 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Giaspura elected
Ludhiana, August 1 It is for the first time in the electoral history of the local municipal corporation that any of the councillors was elected unopposed. The corporation was set up in 1992. Till that time it was the Municipal Council, Ludhiana. The lone candidate, Krishen Kumar of the Samajwadi Party, who had filed nomination paper from this ward against Giaspura, withdrew his nomination papers today. District transport officer Chander Gaind, who is the returning officer of the ward, told The Tribune that Krishen Kumar withdrew his papers. He said it was for the first time that any councillor was elected unopposed to the corporation. Krishen Kumar, accompanied by Giaspura, had sought the rejection of his papers yesterday only as he did not want to contest elections. Interestingly, he was himself pleading with the officials to reject his papers. The officials told him that his papers were complete and in order and these could not be rejected. So much so, he himself tried to point out mistakes in his nomination papers. He was advised by the officials to file a formal request for the withdrawal of the nomination papers which he did today. Giaspura, who enjoys a personal equation with the Chief Minister, is a strong contender for the post of mayor. Even the Congress has not fielded any candidate from this ward, thus paving the way for his smooth and straight election to the house. Giaspura has been winning from Ward 72 for two consecutive terms since 1998. This will be his third term as the councillor of the corporation. Talking to The Tribune after being declared elected, Giaspura said it was because of the overwhelming support of the people that had enabled him to get elected unopposed. He pointed out that it would not have been possible without the support of the people. “My opponents knew that they stood no chance against me, only because people supported me,” he said. To a question whether he was in the race to become the mayor, he said it was for the party to decide.
|
Ward lacks basic
amenities
Ludhiana, August 1 As the Samajwadi Party candidate, Krishan Kumar, who was the only opponent of Giaspura, withdrew his nomination papers today, the sitting councillor was elected the councillor for the third consecutive term today. Though the electorate, comprising mostly of migrants, might have wanted a change this time, they could not find a leader to elect as their representative who could have done some development work in their area, notorious for the city for outbreak of diseases every year. It would not be an exaggeration to term Giaspura as a slum where garbage, choked sewers and poor living conditions stand as a stark testimony to the fact. Needless to say that every year, residents of this area die due to gastro outbreak or due to contaminated water. Even this year, six persons lost their lives. Malaria is another disease that grips the area almost every year. The pocket has been declared sensitive for malaria by the union government going by the cases reported in the past. But things continue to go on at the same pace as the departments concerned look the other way. The onus then comes on the representative of people and everything boils down to the councillor of the area only who has to suffer the blame for lack of development. And in Giaspura, a representative who has been there for last 10 years has not been able to help matters. The residents of the area have always rued lack of development. They have always complained against unhygienic living conditions. The problems compound during monsoons. Such is the state of affairs that a scribe, who had recently gone to cover gastro outbreak had to be rushed to a doctor for getting nauseated after seeing the conditions. The residents had recently submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding civic amenities. They had angrily stated that the ward was inhabited by poor people and nobody cared for deaths due to diseases there. With Giaspura back in saddle again, it remains to be seen what he does for his ward and whether he can make things happen in this centre of diseases.
|
|
|
Voter card must
Ludhiana, August 1 Officiating deputy commissioner-cum- election officer Priyank Bharti said there would be no exceptions and the voters who express their inability to show the cards will be turned away from the polling booths. He said that the voters who do not have the EPICs yet can bring any of the 13 documents prescribed by the State Election Commission for identification purposes during the polls. These documents include Bharti said that presiding officers have been instructed to allow the voters in case of minor discrepancies in EPICs provided the name of that elector finds place in the electoral roll of the polling station where the voter has turned up for voting. However, in such cases it should be ensured that the voter does not cast his vote for more than one civic body.
