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| Saturday, September 2, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Lakkar Pul to make way for
flyover LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Another historic landmark in the city is about to fall victim to the process of urbanisation when the railway footbridge (Lakkar Pul), connecting the old city and the Civil Lines locality, will be replaced with a flyover to meet the increasing need for better traffic movement and easier vehicular access across the main railway line in the city. The projects for the railway overbridge, expected to cost around Rs11 crore, has been envisaged to reduce the pressure from Do-moria underbridge and the Jagraon bridge, the other vehicular routes across the railway track, which divides the city in two parts. The construction work, to be carried out by the Punjab Public Works Departments, Building and Roads branch, is to commence after the Northern Railway authorities give a no-objection certificate and final report of a survey conducted by the Railway India Technical and Economical Services is received. The municipal corporation has deposited Rs1.5 crore with the PWD for this purpose and another Rs 2.36 crore is soon to be paid to the railway authorities for use of the railway land. The flyover, says the MC Superintending Engineer (B and R) Mr M.N. Sharma, will be a single-pier design, with one approach from the Civil Lines (district courts) side of 295 metres length and two on the G.T. Road side, at the Railway goods shed and Raikhy Cinema Chowk at the site of taxi stand, with a length of 368 metres. The proposed overbridge is to be integrated with the elevated road to be constructed over the G.T. Road from Jagraon Bridge to Chand Cinema and a 100-metre ramp will be provided through a rotary. Two separate carriageways of 7.5 metres each will be provided on the overbridge on the Civil Lines side, while the two approaches on the G.T. Road will be single carriageway of 7.5 metres each. The approach road, beginning a little away from district courts crossing, will have two ducts, near the DIG office and at Beri Road, for the vehicular traffic. With one more access
being available for the vehicular traffic, across the
railway tracks, the chaotic traffic conditions,
prevailing at Do-moria underbridge and Jagraon Bridge are
expected to ease to a great extent, according to Mr
Sharma. At the same time, the new overbridge will prove a
boon to the visiting public at the courts and and to like
a number of hospitals and educational institutions in
Civil Lines area. |
PAU embroiled in litigation LUDHIANA, Sept 1— Punjab Agricultural University remains embroiled in litigation since a large number of teachers, students and non-teaching employees have filed suits against the university, but the university has not yet set up a legal cell. Cases are pending in all courts from lower courts, up to the Supreme Court. The university has a panel of 22 lawyers who defend it in various cases.They include 12 for the High Court, six for the local courts, two for the labour court, and two are working as legal advisers, who are paid regularly. It was learnt that a large amount is being spent on such cases by the already cashstarved university. In the absence of a legal cell, the university employees express their inability to attend different courts almost everyday. Among those who have sought justice from courts is Dr G. S . Dhaliwal, Professor of Ecology, who has challenged the appointment of Dr Darshan Singh as Head of the Department of Entomology. The appointment of Dr J. S. Chawla as Head of the Department of Animal Nutrition has been challenged by Dr J. R. Kausal, Professor of Animal Nutrition. In another case, Dr J. S. Kanwar Professor of Horticulture, has filed a petition against the appointment of Dr A. S. Sandhu as Head of the Department of Horticulture. Dr Balwant Singh and Dr A. S . Grewal have challenged the appointment of Dr K. S. Aulakh as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university which, they allege, has been made in contravention of the Punjab and Haryana Agricultural Universities Act, 1970. In yet another case, Dr S. S. Nagar of the Department of Livestock Production and Management has challenged the appointment of Dr R. S. Sahota as Professor of Livestock Production and Management. There are numerous other cases where suits have been filed against the university claiming service benefits, post- retirement benefits, benefits for possessing a PhD degree and to get some “wrong” appointments quashed. The Board of Management of the university has reportedly expressed grave concern over the law suits pending against the university. The Vice-Chancellor was reportedly suggested that efforts should be made to settle cases with the litigants amicably outside the court. Several appointments have come to light where the university has reportedly ignored deserving candidates. Many such candidates have filed petitions in courts. Prof B. S. Ahluwalia has filed a suit against the university to claim his retirement benefits. He was able to get his pension and other dues after three years through the intervention of the High Court. Recently, the
