Harmandeep Singh is staff Correspondent and have specialisation in investigative reporting. He covers Punjab politics, mining, crime, school education, health, medical education, administration, labour department, brain-drain and rural areas besides burning issues of Sangrur and Barnala districts.
Articles by Harmandeep Singh
Food-poisoning cases: Sangrur meritorious school principal negligent, finds probe panel
After 74 students hospitalised with food-poisoning, probe team finds principal and warden ignored complaints of students and teachers about substandard food being served in hostel mess.
Updated on Dec 09, 2023 07:48 PM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Five years on, central ayurveda dispensaries in Punjab don’t even have essential medicines
An official of the state health department confirmed that they had completed the distribution last week and the Centre-run dispensaries did not receive any medicines
Updated on Dec 06, 2023 08:42 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
74 Sangrur school students taken ill after consuming ‘poor quality food’; govt school principal suspended, contractor & manager arrested
A four-member committee led by Sangrur SDM has been formed to probe the case; the panel will submit its report within a week
Updated on Dec 03, 2023 07:58 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Punjab: 53 school students hospitalised in Sangrur, food poisoning suspected
Inquiry committee set up after students of Government Meritorious School at Ghabdan complained of restlessness, vomiting following dinner in hostel mess
Published on Dec 02, 2023 11:28 AM IST
Farm fires: 32 FIRs registered in Sangrur, Barnala
The total number of stubble burning cases has reached 4,305 in Sangrur and 913 in Barnala district in this kharif season. Last year on the same day, Sangrur district witnessed 149 and Barnala 138 cases.Sangrur district on Thursday recorded the highest number of farm fire cases (135) in the state while Barnala witnessed 14 incidents.
Updated on Nov 10, 2023 08:20 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur/ Barnala:
Farm fires record uptick across Punjab
A day after the SC directions, HT reporters found stubble on fire across Punjab. Govt data showed that 21 dists witnessed a spike in farm fire incidents
Updated on Nov 09, 2023 09:18 AM IST
Vishal JoshiHarmandeep Singh
No let-up, Sangrur again logs most farm fires
Sangrur has been witnessing the highest number of farm fires in the state for the last 8 years since the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre started mapping farm fires through satellite. Officials have termed the highest area under paddy in the district and influence of farm unions as the reasons behind the maximum number of farm fires.
Updated on Nov 08, 2023 09:00 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
At 81 quintals per hectare, Sangrur witnesses record paddy yield
As per the crop-cutting experiments conducted by agriculture department officials, the district is recording an average of 81 quintals per hectare yield in this district. Last year, the paddy yield was 76 quintals per hectare.
Updated on Oct 30, 2023 07:00 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Last heir of Malerkotla’s Nawab Begum Nisa passes away at 103
Punjab vidhan sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan expressed grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Begum. Besides, Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra and Malerkotla MLA Dr Jamil Ur Rehman also condoled the death of Begum
Updated on Oct 28, 2023 08:02 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Malerkotla
Punjab’s first open varsity to get permanent home in Sangrur’s Lehra
Punjab edu dept has finalised a proposal to move the university to Baba Hira Singh Bhattal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lehra, campus which has been lying vacant for the past three years
Updated on Oct 25, 2023 07:00 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Punjab: 8 kabbadi players thrash constable to death in Barnala
Policeman collapsed after he was beaten up when he intervened to resolve the dispute between eight kabaddi players, all of who are now absconding, and restaurant staff over settling the bill
Updated on Oct 23, 2023 04:03 PM IST
Punjab: Sangrur farmers relying on manual paddy harvest due to rain
Manual harvesting to cost more as combine harvesters can’t be used due to damp ground conditions after heavy rain; potato sowing delayed, too
Published on Oct 16, 2023 03:34 PM IST
Farmers at receiving end, paddy procurement stalled in Sangrur
Demanding a rollback of the decision and implementation of the old commission system, commission agents said earlier they got 2.5% of the notified MSP of the crop, but now their commission had been fixed lower at ₹46 per quintal, which is 2% of the MSP.
Published on Oct 11, 2023 03:04 PM IST
Technical edu dept to end services of staff at Lehra engineering college
Employees have received notice of ending their services from October 31. The employees have been seeking their pending salaries since December 2019
Updated on Oct 04, 2023 09:36 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Women SHGs to stitch school uniforms, Sangrur model to be replicated across Punjab, says CM Bhagwant Mann
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced plans to implement this initiative across Punjab in schools and the police department to make rural women financially independent.
