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Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Samana crash: Driver of truck that killed 5 school kids arrested
Police on Thursday arrested the driver of a tipper truck that rammed into a Toyota Innova, killing six occupants of the car — the driver and five schoolchildren — on the Patiala-Samana road. The driver, Bhupinder Singh, along with the truck's owners, Randhir Singh and Davinder Singh, were booked under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The truck owners are, however, yet to be taken into custody. Police sources shared that the fitness certificate, pollution certificate and insurance of the truck had expired. Besides, the truck owners had not paid any road tax. Five schoolchildren and the driver of their car, which ferried them daily to school, were killed when the tipper had collided with the vehicle head-on. A pall of grief descended on Samana city as the five children were cremated at the local cremation ground. Locals raised slogans against the state government, condemning its failure to regulate speeding by trucks. Patiala MP Dr Dharmavira Gandhi, who attended the cremation, expressed deep condolences to the grieving families. Calling the loss 'unbearable', he assured to take up the matter with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and demand the widening of the Patiala-Samana Road to prevent such accidents in future. Govt enforces measures for road safety Punjab health minister and Patiala Rural MLA Dr Balbir Singh convened an emergency meeting with senior district officials, including deputy commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav and SP Vaibhav Chaudhary, on Thursday. A two-minute silence was observed in the memory of the deceased. Dr Singh announced strict directives to curb reckless driving, particularly by tippers and school buses. 'All tippers must adhere to a maximum speed limit of 60 km/h and speed governors must be installed. Their movement during daytime will be completely barred,' he said, adding that school buses must fully comply with the Safe School Vehicle Policy. He also ordered stringent fitness checks, dope tests and eye exams for all drivers of tippers, trucks and school buses. 'There will be a zero tolerance towards violations, and any government official found negligent will face strict action,' he stated. The government's swift response, however, has done little to quell public's anger over repeated accidents involving heavy vehicles. Mourning the devastating loss of young lives, Samana observed a complete bandh on Thursday, demanding accountability and lasting road safety reforms.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Mohali: Drug peddler held in Kharar; weapons, cash seized
A drug peddler was arrested by the Mohali Police in Kharar, where officers also recovered heroin, a firearm and suspected drug money from his possession. The accused, identified as Randhir Singh of Mundi Kharar has been taken into police custody, said Kharar deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Karan Singh Sandhu. According to sub-inspector Ajitesh Kaushal, station house officer (SHO) of Kharar City police station, a police team was on patrol near Old Mata Gujri Road, close to the Azad Complex, when they noticed a suspicious individual who fled upon seeing the police. After a brief chase, the man was apprehended. During a search, police recovered 25 grams of heroin, a .32 bore pistol with an empty magazine, three live cartridges of 7.62 mm and ₹12,500 in cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales, the police said. Singh was unable to produce valid documents for the weapon or explain his possession of the contraband, the police added. An FIR has been registered under Section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the Kharar City police station. Singh is currently being interrogated to trace the source and distribution network of the drugs.
Hindustan Times
27-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor project: Farmers fume as cheques for land compensation bounce
Patiala Farmers are agitated in Patiala after compensation cheques issued by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) for land acquired under the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) project bounced multiple times. The AKIC is a major development initiative, with a significant portion of it passing through Punjab. Specifically, an integrated manufacturing cluster (IMC) is being developed in Rajpura-Patiala, as part of the AKIC. This IMC aims to attract investment and create jobs in sectors like e-mobility, food processing, and more. The cheques, issued in March as a payment for nearly 61 acres of land acquired across five villages, have now bounced three times, leaving the affected farmers angry and financially distressed. Despite PUDA having already taken possession of the land, compensation remains elusive. Randhir Singh, a farmer from Pabra village, voiced his frustration: 'The cheque given to me by PUDA has bounced three times. I even tried to deposit it again yesterday — it was rejected once more. This is nothing short of harassment. First, they took our land, and now they refuse to pay us.' He added that his attempts to contact officials have been ignored. Labh Singh, another aggrieved farmer, echoed the similar sentiment: 'My cheque bounced too. The government has our land. What are we supposed to do now? Where do we go?' Farmer leader Gurdhiyan Singh from BKU (Ekta Bhateri Kalan) condemned the situation, calling it 'outright harassment'. 'We will meet the Patiala deputy commissioner. The government must act quickly to disburse the compensation and take strict action against those responsible,' he said. When contacted, PUDA land acquisition collector Sanjeev Kumar attributed the issue to a 'technical glitch at the bank's end'. 'There is no shortage of funds. The issue is being looked into and will be resolved soon,' he said.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Wheat traders in Punjab bet on profits, but higher yield could upset plans
Chandigarh: Encouraged by profits earned in the previous seasons, private traders are again actively purchasing wheat from Punjab farmers. However, the anticipated bumper yield this season poses a risk of shrinking their profit margins, which are usually generated by stocking and supplying wheat to local flour mills at a higher price over the year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As on Friday, traders have bought 6.99 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) (8.42%) of wheat, an increase from the corresponding figure of 3.36 LMT (5.52%) last year. Wheat production in the state was affected by unpredictable weather conditions, in 2022 and 2023 enabling traders to capitalize on market supply needs. Anil Popli, vice president of the Punjab Roller Flour Mills Association, said the flour mills usually turn to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to buy wheat from time to time, but the production had dipped over the past two years. This helped the traders sell wheat at a premium and they are expecting a similar trend this season too, he said. Some farmers have also decided to hold back their stocks. Randhir Singh, a farmer from Patran said, "Wheat was sold for around Rs 3,200 per quintal in the market six months after the procurement. It has prompted farmers to stocker larger stocks in the hope of getting a better deal," he said. Traditionally, private trade used to shun Punjab for the wheat purchase because of the higher taxation regime of 8.5% imposed for wheat procurement . This includes 3% market fee, 3% rural development cess and 2.5% arhtiyas' commission while most of the other key states impose procurement levies of around 3%. "It could also be linked to the changing eating habits as people are now consuming more bread and biscuits, for which the flour mills need wheat supplies throughout the year. They don't have the logistics to hold such large stocks and rely on traders," said Gagandeep Singh, an arhtiya from Patiala. Some millers have also switched over to the local market to meet their demands, instead of buying wheat from Bihar and UP.
