3 held for violating PNDT Act

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, November 13

A Chandigarh-based team of the Health Department raided a private hospital and arrested three persons, including its manager, for allegedly violating the PNDT Act. The team, accompanied by the police, also seized three ultrasound machines used to conduct sex determination tests.

The state government has hired private firm Speed Network to check the misuse of ultrasound machines across the state.

The company’s managing director Ramesh Dutt said during investigation they came to know that the hospital was charging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 35,000 to conduct the test.

The team comprising Dr Rajesh Bhaskar of the Health Department, Gurdaspur civil surgeon Dr Kishan Chand and Dr Sanjeev Bhalla, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Batala, sent a decoy customer.

Amritsar-based woman Nirmala Devi acted as a mediator between the customers and the hospital management. Nirmala Devi asked the decoy to hand over Rs 22,000 to hospital employee Surinder Pal.

The team arrested Surinder Pal with marked currency notes.

During investigation, it surfaced that the employee used to describe himself as an MBBS doctor. “We have seized all three ultrasound machines,” said Dutt.

The police have registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 23 of the PNDT Act, 1994, and arrested Surinder Pal, his

assistant Hari Om and Nirmala Devi.