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| Friday,
November 2, 2001,
Chandigarh, India
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1-week ban ordered on sand mining Ludhiana, November 1 An agreement between the district administration and the agitating villagers was reached here today when village panchayat representatives met the ADC (Development), Mr S.R. Kler, at his office. The contractor and officials of departments concerned were also present in the meeting. After the meeting, Mr Kler said, “The sand mining has been completely stopped for a week from the controversial area. An investigation would be conducted in the meantime to demarcate the government land from the tenants’ land. It would also be ascertained whether the tenants were getting payments for the illegal mining from the government land resulting in loss to the state exchequer.” The villagers had alleged that the sand mining had been going on since 1987-88 floods from the government land in the Sutlej river bed, when the state government had allowed the tenants of government land in the Dhusi bandh to clear sands from their fields. The tenants are using that sanction to get money from the persons, who carry sand even from the government land from the river bed. A Ludhiana Tribune team had visited the river bed recently and reported about the sand mining from the government land. Under the Mining Act, digging of land below 3 feet can be made only after taking government sanction. The government has given a contract to carry sand from these tenants’ land. However, noone is allowed to carry sand from the government land, especially near the bridge. Those in the sand trade revealed that a group of persons from the city and nearby villages was carrying sand by paying a hefty amount to the contractor, police, some officials of the Mining Department and a local minister. Mr Inder Mohan Singh of Kadian village said that at the meeting, they had raised the issue of use of tractor-trailers for carrying sand, which are banned by the Supreme Court. However, the ADC did not make any commitment to take action against these people. It is learnt that hundreds of tractors and trucks were daily carrying sand illegally from the river bed, resulting in damage to the bridge, dhusi bandh, crops and village link roads. The persons involved in this trade had accumulated huge heaps of sand on both sides of village roads, though storage of sand is banned under the Mining Act. Mr Inder Mohan Singh expressed satisfaction over the ban on sand mining and hoped that the administration would make serious efforts to stop the illegal trade worth crores of rupees. Some other representatives, however, warned that they would be satisfied only if action was taken against the real culprits. They said that they were ready to pay any cost to stop this illegal practice. |
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One killed, three hurt in stabbing incident Malaud (Ludhiana), November 1 According to the Malaud police, Nachattar Singh, who used to bring animal hides to his house in the village, has been accused of stabbing the victims. He fled after the incident and his whereabouts were not known. Surjit Kaur (60) died on the spot while his son Amarjit Singh, daughter-in-law Jaswinder Kaur and another neighbour Bikar Singh suffered multiple injuries. Mr Lekh Raj, in charge, local police post, said Nachattar Singh was at loggerhead with his neighbour Surjit Kaur over her objection on bringing animal hides to his house. The room, in which the hides were kept, was situated close to the kitchen of the deceased. The woman and her family had objected to it and even the village panchayat had restricted Naachattar Singh from doing so. However, he allegedly did not agree. Last night, Nachattar Singh came to the house of Surjit Kaur and allegedly picked up a fight with the family. At that time the woman’s son and daughter-in-law were having dinner. In the ensuing argument, Nachattar Singh took out a knife and first attacked the old woman and stabbed her a number of times. The old woman died on the spot. Her son and daughter-in-law rushed to her help but were also stabbed a number of times. A neighbour Bikar Singh who after hearing their cries came to their aid also suffered stab injuries. |