|
Inventor of tear gas gun in penury
Ludhiana, August 1 Gurcharan Singh, an 80-year-old man, a resident of Chowni Mohalla is making rounds of various offices to get 484 square yards of plot in Industrial Area B. He claims that he had paid an amount of Rs 2.42 lakhs as per the terms and conditions of allotment on October 24, 1994 to the department but has not been given the plot till date. The octogenarian, who had invented a tear gas gun, was awarded Rs 2,000 as reward for his work in 1972. Gurcharan had done the commendable work under the banner of Royal Industries, for which he had applied for the plot. Even after paying the money, the sale deed was not executed in his favour by the department. Hard of hearing Gurcharan lives in a dilapidated house and walks with the help of a crutch. So, he finds it difficult to make rounds of offices to get his due. ‘‘This is how they have treated a soldier and an inventor who was lauded for saving money that would have been spent on importing similar guns from USA. I have not been given my land because of some vested interests of the department, ’’ alleged Gurcharan Singh while showing a publication of director, Public Relations, Punjab, highlighting his invention of the gun. The elderly claimed that his wife also died some time ago as she could not survive in penury. ‘‘I do not have any money to get my house repaired. If they give my plot or give my money back, I would be able to spend the rest of my life comfortably.’’ No official of department was available to comment on the issue. An employee on the condition of anonymity said that Gurcharan Singh had not paid 75 per cent of the amount so sale deed was not executed in his favour.
|
|
3 lakh file IT returns in Ludhiana
Ludhiana, August 1
Sources in the income tax department here revealed that till yesterday the department received 3.02 lakh returns which did not include the e-filing. After the returns filed through computer network were taken into account, the number would be much more in comparison to some 3.1 lakh returns filed by July 31 last year. The rise in the number of IT returns filed had also put at rest the apprehension that the number of taxpayers might actually witness a drastic decrease due to eight different forms introduced by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) this year to replace the one-page Saral form. Upbeat officials of the department, who were keeping their fingers crossed till yesterday, were now talking in terms of achieving the targeted (17 per cent) growth in the number of income taxpayers in the Ludhiana range. The IT officials made it clear that those assessees, who were to file their returns by July 31 could do so at any time before March 31, 2008, without attracting any penal action if all their taxes were paid or deducted at source. Even if some amount of tax was still due, it could be deposited with one percent interest from July 31 onwards. However, a penalty of Rs 5,000 will be imposed under Section 271 if return was filed after the end of current financial year.
|
|
Focal Point stinks of neglect
Ludhiana, August 1
Hub of industry continues to remain among the most neglected areas in this industrial town. Due to bad roads, chocked sewerage and security problems, not only have industrial operations been suffering, many units have reported cancellation of orders from overseas clients. Accusing the Municipal Corporation for "total neglect" of the area, industrialists cite lack of political will as one of the major reasons for absence of development in these areas. "As politicians think that their vote bank lies only in residential areas they are not bothered about problems being faced by industry here," rued Rajnish Ahuja, president of Focal Point Sheds Association. Housing more than 3,200 units from various industries like dyeing, auto parts, textiles and engineering goods, the areas from Phase I to Phase VIII have failed to witness much improvement in the last several years. The major problem that industrialists here are facing is choked sewers which lead to water logging. "Even a short shower is enough to create water logging. As a result roads have given up and it is quite common for vehicles to get stuck in large potholes," said Ashok Sharma, a cycle parts dealer. Industrialists say their complaints to the government, Municipal Corporation have failed to yield desired results. Recently, industrialists even took up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. "For so many years now, none has paid attention to this area. We do not have any hope that these elections would do any good," said Ahuja. Authorities, they complained, were little interested in taking any concrete action. "The size of sewer pipes, for instance, is small and is not fit enough to cater to the kind of waste water generated from the area. However, recently when we took up the matter with authorities, they said the entire sewerage system needs to be freshly designed. We do not have any hope that such a thing would happen in this area where even regular cleaning does not take place," said G.P. Sambi, another industrialist. They also alleged that poor quality material was used in construction of roads. "Several times the goods that are transported get damaged as vehicles topple due to large pot holes." Industrialists also dissatisfied with poor security in the area.