Updated on Sep 30, 2023 08:10 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Won’t spare even those involved in old drug cases, says Punjab CM Mann
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday that anyone found involved in a drug-related cases will not be spared
Updated on Sep 30, 2023 07:02 AM IST
Sangrur admn begins process to take possession of land given to Jind Maharaja
According to an order of the Patiala divisional commissioner dated February 2, 1987, Maharaja Satbir Singh is in possession of the land by way of grant only and is not the complete owner of the land. He can only enjoy the fruits of the land until his death, following which the entire land will vest with the Punjab government.
Published on Sep 21, 2023 12:55 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
‘Misuse’ of funds: Sangrur administration begins probe
The municipal council had floated a tender for laying interlock tiles on roads of a private colony while in the complaint it was alleged that the roads were already in a good condition and just need repair and patch work
Updated on Sep 13, 2023 12:46 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Power outage sparks fear of blood stock damage at Sangrur civil hospital
Samples sent for getting the viability of 100 units of blood checked; for emergency use, 70 units of blood from Patiala blood bank have been brought. The samples were collected by the local health department
Updated on Sep 12, 2023 01:13 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Sangrur: Audio clips of patwari ‘seeking’ bribe go viral, probe initiated
In the audios, the patwari can be heard seeking ₹3 lakh for registration of an agricultural land in the clips of 3.15 minutes and 1.20 minutes duration
Published on Sep 11, 2023 12:49 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Sangrur admn to demolish British-era hospital to construct new facility
The district administration plans to demolish a 122-year-old hospital building in Sangrur and construct a new facility with modern infrastructure and facilities in its place while keeping the same façade. The new building will have a capacity of over 250 beds and underground parking. The old building is in poor condition and cannot accommodate more beds. The health department has been assigned the task of upgrading the hospital's building.
Updated on Sep 11, 2023 12:20 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Punjab: Medicine shortage hits drug-resistant TB patients
Government hospitals have been facing a shortage of medicines for MDR-TB for the past three months and now for the past one month, hospitals have run out of seven out of nine medicines required to treat MDR-TB patients. Doctors said hospitals are facing a shortage of pyrazinamide 750mg, levofioxacin, rifampicin 150mg, cycloserine, clofazimine, isoniazid and linezolid. Only a few hospitals that have these medicines in their stock are treating patients.
Published on Sep 10, 2023 12:19 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Punjab human rights panel seeks DSP’s explanation for lathicharge on teachers
The incident had taken place in December 2021, a month-and-a-half before the Punjab assembly elections, when the then CM Charanjit Channi was addressing a rally in Mansa. Videos had emerged from the spot, in which the DSP was seen ruthlessly cane-charging unemployed teachers.
Updated on Sep 09, 2023 01:02 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
War against drugs: Sangrur village installs nakas to stop narcotics’ sale and use
At least five ‘nakas’ have been installed by the ‘Nasha Roko Committee’ at all entry/exit points to stop sale and use of drugs. They have been keeping 24x7 vigil in the village against the anti-social elements
Updated on Sep 06, 2023 01:15 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Medicine shortage hits hepatitis C patients hard in Punjab
In 2016, Punjab was the first state to start providing free medicines, but for the past few months the hospitals have been grappling with the short supply of medicines
Updated on Sep 02, 2023 12:47 AM IST
Punjab: Longowal SHO sent to lines for ‘torturing’ farmer in custody
Punjab Police on Thursday transferred station house officer (SHO) of the Longowal police station for allegedly torturing a 35-year-old farmer in police custody
Updated on Aug 25, 2023 12:41 AM IST
Punjab: A day after Sangrur clash, 53 farmers booked for murder bid
Sangrur’s senior police superintendent Surendra Lamba said meeting with farmers ended on a positive note and we have agreed to most of their demands
Updated on Aug 23, 2023 12:17 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Elderly farmer mowed down during protest in Punjab’s Sangrur
5 cops injured in clash with farmers protesting against ‘detention’ of their leaders ahead of mega protest in Chandigarh
Updated on Aug 22, 2023 01:05 AM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Schools of Eminence: Parents object to ₹240 fee for transportation facility
Schools will pay ₹1,200 to the transporter and of the total amount, 80% funds will be borne by the government while the rest of the amount will be contributed by parents of students
Updated on Aug 13, 2023 11:20 PM IST
Harmandeep Singh, Sangrur
Punjab bandh: Complete shutdown in Doaba region
In the Doaba region, which includes Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar districts, most commercial establishments remained shut and market areas wore a deserted look
Updated on Aug 10, 2023 12:33 AM IST