appointment of Dr Malwinder Singh, who had taken over as
Estate Officer of the PAU on May 24, was quashed by the
High Court on the ground that he did not have the minimum
essential qualifications for the post. The university was
directed to appoint Dr Karan Singh as Head of the
Department of Economics and Sociology after he won the
case he had filed against the university. |
Panic over outbreak of cholera LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Panic has gripped Abdullahpur Basti and Fauji Mohalla, behind the bus stand, following five cases of cholera reported from the area. While earlier it was presumed to be the outbreak of gastroenteritis only, five cases tested ‘cholera positive’ after pathological examination in Krishna Hospital in the Model Town area. While there are reports of a few deaths caused due to the gastroenteritis, none of the hospitals in the area confirm them. According to Dr Vikas Loomba of Kirshna Hospital, after conducting the pathological tests of the gastroenteritis, patients five tested positive for cholera. Most of them have also been suffering from acute renal failure. About 30 cases of gastroenteritis have been reported in the hospital so far, since August 28. Reports from some hospitals in the area revealed that the number of patients was on the rise with more and more people reporting with the gastro symptoms. Dr Loomba revealed that on an average 15 cases of gastroenteritis were being treated daily in his hospital alone. He said of these a number of patients were serious. Several of them were also suffering from acute renal failure. He disclosed while no particular reason could be attributed to the outbreak of gastroenteritis in the area, it seemed that the water supplied in the area might be contaminated. This was also corroborated by the residents of the area. Doctors in the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital also confirmed the admission of several gastroenteritis cases. Although the doctors there did not rule out cholera infection in some cases, they said, it could not be said with certainty as no specific tests had been conducted as yet. According to Dr Harkamal Sidhu, the hospital was likely to conduct pathological tests of patients particularly after some cholera cases were reported by another hospital. She disclosed that one of the patients, Harminder Kaur, who was admitted for gastroenteritis had been referred for dialysis, since both her kidneys had failed. She said, the patient was suffering from acute septicaemia which had affected her kidney functioning also. So far 46 cases of gastroenteritis were reported in Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital. Both Dr Loombha and Dr Sidhu attributed the reason of the spread of gastroenteritis to contaminated drinking water supplied in the area. The residents in the Abdullahpur Basti and Fauji mohalla compalined that they had been forced to use contaminated water for over a month. They claimed that the matter had been raised with the municipal authorities but no action was taken. Despite the threat of an epidemic, the area still remains full of dirt and sleaze. Garbage dumps can be seen frequently at most of the places. A resident told TNS that the municipal officials seldom visit the area for clearing the garbage dumps. At several places it was horribly stinking and one could not move without covering the nose. On the other hand the Civil Surgeon Dr Rajinder Kaur said, she had no information about the spread of gastroenteritis. Nor did she agree that any deaths were reported. She disclosed that no case had been reported in the Civil Hospital. However, a team of gastroenteritis experts had been deputed to the Abdullahpur Basti and Fauji Mohalla to take stock of the situation, she informed, adding that there was no reason to feel panicky. While the Dr Kaur claimed that no case had been reported in the Civil Hospital, sources there revealed that a few cases were reported there as a routine matter. They disclosed that on an average two or three cases are usually reported in the hospital, which should not cause concern. The hospital sources
said some cases may have been reported in a particular
area. However, it could not be termed as an epidemic
outbreak. They pointed out usually under such
circumstances serious cases were referred to the Civil
Hospital and so far no such case had been referred to it.