|
|
Student’s body fished
out from Sirhind canal
Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 1 Beant Singh, a resident of Rurka village, said his nephew, a student of Government Senior Secondary School in Guram village, went with friends to bathe in the canal waters after skipping school.The boys decided on a brook near Karamsar (Rara Sahib). “While the students were bathing near the banks of the brook, one of them noticed two coconuts floating in the the water and asked Sukhvir to fetch these. Sukhvir was not a good swimmer and was swept away in the strong current while doing so,” sarpanch of the village, Mahan Singh, told the Ludhiana Tribune.
|
|
BJP, SAD vie for mayor’s post
Ludhiana, August 1 Party leaders from both the parties maintain that ideally the mayor would be from the party which has the maximum number of councillors. But in case both the parties have the same number of councillors it would definitely lead to problem for the alliance. The presence of a number of rebels against each other in most of the wards is learnt to be having the blessings of the party leadership also. Both the parties have fielded the proxy candidates and that too after due assessment. The two parties seem to be well aware of the presence of such candidates but can hardly do anything about it. A senior alliance leader claimed that this was not deliberate as there were too many compulsions for both the parties. The expectations of the workers were too high. In all wards which the alliance partners had to concede for each other there were aspirants for the ticket. “At times it is not possible to convince all of them about the greater interest and ultimately they decide to contest independently,” he said. Both the BJP and the SAD have had the mayor once during the past 15 years. For the first time in 1992 the late Chaudhary Sat Praksh (BJP) had become mayor with the support of the Congress. The SAD had not contested elections then. Last time in 1998 when the SAD and the BJP fought elections together, Apinder Singh Grewal (SAD) was appointed mayor as the party had more councillors than the BJP. Apparently with this principle in mind, both the parties are trying to remain at least “one up” over the other in the process using all means. Senior Akali Dal leader and chief parliamentary secretary Harish Rai Dhanda, who is supervising the party’s campaign and has been one of the main negotiators with the BJP, said there was no disagreement between the two alliance partners. “We remain honest and committed to the coalition dharma,” he claimed, while adding “may be there are some rebels who decided to contest of their own independently, but they do not enjoy party patronage”. Almost along the similar lines, state BJP secretary Anil Sarin said: “There is absolute no discord on any of the issues, including that of the mayor.” He said the issued would be sorted out once the results are out. “The prime focus this time remains to win the elections and that we will,” he asserted.
|
Bus operators make merry as passengers pay toll
Doraha, August 1 Under the rules, a car, jeep or van driver is supposed to pay Rs 45 for a single entry. For multiple entry they can pay half the amount i.e. Rs 67.50. Similarly, bus drivers pay Rs 160 for single entry and Rs 240 for multiple-entry ticket for a duration of 24 hours. Earlier, private buses reportedly used to evade toll by using a single multiple-entry ticket to ply on the highway as many times as they wished. A man, other than the driver or conductor, was especially engaged for this purpose by private bus operators. But this system too seems to have become obsolete with the passage of time. It is an open secret today that private buses have completely exempted themselves from paying toll in lieu of carrying toll passengers from one destination to another. This has allegedly been happening for the past many months and even the toll authorities do not deny the fact. They, on the contrary, express helplessness in this regard. Toll employees said it was very much in their notice but they had been unable to stop the practice. They said this had been reported several times to the NHAI at Ambala but to no avail. “The reluctance of private buses to pay toll has become a headache for us too. We have already informed about this to the head office and shown the non-cooperative attitude of the drivers and conductors by screening them live on our cameras but no action has been taken yet,” the employers lamented. They, however, were in no position to comment as to why at all it was allowed to happen when they where vested with the powers to check toll evasion at all levels. On the other hand, commuters complained that their fares had been raised as passenger toll was now being levied on them, which went into the pockets of private bus-owners and was never allowed to reach the government treasury.” “It is ironic that we pay toll to private buses while the buses do not pay any toll to the authorities,” passengers complained. Jandeep Kaushal, a social worker of the area, said he had written to the public information officer through the RTI ACT seeking information about the reason for the non-payment of toll by private buses, the answer to which is expected within a month. Drivers and conductors of roadways buses on the other hand cry foul as they suffer a loss of passengers, for much of their time is consumed at the toll collection booths. “Moreover, if private buses do not pay toll, why should we? This has been happening for quite some time but now we too will take a tough stance on the issue and pass without paying at the toll counter,” a roadways bus driver quipped. Even other motorists said rules were rules and should be followed by all. When the toll was opposed by all quarters initially at the time of its implementation, the authorities had introduced the system of issuing concessional passes for the benefit of local commuters. They were supposed to pay Rs 150 a month to get a pass issued, which was renewed every month. Similarly, for those commuting from Ludhiana, the amount of the pass was Rs 350. But now, the toll evasion by private buses right under the nose of the authorities has raised many an eyebrow, putting a question mark over the functioning of the NHAI.
