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20 hurt as school bus overturns Our Correspondent Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 14 Harjot Singh, Navjot Singh, Rahul Verma and Davinder Singh were admitted to various hospitals at Malerkotla, Ludhiana and Khanna while others have been discharged after being administered first aid. All were stated to be out of danger. The rescuers had to struggle for more than 30 minutes to recover the students, who were trapped inside due to the collapse of a portion of the vehicle. The police booked Surinder Singh, driver of the vehicle, under Sections 279, 337 and 338 of the IPC for allegedly causing hurt to the passengers due to reckless driving. At least 20 passengers, including students of a senior secondary school and a private college of Malerkotla, and the driver of bus (HR-37 4084 ) were injured in the mishap. The students, mostly from Malerkotla, were on their way to Chandigarh and surrounding areas as part of a picnic trip. Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the mishap occurred allegedly, due to irresponsible behaviour and reckless driving by the driver, Surinder Singh. However, a major tragedy was averted. According to information, the students had tried to stop the driver from driving the recklessly. “When we noticed that he was not able to control the vehicle, we pleaded him not drive so fast. But he did not pay any heed and ultimately lost control while manoeuvring a curve after crossing Jaure Pul,” students told the police, apprehending that the loss could have been much more in case the passersby and the police had not come to their rescue.
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Diver slapped by MC
staff Kanchan Vasdev Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, June 14 Satyan Sahani and Mrityunjay Sahani, both divers, had fished out several bodies during the last one decade, helping the district administration and police. The duo was even honoured by former Chief Minister H.S. Brar, on Independence Day function. They were even promised that they would be appointed in the MC as professional divers. Ten years down the line, the administration has not only forgotten the promise but even humiliated the two. The security staff in the MC’s Zone D office, where the two had gone to meet the commissioner yesterday, ‘‘slapped them for coming to office again and again”. ‘‘A security guard slapped me and told me not to come again. I started crying there and even told that man that I was the one who was honoured by the CM. Now I am being slapped. After hearing the commotion, a staff member of the commissioner’s office came out and offered me water. He told me to come again as the commissioner was not available”, said Satyan, who has been making rounds of various offices during the last 10 years, looking visibly weak and old. He and Mrityunjay had gone to meet the commissioner after the deputy commissioner asked them to meet the former. His representation was signed by minister of jails, printing and stationery, Hira Singh Gabria, after the duo narrated their tale of woes to him. ‘‘I would not have gone if Gabria had not asked me to do so. I went to the DC and was told to go to the MC office. I did not know I would be treated like this”, said Satyan. With the new government taking over, Satyan’s hopes had rekindled once again. He had knocked at the doors of Gabria, who in turn, forwarded his case to the deputy commissioner. Sahni and his aides’ skill was acknowledged by the local administration in 1996 when two well diggers were buried under a well that had caved in. Despite launching a massive rescue operation, the government machinery had failed to recover the well diggers for two days.Disappointed with the unsuccessful operation, angry residents staged a dharna by laying siege on a highway. That is when these divers were summoned and they succeeded in recovering the bodies. They had become the heroes of the day. In the heat of the moment, the district officials had announced that the divers would be given Rs 50,000 each as cash award and would also be employed in the municipal corporation as divers were required by the police and administration at several places. They were honoured on the occasion of Independence Day that very year and were given trophies along with commendation certificates. But sadly, the cash award and the promised jobs remain a distant dream for the Sahanis even today, after over a decade.
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Information panel raps MC, local govt
Ludhiana, June 14
Besides this, the commission also rapped the department of local government ‘‘for playing with the commission and not supplying information on one pretext or the other”. In a recent order passed by state information commissioners, P.P.S. Gill and R.K. Gupta, the MC has been asked to take action against Sanjeev Uppal, superintendent-cum-APIO, as he told the commission that the information was related to the building branch so the branch should be summoned. Yogesh Dewan, a resident of Model Town, had asked the MC for information about illegal construction in the neighbourhood in November last year. Despite sending reminders, he was not provided with it so he finally knocked the doors of the Information Commission. The commission maintained that the contention raised by Uppal was hardly acceptable or even tenable. ‘‘He has made an irresponsible submission. The purpose of the appointment of APIO or PIO was to facilitate the public to get information from one person and not to move from table to table,’’ said the commissioners while asking the PIO to appear in-person on the next date (June 29) and explain why action should not be taken against him under Section 20 of the RTI Act. In their order to the local bodied department, the commissioners said the department was deputing different officials on different dates despite clear instructions that PIO or APIO should appear in any case before this commission but on the date of hearing, only senior assistant or superintendent appeared.
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Farmers contest PSEB claims over 8-hr supply
Ludhiana June 14 The PSEB official reportedly admitted that there was only six-hour power supply for the farm sector. However, the farmer said they did not mind six-hour supply, but the supply should be uninterrupted. Kisan leaders said they had been waiting for June 15 for transplanting paddy and now the government must provide them with the much-needed power.
