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| Monday, July 3, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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City bookies back in
business LUDHIANA It is reliably learnt that the top bookies had to shift their operations to Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Jammu since the match fixing scandal snow -balled into a major embarrassment for the police after a top district police official was named in the scandal. It was then that the bookies of the city were asked by the police here to suspend their operations or face the music. It is also learnt that the police had earlier acquired a list of 10 to 12 bookies last month and they were then warned to suspend their operations. It was then that the betting in the city was slightly hit but only for a while as the bookies began their operations from the above mentioned cities. It is reliably learnt that during the time that betting business was bleak, the betting enthusiasts of the city were forced to experience the thrill and pleasure in the casinos of Nepal. However, things are beginning to look up for these people after the initial public outcry died down. In fact, rampant betting was on during the recent Cornhill test series between England and West Indies and the series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Even the last nights match between England and West Indies which was ultimately won by England saw West Indies being the favourite team with the odds at 40- 44 in favour of West Indies in the beginning, followed by England being the favourite team with the odds at 9-12 and later West Indies again being the favourite team with the odds at 60- 64 after four players of England lost their wickets cheaply. Investigations made by TNS also show that now the bookies and their clients are now eagerly waiting for the triangular one-day series between England, Zimbabwe and West Indies to begin next week. It may be noted here that earlier Nepal was the favourite rendezvous point for all those with an extra penny to spare. But around five years ago, the place lost its charm when an enterprising city resident hailing from Model Town area brought the betting culture to Ludhiana. It is alleged that he was earlier a sub-agent of a Mumbai-based bookie and soon enough other city residents, including a business man hailing from Tagore Nagar and a famous woolen mill owner, who was organising trips of the city gamblers to the casinos in Nepal, jumped on the bandwagon and almost the entire elite gambling crowd of the city had a new recreation at hand. Sources informed that, "Several city residents lost crores of rupees in a match between England and Pakistan in Sharjah before the World Cup last year. The residents had betted in favour of Pakistan, but the bookies had allegedly fixed the match and Pakistan had lost. It was then that the match-fixing came to light and the city residents irked by their losses, decided to go their own separate way." It is also learnt that later the city bookies got in touch with a Jalandhar-based bookie and another one based at Jammu, with the latter's role primarily being that of helping the others gain finances from certain financiers in Delhi. Since then the bookies here have been operating independently and according to the information gathered by TNS, it is alleged that each year the betting in the city is done to the tune of crores of rupees. It is also alleged that the bookies are operating only because of the overt and covert support of certain bigwigs in the local police, who have allegedly also been placing bets themselves. Interestingly, it is also learnt that the cash dealing of the betting business is done in the Feroze Gandhi Market-based car bazaar and mainly in the form of hawala. Those placing their bets get their money from a few select car bazaar owners and they in turn accept their payment from the bookies in Delhi in the form of cars — both new and second-hand ones — as getting the large sums of cash to Ludhiana from Delhi is not as safe. |
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Here every male
is a drug addict! MEHMOODPUR Visit this village, 10 km from here, to witness one of the most shocking incidence of drug abuse. More than 90 per cent of males here are known drug addicts. A fact that is confirmed in hushed tones by the villagers themselves and a number of doctors visiting it for educating them about the menace of drug-abuse and the ways to get de- addicted. Apart from the disturbing presence of such a high number of addicts, the village has more alarming trends in store. Most of these addicts were introduced to the bad world of drugs by their employers who gave more attention to achieve long working hours from them than to care about their health. Others more unfortunate ones began taking drugs in imitation of their fathers, brothers or village elders. Working as a driver or cleaner in a truck or as a labourer in some factory or agriculture fields, the majority of addicts appeared more of a victim. Pouring their heart out to The Ludhiana Tribune the addicts, requesting anonymity, revealed that initially they took the drugs unknowingly but later when they felt an urgent need "to keep going" they had no option but to take these regularly. The height of such exploitation is that the truck owners provide free supply of opium, the most common drug, and even some others to the truck drivers or cleaners beside their monthly salaries or as the arrangement of payment may be. Mohinder Singh ( name changed ), one such exploited driver who worked in a metropolitan city, revealed that his duty ended at about midnight and call for work came at about 4.00 next morning, "My employer used to give me a special tea which would mysteriously make me active and I was ready for work." he told adding that later when he could not move without the '"tea" his employer suggested a medicine which was nothing but opium. Persons conversant with rural life in Punjab may know that some farmers also indulge in such practice of activating their labourers. But while earlier it was only migrant labourers who were hooked on now more and more Punjabi males who have to work in agriculture fields due to weak financial condition have also become the victims. However, thankfully the number of persons becoming addicts in such a manner is not that high. The case of 21 year-old-Raja (name changed) is different from these. He was offered drugs by his own father when he was only 10 years old and today he is a multiple drug addict Having no problem in hiding his addiction Raja said he could no drive his truck without taking some drug. He started with poppy husk, moved on to opium and alcohol, tablets and capsules and today he says ,"Kuchh vee chalega saheb. Jo sarur deve ohi vadiya" he admits. He has taken as many as 40 capsules a day to keep afloat. According to a village elder more than 95 of the 100 odd houses in the village have an addict. Only a few of them have forsaken them thanks to some de-addiction centre but others struggle more in hiding their habit. His wife, who had seen the health of his son deteriorating from a robust one to a skinny one, said they had lost their everything, from mental peace to
money due to drugs Dr Deepinder Singh, Rehabilitation Director, AAS Deaddiction Centre, Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, said they had recently conducted an identification survey in the village which corroborated the fact of high number of addicts. Confirming the above said findings he said it was the duty of the family and the society to take care of such addicts. Explaining that why does a person takes more and more of drugs he said their condition could be compared to that of someone riding a swing, " the more high you go the more you will enjoy " he
said. However while only ill-luck will make someone fall but the swing of a drug would always be bade for health and even lethal in some cases. |
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Want to be a
“beggar” and have lot of fun
? LUDHIANA Sadly, this out-of-place definition seems quite an apt one for the local railway station after a thorough survey of the platforms undertaken by this reporter. Nearly a hundred beggars, some in the garb of Babas, have been living on platforms number 4 and 5 for years together. At least one of these beggars pretends to be blind for obvious reasons. At any given time of the day or night, some of these people may be seen smoking bhang chillums anywhere, telling each other about their day earnings and having lot of fun. A vendor confides that most of these beggars have criminal backgrounds. Some of these disappear after laying hands on a nice booty only to reappear after a month or so. They spend the intervening period on some other railway station, say Jalandhar or Ambala. And now with the construction of platforms number 6 and 7, which have not been put to use yet, these ‘beggars’ have ample space for sleeping at night. I saw a number of temporary brick chullahs on this unused platform where they cook their meals as well. A railway yard employee reveals that after these people decamp with a suitcase or a handbag or a purse, they throw these at a particular place near the Jagraon bridge after taking out whatever jewellery or cash they find. Even clothes are abandoned as these are easily recognisable and thus are as risky to handle as the baggage. And then there are nearly a dozen unauthorised, unlicensed vendors, selling tea and eatables who are very fair in dealing with the passenger customers. Some of them are rounded up now and then by the police but are let off after a nominal fine following intervention by the vend contractors. Sources in the GRP here say that not many thefts on the station are reported. Presently, there is only one case of theft registered involving a woman belonging to Sangrur whose baggage was stolen on a running train. Reliable sources say that the local railway station is an important one for the gang of baggage lifters on the trains. This gang, they say, operates in connivance with
unscrupulous police and railway officials.
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YC demands ban on
Bajrang Dal LUDHIANA, July 2 — Activists of the District Youth Congress (DYC) led by its president, Mr Pawan Diwan, would organise a protest demonstration at Jagraon Bridge here on Monday to press for their demand for a ban on communal organisations like the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad “who had launched a systematic campaign of violence and atrocities against the minority communities all over the country.” Mr Diwan said the workers would also call upon the Union Government to dismiss the Jammu and Kashmir Government led by Mr Farooq Abdullah for raising the demand for autonomy, which was tantamount to waging a war against the country and an attempt to disturb the unity and integrity of the nation. Reacting to the indiscriminate use of force against peaceful group of the YC workers led by All-India Youth Congress president Randeep Singh Surjewala in Delhi and arrests of the YC activists by the police, Mr Diwan said the party workers would resort to rasta roko and burn an effigy of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to express their resentment against forfeiture of their democratic right to protest. Meanwhile, a group of former office-bearers of state and district units of the Youth Congress, owing allegiance to former PYC president Jasbir singh Dimpa held a separate news conference to lodge their protest against the ‘use of force’ by the police against the Youth Congress leaders in Delhi and arrests of the AIYC chief and others, including Mr Dimpa, who is presently one of the general secretaries of the outfit.