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Two teenaged girls missing LUDHIANA, Sept 1— Mystery shrouds the disappearance of two girls of the Dugri area for the past five days. According to the information available, the two girls, Sweety(14) and Pinky(15), are daughters of washermen and close friends. It is learnt that the two girls were working as domestic help in a few houses in the locality. Talking to TNS here today, the families of the two girls alleged that in spite of the fact that they had already approached the police and told it about a family that they suspected to be involved in the disappearance of their daughters, the police was not taking any action against them. The police has, however, denied this allegation and said it was helpless as the parents of the two girls were not ready to get any written complaint registered against those persons who they suspected to be involved in the case. ASI S.P. Singh, in charge of the Dugri police post, said the police was making all possible efforts to trace down the girls and that they had also closely questioned the two suspects —Sanjay and his brother in this regard. However, the father of Pinky, Mr Jagdish Prasad, said the two girls were working in the house of Pammi. He said in the course of time the two girls got very friendly with her two sons and even on the fateful day of August 26, the two girls had left home saying that they were going to the house of Pammi. Mr Sarabjit Singh, a
local leader in the area, said the police had succumbed
to the money power and was instead harassing the family
of the victims. "On August 30, the police picked up
the brother of Sweety, Gokul, for questioning and beat
him up instead of picking up the suspects," he
alleged. |
Beer guzzlers go ‘balle
balle’ LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Beer lovers in the city have never had it so good. Thanks to the ongoing stiff competition between two liquor cartels of the city, both zealously supported by senior politicians of the SAD government, all brands of beer are being sold at reduced prices. The inexpensive sale has resulted in an unprecedented increase of as much as 51 per cent in its consumption, as soft beer brands are available at about Rs 35 and the strong ones can be bought for mere Rs 40. The costs are strikingly low compared to last year when the varieties were sold at Rs 55 and Rs 60, respectively. But, while the tipplers are having a field day the Excise officials and the liquor contractors are,ironically, fuming at the development. They would have welcomed the increase in sale if the prices had also remained stable. The contractors are not happy as they are earning less profits due to a fall the profit in margin. The Excise officials are worried as they fear losing license fee in the next year’s auction due to loss of vend owners. According to figures available from the Excise Department, from April to July 1999 the sale of beer was 9.73 lakh bulk litres, but this year for the corresponding period the sale has shot up to 14.72 lakh bulk litres. As far as brands were concerned, Godfather and King Fisher are the favourites among the tipplers. Sources revealed that last year there was a monopoly of one liquor syndicate in the city, which sold beer at high prices. However, this year due to the breaking of the syndicate and entry of new liquor contractors in the market, intense competition ensued, resulting in sharp fall of prices. According to excise sources, the trend is not exciting for them. They said the major chunk of excise revenue is earned through the licence fee that the department receives from the auction of the liquor vends, while the excise duty earned from the sale forms only a small portion of revenue collection. Moreover, they said, the past experience of the department reveals that whenever the prices have fallen the licence fee collection of the next year has also been seriously affected. According to a number of liquor vend owners, the season was a haven for beer lovers, as they received the booty at easily affordable prices whereas they are in danger of suffering huge losses. Some of them were apprehensive as to whether they would be able to cover the costs or not. The owners said they are
losing a straight profit of about Rs 20 per bottle due to
the reduced prices. With smuggling rampant due to the
ongoing war between the two liquor cartels, the vend
owners can ill-afford to raise the prices. |
Students clash: 8 suspended LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Eight students of Guru Nanak Polytechnic were suspended today for allegedly causing severe injuries to three students of the institute. Ajmer Singh was among the three students of third semester of mechanical engineering who were allegedly beaten up when they revolted against some students who wanted to call a strike following the authorities’ denial to their proposal that the college be closed at 3 p.m. One group of students called up their friends from outside the institute. These boys arrived in the institute with weapons, precipitating an already tense situation. Following some inquiries
