Ludhiana, March 27
Heaps of garbage in front of the memorial to Ghadar martyr, Baba Bhan Singh, at Sunet village here were today removed by the municipal corporation after residents of the area threatened to reject the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

The memorial, erected by the residents themselves, was littered with garbage. The issue was highlighted by The Tribune two days ago. The residents had stated that they would reject the candidates since the leadership and bureaucracy had failed to clean the memorial over the years.

Reacting to their threats, the MC launched a massive cleanliness drive. A team of the MC armed with a JCB machine and safai karamcharis cleared tonnes of garbage. They filled the garbage in trucks to dump it at the official site.

Villagers and representatives of the Maha Sabha, an NGO behind the setting up of the memorial, said the garbage should have been cleared long ago. Jaswant Singh Jeerakh, an office-bearer, said: “It is shameful that the authorities were to be shaken out of their slumber. We had written several letters, but nothing came of it.”

The Maha Sabha had set up the memorial after pooling in resources. It had not sought any help from any government agency. A model of the Circular Jail in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands, depicting the plight of Baba Bhan Singh who was made to squat in a small iron cage for years, was constructed. He had died a painful death. 

Ludhiana, March 27
The medical profession here is already feeling the heat of the economic slowdown, which is evident from the increase in “commission” or “incentive” offered by diagnostic centres to doctors in the city.

Leading laboratories and scanning centers are offering doctors 100 per cent increase in incentives for various tests and scans.

To boost business, a diagnostic centre on the Pakhowal road has started a unique “scheme” under which doctors are being offered Rs 1,200, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 for CT scans of head, chest and abdomen, respectively. Patients pay Rs 1,800, Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000, respectively, for the test.

The doctors earlier used to get Rs 600, Rs 800 and Rs 1,000, respectively, as incentives for the tests.

The incentives to referring doctors for a mammography in the scheme is Rs 1,500 of the actual amount of Rs 2,500.

Similarly, the incentive for MRI, which was previously Rs 2,500 has now gone up to Rs 3000. The actual test costs Rs 5,000.

The competition amongst diagnostic laboratories has also propelled them to hire PROs, who are paid to act as mediators between laboratories and doctors.

Speaking of the ongoing unethical practices, these PROs give lucrative offers to doctors and also quacks.

However, a large number of doctors, taking a cue from various business houses, are not only readily accepting incentives but also arbitrarily prescribing “tests” to patients.

In some cases, “repetition” of tests is recommended by doctors, causing financial and psychological harassment to patients.

A senior doctor, who was sent an offer by the PR department of a leading scan center, said: “It was shocking to see that the offer included a pick-up vehicle for patients from my clinic just to ensure that the I don’t send them to some other diagnostic centre.”

IMA Ludhiana president Dr MK Sobti said the matter had already been discussed at the last general body meeting and it would be taken up at the state IMA also.

The practice is an insult for the “noble profession” and it is for the doctors to keep their conscience clear till the time there is some legal rider, Dr Sobti added.

Ludhiana, March 27
It was a tragic day for octogenarian couple Jaswant Kaur and Rashpal Singh when they learnt that their son was killed by their grandson at BRS Nagar here yesterday.

They saw their grandson and daughter-in-law being arrested and produced in court. It was a nightmare for the family.

“What can be more tragic than this? I have lost everything. I thought everything would be fine and the family would be reunited soon. But I never thought this would happen,” Jaswant Kaur said.

Tragic scenes were witnessed at the cremation ground at Sunet village as the remorseless son expressed no inclination to perform the last rites.

As Rashpal Singh is suffering from dementia, Jaswant Kaur, along with her son-in-law, performed the last rites.

The accused, Simrat, who was produced in court along with his mother Nimanjeet Kaur, claimed that he did not want to kill his father. He said he had gone with his friends to get the home vacated as it was on his mother’s name and his father had illegally occupied it.

But heated arguments followed and turned into a scuffle. In the meantime, his friend Mandeep Singh stabbed his father, he alleged.

Family members said the tragedy was inevitable as both Malhi and his wife were at loggerheads with each other.