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‘Protect farm
sector from trade agreements’ LUDHIANA,
Addressing a special farmers’ training camp, organised by the Department of Agriculture at Raikot, in this district on Friday, he added that at this critical juncture, the union government, headed by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee had a sympathetic and positive approach towards the farming community in Punjab and the state could expect a favourable response for protection of agriculture sector, which formed the base of the economy. He cautioned the Centre against falling in the trap of international trade organisations and hampering the prospects of agriculture otherwise it would become rather impossible to revive the economic base of the country. He remarked that the state government was making all out efforts to insulate the Punjab farmers against adverse impact of trade agreements. The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the Finance Minister, Mr Kanwaljit Singh, had taken up the matter with the Prime Minister emphasising him to impose substantial import duties on dairy and farm products being imported from other countries. Mr Talwandi said the developed countries had produced buffer stocks of milk and other agro-products by providing massive subsidies to the agriculture sector and now these countries planned to flood the Indian market under the garb of GATT agreement. “Both Centre and the state government were duty bound to save the farmers through more subsidies on farm inputs and to provide a strong marketing network for the agricultural produce.’’ Speaking at the training camp, the Chief Agricultural Officer, Mr Gurcharan Singh, informed that the Department of Agriculture planned to organise a series of camps to educate the farmers on the implications of GATT agreement on the farm sector and to prepare the farmers in effectively meeting the challenges by bringing down the cost of production and improving the quality of the produce.
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PFA honours animal
lovers LUDHIANA The coveted Jeen Daya Award was presented to four persons. Mr Shiv Kumar, ASP, was awarded for his role in nabbing the seller of leopard skins, Mr Dulla Singh, ASI, was chosen for the award for preventing cruelty in transportation of bullocks, Mr. R. D Jain for providing fod to birds from the past 50 years and Mr Vijay Verma was honoured with the award for providing fodder regularly at Haibowal Municipal Gaushala. According to Dr Sandeep Jain and Mr Ajay Jain the organisation also presented appreciation awards for working towards preventing cruelty to animals. |
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Govt committed to ex-servicemen’s welfare: Capt Kanwaljit LUDHIANA This was announced by Punjab Finance Minister Captain Kanwaljit Singh while addressing the first rally of newly formed Punjab Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association at Katani Kalan village, about 25 km from here last evening. He said the state government was committed to proper rehabilitation of the ex-servicemen and would ensure sufficient funds for their welfare schemes. Making a mention of the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism of the soldiers, the minister remarked that they spend a considerable period of their lives serving the country against all odds on the frontiers and it was the responsibility of the whole nation to safeguard their interests in a suitable manner so that they did not feel neglected. Elaborating on the efforts of the state government for the welfare of the ex-servicemen, the finance minister informed that Punjab was perhaps the first state in the country to announce a substantial financial assistance and various other incentives for the families of the martyrs, who had laid down their lives in the Kargil conflict. Captain Kanwaljit Singh claimed that he, along with the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had convinced the Defence Minister Mr George Fernandes, to accept in principle the long-standing demands of the ex-servicemen for “one rank — one pension” when Mr Fernandes had visited Anandpur Sahib during the tercentenary celebrations of Khalsa, but later the announcement to this effect could not be made due to certain reasons. “The Punjab government would again take up the matter with the centre and make sure that the genuine demand was conceded.” The Punjab Sainik Welfare Minister Mr Ajit Singh Kohar, said that the state government had initiated many development and welfare schemes for the ex-servicemen and their families. He further said that all pending demands would be sorted out after discussions with the representatives of the association and the government would adopt a positive attitude towards the redressal of grievances of the ex-servicemen. Mr Bakshish Singh, president of the association, demanded, among other things, remission of loans of a number of ex-servicemen bus operators, who had incurred heavy losses for not being given proper route permits. Among others, the Deputy Commissioner Mr S.K.Sandhu, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, president of the Bharti Kisan Union, Captain Jasbir Singh, vice-president, Mr Pashottam Singh, general secretary of the association and Mr Manjit Singh, sarpanch of Katani Kalan, spoke on the occasion.