|
|
Estranged wife seeks justice
Ludhiana, August 1 She has been going from one police official to another to seek justice. Hailing from Machi Bugra village in Ferozepur district, Kanwaljit got married to a local resident, Rajiv Sharma, on October 12, 1994, following Sikh rituals. She said there used to be minor conflicts between the two of them but she always tried to resolve them as soon as possible. She alleged that she was often tortured physically and mentally by her husband in front of her in-laws. "But I never raised my voice against him," she said. When things went too far, Kanwaljit took her two sons Abhishek and Aniket to her parents in Ferozepur. "I tolerated all kinds of humiliation at his hands but when my husband started ill-treating my children I left his home hoping he would realise his mistake and take me home one day. But he seemed to be waiting to get rid of me," she added while tears rolled down her cheeks. She alleged that Rajiv married another woman on May 18, 2003. Through her friends in Ludhiana she came to know that couple had children too. She said she had approached SSP Ludhiana and SSP Ferozepur with her complaint but they did not do anything to solve the problem. "I have always been harassed and humiliated by the police officials in Ludhiana as well as in Ferozepur. My husband told me to keep quiet for my own good but how could I have done that?" she said adding that her retired parents were unable to sustain her and her two children. "At least he should divorce me. He is not doing so because he has no intentions to take responsibility of my children either. I want justice," added Kanwaljit who had come to the office of deputy commissioner, Ludhiana, from Ferozepur with her aged parents. Meanwhile, her husband Rajiv Sharma said that theirs was a love marriage and he still loved Kanwaljit Kaur a lot. He said that she was levelling baseless allegations regarding his second marriage. "She is harassing me by levelling one allegation or another. She has filed many complaints against me under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at various police stations. She and her family want money and I have already paid Rs 4.5 lakh to her. She should show me the proof that I remarried. She just wants more money and I am depressed," said Rajiv.
|
|
17 get prosthetic devices
Ludhiana, August 1 The chairman of the Mahavir International, Jagan Nath Jain, presided over the function, while industrialist Baldev Krishan Gupta was the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, Gupta lauded the work being done by the body for the welfare of physically challenged for the past two decades. Jain said the body was committed to work for the betterment of the under-privileged persons and unfolded several future projects to be undertaken by the kendra. Among others, Sushil Kaura, Roshan Lal Jain, Sneh Lata Jain, Neetika Gupta, Namrata Khanna, Shivani Gupta, Dewan Jagdish Chander, Dr Ravinder Kochhar, Devi Das Devgan, Dr Tarun Choudhry, Brij Behl and Amrit Singh Virdi were present at the camp.
|
|
Fair
Justice must prevail. If a person is good in his field, it does not give him the licence to get away with a wrong. Celebrities should walk an extra mile to set an example for society as so many impressionable youngsters emulate them. — Santosh Bhandari Not Fair The judgment is harsh in the wake of Sanjay’s good conduct and the fact that his father Sunil Dutt was a nationalist. The judge has ignored the transformation Sanjay has undergone in recent years. Fair, but....
