Articles by Vishal Rambani
Major tax evasion scam unearthed
The railway police and the excise and taxation department have jointly unearthed a major scam of tax evasion at the Ludhiana railway station.
Updated on Aug 28, 2012 12:19 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Vigilance takes U-turn to save Khemkaran MLA
Putting a big question mark on its functioning, the Punjab vigilance bureau has taken a U-turn to save Shiromani Akali Dal MLA from Khemkaran and chief parliamentary secretary (rural water supply and sanitation) Virsa Singh Valtoha in a disproportionate assets case.
Updated on Aug 28, 2012 11:42 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Another Sikh killed in USA
A 43-year-old clean-shaven Sikh was allegedly murdered by unidentified persons at Fresno in California, USA, on Thursday.The miscreants allegedly killed Kashmir Singh in a bid to loot a convenience store, where he worked as a cashier.
Updated on Aug 26, 2012 10:33 PM IST
None | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Elusive tunnel keeps cops on their toes
While the security forces in J&K were kept on the tenterhooks after the discovery of a tunnel in Samba near the Pakistan border, the Punjab Police are on the edge for the simple reason that they are unable to find one.
Updated on Aug 25, 2012 11:26 PM IST
Hindustan Times | , Nabha (patiala)
Vishal Rambani & Navrajdeep SinghBureaucrats play 'ping-pong' with RTI applications
Right to information (RTI) applicants are having a tough time as the Punjab finance department and the Punjabi University pass the buck over who should provide the details.
Updated on Aug 21, 2012 02:26 PM IST
None | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Doctors facing clinic shutdown move court, cry system paralysis
The city’s health services are in danger of being paralysed if medical professional running private clinics and diagnostic centres from residential areas stop work from August 17 to give in as a mark of protest against sealing orders. The sealing orders, which will be formally issued starting August 14, anyway mean that their establishments have to be closed by the MC by August 24.
Updated on Aug 14, 2012 01:50 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Audit panel indicts Ahluwalia
An interim report on the audit of Fatehgarh Sahib-based Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University has indicted suspended vice-chancellor Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia for financial irregularities to the tune of crores of rupees. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which runs the university, had on August 2 hired Chandigarh-based auditors MS Kohli Associates and Satnam Namita Associates to conduct the audit covering Ahluwalia's tenure (2008-12).
Updated on Aug 14, 2012 12:21 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
SAD, Cong trade charges
With the local business community protesting against the sealing orders issued by the Punjab and Haryana high court, the ruling SAD-BJP and the opposition Congress are indulging in mudslinging over the issue.
Updated on Aug 12, 2012 12:47 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Patiala 'elite' grounded as US embassy denies visa
Naahti dhoti reh gyi, muh te makkhi beh gayi! Loosely translated, this Punjabi proverb talks of a woman who is all decked up for an occasion before a party-pooping housefly sits on her face and spoils the make-up.
Updated on Aug 04, 2012 12:47 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
SGPC run varsity awaits UGC nod
Four years since its inception, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (SGGSWU) is yet to be recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Updated on Aug 04, 2012 12:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Fatehgarh Sahib
Ahluwalia-Makkar tussle delays UGC recognition for SGPC-run varsity
Four years since its inception, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (SGGSWU) is yet to be recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Due to the tussle between vice-chancellor Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar, who is also the university chancellor, the SGGSWU failed to send a request to the UGC for recognition during the first three years (the SGPC-run university was set up in 2008).
Updated on Aug 03, 2012 08:13 PM IST
None | Vishal Rambani, Fatehgarh Sahib
Under suspension, Ahluwalia accuses Makkar of blackmail, nepotism
A day after being suspended from the post of vice-chancellor of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia today accused Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president and university chancellor Avtar Singh Makkar of blackmail and nepotism.
Updated on Aug 02, 2012 01:05 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Punjab VB refuses to register cases against its staff
The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) has refused to register cases against its own employees who were indicted in an inquiry for abuse of power. Returning the file to the home secretary, Punjab, the department has said the case did not fall under its purview.
Updated on Aug 01, 2012 11:20 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Punjab blames UP, Haryana for grid failure
Though Punjab today again was overdrawing nearly 300 MW more from its schedule allocation from Northern Grid, it has strongly denied that it was responsible for the grid failure and accused Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for grid failure by releasing data to support its claims. Vishal Rambani reports.
Updated on Aug 01, 2012 10:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
PSPCL blames UP, Haryana for unplugged Tuesday
Even as it continued to overdraw 300 megawatts (MW) of power, Punjab today stuck to its statement that the state was not responsible for the grid failure that paralysed north India for the second consecutive day on Tuesday. The state's power body rather pointed at Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana for the blackout and released data to support its claims.