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Demand to shift Baddowal Ammunition depot
LUDHIANA The residents of the city had awakened to a new reality that their lives were far from safe. Any mishap at the depot could spell disaster for the city. It had now dawned upon them that it was not only the periphery around the depot which was in danger but the whole city which could be reduced to ashes if something unpleasant happened. He said the city which was the industrial hub and financial capital of Punjab was in grave danger. It was, therefore, very essential for the government to consider the matter in all its seriousness. The government should take concrete steps to shift the depot to some far away place whatever be the cost or inconvenience. After all, safety of citizens and their property was of paramount importance and could not be taken lightly. He expressed the hope that the government would address itself to the matter and do everything to make the people safe and secure. Meanwhile, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal has taken serious view of the recent tragedy near the depot. The tragedy had proved that in case of any mishap, as was the case at Bharatpur, the loss of life and property might be enormous. The government should know that it is not only the area surrounding the depot which is in danger but the whole of the city can be reduced to ashes in case of a mishap, said mandal president, Mr Jagmohan Sharma.
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AISSF to launch ideological fight against RSS LUDHIANA This was the consensus at a seminar, organised by the AISSF, owing allegiance to the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) president Mr Gurcharn Singh Tohra, at Model Town Janj Ghar here on saturday. The seminar on ‘Sikhs — a separate nation’ was attended among others by the acting president of SHSAD Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar and a rebel SAD(B) legislator Mr. Hira Singh Gabria. The AISSF president, Mr Harminder Singh Gill, in his presidential remarks, announced that since the SAD(B) president and Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal had backed out from his earlier stand of pleading the case of Sikh community before the constitutional review committee set up by the Government of India, the AISSF had urged the jathedar of Akal Takht to set up a committee, comprising members drawn from all Akali groups for this purpose. However, if such a committee was not set up by the jathedar, the AISSF would go ahead ON its own and would put the case of the Sikh community before the review committee, Mr. Gill asserted. Through another resolution, the AISSF called upon the state government to table a resolution on state autonomy in the Punjab Assembly on the lines of the resolution adopted in the J and K legislature and to initiate measures for immediate release of Sikh youth detained in jails in the state and
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A journey down memory lane We engineers mused at our creative and destructive skill from a distance of about 2 miles. The aim was to deny the enemy the use of the logistic means. The only road for our retreat was cut off by the Germans at our rear. We headed to the South into the desert. Some times, the desert was illuminated by the flares. Its brilliance was awful as the flares floated in mid air. If a person ignorant of war observed this outbreak of light, he would mistake it for a celebration of joy. Despite our determined efforts to keep our bearings to South we had to relent and shift our direction to East because of terrible barrage from our right. We ran like a bewildered herd throughout the night. It did not bear fruit as the Germans had formed a formidable armoured ring and any effort by our depleted troops to cut through was met with defeat. At last, at dawn, we found ourselves encircled and Germans firing over our heads and at the same time ordering : “Hands Up”. There was no choice and we passively dropped our fire-arms. We were made to sit in the open and batches over batches of Indian soldiers joined us by evening. We spent night there and were taken in the big diesel driven trucks on the road which meandered along the south coast of Mediterean sea and were unloaded at Benghazi. Here, we joined a sea of humanity who were dauntless fighters a few days ago but were now Prisoners of War, passive and meek. No future. Who knew how long the captivity would last and what conditions were in store. Next day, a word came that POWs would start moving further for registration. There was scramble, as registration under the Geneva convention, is the only guarantee of safety in enemy hands. To smoothen the things, Italian guards decided to pick up one POW from each of the unit. Thirtytwo of us were loaded in a big truck and taken to Aghela, a small sea port. We were put in a hut and slept on floor. They gave us bread and coffee to wash down our food. That was the first time we had any morsel of food and small drink after 78 hours. We were woken up in the morning and given macaroni with gravy and a brew called Aqua. They put us in the same vehicle and unloaded us in the midst of a dump cluttered with barrels full of