by Mr Tilak Raj Bhatia, Principal of the institute, eight
students — Nirmal Singh, Harinder Singh, Vikas Goel,
Sukhpal Singh, Kulraj Singh, Karamjeet Singh, Paramjit
Singh and Navdeep Singh — have been suspended. Mr
Bhatia said the inquiry was in progress and following
reports from the chief hostel warden, the boarders
involved in the clash would be expelled from the hostel. |
City women storm male bastion LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Till a generation ago, wives were confined to the four walls of the house, performing household chores, with hardly any say in the family’s decision-making process. With the passage of time, the perception has changed. A number of women have come out of the shell and carved a niche for themselves in the male-dominated area of business. Speaking to some women of this town who have made a name for themselves in business, it becomes clear that they have performed the roles of a wife, a mother and a business women equally well. Ms Sunita Aggarwal, a sales agent for Oriflamme, is a successful working wife. She was content with life as a housewife till one day sitting with friends, she was struck by the idea of making her life more meaningful. With both her children-grown up, her responsibilities had decreased and she wanted to do something that would keep her busy. So what started as a hobby now occupies most of her time. She is now a leading sales agent of Oriflame in the city. She started working for Oriflame from this year and is very happy with this new dimension to her life. She is no longer a bored housewife, but has made a name for herself in her town. Hers is not an isolated case. Ms Reva Bhalla, “Mother Manager”, of Tupperware, decided after 22 years of marriage that she wanted to do something that could give her a distinctive identity. She did not want to get into business and take risks. She happened to buy a product of Tupperware and liked it so much that she wanted to be a dealer for these products. That was eight months ago. Since then there has been no looking back. She is now ranked ninth as a new manager, is “Mother Manager” of Tupperware, has made six dealers under her and was honoured at a managers’ conference held in Agra last month. Her family is proud of her. She is always there whenever she is needed since she operates from her home, and in her is her own words in her own boss. Adding to the list of successful working women is Ms Neeraj Jain, a leading Avon ISM in the city. She wanted to start something that would yield a regular income and also enable her to meet new people. She started her association with Avon products in October 1999, and has not regretted the decision. She did not have to invest a huge amount and paid a nominal registration fee to be enrolled as an ISM. Her job is to recruit people and increase the sale of the company’s products. Ms Anita Nayyar is the top achiever in Punjab for Aviance products. Her success story began in 1990 when she did a course in aromatherapy from Bombay. She runs a beauty parlour and a boutique. Ms Nayyar says “People need to know how to look beautiful”. She holds consultation sessions with women to tell them how to enhance their looks. She has made more than a 1,000 customers. On a recent trip to the USA, she gave personal consultations to women and sold them her products. Ms Sangeeta Jain is a
sales agent for Herbal Life, a product that helps in
shedding extra fat. She says there are more than a 100
sales agents for this product in the city. She started
working in January this year. Her family backed her
decision to be an agent for the product. Her clientele
consists mainly of middle-aged men and women who are
health conscious. |
Dharna against police inaction LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Activists of the District Lok Sangarsh Committee today staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in protest against the “ failure “ of the district police to take action against its two police officers who allegedly stripped naked one of the committee’s activist in sadar police station here on August-29. Led by ex-MLA Tarsem Singh Jodhan, the protesters condemned the police brutality as well as inaction in the case and demanded immediate suspension of SHO Mukhminder Singh and ASI Ravinder Singh of the police station. Mr Jodhan later in a press release threatened to gherao the Punjab Legislative Assembly on September-6 if their demands were not accepted . In an alleged case of police high-handedness, a leader of Lok Sangarsh committee block Dehlon in the district was stripped naked and harassed in the sadar police station here on September-29, where he had gone to effect a compromise between two warring parties of Rania village. Angry at the act of the police, villagers and activists of the committee led by ex-MLA Tarsem Singh Jodhan had staged a day-long demonstration outside the Sadar Police station demanding the immediate suspension of ASI Ravinder Singh who allegedly stripped Mewa Singh and a stringent action against SHO Mukhminder Singh for abetting the ASI. The demonstrators later gave a memorandum in the SSP office. Mr P. Ban SP (city-2) when contacted had, however, denied the allegations. He said the person was called to the police station to know from him the whereabouts of Darbar Singh who was involved in a dispute with the sarpanch of the village.He said the demonstrators were making false allegations and ruled out any action against the accused police officials. Mr Jodhan, the ex-MLA, Mr Arun Katyal General Secretary District Congress Committee (Urban) in their representation to the SSP alleged that being leaders the two warring parties approached them for compromise and for this purpose they had gone to the police station. According to them while