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1 wounded in firing
Amloh, June 14 Yadwinder is being tried in court for the murder of Rupinder Singh alias
Gandhi, sarpanch of Rasulda village, and was released on bail a few days ago.
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Demands will be met: Badal assures Muslims
Ludhiana, June 14 A delegation of the members of the community led by Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, Ludhiana, Maulana Habib-u-Rehman Sanvi Ludhianvi met the Chief Minister at Chandigarh yesterday. The delegation urged Badal that given the proportion they had in the population of the state, they must get representation in decision-making bodies, particularly the District Grievances Redressal Committees. Badal reportedly assured them that at least one member from the community would be nominated to the District Grievances Redressal Committee. The Chief Minister agreed with the Muslim delegation that a lot was needed for the uplift of the community in the state. He also expressed his wish to come to the historic Jama Masjid, Ludhiana, to express his gratitude towards the members of the community for their support during the elections. The major demands of the community include the nomination of 11 members, including three from Ludhiana, in the Punjab Waqf Board, induction of one member from each district in the Punjab Haj Committee which should be given a Rs 50 lakh annual grant, setting up of minorities commission in Punjab and bringing salaries of imams and officials of the Punjab Waqf Board on a par with the government employees. The community has also been demanding 10 per cent reservation in the Punjab Police and other government departments, and 10 per cent reservations and scholarships for Muslim students. The lack of space for burial of bodies in Ludhiana was also a problem for the Muslim community here as a few lakh Muslims resided in the city. Besides, the Muslims had a long-pending demand for an Idgah also. The Shahi Imam told Ludhiana Tribune that Badal issued several instructions on the spot. Quite a few issues were resolved there. He said they were quite satisfied with the meeting as Badal spent about 45 minutes with them. Shahi Imam extended an invitation to the Chief Minister to come to the Jama Masjid, Ludhiana. Badal said he was keen on coming to the historic mosque, as he wanted to thank the people there.
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Chahal’s arrest: Cong men scared
Ludhiana, June 14 Though Chahal is said to be not very popular with Congressmen, they would always meet him whenever he was visiting the city during the previous regime. Quite a number of Congress leaders from Ludhiana who were close to him and enjoyed good influence over him have been making frantic calls to the reporters and even to the "friendly” police officials about his plight in jail. However, nobody was prepared to come on record and everybody prefers to maintain distance and silence. Probably, the reason why Congressmen are getting away with not attending to Chahal’s needs personally is the statement by the Punjab Pradesh Committee president Shamsher Singh Dullo that Chahal was not a party man and the party had nothing to do with him. The police is also facing allegations with Chahal saying he is being harassed and tortured. He has been taken a couple of times to the CIA staff, the most feared place for custodial interrogation. The few persons, who have met Chahal in custody, including his lawyers, said that Chahal had not lost confidence and was trying to maintain his cool. In fact some police officials had claimed that his behaviour is the same as if he were in power. With media being denied access to the Sadar Police Station not much is known and everybody is waiting for Thursday when he is to be produced in court as his three-day police remand comes to an end tomorrow.
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Sangat Darshan
Machhiwara, June 14 Though no district-level official made their appearance but officials from Samrala and Machhiwara were very much present. Most of the applications submitted by the public were related to the Revenue Department. Many complaints relating to the police kept Khanna SP (D) Sushil Kumar busy. The complaints made to the Rural Development and Panchayat Department were mainly against panchayats. Others were about the construction of drains in front of their houses. Gurdev Kaur from Sehjo Majra - widow of Indo-China war martyr Channan Singh said she still had not got the ownership of 12.5 acres land allotted to her by the government. Maghar Singh from Behlolpur village complained that PSEB has not started his motor connection and the board employees were threatening him by saying that he would be penalised in a power theft case. At the beginning of the Sangat Darshan programme, Dhillon was visibly upset due to the absence of PSEB and PWD officials and warned of sending a written complaint for stern action against the erring officials. Later, however, XEN PSEB Samrala N S Dhanoa and PWD employees did come. Councillors of the town raised demands regarding improvement of the local government hospital, making Machhiwara a sub-division after declaring it a historical town and removal of encroachments along the wall of grain market, which caused many road accidents on Samrala road. Homeless labourers of Bali Beg and Shanti Nagar colonies urged immediate compensation for their 275 gutted jhuggies. Stamp vendors raised the demand of opening a sub-treasury in Machhiwara Sub-Tehsil. People reached in a large numbers which compelled the authorities to forward the applications to the concerned departments in spite of having on-the-spot solutions.