The family alleged that Malhi used to beat up his wife and children and that was the reason why the family deserted him and started living at Panchkula.

Sources said Nimanjeet Kaur had filed a maintenance case against her husband and in turn, Mahli had filed a divorce case against her.

Neighbours said due to the ongoing litigation, the financial condition of the wife and children was deteriorating and they were planning to sell the house to consolidate their financial condition. But Malhi was reluctant to give the possession to her.

Police sources said his son had plotted the killing at Panchkula along with his two accomplices and a servant, Ajay, who backed out at the last moment.

The accused were produced in court and were sent to one-day police remand. The other accused are absconding.

Ludhiana, March 27
Booking for Tata Nano, which would open on April 9, may be hit by the strike of officers of the State Bank of India on the first two days of the 15-day booking period.

The State Bank of India is the sole booking agent for Nano while Tata group’s units like Croma, Westside and Tata Indicom outlets would accept the forms.

The All India State Bank Officers Federation (AISBOF) has called for a strike on April 8 and 9 while SBI branches will work for only half day on April 10 as it is a Saturday.

The strike is against the setting up of new single-man branches without adequate infrastructure. The employees are also demanding a minimum of two officers at all existing core banking branches.

Around 60,000 SBI officers are likely to participate in the strike. With officers not reporting for work, none of the 11,000-odd SBI branches will function on these two days, GPS Baksh, deputy general secretary of the All India State Bank Officers Association, Punjab, said.

“We do not intend to cause inconvenience to the public. When the federation had fixed the date for the strike, it was not aware of Nano’s booking dates. So far, we have not got any response from the management,” he said.

Nearly a third of the distribution points would not accept the booking for the first four days if the bank officers go ahead with the strike. Also, Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 would also affect the booking.

Doraha, March 27
The BSNL consumers here are allegedly having a tough time for about last 20 days due to poor network.

The vice-president of All Traders Association, Pritam Singh Jaggi, said: “Whenever one dials the number, the network is busy, due to which customers are in a tizzy most of the times.” He also informed he had lodged a complaint on a toll free number ie 1500 but to no avail.

“Even when one connects from other mobile connections, the same problem persists. It seems that the authorities are least concerned about the matter,” a customer said.

Another consumer said: “We should not entertain the bills as we have been suffering huge losses on account of the faulty functioning of the mobile connections.”

Majority of the BSNL consumers are thinking on the terms of getting their connections snapped and switching over to connections provided by private companies.

When contacted, SDO, BSNL, Doraha branch, Ravi Sharma, denied any such problem being faced by the consumers. However, he said there had been some problem for about last 10 days here but it had resolved recently.

Ludhiana, March 27
Congress candidate from the local parliamentary constituency Manish Tewari today appealed to supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party to vote for the real Congressman and not the fake one.

He was addressing a public meeting at Narangwal, near here, today. Tewari was referring to the choice between him or Gurcharan Singh Galib, who deserted the Congress and joined Akali Dal just to contest parliamentary election.

Tewari in his appeal said: “When the SAD-BJP alliance has already fielded a Congressman, as if they faced dearth of leaders, why not vote for the real Congressman and not the one who changes loyalties for personal ends.”

The senior Congress leader told the Akali-BJP supporters: “If Galib cannot be loyal to the Congress — the party that gave him so much and made him an MP from an ordinary worker — how can he be loyal to anyone else.”

“A man should stand firm on his principles come what may. The principles must not be compromised for personal interest and Galib exactly did that by defecting to the Alkalis and deserting his own party with which he spent 50 years for a parliamentary nomination. It is there for everyone to see what he did in Parliament all those years he was there,” he added.

Ludhiana, March 27
The chairman of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Legal Cell Dharamjit Singh Khera, general secretary Kamaljit Sharma, convener Ashok Bhakri, senior lawyer Trilok Singh Sood have decided to extend support to Manish Tewari, Congress nominee in the forthcoming parliamentary elections from Ludhiana.

Khera said a resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting at district court complex here today.

Terming Tewari the best candidate, he said a copy of the resolution was sent to the All-India Congress Committee.