Updated on Aug 01, 2012 11:59 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Punjab not responsible for power grid failure: PSPCL
Dismissing the allegations that Punjab was one of the states responsible for the failure of the Northern Grid as baseless, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) chief managing director KD Chaudhary has said Punjab had drawn power as per schedule and within limits of the transmission capacity allowed to the state.
Updated on Aug 01, 2012 11:29 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
SGPC suspends Sikh varsity V-C
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has suspended Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia from the post of vice-chancellor of Guru Granth Sahib World Sikh University (GGSWSU) on the charges of irregularities and mismanagement.
Updated on Aug 01, 2012 11:25 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Fatehgarh Sahib
Power plants hit in Punjab; 70-80% supply restored in state
The Northern Grid failure disrupted power supply as well as generation in Punjab on Monday, adversely affecting train, air and hospital services. However, authorities had managed to restore 70-80% of electricity across the state till the filing of this report.
Updated on Jul 30, 2012 09:30 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Northern grid failure brings normal life to halt in region
Seven states in the northern region, including Punjab, faced a blackout from 2.30am to 9.30am on Monday following a disturbance in the northern grid, which caters to 28% of the country's population.Essential services were largely disrupted and life thrown out of gear as railways, airport, hospital emergency, water supply services were affected by the outage.
Updated on Jul 30, 2012 11:25 PM IST
None | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Patwari frame-up: Badal orders FIR against VB joint director, 5 others
The Punjab government has ordered the registration of a first information report against a serving and five former officers of the state Vigilance Bureau (VB) on charge of abuse of power in a patwari frame-up case.
Updated on Jul 28, 2012 05:04 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
VB summons IAS officer for questioning in Patiala land scam
After quizzing the lower rung officials in the infamous Patiala land scam, The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has summoned the Former Deputy Commissioner and IAS Officer Vikas Garg for questioning in sale and purchase of government land worth Rs. 250 crores.
Updated on Jul 27, 2012 09:51 PM IST
None | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Absence of monsoon worsens power situation in Punjab
The power situation in the region is set to go from bad to worse as the absence of monsoon has taken the demand up to 2,240 lakh units (LU), but the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is barely managing to supply 1,950 LU as availability in the Northern Grid has also fallen drastically.
Updated on Jul 19, 2012 09:11 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
PSPCL satisfied with tariff hike: Chaudhri
Though the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has allowed only 12.08% hike in electricity tariff against the demand for a 53% hike made by the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL), the PSPCL authorities are satisfied with the hike.
Updated on Jul 16, 2012 10:34 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Police suspect illegal arms sale racket in Punjab
In a case which could land many high-profile people, including politicians, in trouble, police have come across information that illegal weapons were sold in Punjab.
Updated on Jul 15, 2012 12:52 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Punjab enforces truce to end social boycott of Dalits
The Punjab government on Wednesday hammered out a compromise in a village between upper caste landlords and Dalit labourers who endured a month-long social boycott and loss of work for demanding “just” wages.
Updated on Jul 12, 2012 02:01 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Sangrur
NCSC steps in after month-long Dalits' boycott in Sangrur village
Dalits of Maha Singh Wala village in Moonak subdivision of Sangrur district have been rendered jobless due to their social boycott by upper-caste landlords.
Updated on Jul 11, 2012 10:54 AM IST
Hindustan Times | , Sangrur
Vishal Rambani and Navrajdeep SinghCorrupt cop lands in 'death trap'
ASI held taking bribe from kin of deceased to complete postmortem formalities.
Updated on Jul 10, 2012 12:43 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Corrupt cop lands in ‘death trap’
A Patiala cop has paid the price for trying to cash in on a local resident’s death. The Vigilance Bureau today arrested assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Jagga Singh for accepting Rs 2,000 from a relative of the deceased as bribe for completing postmortem-related formalities. The VB caught Jagga red-handed in the mortuary of Rajindra Medical College and Hospital here.
Updated on Jul 10, 2012 12:27 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
Another blow to royals: Dhillon set to join SAD
In yet another jolt to the royal family of Patiala, one of its former loyalists, Deepinder Singh Dhillon, is all set to join the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Dhillon admitted to Hindustan Times that he had made up his mind to say quits to the Congress and the royal family.
Updated on Jul 09, 2012 04:12 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vishal Rambani, Patiala
'Fake encounter': Four cops arrested
Four police personnel were suspended and arrested after they tried to pass off a truck driver's killing as an 'encounter'. The driver, Kuldeep Singh, was shot dead allegedly by cops after he jumped a check post.
Updated on Jul 06, 2012 04:38 PM IST
Hindustan Times | , Nabha (patiala)
Vishal Rambani and Navrajdeep Singh