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MC meeting likely to be stormy Ludhiana, November 1 In about four months since the MC House last met, the civic body has faced many tight situations, some of these its own creations. Councillors of all parties will use this opportunity to give vent to their feelings on several issues. Since its last meeting on July 18, the MC had had to combat the encroachment menace here, involving religious institutions as well. Anti-encroachment drives have stirred communal passions. The MC Commissioner, Dr S.S. Sandhu, was transferred under pressure of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a partner in the ruling alliance. Contractors had been virtually boycotting the process of filing tenders and the development works had come to a halt. The issue of the abolition of octroi has created a panic in the civic administration. The experiment of privatisation of sanitation work had to be given up and the old system had to be revived. The issues at the meeting will include extended agitation of safai workers who want reemployment of daily wagers and the removal of Mr Sat Pal Puri, Congress councillor of Ward 66, who was disqualified by the state government. With the MC term coming to an end early next year and the elections approaching, the discontinuation of development works in the city is a cause of concern for all councillors. For more than two months now, contractors have been staying away from offering bids and development works worth several crore rupees have been held up. Besides fearing that the MC might not be able to pay their dues once the octroi is abolished, contractors are opposing the hiring of a private agency for quality control. Several meetings between senior officials of the civic body and contractors failed to resolve the impasse. The city Mayor, Mr Apinder Singh Grewal, shall have to do some tough lobbying to improve relations with the Akali Dal councillors, who split into two factions at the last meeting. The BJP, though an alliance partner of the SAD (B) in the civic body, has been a source of trouble for the Mayor and is expected to be like this if future as well. There was a showdown between the city Mayor, supported by a faction of the SAD councillors and the Congress, and the combination of the BJP and a few Akali Dal councillors at the last meeting of the House. The showdown was over the issue of elevated-road project. The SAD (B) and the BJP councillors, in the presence of Mr Sat Pal Gosain, Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, and Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia, Vice-President of the SAD (B), had announced that they had withdrawn support to the Mayor and he should quit. Mr Grewal had to prove his majority in the House and save the elevated-road project. |
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Putting children’s lives at stake Ludhiana, November 1 As per the rule, all school buses have to bear the name of the school and its phone number. ‘‘School bus’’ has to be written on the front and rear of the bus. The hired buses are required to indicate ‘‘On school duty’’. School buses have to be fitted with fire extinguishers, first aid box, school bag grills on the rear and parallel bars on the windows. Besides, the doors have to be fitted with locks and an attendant has to be present on the bus. The court has also directed school authorities to recruit drivers with at least five years of experience and check that the speed limit of 40 km per hour is not exceeded. All those flouting the rule are liable to face bookings and even cancellation or suspension of their permits. The notice regarding the rule has been appearing regularly in several English dailies since past one month. However, in a random survey, it was found that several buses plying did not even bear the name of the school. The bus of a school located on the Chandigarh road was in a deplorable condition. The bus of a school located on the Tajpur road did not bear the school phone number. Bus of a reputed school at BRS Nagar lacked extinguisher, first aid box, school bag grills and parallel bars on its windows. Mr Rajinder Sharma, president of the Association of PSEB Affiliated Schools, said no doubt the court had taken its decision for the safety of schoolchildren but it was impossible for the schools to bear all these requirements on their six to seven buses. He said since the district administration was not strict, the rule was being flouted by majority of the schools with impunity. He said recently the Punjab School Education Board had made it mandatory for schools to fit the necessary equipment in their buses for getting affiliation. Ms Usha Sidhu, District Education Officer, said on several occasions the department had made surprise checks on schools regarding the rule. She said the registration copy of these buses have been seized on several occasions. However, she admitted that such checks were made last year and no similar practice had been followed this year which had resulted in a casual approach by the school authorities. |
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Punjabi
