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February 10, 2012

Bus rolls near Redwater, Alberta, injuring dozens


At least 30 people were injured, three critically, when a Red Arrow passenger bus enroute from Fort McMurray rolled over Friday afternoon near Redwater, Alta.

Five passengers were trapped inside the fully-loaded bus and had to be extricated.
RCMP Sgt. Jennifer Jackson said the victims' injuries ranged from minor cuts and bruises to more three serious cases, which were airlifted to hospitals in Edmonton.
At least 12 ambulances were dispatched to the scene, according to Alberta Health Services spokesman Kerry Williamson
Williamson confirmed that 28 passengers were taken to hospitals in Edmonton, Westlock, Gibbons, Fort Saskatchewan, Thornhill and Westlock; nine others were assessed at the scene but did not require ambulance transport.
The rollover happened at 2:15 p.m. Friday on Highway 28, about 10 kilometres west of Redwater, northeast of Edmonton.
Officials with Red Arrow bus lines were stunned by the incident.
"Shaken-up is probably a good word," said general manager John Stepovy. "We've got professionals on site here and we're just trying to take care of the passengers as best we can here."
Highway 28 was closed in both directions while police continued their investigation.

4 dead in Hwy 1 truck crash near Chilliwack, B.C.


Four people died Thursday after two semi-trailer trucks were involved in a head-on collision on the Trans-Canada Hwy. east of Chilliwack, B.C.
A compact car was also caught in the collision.
The deceased included the two truck drivers and two people who were travelling in the car.
The collision occurred on the Trans-Canada near Annis Road in the eastbound lanes at about 2:20 p.m.
Police say a semi truck was travelling westbound, when it crossed the median into the east bound lanes.
It collided with a small car and then the semi which tried to brake but couldn't.
The collision disrupted traffic which was diverted at Prest Road west of the accident.
After being closed for much of the day, the Trans-Canada's westbound lanes between Prest Road and Annis Road reopened at 10:00 p.m. Thursday.
Eastbound traffic was expected to be flowing again by 1:00 a.m. Friday morning.
Robert MacMullan witnessed the carnage after he heard a horrible noise from his office near Highway One and Annis Road.
"I heard a large crash and I immediately looked out on the highway and saw a large puff of smoke,'' he said.
"The smoke was very black, very heavy, very thick. Lots of flames, so I immediately jumped in my truck and ran down to see what I could do."
But there was little he could do.
Both trailers were completely engulfed and gone. The small car was completely demolished.
"This is one of the worst accidents we've seen in a while. It's very tragic," said Fraser Valley RCMP Const. Lea-Dunlop.
"All the people were dead when we arrived on the scene. They likely died instantly."
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward.

Punjab for ‘unified command of police’ for tricity


Chandigarh, February 10
The State of Punjab today gave its nod for a “unified command of police” for the Tricity of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali for investigating cases of serious nature, murder and kidnapping included.
In an affidavit placed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Deputy Secretary, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, Om Parkash Bhatia, said the force could comprise police officers from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
He also suggested that the command or the committee could be of Punjab, Haryana and UT SSPs. The senior-most SSP could be heading it.
The affidavit placed before the Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover further suggested that the command could meet once a month on a fixed date. The meeting could be advanced if required by the circumstances.
The affidavit came on a petition filed in public interest for CBI probe into the kidnapping and murder of five-year-old boy Khushpreet. The petition has been filed by the World Human Rights Protection Council through chairperson-cum-advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal.
The petitioner is also demanding a strict action against the errant Chandigarh police officers, allegedly responsible for Khushpreet’s death.
Khushpreet was kidnapped on December 21, 2010, from Burail. He was later found brutally murdered on January 5 in Mohali, hardly at two kilometers from his house. After protests, the Chandigarh administration had ordered magisterial probe. His family has already returned the compensation offered by the UT administration.
Seeking CBI probe in the case, Lakhanpal submitted the police had failed miserably to solve the case. apparently dissatisfied with the probe report, Lakhanpal sought directions to register a criminal case under Section 304-A of IPC on the allegations of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the errant police officers.
The petitioner also sought directions to the UT administration to come up with a special cell to deal with similar situations and employ specially trained cops.

Policeman suspended for obeying EC order


Mohali, February 10
A sub-inspector (SI) of the Punjab Police has paid a heavy price for diligently obeying orders of the Election Commission (EC) to check all vehicles, private and official, for unaccounted cash and liquor in the run-up to the Punjab Assembly elections.
Parmod Kumar has been placed under suspension for allegedly annoying higher-ups during the routine checking of vehicles when the former was on election duty at a static naka in Mohali. Officially, he has been transferred five days before the polling while he was on election duty, but was suspended for not reporting at his new place of posting.
Intriguingly, officials of the Election Department had appreciated him for seizing over Rs 1 crore cash and a large quantity of liquor prior to the elections.
The matter has been brought to the notice of the officials concerned in the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Punjab, and the District Election Officer, Mohali. Sources in the Election Department revealed that though the CEO had categorically stayed all transfer orders (issued with effect from December 24, 2011) that had been issued without its permission. But a senior official in the Punjab Police headquarters transferred the SI through orders issued on January 25, a few days ahead of the January 30 elections. “The orders issued without clearance of the Election Commission are in violation of the instructions. It is a serious misconduct,” said a senior official.
The senior official in the police headquarters issued the transfer orders without verifying whether the policeman was on election duty and then suspended him for disobeying the transfer orders. Being on election duty, the SI was not relieved from duty by District Election Office.
District Electoral Officer Varun Roojam confirmed the suspension. “The SI was on election duty and as such he could not be transferred. He has done a commendable job while on duty,” he said. The SI was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.
Sources said after strict instructions were issued for checking all vehicles, the police department started checking each and every vehicle entering the district. As a result, there was large seizure of cash and liquor.

Overloaded autos a threat to kids’ lives


An auto-rickshaw overloaded with students in Patiala.
An auto-rickshaw overloaded with students in Patiala.
Patiala, February 10
Despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court coming down heavily on overloaded auto-rickshaws, especially the ones ferrying schoolchildren, the practice continues unabated in the city.
Auto-rickshaws overloaded with passengers is a common sight here. Despite the ruling that the drivers should not accommodate more than three persons at a time, one can see numerous people travelling at the same time.
Many three-wheelers carry as many as 10-15 passengers, especially the ones transporting schoolchildren. While the district administration is seemingly indifferent to the issue, the parents and school authorities are also not bothered.
“The three-wheeler drivers not only play with the lives of children but also pose a threat to others on the road. One can see some children barely managing to cling on to the vehicle. My daughter used to go to school in an auto-rickshaw which used to ferry more than 10 children. Even after repeated requests, the driver did not reduce the strength. Now, I personally go to drop and pick her from the school everyday,” added Manjeet Singh of Tripri.
Charanpreet Kaur, a student of Punjabi University, said, “I don’t understand why the authorities don’t challan three-wheeler drivers. They just act as a mute spectator even as violation of traffic rules by auto drivers can been seen in every nook and corner of the city. All auto-rickshaws going from one part of the city to the bus stand are totally stuffed but no one bothers to check this practice,” she added.
Patiala Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg said it was not that the administration was not taking any action. “The traffic police has been directed to challan the drivers violating traffic norms and they are doing it,” he added.