they were waiting for their turn, two policemen invited
Mewa Singh inside saying the SHO had called him. However,
when he did not return after half an hour Shinder Singh
and Mohinder Singh went inside to inquire and were
horrified to see Mewa Singh lying naked in one of the
rooms in the police station. They claimed when they
protested to the SHO he was equally rude to them. This
forced them to stage the demonstration. |
DCI chief to be honoured LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Padamashri Dr R.K. Bali, president, Dental Council of India, will be honoured and felicitated by the state unit of Indian Dental Association here on September 3. According to Dr Bhagwant Singh, president, IDA, Punjab, Dr Bali had been elected president, Dental Council of India, for the third term and was one of the few dental surgeons in India to be conferred Padamashri. He said Dr J.S. Gujral, Vice Chancellor Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Dr R.S. Pathania, founder Director Health Sciences, (dental) Himachal Pradesh and Dr N.C. Maan, Additional Director, Dental Health Services, Punjab, will be the guests of honour, on the occasion. Dr J.S. Judge, executive
officer, IDA, Punjab, informed that about 300 IDA members
and dignitaries of dental and medical fraternity from
Punjab were expected to attend the function. |
Missing children return home LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The two children missing from Kidwai Nagar area have finally returned home from Delhi after almost six days, much to the relief of their parents and the local police. Kishore, 10, and his playmate, Vikram, 11, had disappeared from their homes on August 25, while their parents had let them out to play by themselves. The worried parents had got a Daily Diary Report (DDR) registered at the Police Station Division Number.2 after their disappearance , but had reportedly told the police that Kishore was habitual of running away. The two boys made a dramatic appearance yesterday, probably after they had had enough fun and adventure and had begun to miss the comfort and love of their home. The two boys reportedly told their parents and the police that all this while they were in Delhi and had run away in order to see Delhi, a city about which they had heard a lot and wanted to see. Talking to TNS here
today after their return, Kishore and Vikram said after
they left home, they went to the Ludhiana Railway Station
and boarded the train to New Delhi.”In Delhi, we
stayed at the railway platform and would beg for alms,
but the adventure was worth it,” said Kishore. The
children said it was around two days back that they
decided to come back home and so they boarded a train
back to Ludhiana yesterday afternoon, reaching here late
last night. |
Seminar on Agan-katha LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The Punjab Agricultural University Sahit Sabha in collaboration with Young Writers Association, Rang Manch Punjab and Mr Sobha Singh Foundation, is organising a seminar on the new book of poems ‘Agan-Katha’ written by Mr Gurbhajan Gill, on September 3. Dr S.N. Sewak, Dr Surjit
Singh, Muktsar and Dr Sarabjit Singh, Chandigarh, will
present their research papers. Mr Amarjit Grewal will
initiate discussion while Dr Tejwant Singh Gill, Dr
Surjit Pattar and Mr Harjit Singh Bedi will preside over
the seminar. This was disclosed by the general secretary
Dr Gulzar Pandhar and Mr Ninder Gill. |
ICHRC appoints counsels LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The International Civil and Human Rights Council has appointed five advocates of Punjab as its standing counsels, according to Mr Jagjit Singh Nayyar, President of the Ludhiana chapter of the ICHRC. The five advocates, according to a press note issued here today by Mr Nayyar, are Mr G.S. Kahlon at Jalandhar, Mr Jaswinder Singh at Ludhiana, Mr Gurpreet Singh Puri at Ferozepur, Mr Vinod Kumar Chaudhari at Bathinda and Mr Harbans Singh Sandhu at Moga. They will extend every legal assistance in cases of human and civil rights violations. In the Punjab and
Haryana High Court, Chandigarh-based advocates, Mr
Harbhajan Singh Dhandi and Mr Satinder Khanna, have been
appointed standing counsels of International Civil and
Human Rights Council. All these appointments have been
cleared by Mr Paramjit Singh Khalsa (Jagraon) and Mr
Jagjit Singh Nayyar, Chairman and President,
respectively, of ICHRC, Punjab, according to the press
note. |