In the resolution, the PPCC Legal Cell has thanked the Congress high command for giving chance to a lawyer, Tiwari.

Ashok Bhakri said the cell had started preparing ward-wise list of lawyers for deputing them in the election process.

He claimed that there was enthusiasm in the party workers after the declaration of the Congress nominee.

Ludhiana, March 27
SAD candidate and former Member of Parliament Gurcharan Singh Galib today met Shahi Imam, Punjab, Maulana Habib Ur Rehman Sani seeking his support in the Lok Sabha elections.

He was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Gabria and other SAD leaders, including Manjit Singh Khalsa, Manjit Singh Toni and Baljeet Singh Bittu.

According to spokesperson for the All-India Majilis Ahrar Islam Must Keem, Galib wanted Maulana to appeal to Muslim voters to support him in the elections.

He added that the Maulana promised him that he would appeal to the voters soon. With over one lakh votes, Muslim voters play a key role in the elections.

Ludhiana, March 27
Security arrangements for the smooth, free and fair elections to the Lok Sabha in the state are being finalised. According to sources, candidates of recognised parties will be provided with security cover of one to four policemen at their residence with personal security of two NGO or head constables and one escort vehicle with one to three personnel.

Unrecognised party candidates and independent candidates will be provided with two gunmen (constables).

According to official sources, security cover to candidates will be provided right from the day they file their nomination papers and the same will continue till the counting of votes.

If any candidate withdraws from the contest or his candidature is rejected, the security cover will also be withdrawn.

Round-the-clock patrol will be carried out for every 10 polling stations in rural areas and for every 20 polling stations in urban areas. Each patrol party will consist of a head constable and three constables, all fully armed.

The election observers who will come from other states will be also be given a security cover with static guard of one to four, personal security officer of the rank of head constable and an escort vehicle with one to three policemen.

The Ludhiana police district will have as many as 461 polling stations with 1,066 polling booths.

Thirteen polling stations have been identified as hyper-sensitive and 159 polling stations as sensitive.

The Khanna police district has maximum number of hyper sensitive polling stations.

The Jagraon police district Ludhiana rural has 11 hyper sensitive polling stations and 103 sensitive polling stations.

The Ropar police district has 104 sensitive polling stations and no hyper-sensitive polling stations.

Ludhiana, March 27
The Gosain-Gurjar row doesn’t seem to die down as Punjab Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Satpal Gosain has once again written to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to get a case registered against former Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Sumer Singh Gurjar.

In a letter written to the Chief Minister, a copy of which is with The Tribune, Gosain has sought an inquiry by the CBI or the Vigilance Department against the officer.

He has stated: “Through official communication to you vide letter no. 4196, dated January 14, 2009, I had brought to your notice about the corrupt activities of Sumer Singh Gurjar, IAS, and had requested registration of case and arrest of the erring officer. However, nothing has been done in the case to date.”

Adding a political angle, Gosain has written: “The corrupt image of the officer has brought a lot of disgrace to the Punjab government and people are thinking that such officers are being protected by the government.”

The Gosain-Gurjar row had erupted during the allotment of cracker shops during Diwali in 2008 and the Deputy Speaker had levelled various allegations against the officer.

Besides, he had also presented some affidavits, some of which were found to be fake.

An inquiry was also marked by Badal to Patiala Divisional Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir, who gave a clean to chit to Gurjar, while he was posted at Ludhiana. Finally, the officer was transferred as Director, grievances and pension, Chandigarh, in January.

Raikot, March 27
As part of protests by state units of the All-India Food and allied workers Union (Palledar Union) against the contractor system, the local Palledar Union staged a protest under the guidance of district president Avtar Singh Hathoor in front of the SDM office here today. Union members were protesting against the government and contract system prevalent in Punjab.

The protesters raised slogans against “destructive” policies the government.

Charan Singh, tehsil president of the union, said the state government was instrumental in the exploitation of poor labourers at the hands of the contractors.

Avtar Singh alleged that successive governments had been misguiding them by making false promises.

He said the previous Congress government had promised to pay them directly without contractors or mediators.

