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Improvement Trust, police head for a showdown Ludhiana, July 15 A day before the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) was scheduled to inaugurate a newly constructed police post in the market, the LIT authorities today asked the police authorities to stop the construction of the building immediately. A police post functioned from four shops of the market four years ago but was closed due to administrative reasons. The police has now decided to reopen it but included larger area by constructing a wall around the corridor also. The police, however, seemed adamant as all preparations for the inauguration were in full swing till late evening. The LIT officials said they were issuing a notice to the department against the encroachment. Following a complaint of the area residents that the police was encroaching upon the corridors of the Kitchlu Nagar market to erect a post, the LIT came into action today late afternoon and stopped the construction today. Mr Sandeep Kapoor, a local advocate and president, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, was spearheading the campaign against the police. He said the police post would affect the privacy of the people. He alleged that if the police starts encroaching, other people would also cover the corridors and the very purpose of a spacious market would be defeated. He stressed that the residents were not against having a police security in the area but law was equal for all. The police department was opening a police post in four shops of the Kitchlu Nagar market and had also usurped the area of market corridors for the purpose. A wall was constructed to cover the area . The SSP, Mr Narinder Pal Singh, is scheduled to inaugurate the building tomorrow. Police sources said the post was set up specially to check crime in the area. While Mr Ashok Singh Garcha, chairman of LIT, was not available for comments, a senior official of the Trust, on condition of anonymity, said the construction on the corridors was stopped. He, however, said that four shops belonged to the Police Department only and a post already existed here some years ago. However, the police had no right to include the corridor area into the police post area. Meanwhile, the shopkeepers and residents resented the move of the police to set up a post in the locality. They said that a police station in the vicinity of the residential area was a nightmare and this was going to come true for them. They urged upon the chairman of the LIT that he should not allow the police to set up a post there, claiming that their privacy would suffer. The shopkeepers claimed that their business would also suffer as the womenfolk would stay away from coming to their shops. The post is being set up under the latest scheme of the Police Department to revive closed police stations and post to check the rising crime graph.
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City areas without drinking water for three days Ludhiana, July 15 They claimed that they were doing without water since Monday and had made several complaints to the authorities but to no avail. They threatened that if the supply was not restored by tomorrow, they would be forced to sit on a dharna. According to Mr Ravinder Kumar, an area resident, they had no supply of drinking water and had to walk to neighbouring Guru Nanak Pura to fetch it. ‘‘From there we can only get two or three buckets a day, which is used for drinking.’’ He added that most of the residents were not even taking bath in this hot and sultry weather due to the shortage of water. Residents of the Pritam Nagar area said they were also without water for the past many days. They said they were making do with minimum water required for daily use, as they had to get it from their neighbours who had their own underground pumps. Pooja, a housewife, said she had to take her children with a utensil each to fill water from neighbourhood. She said it was becoming very difficult for them as the taps had gone dry and whenever there was a power cut, the private pumps could not be operated. She added that sometimes she had to buy bottled water to meet the demands of her family. Meanwhile, following protests by the residents of the Shiv Puri colony against the MC for not supplying potable water to their area for the past three months, the water supply to the area was restored here today. Expressing happiness at the supply, the residents said they were virtually without potable water for the past many months and they had made various representations to the authorities. But they woke up only after the residents threatened to go on a fast from today. Many residents, including women, had decided to sit on fast when the repair was done. On Tuesday, many women had sat on a dharna and blocked traffic on the Shiv Puri road for an hour in favour of their demands. They were being supplied water through the tankers, which they claimed was not fit for drinking. The residents said their tubewell required a minor repair and the MC needed to buy a small pipe to keep it going.
