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| Friday,
March 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Heart-rending scenes at DMCH Ludhiana, March 14 The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, visited the hospital this morning to see the injured who were mainly labourers from Bihar. Unable to reconcile with the fact that three people died in the blast, while she survived, Dasmatiya, an eyewitness, told Ludhiana Tribune that she could not believe that she was still alive. Travelling with her husband Shiv Sampat and sister-in-law, sheer luck saved her husband but was unkind to her sister-in-law Manti, who died. “We are poor migrant labourers. We were going to our village in Sidi District, Madhya Pradesh. My husband has suffered 20 per cent burns. I do not know what to do and whom to contact. I am alone and helpless”. Ram Avdesh, who had recently come to Phillaur for a job and was returning back, said: “I boarded the train from Phillaur. I was on my way back to Bihar because I could not find a job for myself. Suddenly near Doraha, there was an explosion. All the passengers tried to come out of the train when smoke filled the compartment”. Gyan Singh, another injured, said he boarded the train with some friends from Makhu village. “We were going to Shahbaad in Uttar Pradesh. After the explosion, there was smoke all over and people were screaming. We suffered from breathlessness. One person died in front of me but we could not help. Everyone ran outside to save their lives”, added Gyan Singh. Another victim, Sarwan Kumar suffered 15 per cent burn injuries. He works in a chemical factory at Gill road here. Sarwan said he was going on a vacation to his village and nobody was travelling with him. “I spoke to my relatives in the village. They were really worried and wanted to come. But I told them not to waste money. After recuperating I would go on my own”, said Sarwan Kumar. Most of the eyewitnesses said they were shocked to hear the explosion. They said they could see nothing except smoke. “We do not know what exactly had happened. But most of the casualties were from our compartment. We were brought here at around 2 pm by a team of doctors and attendants”, said Salaj Kumar, who received 20 per cent burn injuries on his face and hands. Capt Amarinder Singh accompanied by Director General of Police M.S. Bhullar, Adviser B.I.S. Chehal, Principal Secretary Sanjit Sinha and other senior officers visited the DMCH and enquired about the well being of the patients there. He assured them of monetary help and offered
fruits Dr Ashok Gupta, In charge of the Plastic Surgery Unit and the attending doctor, said the first lot of patients was brought to the hospital around 1 am. He added that 10 out of the total 28 patients bore burn injuries. He said, “The patients are suffering from flame burns affecting their lower limbs, hands and face. Except Dalbir Kaur, who is serious with 40 per cent burn injuries, the condition of other patients is stable”. The injured admitted to the DMCH include Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit Singh, Ravinder Kaur, Soni, Birbal Yadav, Santosh Kumar, Ravi, Ram Avdesh, Sarwan Mistry, Shiv Sampat, Santosh Kumar, Shambhu Kumar, Gyan Singh and Jandu Kumar. Mr K.K.Bawa, president, District Congress Committee, and Mr Amarjit Singh Tikka, vice-president, Youth Congress Punjab, Mr Parminder Mehta, president, District Youth Congress and Mr Surinder Dabar have condemned the incidence. |
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Timely help saved lives Doraha (Ludhiana), March 14 Almost the entire township swarmed the station with everyone trying to help the injured. The railway staff at Doraha was the first to reach the site and doused the fire within 15 minutes. Several civilians helped in putting off the fire and pulled the injured out of the badly burnt bogey. Eye-witnesses said the passengers of other bogies of the train also had a nightmarish time as they were too scared to go inside their bogies. They were seen waiting at a distance and returned only after being assured that the train had been thoroughly checked and there was no possibility of another bomb. The train was allowed to proceed to its destination in the wee hours this morning. The line was cleared for the railway traffic after this. The blast had
occurred in bogey (number 92414), which was attached at third position from the engine. It presented a ghastly site as blood was splattered all over. The luggage of passangers, most of whom were migrant labourers, was scattered in the bogey. The seat number 32 where the bomb had probably been kept, was blown but the impact seemed to be not a very powerful one. A dent could be seen on the ceiling above the seat. Forensic experts, railway police officials and officials of local administration had reached on the spot for investigations. Mr K. K. Mittal, Station superintendent, Doraha, told The Tribune that but for the immediate rescue operation the numbers of casualties would have been much higher. He said people had helped a lot in saving lives. A railway worker said if the train was not close to the station at the time