diesel. We were flabbergasted and only then it dawned on us that the Italians had played a ruse on the POWs. Our job was to roll out diesel barrels and take them to a raised platform of earth, empty the diesel into tankers manually by means of lift and force pumps. We continued the whole day and next day with little breaks for drinking Aqua which Italian guards carried in their bottles. On the third day, our palms developed blisters. We tried to explain and show our predicament but to no avail. By four ‘o clock on that day, we struck work and sat down. The officer in charge threatened but we did not budge. He made us fall in line. A machine gun was brought and mounted on a stand in front of us. As this was going on, a staff car with a flag on its bonnet came speeding to the scene. An officer armed with revolver emerged from the dust raised by the car. After inquiring some thing from the officer on the spot, he turned to us. We all stretched our hands to show him oozing blood. He was shaken out of his wits and shouted at the officer. Immediately we were made to embark and taken to Tripoli POW camp, Capital of Libya. |
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Dance contest big draw LUDHIANA between nine to 14 years and those above fifteen years took part in it. The children in the first age group included Shaurvi, Harvaneet, Tanya, Harshita, Shikha, Ankita and Poornima. Their dance was followed by group song Kala sha kala, which was performed by more than 10 students. The second age group included Manisha, Himani, Princy, Shagun, Isha, Arshia. More than 15 students participated in this
category. The third category, which was above 15 years, had about 10 participants. Sohna disda by Ruhi and Hulle-hulare by Preeti were applauded by the spectators. These items were followed by various . Mr Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon, Director, Milkfed, was the chief guest and Mr Ranbeer Singh of the Punjab Ball Bearing was the guest of honour at the evening. The first prize was shared between Harshita and Shauri, the second prize between Tanya and Ankita and third prize was given to Havneet in the category of three to eight years of age. In the second category, the first prize was given to Arshia, the second to Savneet and Manisha and third award was presented to Kamalpreet. In the above 15 years of age group, Ritika and Nitika shared the first position, Alka and Ruhi stood second and the third prize was shared between Shruti and Preeti. The judges included Mrs Aruna Verma, Mrs Parminder Sandhu and Mr
P.K.Aggarwal.
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For leading
a stress-free life LUDHIANA The foundation claims to be conducting workshops worldwide in 85 countries with 1200 centres. The foundation organises The Art of Living Workshop in different parts of the globe, promising solutions to the problems of stress by ‘healing breath’ process. One of the members of the foundation Mr Nityanand Trehan said the workshop leads people to increased energy, youthfulness and enthusiasm. He promised improved memory and greater self-confidence, cheerfulness and joy, besides enhanced awareness and insight into the inner self. He claimed that even physiological benefits have been reported, which include alleviation of respiratory disorders, stomach problems, blood pressure, heart aliments, sleep disorders, chronic headaches, arthritis and backaches. Nityanand Trehan was speaking at a function organised by the Ludhiana Management Association. He said the foundation was active in Ludhiana also and had already conducted several workshops here. The foundation also organises separate workshops for the corporate world. Mr Trehan said the course was an internationally acclaimed self-development programme that cuts across all barriers of nationality, religion and belief. A combination of the best of ancient wisdom and modern science, the course gives people a chance to delve deep into the joy hidden inside and come out smiling. |
| City has showers LUDHIANA But owing to a strong current of the east wind, clouds reappeared and it drizzled intermittently for about an hour in the afternoon. Clouds were still hovering around, with the sun shining down now and then. The absence of any noticeable breeze made it quite humid and uncomfortable outdoors. |
Two weapons
stolen LUDHIANA According to an FIR registered at the Division No. 3 police station, it is alleged that a servant , Sonu alias Sheru, decamped from the house of his employer, Mohan Singh with a revolver, six cartridges and some cash. A case under Section 381 of the IPC has been registered against the accused. In the second case of theft, a resident of Jamalpur, Arvinder Singh has alleged that a gun, five cartridges , a few wrist watches and gold ornaments were stolen from his house. A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered at the Focal Point police station. Two killed: Two persons were killed in gale that hit the city on Saturday. A 13-year-old Roshni was killed when a wall collapsed in Dhakka
Colony. In the second incident a three-year-old girl, Kiran Devi was killed in the Abdullahpur Basti area when the roof of her house collapsed.
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