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Courage counters robbery bid Ludhiana, July 15 The residents chased the three but failed to catch them. The three were clean-shaven and fled on a scooter. The colony is situated just behind the traffic police station and the DIG office. The incident took place at about 12.30 p.m. when the three entered the house of currency exchanger Harjinder Singh, claiming to be his friends. His wife, Asha Rani was alone in the house. They claimed that they had come to present them a sweets box as one of them had been blessed with a child. The unsuspecting woman offered them cold drinks. When she went back to the kitchen, they cornered her. Brandishing a knife, the three demanded keys of the cupboards. The woman, however, managed to escape their clutches while going towards the cupboards. One of them, who was carrying a rod, hit her on the head. The woman however, continued to run towards the main door and managed to open it. She was again hit with a rod. The woman started bleeding profusely but still reached the street outside and raised an alarm. A police team of Division No. 8 police station led by SHO Dilpreet Singh also reached the spot. The woman was taken to Arora Nursing Home here. A case has been registered under Section 459 and 511, IPC. Sources said a team of forensic experts had recovered fingerprints of the three from the empty glasses in which they took cold drinks. Sources added that the three were speaking Punjabi. |
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No-trust motion passed against Doraha MC chief Doraha, July 15 Mr Surinder Pal Sood, senior Vice-President, will officiate as
president.
Among the 10 councillors who supported the motion against Mrs Raj Rani were Mr Surinder Pal Sood, Mr Bant Singh Daburjee, Mr Gurnam Singh, Mrs Harnam Kaur, Mrs Kiran Bala, Mrs Ajit Kaur, Mrs Priya Sharma, Mr Jaswinder Singh, Mr Navjit Singh and Mr Adarsh Pal Bector. Mrs Raj Rani boycotted the meeting.
She said she had followed the anti-corruption campaign launched by the Chief Minister. “I have worked with devotion. Within the 13 months period of my presidentship, I have accomplished developmental projects worth over Rs 1 crore in Doraha town. A statue of former Chief Minister Beant Singh
was erected at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. As many as 73 new tenders have been placed and no
cases are pending,” she said, adding that I have worked earnestly but never received cooperation from councillors who opposed every move of mine. But I refused to agree to their “terms of consideration”, she claimed. |
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Inter-state gang of
robbers busted Ludhiana, July 15 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr R.K. Bakshi, DSP, Industrial Area, said a police team led by Inspector Gurpreet Singh, SHO, Division No. 7, nabbed the gang members while they were planning to commit a dacoity in the area last night. Mr Bakshi said those arrested have been identified as Ramesh Kumar and Shammi Kumar of Transport Nagar, Laddi of Jamalpur, Totti of Arjun Nagar, Channi and Sham Lal of EWS Colony. Mr Bakshi said the police seized a pistol, two cartridges and a number of sharp-edged weapons from their possession. The police also recovered stolen jewellery, television sets and other valuables from the possession of the accused. The gang members comprised Punjabis and migrant labourers.
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CM has support of all Punjabis: Birmi Ludhiana, July 15 Mr Birmi was addressing the Youth Congress workers gathered at Circuit House to welcome and honour him on his first visit to city after assuming the charge of his new assignment. He said that the Chief Minister had created history by getting the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, passed in the Vidhan Sabha by mobilising the support of all political parties, which was the only option left with the Punjab Government after the decision of the apex court regarding the completion of SYL canal. No other Chief Minister in the past had mustered the courage to abrogate the one-sided awards which were detrimental to the interests of people, especially farmers. Ironically, the Akalis too had supported the bold initiative of the Chief Minister but it was unfortunate that the BJP was adopting double standards on this issue at the national level. The state BJP leaders were seized of the matter but are acting on orders from above. He stressed that anyone who did not raise his voice at this point of time was not concerned about the interests of Punjab. He said the changed ground realities underline the fact that there was no surplus water with the state to give it to other states so what was the point of completing the SYL. Mr Birmi exhorted the party workers to unite and raise a strong voice to protect the interests of Punjab and to strengthen the hands of the Chief Minister. Referring to the allround development during the past over two years, he asserted that a new era of development would be ushered in as the financial condition of the state had substantially improved. The state government was fully committed to implement the attractive schemes drawn up for the welfare of the weaker sections and the farming community to ameliorate the fate of the people. He assured the workers that he would give maximum time for solving the problems of the people. Mr Komal Khanna, president, District Youth Congress, said Youth Congress workers would mobilise the masses behind Capt Amarinder Singh who was genuinely concerned about the interests of the state.