Complaint against policeman LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The Bhat Sikhs living in Islamaganj area are agitated over the attitude of a policeman posted in police station division number 2, and his alleged use of abusive language against their community. Members of this clan
today alleged that in spite of making several complaints
against the policeman, a Munshi at the police station, no
action had been taken against him and the police
authorities were only dilly-dallying in the matter. |
Surinder Shinda to donate eyes LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — “My eyes will be for the nation’s service after my death,” revealed Punjabi folk singer Surinder Shinda on his visit to the Eye Bank, Mansuran, as a chief guest, recently. The Eye Bank, Mansuran, member of the Eye Bank Association of India, Hyderabad, organised a special programme at Rural Hospital, Mansuran, in which Mr Shinda and his team-mates distributed fruits to 52 eye operated patients admitted there. He expressed his desire to serve this noble cause. Renowned Punjabi song writer Hardev Thackrey also appreciated the role of the Eye Bank, Mansuran, especially in rural areas and for poor patients. Dr Ramesh, director of
the bank, informed about the past year’s activities
of the bank. An exhibition regarding eye donation was
also displayed on the occasion. |
Investor 'cheated' of 3.70 lakh by
broker LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — Mr Susheel Gupta, a bank employee, who has allegedly been cheated by a broker at the Ludhiana Stock Exchange (LSE), has been running from pillar to post for the past one year to get justice but to no avail. According to information provided by Mr Gupta to Ludhiana Tribune, he had given about 1200 shares on March, 1999 to Mr Sanjiv Kumar worth about Rs 3.70 lakh to deal on the stock exchange counter. The shares belonged to Mr Gupta and his family members. The shares are of Dabur India, Satyam Computer, City Corp Security, Rolta and Information Technology companies. He was not given any receipt, contract letter or payment except a statement mentioning the details of shares. No payment was made despite repeated requests, says Mr Gupta. Consequently, Mr Gupta in June complained to the LSE which in turn referred the case to the Investors Grievances Committee. He was asked to provide necessary proof of transaction. He went to Secunderabad and other cities to bring the necessary documents from companies' offices. Mr Gupta claimed that to his surprise, the broker, in connivance with another broker's outfit, had already prepared a transfer deal on May 6, 1999 by forging his signature for amount of Rs 1,25,500 on transfer deed no 97627. In the meantime, he decided to withdraw his case from the grievances committee for he feared that his case may be delayed for more than three years. Then his case would have become invalid to be considered in a court. Subsequently, he lodged a complaint in the police station, Civil Line, Ludhiana. When contacted General Manager, LSE, Mr H. S. Sidhu he said since the complainant had withdrawn his complaint from the grievances' committee due to lack of adequate evidence against the private broker, they can do nothing. In case, he provided evidence they would look into the matter. On the other hand, ASI
Tara Singh, dealing with the case was not available for
the comments. |
Fake sticker case: 2 more
held LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The local police has arrested all three persons involved in the making and selling of fake permission stickers needed for using black coloured films on the window and the wind screens of cars and forging the signatures of the ADGP Security, Punjab. While one of the accused, Amandeep Singh, who had bought the sticker from the other two accused, Randeep Singh and Amit Singh , was arrested by the police yesterday and booked under section 120-B of the IPC, the other two were booked by the police only last night. Interestingly all the three accused are below 20 years of age and in fact, it was the ingenuity of the the two accused computer whizkids that landed them in trouble. It is learnt that on August 23, when the Traffic Police led by SP Traffic, Mr S.S. Bhatti was on a routine patrol near Bharat Nagar Chowk, they spotted Amandeep Singh’s car carrying the fake sticker. On close examination the police got suspicious about the genuineness of the sticker and after taking the particulars of the accused, got the sticker from him. Later, the police found the sticker to be fake and also found the signatures of ADGP, Security, Mr. Bakshi Ram to be forged. They then arrested Amandeep Singh and his questioning revealed that he had bought the sticker from Randeep Singh and Amit Singh for Rs 6300. Later, the police led by Inspector Santokh Singh, SHO Division No 5, also arrested Randeep and Amit and booked them under Sections 420, 467, 468, 476 and 471 of the IPC. Talking to mediapersons
after their arrest today, Randeep and Amit confessed that
they were preparing these stickers on the computer by
using Coreldraw software. They said that they had
prepared five stickers and two of these had been spoilt.