He rued that the SAD-BJP government had also assured them of getting rid of the contractor system but they failed to adopt the policy.

He alleged that they were being given the same wages that they used to get 10 years ago when prices of even essential goods had increased manifold during the period.

He demanded a raise in labour charges by Rs 2 per bag for both loading and unloading against the prevailing rate of 45 paisa per bag.

He said the union government had raised the labour charges to Rs 1.55 per bag in many states after abolishing the contractor system.

He also demanded the facility of canteen, toilets, medical, restroom benefits at godowns as per the Labour Act 1970.

He added that a meeting of the union was scheduled on March 31 at Malerkotla wherein decision on stepping up the protest would be made.

They later handed over a memorandum to Raikot SDM Jaspal Singh.

Ludhiana, March 27
Comedian Jaspal Bhatti, who recently launched the Recession Party, has announced a list of candidates in Punjab with “Bhajna Amli” (Gurdev Dhillon) as the candidate from Ludhiana and “Bhulle Shah” (Gulshan Shah) from Amritsar.

Bhatti, who is contesting from Chandigarh, while speaking to The Tribune claimed: “The candidates will win as they are coming with an ideology whereas candidates of other parties do not have any ideology. Bhajna Amli is the right choice for the people of Ludhiana as he will be less ‘unsuccessful’ than his predecessors from leading parties.”

The party with comedians as its members is a satire that specialises in gaining entertainment from politics and has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent for opponents is unambiguous.

Gurdev Dhillon said he would contest under the symbol of chameleon. “I am giving an open invitation to free and fraudulent people who have little work owing to recession to come and join hands with me. Also, ‘amlis’ (opium addicts) are welcome as they need to have access to pure opium in order to keep up with their high spirits,” he said.

Taking a jibe at (un)aware voters who repeatedly succumb to false promises of politicians, Dhillon said there would be a special place reserved in the party for the foolish who would outsmart the intellectuals in this phase of global meltdown.

Ludhiana,March 27
The music release of Gurdas Maan starrer Punjabi film Mini Punjab is a good news for the Punjabi cinema and music lovers.

Being a heartthrob of millions, sensational voice of India Gurdas Maan released the music of Mini Punjab at Park Plaza, here today. The movie is scheduled to release in April.

The songs are emotional and support the plot of the film, Gurdas said.

“I have rendered my voice to six songs while others have been sung by Kavita Krishnamurty, Alka Yagnik, Kanth Kaler, Saleem and Labh Janjuwa that would be a delight to the ears,” he added.

The music by Jaidev Kumar fits well in the movie.

Basically, it is a potpourri of entertainment which would be appreciated not only by the Punjabi audience but also by others, said Kuljinder Sidhu, producer of the film.

Gurdas Maan is in the lead role and Jividha Aastha who got her first break in silver jubilee Hindi movie “Dil Ashikana Hai” is his co-star. The star cast also includes Pooja Kanwal, Manav Vij, Vivek Shouk, Parmod Mautho, Esthan Khan, Liliput and Gufi painted, Aneeta Kanwal, Madhu Malti, Amta Nagia, Dolly Bindra, Sardar Sohi, Gurinder Bedi and Preeti Shikhawat.

Ludhiana, March 27
The Punjab-aided School Teachers Union staged a demonstration against the failure of the Punjab government to meet their demands here today.

Union president Ranjit Singh and secretary Gyan Chand said the government had not released their pensions since May 2003 and the provident fund arrears worth Rs 142 crore were with the state government. They alleged that the government was now backing out from giving their pension. They stressed upon the government to release the pension fund without any delay.

Om Prakash Arora, Chamkaur Singh, Kamaljit Kaur, Amarjit Singh, Gurnam Singh and Gurmeet Singh also protested against the same.

Ludhiana, March 27
Although the Punjab School Education Board chairperson is claiming to revamp the vocational courses in schools, 400 posts of vocational teachers are lying vacant in Punjab.