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Birmi says CM ditched him Ludhiana, July 15 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Birmi maintained that it was the high command that helped him to become the Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS). He said he could have even tried to be retained in the ministry but for the haste shown by the Chief Minister in re-appointing the minister. |
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League backs govt on water issue Ludhiana, July 15 Akali government came to power because of the agitation but did not dare to assert by annulling the agreements, he said. A meeting of its members held here today felt that the Centre, due to unfounded suspicions about Punjab, had given a raw deal to the state in every respect. |
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BJP criticises induction of Parliamentary Secretaries Ludhiana, July 15 The induction of three Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and nine Parliamentary Secretary will neither reduce the burden on the state exchequer nor serve any other purpose. The new incumbents would enjoy the perks and privileges of ministers and will be provided with staff and official machinery, he opined. There will be duplicity and overlapping of duties in the area of activity causing confusion and delay in official functioning, he added. Prof Bhandari further alleged that the whole excise had been carried out by the Chief Minister with a view to appeasing maximum number of MLAs and safeguarding his chair. He had to even accommodate Harbans Lal, who was earlier dropped by the
Chief Minister from the Cabinet on charges of malpractice, he added. |
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Sikh Students Federation (Mehta) warns Ludhiana, July 15 Coming down heavily on the BJP, Mr Gurcharan Singh Grewal, president of the outfit, said the BJP was playing to the gallery and with an eye to increase its vote bank. The gameplan of the party was dangerous and it would further incite the inflamed sentiments of the people on the emotive issue. The people of Punjab were united and were ready for any sacrifice to safeguard their rights, he added. He said it was a matter of record that certain forces had always worked against the welfare of the Punjabis, especially Sikhs. The discrimination had started from the time of Partition and continues till date. The people had always been forced to fight for their rights as was evident on the Punjabi Suba movement and the injustices which led to terrorism. Now a similar atmosphere was being created which would not only sour relations between the people of the neighbouring states but could also result in bloodshed, he pointed out. Mr Grewal said the BJP was whipping up frenzy on the waters issue so that it would reap rich dividends in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Haryana. This was not Gujarat and the sooner the BJP realise it the better it was for all concerned. “It is hard to understand why everyone is crying hoarse over the issue which is an attempt to protect the rights of the state and as per internationally accepted laws. Any other state would have done the same in similar circumstances, so where’s the conflict,” he questioned. He informed that a meeting of the working committee of the federation would be held shortly to chalk out a further course of action. He also appealed to all the people to remain calm but be ready to take up the cudgels for a just cause. The people should be ready to make sacrifices for settling a contentious issue once and for all, he added. |
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PWD employees threaten to boycott work Ludhiana, July 15 The agitating members of the joint action committee threatened to boycott work if the matter was not resolved soon by July 21. Several employee leaders addressed the gathering. Rejecting the FIR by terming it false, baseless and politically motivated, the speakers alleged that on the eve of downsizing of the Punjab Cabinet one group of the ruling party had through the FIR tried to clip the wings of a leader of another group in the party. The officials of the PWD had been made scapegoats in the political game, they added. The employee leaders threatened that in case the FIR was not withdrawn they would resort to a statewide agitation to get justice for their colleagues. An action committee has been formed to chalk out the future course of action. They charged that their colleagues had been arrested without verifying the facts. The Vigilance Bureau, they added, has not checked any of the office records so far to justify their action. Mr Vijay Marjara, general secretary, joint action committee, said they were perturbed over the silence of the PWD minister over the issue. They demanded that their view should be tabled in the Cabinet meeting and the PWD minister should himself take up the issue. |