|
|
Saplings planted
Samrala, August 1 Baldev Krishan, reader to the SDM, planted saplings. Naib tehsildar Hira Lal congratulated employees for showing keen interest in environment conservation.
|
|
100 donate blood
Samrala, August 1
|
|
Website on traffic education
Ludhiana, August 1 The DTO said all sorts of relevant information regarding the Motor Vehicles Act could be found at the website. All application forms relating to motor vehicles can be downloaded from the website. He said by accessing the site, people can know about the latest rules and regulations regularly.
|
|
Letters
We are the permanent residents of New Sukhdev Nagar, backside Punjab Timber Traders, Chandigarh Road, and Bhamian Road, Ludhiana. We have to cross this road many in a day. This road is not well maintained. The road is very bumpy credited to the number of pot holes. Further, the area is very dusty with a thick layer on the road. Sometimes, the scene becomes invisible due to the thick dust cloud as heavy vehicles ply daily on the road. No one has bothered to maintain this road since years. Municipal official are not even concerned to do some patchwork on the road and have never even sent their workers to clean the dust. I therefore request the concerned official to please do something about the road.
Ravi Chander Garg Readers are invited to mail letters (not more than 200 words) at "ludhiana@tribunemail.com" or post the same to The Tribune, 1, 2 Improvement Trust Building, Badaur House, Clock Tower, Ludhiana.
|
2 booked for harbouring POs
Jagraon, August 1 Two arrested In two separate incidents Jagraon and Sudhar police arrested two persons who had illicit liquor in their possession. Vijay Kumar of Tahali (Bihar) was arrested by Sudhar police from Dhapi village and police recovered 9,180 ml of liquor from him, whereas Ashwani Kumar of Hathur was arrested by the local police from his village and police recovered 6,000 ml of illicit liquor from him. Cases under Excise Act have been registered. Three booked Kewal Singh, Kuldeep Singh alias Soni and his brother Harwinder Singh of Mohi allegedly trespassed into the shop of Gurminder Singh of their village and assaulted him with sword and iron rods and also damaged the shop. Sudhar police has registered a case under Sections 452, 323, 324, 427, 148, 149 of IPC. The injured man has been admitted in Civil Hospital, Sudhar. No arrest has been made so far. Case registered Sudhar and Raikot police arrested two persons on the charges of blocking the line of navigation. In the first, Jinder Singh of Halwara was arrested by Sudhar police after he allegedly loaded the truck bearing registration number RJR-8551 with rice and blocked a road at Jodhan. In the other, Prem Singh of Kurar was arrested by Raikot police after he allegedly loaded the truck bearing registration number PBJ-5211 with straw and blocked a road at Daddahur. Cases under Section 283 of IPC have been registered.
|
|
PO in forgery case nabbed
Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 1
|
|
PSEB officer caught taking bribe
Morinda, August 1 In his complaint to the VB, Harnek Singh, a resident of Jawanda village of Fatehgarh Sahib stated that he had applied for the installation of new electric transformer for his tubewell.
— TNS
|
Bank launches scheme
Ludhiana, August 1 According to the bank, it has issued 26 million debit cards across the country. The debit card holders have access to more than 7,100 ATMs of the bank and 8,000 additional ATMs of other banks under bilateral sharing agreements with 13 banks. The maximum amount of cash back during the offer period would be Rs 1,000 per card. In addition to cash back, card holders who use their card for shopping of Rs 501 or more for 15 times or above would also earn a 20 per cent of cash back The amount of cash back would be credited to customer’s account automatically in four weeks to six weeks after period of offer. Shreyans Industries Shreyans Industries has recorded a 300 per cent increase in its net profits for the quarter ended June 30 in comparison to the corresponding period of the last year. Rajneesh Oswal, chairman and managing director of the company, said: “The company's turnover recorded an increase from Rs 46.64 crore to Rs 59.76 crore, while cash accruals went up from Rs 3.25 crore to Rs 6 crore.”
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
