Probe ordered into Rajpura contractor's complaintChandigarh: The Punjab government has ordered an inquiry on a complaint by a contractor that the officers of the Public Works Department were not paying him the amount he spent on raising of the Old G.T. Road in Rajpura. According to contractor Ajay Sharma, he undertook the work on the basis of tenders floated in a newspaper by the department. After the work, costing Rs 7.5 lakh, was completed, the department took the stand that the officers of Patiala division had not taken administrative approval for the same. The estimate was also not approved. Hence, no payment could be released. The secretary, PWD, Mohinder Singh, disclosed that Chief Engineer T.S. Sodhi had been asked to inquire into the matter. It appeared that the officers had gone ahead with the tenders in anticipation of administrative approval.51 couples tie the knotAmbala: As many as 51 girls belonging to poor families tied their nuptial knots at a mass-marriage function organised by the Ambala Seva Sabha in Ambala city, today. Blessing the newly wedded couples, Haryana Governor Mahabir Prasad called upon different section of the society to promote mass-marriages to eradicate the social evils of dowry, casteism and communalism and strengthen a sense of social equality, unity and secularism in the society.Rangian Mandi residents block trafficAmbala: Agitated over the opening of a liquor vend in their colony, residents of Rangian Mandi, Ambala Cantonment, blocked traffic at National Highway Number 10 for over an hour last night. The picketers led by the municipal councilor Lalita Prasad raised slogans against the district administration for allowing the contractor to open the vend in the populated area of the colony and demanded that it be shifted to some other site.DCW lauded for record exportsPatiala: Diesel Component Works, a production unit of Indian Railways has contributed Rs 134.18 lakh to the exchequer by exporting loco components. This was stated today by the chief administration officer G.S. Sandle, while presiding over a function to commemorate the 44th Railway Week, here. He said the loco components were exported to countries like Tanazania, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Lauding the performance of DCW employees, he said the DCW had surpassed all records and registered a profit of Rs 203.26 crore against the target of Rs 160.19 crore, during 1998-99. Sandle said DCW had made remarkable achievements in all fields, including sports, where Sunita Rani had won Silver and Bronze medals in the 13th Asian Games at Bangkok. He also gave away excellence awards to a number of employees in various field and said a commitment to excellence would help them achieve higher goals.