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‘Paying taxes true service to the nation’ Ludhiana, July 15 He was addressing a seminar on ‘Sales tax and you’ organised by the Anari Friends Club International today. Paying sales tax is our legal as well as moral duty. If we pay our taxes honestly, then we are doing true service to the nation because all development works and the working of the government is dependent on taxes collected from us, Mr Gansi said. Interacting with the members of the club, he said, “There is always a hue and cry by businessmen about the working of the Sales Tax Department. But department officials are given certain targets, which they have to achieve for the smooth working of the government. “On the other hand, the people condemn the department when they have to resort to raids. So it is in the interest of the people to sell their products on proper bills and save themselves from other harsh measures,” he added. Among others who were present on the occasion were Mr Ranjit Singh, Mr IBS Nanda, Mr Mohinder Singh, Mr Parminder Singh Pappu, Mr Yash Pal Gosain, Mr Ritesh Rai, Mr Sukhwinder Singh, Mr S K Singla, Mr Naveen Arora, Mr Manoj Kalra. |
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100 saplings planted on Vanamahotsava Doraha, July 15 Mr Dudeja said their bank was celebrating a Vanamahotsava week in the course of which saplings were being planted at various places in Doraha. “Our endeavour should be to preserve our fast depleting environment and grow more and more trees to give a healthy look to our surroundings,” he added. |
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Readers
Write The decision to shift old sabzi mandi beyond Buddha Nullah from the old site was taken during the tenure of the late Chief Minister Lachhman Singh Gill. The actual shifting took place at a later date after acquiring land and working out various modalities. As people were accustomed to visiting the old place just opposite B.L. Kapur Memorial Hospital to make purchases, some booths were constructed and allotted to vegetable sellers. Gradually, these booths came to be used for some other business Hardly two or three booths are being used for the purpose these were allotted. The focus of activities of vegetable vendors later shifted to Maliganj Chowk, its surroundings and about 200 metres from Maliganj towards Daresi Road. The vendors in Maliganj Chowk operate due to the lax attitude of municipal employees who do not take measures to oust them. The owners of rehris parked near shops from Maliganj Chowk to the Daresi side pay Rs 40 to Rs 60 to shopkeepers daily to avail themselves of their space for business. There is also encroachment on Municipal Corporation land. Living in the locality is difficult with vendors making a noise from early in the morning to late in the night. In the evenings, vendors throw away unsold rotten vegetables which emit a foul smell. Pigs and stray animals enter the area after 9.30 pm and wallow in the refuse. There have also been instances when stray animals have caused accidents. The garbage lies around till the next morning when it is swept at 7 a.m. by safai karamcharis who charge Rs 2 from each vendor. Vendors also burn the straw packing for fruits at night with the result that the smoke enters nearby houses. When Mr Jai Singh was the commissioner of the corporation in 1984, no vendor was allowed to operate in the area. Following this, the Maliganj and Daresi areas were cleaner. The shopkeepers who allow vendors to stand outside their premises and earn at least Rs 100 a day and are happy. However, residents have been put to a lot of inconvenience for the past 18 years. It is high time the corporation authorities took action. Subhash Behal, Ludhiana Politics of confrontation must end It is paintful to note that the issue of “tainted” ministers has taken up a lot of time of the Lok Sabha. No important business could be transacted. This has disappointed millions of people who have sent their representatives to the Lok Sabha to redress their grievances. If political parties cannot resolve differences among themselves, how will they solve the problems of our vast nation? Both sides should climb down from their stand. The criminalisation of politics is a serious issue, but holding the House to ransom bodes ill for democracy. This is a threat to the very survival of democracy in our country. The ruling party and the Opposition should talk to each other instead of talking at each other. The earlier it is done, the better it would be for all concerned. Anil Sharma,
Polity being criminalised The democratic system in our country is considered to be the most successful model in the world. But with the passage of time the polity has been criminalised. Political parties have enrolled goons as members of their respective outfits with the sole objective of intimidating their opponents. These goons are often allotted the party ticket at the time of elections against the norms of the Election Commission. The commission has laid stress on the code of conduct. Prospective candidates must declare their assets and antecedents while filling their nomination papers. However, persons with a criminal background somehow manage to file their poll papers on some party ticket and get elected to state assemblies or the Lok Sabha. Such persons have immense resources at their disposal and spend lavishly besides using muscle power to win the elections. And once they are members of assemblies or Parliament, they are able to corner ministerial berths, especially in this era of coalition governments. Hence the decription “tainted” ministers. Opposition parties are adamant that “tainted” ministers must resign, whereas the ruling party is bent on defending them. Parliament is not allowed to function, resulting in the wastage of crores of rupees daily. K.L. Chitkara,