Inquiries made by The Tribune revealed there were 1,225 sanctioned posts of vocational teachers in Punjab and about 855 teachers were in a position. There were 104 posts in the city out of which three were vacant. Basically, there are five major vocational groups with 19 trade discplines ie commerce, agriculture, home science, arts and engineering. Under commerce, training is imparted in stenography, book keeping, office management and secretarial practice. The home science group consists of food preservation, textile designing, textile craft and garment making. In the agriculture category, training is given in agribusiness, horticulture and agro services.

For the engineering course, they will be taught about maintenance of TV and radio and auto-mechanical servicing.

Dr Dalbir Singh Dhillon, chairman Punjab School Education Board, said they were revising the vocational courses in order to revamp the same. Some new courses were being added in consultation with the industry.

The aim is to creating more job opportunities for the students after passing Class XII. “The main reason for opting these courses is that the students get direct admission in third semester in polytechnic institutes after passing out Class XII,” said Baldeep Singh, a vocational master, Government Senior Secondary School for Boys. 

Ludhiana, March 27
Libraries play an important role in the overall balanced development of the rural youth, PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Manjit Singh Kang said while inaugurating a Baba Sajjan Sidh Rural Library-cum-Computer Centre in Rauni village, near Khanna, here today.

The library has been established by the Ajaib Singh Bineypal Memorial Trust that undertakes the development work in the village. Surinder Singh Bineypal, an NRI barrister and solicitor of Toronto, and his family members have spent Rs 16 lakh on the library. There are about 2,000 books on different subjects, including the complete set of PAU publications.

Dr Kang said the library would be a lighthouse for residents of the nearby villages also.

The people, especially in the rural areas, should be aware about what is happening around in agriculture, environment etc, he said.

Dr Kang said the PAU through its KVK at Samrala would lend a helping hand in providing agricultural knowledge, including programmes for rural youth and women in the village.

The guidance for beautification and landscaping of the surroundings would be provided by the university, he said. An America-based book enthusiast Dr Jaswant Singh said efforts were required to encourage children speak and write the mother language in addition to trying hands at foreign languages. 

Khamano, March 27
Victor Institute of Nursing & Paramedical Sciences Ranwan celebrated their annual function today. A colourful programme was presented by the students which was appreciated by the audience.

The program was presided over by Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha OSD to Ex- Chief Minister, Punjab, where Dr BS Cheema (Retd.) Director Health Services, Punjab, was the chief guest. Cheema advised the students to become noble nurses being students of this leading nursing institute in Punjab. She also advised them to be dedicated and sincere in their career.

Urvashi Khanna stood first in the institute and 14th in Punjab with six distinctions. The students were awarded with their diplomas and mementos on the occasion. Principal Arvind Kaur Arora read out the annual report of the institute and highlighted the achievements of the academic session 2007-2008.

The program ended with a vote of thanks by director Col. BS Garcha followed by a lunch.

Ludhiana, March 27
Defending champions Chhattisgarh quelled a strong challenge from hosts Punjab to beat them with a narrow margin (28-26) in the men’s section on the penultimate day of the 13th Inter-Zonal Handball Championship at Punjab Agricultural University here today.

Punjab men with two wins in their kitty had to toil hard against Chhattisgarh players, who excelled in attack as well as defence to emerge winners.

SA Khan and Veenu with seven and five goals each were the main architects of Chhattisgarh’s victory. For the losing side, Ashu (9) and Mangal Singh (5) fought well.

In other matches, Tamil Nadu and Delhi scored easy victories in their respective encounters. Tamil Nadu outplayed Gujarat 34-23, while Delhi got the better of Bihar 33-18.

In the women’s section, Punjab continued with their dismal performance, suffering another defeat. Today, they waged a spirited battle against Maharashtra before going down 19-16.

For winners, Manali and Gayatri accounted for eight and five goals, respectively, while Sarup Kaur (6) and Gurmeet Kaur (4) were the main contributors 
for Punjab.

In another match, Manipur eves faced a stiff challenge from Delhi whom they managed to over-

power 16-14.

N Sani Bala and Sonia Devi chipped in with six and five goals, respectively, to help Manipur win, while for Delhi, Sangeeta and Tanisha contributed six and four goals, respectively.