The remaining three stickers were being used by all the
three accused on their cars. |
Head Constable booked for
beating up man LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — A Head Constable of the police has been booked on charges of forcibly entering the house of his married lover, threatening her husband and later beating him up. According to an FIR registered under Sections 452, 506, 323, 120-B and 34 of the IPC, the complainant, Murli Lal has alleged that Head Constable Dharam Pal, posted at the Daba Police Post, was having an affair with his wife, Aarti for the past two years. He has alleged that on August 30, the accused entered his house at around midnight and when he questioned the accused as well as Aarti, the accused beat him up and threatened him against reporting anything to the police. The complainant was later taken to the CMC by his son, Amit Kumar, for treatment. Imposter held Gurdev Singh alias Baba, a resident of BRS Nagar is a van driver in a private school in the Sherpur area. He has been booked under Sections 420,467,468,471 of the IPC. Accident |
Abduction case cancelled LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The police has decided to cancel a case of kidnapping registered against four persons, including a scribe,only two days ago by a former secretary of the Punjab Youth Congress. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Kuldeep Singh, today said that after the case was registered on August 30, an inquiry into the case was conducted by the DSP, Industrial Area, Mr Gurjit Singh Romana and he found the charges in the case to be false. He said the police inquiry had also shown that the complainant in the case, Rahul Dua, was himself a loan shark and by trying to get a case registered against five persons, he was trying to scare them into not getting a case registered against him for the alleged snatching of jewellery from the wife of one of the accused, Suresh, who had borrowed Rs 1 lakh from him and already paid Rs 8 lakh as interest. The SSP said on August
29, Rahul Dua had himself forcibly entered the house of
Suresh and snatched jewellery of the latter’s wife
at gun point. |
Missing boy found SAHNEWAL, Sept 1 — September 1, A boy missing under mysterious circumstances on August 29 from Hambran, was found on the same day by the Sahnewal Police from the main chowk of Kohara village. Balku, (6 ), son of Ganesh Ram and Gujri, ( migrant labourers) was found missing on August 29 after 4 p.m. while he was playing with his friends on the road. His parents had gone out to work. When they returned, they made efforts to find him but to no avail . They then informed the police and the search began. The same evening, A.S.I. Dalbir Singh (Incharge chowki Ramgarh ) found a boy crying at the Kohara Chowk. He was nearly 5 years of age and dark complexioned. Barefoot he had just a black checked shirt on . Asked by Dalbir Singh, he told his name, but refused to tell anything else. He kept on crying. The A.S.I. took him towards various directions but the boy being small, could not locate the way to his house. Two days passed but the boy was so distraught that he could not tell about his whereabouts to the police. On August 31, when the
news about the missing boy from Hambaran was published
along with his photograph, the Sahnewal police took no
time in deciding that it was Balku. They contacted the
Hambran police station and handed over the boy to them. |
Hero still leads the way LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — When Bollywood made Hero No 1 and catapulted Govinda to the top slot in the tinsel world a few years ago, he must have been surprised to find someone already there. As a matter of fact, Hero Cycles Ltd became number one, not just in Bollywood, but in the whole world, as the largest manufacturers of bicycles way back in 1985. It has been tenaciously holding on to that position since then despite many challenges. “I vividly recall the year 1965 when we started Hero Cycles Ltd with a mere 639 units,” says Mr O.P. Munjal, Co-Chairman and Managing Director, Hero Cycles Ltd . “Today in 2000, four decades later, we have achieved a production output over five million bicycles. That adds up to over 70 million bicycles on the roads across the world since that year 1956. Hero has been the engine of growth, making our group one of the fastest growing enterprises in the country”. In the process, Hero Cycles has spawned thousands of ancillary units in the mega city, giving gainful employment to thousands of others, generating wealth and changing the very economy of Ludhiana. When Hero Cycles began production way back in the 50’s, there were so many competitors. Now, only two are left in the field: Hero and Avon. “All that I can say is that it has been a very satisfying journey,” says Mr Munjal. “The reasons for our success are many. But the single most important factor that has made the difference is our relationship with our dealers, workers, suppliers and supporting institutions. We have always valued this relationship a great deal. And we still do. Today Hero is a large extended family caring and sharing for each other and