Ban screening of ‘Girlfriend’ The screening of “Girlfriend” in theatres has caused resentment among people. The protest against this film has started to spread to different places in India. In Ludhiana, a cinema house had to be closed in the wake of protests. Such movies are against our culture and have an adverse effect on young minds. But why has the film been opposed only by the RSS and Shiv Sainiks? Is it acceptable to others? It should have been strongly opposed by every section of society. But the question is: Who is responsible for the furore? The makers of the film or the Film Censor Board which approves such films for screening? Moreover, why is there so much hue and cry over this particular movie? Is such a film being screened for the first time? In Ludhiana similar movies are often screened in varous theatres, where obscene posters are also displayed. Such films are screened without caring about moral values. The administration knows about it but has become a silent spectator. No action is being taken to stop the menace. Further, such films are being screened primarily for migrants from UP and Bihar with the result that there has been a spurt in crimes like kidnapping, molestation, rape and murder. With the advent of cable TV, the running of these theatres has become unprofitable and their managements are keeping themselves afloat by showing C-grade films. Keeping in mind the interests of our society and for the sake of our young generation, such films should be banned and the licences of such theatres cancelled. Kuldip Singh Kreer,
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Two booked for breach of trust Jagraon, July 15 Poppy husk seized:
The police her arrested Pal Singh of Sher Pur Kalan from the Sheikh Daulat area and recovered 12 kg of poppy husk from him. A case under Sections 15, 61, 85 of NDPS has been registered. Working still seized:
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Industry decries steel price hike Ludhiana, July 15 The Apex Chamber of Commerce too has written to the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, saying that the increase in central excise on steel from 8 to 12 per cent has hit the domestic steel users due to unprecedented increase. Mr P.D. Sharma, President of the Chamber has said that the steel consumers in the country are being fleeced by steel producers who are operating through cartelization. He has requested the UPA government take remedial measures to save the steel industry from crisis. The Ludhiana Motor Parts Manufacturers Association President and General Secretary, Mr G.S. Kahlon and Mr Charan Singh Kohli have demanded that the government should impose a ban on export of steel to ensure that the domestic requirement of steel is met first to save the small scale industry. The association has demanded the intervention of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for the scrapping of the DEPB on steel export. Further the association has demanded that a meeting of the concerned ministry under chairmanship of Mr Ram Vilas Paswan should be held with representatives of the small-scale industry to find an early solution to the problem of the steel users. |
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Tata Victa launched Ludhiana July 15 Initially, launched in 1994, close to 2,70,000 Tata Sumos have been produced so far, clocking the fastest 1,00,000 sales in the industry at the time of its launch. Last fiscal, the Tata Sumo was amongst the top selling models in an industry producing 55 models. The new version offers contemporary vehicle styling, design and technology. Victa interiors are all new. A new soft look dashboard wears a sporty centre console. The styling is sharp, with straight edges and surfaces in keeping with the overall look of the vehicle. The second row of seats can be split 60:40, folded and pushed forward. The new third row of front facing seats can be folded and completely removed releasing up to 2,160 litres of luggage space. It is available in three different trim levels, 7 new colours and powered by a Bharat Stage II compliant, 90PS turbo charged inter-cooled, or a 68 PS naturally aspirated diesel engine. |
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Govt blamed for power crisis Ludhiana, July 15 Mr
P.D. Sharma, president of the chamber, said the state was getting 1,322 lakh units of power every day from various sources and was short by only 117 lakh units. This clearly reflected the poor planning of the state government and the present crisis in the industry was caused due to this 10 per cent shortage. |
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