must for posts in PAU Extn Education Dept Ludhiana, November 1 Earlier those getting appointment in the department had to pass the examination equivalent to matriculation in Punjabi after getting the appointment. But with the new decision only those having a degree with Punjabi as a compulsory subject would be given an appointment. The decision was taken at a meeting of Academic Council of PAU which met on campus last evening. The decision assumes significance as it is for the first time that the teaching cadre has been included in the Punjabi compulsory condition by the university. Earlier, only non-teaching employees were required to fulfill this condition. Sources in the university said the decision would benefit a large number of rural youths in the state. The branches of the Extension Education Department are spread all over the state especially in villages. The new condition would give an advantage to the rural youths for recruitment as several urban students do not study Punjabi as a compulsory subject. The decision, however, would affect aspirations of non-Punjabi candidates, who earlier used to get a job with the university on the condition that they would clear the Punjabi Prabodh examination conducted by the Languages Department, Punjab. Sources said that the PAU had put this condition only for the job-seekers in the Extension Education Department as they had to deal with the farmers directly as their job involved training of the farmers in various fields of agriculture. Sources said that, however, there would be no change in the rules for those who sought appointment in various research and teaching departments of the university who were allowed to pass the exam after getting an appointment. The authorities were of the view that these employees had to deal directly with the farmers but due to the language problem they were not able to comprehend the difficulties of the farmers properly. Dr H S Brar, president, PAUTA, has welcomed the university decision. |
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Kidney racket : DMCH refutes allegations Ludhiana, November 1 It may be mentioned that the relatives of the donors alleged that the authorising committee, organised for adjudging the feasibility of the transplant, did not clear the cases of the donors who were willing to donate their kidneys. They also alleged that the committee deliberately cleared the case of Sagar Bahadur, who was a part of the racket (according to them). But the DMCH Principal, Dr S.C. Ahuja said the authorising committee had cleared the case of one of the relatives but she did not turn up for the operation. As per the official records, Kanta Devi moved her application for donation of her kidney, but did not turn up for the operation. The officials said Sagar Bahadur had made false statements regarding the
removal of kidney. He also produced ration card and asserted that he was donating kidney out of affection. After considering the case, the committee gave the permission on the basis of record produced and the interview.
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Kashmiris mourn Nehru's death Ludhiana, November 1 The speakers recalled nostalgically that Nehru was one of the few illustrious surviving members of the community who had remained at the forefront of policy making in different fields at the national and international levels. Several other social and political organisations condoled the death of Mr Nehru, saying in his death the country had lost a great visionary, bureaucrat and diplomat. |
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1 booked for abducting minor Jagraon, November 1 |
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Blood donation camp by Army Ludhiana, November 1 Over 150 students and members of the faculty of the PIMT donated blood for the armed forces. The boys as well as girls voluntarily donated blood for this noble cause. According to a press release, Yashpal Satiya and Eena Papreja were amongst the first to donate blood on this occasion. Col Vineet Mohan, Commanding Officer of 45 AD Regiment, and Major Kapil Suri, Regiment Medical Officer, were the main persons who took the initiative for the blood donation camp. A special team from the Armed Forces Transfusion Centre led by Lieut-Col Devinder Swaroop came from Delhi for the collection of blood. Brigadier Dhawan appreciated the gesture and efforts of the faculty and students of the PIMT and said that blood donated by the volunteers would be assisting in saving lives of soldiers deployed on the borders of the country. He lauded the efforts made by 45 Air Defence Regiment (SM) for carrying out the necessary liaison, coordination and assistance provided for the camp. Mr Satya Prakash, President, Gobindgarh Educational and Social Welfare Trust, presented a vote of thanks. Brigadier Dhawan gave away mementos and certificates to the blood donors. He said that the citizens of Punjab were always the first ones to come to the forefront in times of war and national crisis. He said that the gesture of students and faculty of the PIMT would encourage other institutions and organisations to donate blood. “This would go a long way in building up a strong bond between the citizens of Punjab and the armed forces of the country,” he said.