forever trying to improve on performance”. Similarly, continuous modernisation of manufacturing processes and products has also given Hero the competitive edge. From a company manufacturing only cycles, Hero Cycles went on to spread its operation in other areas.The business had begun with bicycle components which has primarily meant as a support for their main cycles business. With the stage set, it was natural to expand into the auto two-wheeler industry as well. The specialised cycle component units include Highway Cycles for freewheels, Rockman Cycles for chains and hubs and Munjal Castings for aluminium parts. The diversification into auto two-wheelers began with the formation of Majestic Auto, which is today the largest exporter of mini motor cycles in India with exports to over 40 countries. Hero Motors, a division of Majestic Auto, has ushered in a new era of stepthrough bikes, and is one of the first companies to manufacture plastic body scooters. The other major development was a tie-up between Hero group and Honda Motors of Japan, which results in the birth of the Hero Honda motorcycle. A performance product, the bike is the largest selling 100 cc motorcycle in the country today. Keeping their focus on growth, the Hero group further diversified into the manufacture of shock absorbers through a joint venture of Munjal Showa Limited and Showa of Japan. Other ventures include Sunbeam Castings and one with Briggs and Stratton of the USA. And to add to it, Gujarat Cycles Limited and Munjal Auto Components too have entered the auto component business. The group already consists of 15 companies and is in the process of branching out into the sunrise industry of information technology (IT) under the charge of Mr Sunil Kant Munjal. Tomorrow Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal will inaugurate yet another Hero factory here. The four Munjal brothers — Mr Brijmohan Lal Munjal, Mr Om Parkash Munjal, Mr Satyanand Munjal and Mr Dayanand Munjal — hailed from a small town called Makalia, situated on the banks of the Ravi, now in Pakistan. Brotherhood part, what knit the men together was the wealth of will, integrity and ambition. In the year they decided to start a business of bicycle spare parts in Amritsar. It was a modest beginning and the next three years saw the business grow rapidly. But the dark clouds of the partition eclipsed their plans for the future. They shifted their operating base to Ludhiana. First few years in independent India witnessed growth as the business expanded into manufacture of cycle parts. And then, in 1956, a golden opportunity presented itself and they started manufacturing cycles. The rest is history. Hero is now the
world’s largest manufacturers of cycles with over a
50 per cent national market share. Hero cycles now
produces over 16,000 cycles a day — an achievement
that has earnest them a place in The Guinness Book of
World Records. The combined turnover of the Hero group
now exceeds Rs 4, 500 crore. |
Sops for small-scale industry
hailed LUDHIANA, Sept 1— The enhancement of central excise exemption limit from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, announced by the Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee for small-scale industry, has been welcomed by the Fastener Manufacturers Association of India. Mr Mohinder Paul Jain,
Chairman of the association said the package announced by
the government was appreciable and would prove beneficial
for the small industries. Mr Raj Kumar Gupta, president,
and Mr Narinder Bhamra, general secretary, respectively
of the association, said the government decision to raise
the limit of composite loan upto Rs 25 lakh without the
collateral security and announcement of 12 per cent
subsidy for small-scale units going for modernisation
would boost the industry. Mr Jain said, the most
important decision of the government to abolish the
inspector raj could not have come at a better time. This
would encourage the entire industry, particularly the
small-scale entrepreneurs, to work without fear and
unnecessary harassment, he added. |
Brick-kiln owners threaten
stir LUDHIANA, Sept 1 — The Ludhiana Brick-kiln Owners Association today announced launching of an indefinite strike against the government in protest against the recent levying of 69 per cent sales tax on the brick-kilns. The decision was taken at a general body meeting of the association held at a local hotel here today.Mr Akhtiar Singh and Mr Varinder Singh, president and general secretary, respectively, of the association, told reporters after the meeting that the new levy threatened to destroy their business. He said for a sale of every 1000 bricks the brick-kiln owners would have to pay Rs 45 extra. The leaders said the indefinite strike had been launched because the government had not reacted positively to their demands.They said earlier the brick-kilns remained closed for one week in July in protest against the tax but the government refused to budge. They said over 300
brick-kiln owners in the district would keep their kilns
closed till the government accepted their demands. |
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