COURTS

Forum quashes PSEB’s demand of Rs 98,830
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 20
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has quashed the demand of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) of Rs 98,830 from Mr Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Indira Colony. The forum further directed the board to refund the amount along with the interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from the date of deposit till the date of actual payment.

According to the complaint, Mr Ramesh Kumar has purchased a house from Mr Darshan Lal in which the electric meter (WF69/0117M) was installed and he was the beneficiary of the said connection. The board officials reportedly changed his meter in July, 2000. The complainant alleged that his connection was disconnected on August 11, 2000 without any notice.

Mr Lal stated before the forum that the opposite party raised a demand of Rs 98,830 through a memo on August 17, 2000 and mentioned in it that the meter was tested in the M. E. Laboratory which revealed that seals of the meter was tempered with and it was running slow.

The forum observed that as per the documents produced before the forum the meter was received in the laboratory in unsealed condition and it was not even checked in the presence of the complainant. The forum further stated that as per the rules of the PSEB a notice had to be given to the consumer so that the consumer should be present at the time of checking of meter in the laboratory but in this case no such notice was given. The forum held that the disputed demand was raised against the rules and was liable to be quashed.

CULTURE

Raj Babbar to receive Sahir Award
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 20
The Adeeb International (Sahir Cultural Academy), a society for the promotion of arts, literature and culture will organise the 28th annual ‘Jashn-e-Sahir’ on March 24 in Nehru Sidhant Kendra here. Besides, the presentation of annual Sahir Awards to writers and artists, an international ‘mushaira’ will also be held on this occasion, where Urdu poets from abroad and all over India will be present.

Dr Kewal Dheer, writer and General Secretary of the Adeeb International, at a press conference here today, said the society wanted the government to fulfil its long-pending demands. The society wants to build a Sahir Auditorium and Cultural Centre, get plots for writers and artists, establish an Urdu Academy in the state and provide the Shiromani Sahitkar Awardees with facilities at par with freedom fighters of Punjab.

He said the society had chosen film star Raj Babbar for this year’s Sahir Award. Hamid Akhtar, a childhood friend of Sahir and a veteran journalist-writer of Lahore, Gulzar Javed, an eminent literary figure and Editor of a literary journal ‘Chahar 800’ of Rawalpindi, and Bushra Rehman, a Pakistani writer of fiction, have also been chosen for the Sahir Award. Dr Dheer said these persons were literary ambassadors of friendship between India and Pakistan. The award that includes a gold medal and a citation, was instituted in 1978. Persons like Sunil Dutt, Shabana Azmi, Shatrughan Sinha, Ramanand Sagar, Javed Akhtar, Ali Sardar Jafri, Qateel Shifai and Sant Singh Sekhon have received this award earlier.

Dr Dheer said Jashn-e-Sahir was held every year to mark Sahir’s birth anniversary. This year, poets like Dr Bashir Badr, Mauj Rampuri, Rahat Indori, Sheen Kaf Nizm, Iftekhar Imam Siddiqi, Popular Meeruti, Azad Gulati, Sohail Lucknavi, Malikzada Javed, Shams Tabrezi Syeda Nasrin Naqsh, Noor Jahan Sarwat, Uzma Akhtar, Hena Taimoori, Mehak Bharti and Huma Parveen will participate in the ‘Mushaira’.

Mr Y. P. S. Bhalla, President of the Adeeb International, who was also present at the press conference, talked about cultural activities of the society.