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World Blood Donors Day
Ludhiana, June 14 Underlining the importance of blood donation, Apollo director Jugdiep Singh lauded the efforts of the people, who volunteered for blood donation. Stressing the need for making voluntary blood donation a mass movement, Dr Hitesh Narang, consultant in the department of transfusion medicine at Apollo Hospitals, remarked that the overwhelming majority of the world's population did not have access to safe blood. In a function organised at CMCH, Prof J.G. Jolly from PGIMER, Chandigarh, delivered a lecture on the life and contribution of Karl Landsteiner, who dedicated all his life towards blood transfusion techniques and upgradation. He said, "World Blood Donor Day is the best way to pay our homage to Karl Landsteiner." CMCH director John Pramod said the institution felt privileged to have a person of Dr Jolly's stature, who was widely regarded as the "Father of Transfusion Medicine" in India and consulted by various policy making bodies, including the Red Cross and the Ministry of Health. 
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Bhagat Singh’s statue in Parliament Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, June 14 In a communique from the Central Jail, where he is lodged in a sedition case, Mann alleged that if Badal had the interests of the panth, he should get a survey conducted among the community on whose portraits the masses wanted to be displayed first. He, however, clarified that this should not be construed as disrespectful for the unparalled sacrifice made by Bhagat Singh during the freedom struggle. Mann also added that the Sikhs opposed the lndo-American 123 agreement as nuclear weapons were not safe and would create instability in South Asia. Opposing the writ petition filed by the Akali government seeking the cancellation of bail granted to the Ludhiana City Scam accused, he said the accused had been falsely arrested and severely tortured in the custody. He said police officers who tortured them were themselves facing serious charges. “The party would also oppose the petition of Capt Amarinder Singh for going to London since the best medical care is available in India nowadays. I have filed a petition in the high court”, he said.
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Rotarians vow to shun plastic bags
Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 14 The oath was taken on the occasion of the annual function of the club organised at M.G.M.N. Senior Secondary School here last night. According to Pardeep Sharda, director of the club, all members of the unit vowed to shun the use of plastic bags and save water as a part of ‘save the planet’ project launched by Dr B.M. Dhir, district governor. Earlier, while addressing the gathering, Dr Dhir warned the audience that entry of non-biodegradable materials into the environment might cause massive degradation of the elements supporting life. “Besides blocking sewage pipes, these bags, when eaten by cattle and other domestic animals, can cause their death. Chemical sticking to these plastic bags can contaminate food when packed in it,” warned Dr Dhir. Appreciating the role played by the local unit of the club in the service of the humanity, Dr Dhir said that much more was required to be done in the fields of female foeticide, water conservation, literacy, drug de-addiction and prevention of vehicular accidents. He claimed that the Rotary International had contributed more than $249 million towards immunisation against the dreaded disease polio during the last few decades. A cultural program was arranged on the occasion. S.P. Sofat, secretary of the club, read the annual report. Satish Jain, president of the club, S.K. Sharma, Bhupinder Singh and Narinder Gogna, former presidents, also spoke on the occasion.
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BSNL staff continue dharna
Ludhiana, June 14 The agitating employees were pressing for wage negotiations and acceptance of other pending demands. Condemning the BSNL management for not accepting their genuine demands, activists of the BSNL Employees Union (BSNLEU), including district secretary Balwinder Singh, demanded commencement of wage negotiations with a tenure of five years without further delay. They further wanted the gap between pay and other benefits of workers and the officers bridged, formulation of policies for grant of annual increment as percentage of wages, wage revision for sick PSUs and steps for their revival. The trade union leaders further demanded wage revision for contractual workers, merger of 50 per cent DA with pay from April 2004, filling of all vacant posts and conceding other pending demands of the employees.
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SBI ATM opened
Ludhiana, June 14 The value-added services available in the ATM are recharging of mobile phones, SBI Credit Card payment, SBI Life Insurance payments and donations to the Mata Vashnodevi Shrine. The others present on the occasion included N.S.
Mann, area manager, Ashok Singh Salaria, station superintendent, and others.
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GM unveils Optra diesel
Ludhiana, June 14 According to officials, Optra diesel carries 2 litre turbo-charged common rail direct injection, commonly called TCDi, engine and utilises the second-generation common rail technology. Other features include disc brakes in back and ventilated disc brakes upfront. Even the base models comes with 195/60 R 15 tubeless tyres as standard equipment. The officials said the model also incorporated an all wheel independent suspension
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Promote religious tourism: Hoteliers
Ludhiana, June 14 President of the association N.S Nanda met tourism minister Hira Singh Gabria here today and presented a memorandum to him. He also presented a copy of his pictorial autobiography, ‘My Success Story', to the minister. Nanda suggested to the minister that the government must promote rural, domestic, farm and religious tourism in the state. He said the government must explore new tourism circuits and rural tourism could be a sector with great potential as a lot of people were keen on knowing about Punjabi culture. He said the government should consider the hotel industry as an independent industry in the state as it had been providing direct or indirect jobs to thousands of
people. He said with the forthcoming Commonwealth Games planned in Delhi, Punjab could benefit a lot and the government must take measures to attract maximum number of tourists to the state.
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