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SAD-BJP tussle over Ludhiana
West Assembly segment Ludhiana, November 1 Although the intelligence survey has reportedly indicated the Congress to lead from this segment, yet there is equal and extra keenness among both the parties to contest the seat. The survey had placed the SAD-BJP behind the Congress. This was primarily due to the division between the Akali votes as Mr Grewal also enjoys considerable clout in this segment. The constituency has traditionally remained with the BJP. Its candidate Mr Vishwanathan had defeated Mr Joginder Pal Pandey of the Congress, in 1967 (on the Bharatiya Jana Sangh ticket) and in 1977 (as the Janta Party candidate). However, in 1997 under the seat sharing arrangement, it was allotted to the SAD on the personal intervention of the then SGPC president, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who wanted Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal to contest from here. Mr Grewal won with a handsome margin. This had caused considerable resentment among the local BJP leadership at that time and the state general secretary Mr Kapur Chand Jain, had resigned in protest the SAD. Since Mr Grewal is no longer with the SAD the BJP has been trying to assert that should return the seat to the party. In fact senior BJP leader and the Minister for Local Bodies, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon has already shown his interest in contesting this seat. Besides, fielding Mr Tandon from here would be a compulsion for the BJP since it does not have any strong candidate. Some sections of the party are arguing that in case Mr Tandon contests from here, his presence could have decisive influence and impact on the outcome of other two city assembly segments. On the other hand SAD has its justified reasons to claim the seat. According to 1997 arrangement, the seat had been allotted to the party no matter under what circumstances and its candidate had won with a handsome margin. Since both the parties have been arguing that they will contest from all the respective segments they had won from in the last elections, Ludhiana West should go to the Akalis. But BJP has already laid claim for 10 more seats than it had contested last time and Ludhiana West is one of these seats. As it is still uncertain whether the seat will go to the BJP or the SAD, two local leaders Mr Avtar Singh Makkar, acting district president of SAD and Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia, vice-president of SAD are trying to outsmart each other in their show of strength with daily corner meetings to mobilise support for themselves. |
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Dalit Cong yatra on Valmiki Day Ludhiana, November 1 In a press note issued here, the press secretary of the BDC, Mr Jodha Ram Zakhmi, said the ‘yatra’ had been launched by Mr Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, MP, and flagged off by Mr B.K. Rampal, Chairman of the Lions Club (Samrat). The others who were present there included Mr Malkit Singh Dakha, a former minister of Punjab, Mr K.K. Bawa, Chairman of the Labour and Employment Cell of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr Ramesh Joshi, Chairman of the Urban Development Cell of the PPCC, Mr Harnam Dass Johar, a former minister of Punjab, Dr Shiv K. Gupta, Secretary General of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Social Forum, Mr Vinod Bathla, Secretary of the District Congress Committee (Urban), Mr Surinder Dawar, Ms Harbans Kaur, Secretary of the PPCC, Mr Baldev Bhatti, Mr Rajan Shukla and Mr Dharmveer. Mr Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, MP, congratulated the people on the occasion. He urged them to follow the teachings of Bhagwan Valmiki. Mr Sushil Malhotra, General Secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Youth Congress, Mr Amarjit Tikka, a former head of the District Youth Congress, Mr Om Parkash Angrish, councillor, Mr Gurdev Singh Lapran, head of the District Congress Committee (rural) of Ludhiana, Mr Vinod Bathla, Mr Dharamveer, Mr N.K. Sharma, Mr Yogesh Rampal, Mr Jodha Ram Zakhmi and a large number of other social workers received awards and mementoes. |
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Insect found in bottle of cold drink Ludhiana, November 1 Hero Kumar, a Haibowal Kalan resident said that a few days back he had purchased some bottles of Maaza drink from a karyana store at Haibowal. After consuming the drink, two of his family members started vomiting and complained of severe stomachache. They were given medicine by a doctor who said that they had consumed some contaminated food or drink. “When I looked at one of the bottles, which was not opened, I found something floating in it. When I looked into the bottle carefully, I saw a small insect floating in the drink,” he said. The complainant went to the owner of the karyana store who said that he could get it exchanged or take his money back. The owner also said that he himself would complain about it to the company office in the city. “But then I decided to complain about it myself,” said Hero Kumar. Hero Kumar said that he complained about the entire episode to company officials after three days of the incidence. “First time I spoke to Mr D.P. Singh, Sales Manager, and second time. Mr V.K.Bahri, Assistant Manager, was on the line.” |
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48 Lok Adalats
in Nov, Dec Ludhiana, November 1 As per the schedule sent by Mr H.P.S. Mahal, member-secretary, Punjab Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, to all the District and Sessions Judges, six special Lok Adalats will be organised. In special Lok Adalats, bank loan cases would be taken up for settlement. Special Lok Adalat in Batala will be organised on November 4, at Roop Nagar on November 10, Phagwara, December 1, Nawanshahr, December 2, and Abohar, December 22. Six labour Lok Adalats will be held, in which cases pertaining to disputes of labour with employees would be considered. As per information, labour Lok Adalats will be held at Ludhiana and Gurdaspur on November 9, Amritsar, November 23, Patiala, Bathinda, November 30, and at Jalandhar on December 7.
