.7.2020 under above mentioned CRAs, for the time being it is directed to stop effecting recovery from the salaries who were earlier receiving Minimum of admissible pay as per 7th Pay Commission but after issuance of instructions vide Memo no. 14475/15175 dated 24.05.2022 are getting Minimum of the Pay Band/DC Rate. ,” read the orders.