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Geographers’ conference from Nov 3 Ludhiana, November 1 Giving this information, Dr Dharam Singh, co-convener, said that the conference would be an effort to provide a platform to the planners, bureaucrats, politicians, educationists, NGOs and public to deliberate to achieve the concept of smart city leading to sustainable urban development. Dr Dharam Singh said that the speakers at the conference would focus on the topics, “Urban scenario of Punjab”, “Ludhiana — its problems and planning prospective”, “Role of IT in urban development” and “Challenges of the WTO to the urban developments in Punjab”. He said that the speakers would deliberate on the issue of rapid rate of urbanisation without adequate development of urban infrastructure. |
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3 buffaloes dead, poisoning suspected Khanna, November 1 Senior veterinary officer, Dr Ranjit Singh, ruled out the outbreak of any animal disease and said he suspected it to be a case of poisoning. He said samples had been sent to forensic laboratory at Patiala. He said two teams of specialist veterinary doctors of the state laboratory at Jalandhar, led by Dr Parminder Singh, Dr Vikram Singh and a Ludhiana veterinary pathologist, had visited the site of the incident to collect samples. The owner of livestock yard, Mr Jeet Singh, said he had eight healthy buffaloes in the yard on October 29. After the buffaloes had had fodder, at about 4.30 am when his servant went to the yard, he found one buffalo dead and the others not taking any fodder. The police and the civil authorities were also informed about the incident. |
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Baba Bhaniara's effigy burnt Sahnewal, November 1 The residents of the area also burnt the effigy of Baba Bhaniara. Baba Gurdev Singh, sewadar of the gurdwara, requested the people to remain cautious against such pretentious persons and believe in the Almighty. A protest rally was organised by the villagers under the presidentship of Mr Balwinder Singh Chajj, BJP leader.
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CRIME FILE Ludhiana, November 1 Beaten: Division 5 police has registered a case under Sections 324, 323, 452 and 34 of the IPC on the statement of Mr Kuljit Singh, son of Mr Raghbir Singh, a resident of Sant Nagar, Ghumar Mandi, against Sarabjit Singh and Bittu, son of Mr Devinder Singh, residents of the same locality. Mr Kuljit Singh had stated in his complaint that the accused forcibly entered his house yesterday and beat him because of some old enmity between the parties. No arrest has been made so far. Liquor seized: During special checking by Division 2 police yesterday, Pawan Kumar, son of Sucha Ram, a resident of Muradpura mohalla, near Millergunj, was arrested and eight bottles of country liquor were seized from his possession. he has been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. Jagraon Five held: The police on a tip off arrested Jagdish
Singh, Makhan Ram, Dhanna Ram, Joga Singh, Rajpal Singh of Ajit Nagar redhanded while playing cards with stake from Agwar Ladhai and recovered from their possession Rs 900 in cash, playing cards and two candles. A case under Sections 13, 3 and 61 of the Gambling Act has been registered against all of them. Mandi Gobindgarh On the statement of Mr Harbant Singh, a local wine contractor the police, lodged an FIR against the accused under Sections 408, 420, 506 and 149 of the IPC on October 30. It was alleged in the FIR that the accused was supervisor in the firm while his two accomplices were employees in the vend. They were alleged to have indulged in adulteration and were absconding with Rs 70,000 collected from the allied vends of the firm. The police has arrested all the three accused. Sahnewal A case under Sections 304-A and 427 of IPC has been registered against driver of tractor-trailer of Khasi village who had hit Balraj Singh of Sahibana village who was on his scooter (PCN-1353) on the Ramgarh road. The tractor crushed the scooterist under its tyre who was injured and later died at the Civil Hospital. The driver of the tractor ran away from the spot. In another incident, an unidentified vehicle killed an unidentified man, last night at Nandpur near Saggar factory. The man was injured and later died. A case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC has been registered. |
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