of the blast the fire could have spread to other bogies or some major accident could have occured if the train was on the main line. However, in Doraha all roads seemed to be heading towards the station where the burnt bogey was stationed. A curious crowd could be seen near the bogey throughout the day. The onlookers’ interest was increased with the news of visits of the Chief Minister, other ministers and senior police officials. The police had to deploy special staff on the tracks to keep the crowd under control. The people were also attracted towards the crew of various TV channels and vied with each other to come before the camera. Whether the explosion had been caused by RDX or a desi bomb was the main point of discussion. While the commoners were discussing various views, the experts were seen collecting material from the bogey and trying to ascertain the cause of the blast. Samples of ash were being collected. A briefcase and an aluminium container were the centre of attraction for the experts as these two things had borne the maximum effect of the bomb as it had probably been kept in either of these. The experts were of the view that the bomb did not have any splinters, as none was found from the spot, the victims were hurt because of the fire and not because of the intensity of the explosive. They also said had the bomb contained splinters the casualty would have been much more. |
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Cultural council flays train
blast Ludhiana, March 14 He said such acts were a danger to humanity and people from all communities should come forward to condemn this kind of violence. Those who posed threat to peace and integrity of the state, must be curbed with iron hands, said Mr Chhina. |
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Sales promotion gimmick costs dear Ludhiana, March 14 The Commission raised the compensation of Rs 5,000, which was awarded by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ludhiana, on February 12, 2001, by 10 times. The Commission has modified the compensation to Rs 50,000. Earlier, the Forum had directed the firm to stop the disputed sales promotion scheme as the slogan was misleading. According to the complaint, the food unit has launched the scheme to increase the sale of the bread, Real Bake. As per the scheme a coupon had been placed inside the packing carrying slogan ‘Scratch Kijiya Inaam Lijiye.’ The complainant, Mr Jagpal Singh Dara, a local resident, had stated that the slogan explicitly and implicitly guaranteed that on scratching the coupon the consumer would get the prizes mentioned in the posters and handbill. The prizes included Rs 1 lakh, scooters and many more. Mr Dara stated with this assurance and guarantee he had purchased the bread a number of times but every time on scratching the coupons he found the word ‘Try your luck again’. He stated that this breach of promise, guarantee and assurance was not less than defrauding and cheating the customers. The complainant stated that the compensation awarded by the Forum was very low. According to him, the firm collected crores of rupees by the scheme. The Commission stated that when it was proved by the Forum that the slogan was misleading and the firm was indulging in unfair trade practice, then compensation awarded should be commensurate with the damage caused to the consumer. The commission further stated that it had not been proved by the respondent that any prize had been given by it under the scheme. |
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All set for liquor-vend auction Ludhiana, March 14 The liquor cartel, commonly known as syndicate, run by the family of Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, a Cabinet Minister, in the previous SAD-BJP government, although said to be enjoying the patronage of Mr Sukhbir Badal, had to face a tough opponent in Mr Ponty Chadha, a noted figure in the liquor trade in Uttar Pradesh in the last year's auction for the simple reason of his being close to Mr Kairon. That the Garcha group and Chadha group have a virtual monopoly in the liquor trade in the district. This is evident from the fact that the existing group of vends in the city are almost equally shared by the two groups while out of the seven outer groups (mandis) in this district four are held by the cartel headed by Mr Chadha. Last year, the battle to gain control over major share in the over Rs 200 crore annual liquor trade in the district was so fierce that after two groups of vends - Samrala Chowk, including Jail Road and Aggar Nagar (Ferozepore Road), were auctioned to the two big contenders at hefty bids. The liquor
contractors refused to bid for the remaining six groups in the city and the auction was later held at Patiala well after the expiry of the term of previous vends on March 31. Ludhiana being the biggest contributor to the excise revenue of about Rs 1200 crore, collected by the government from the auction of vends last year, yielded Rs 115.38 crore from the eight groups of city vends and another Rs 77.29 crore from suburban areas and nearby towns, called the mandis as against a total income of Rs 132.22 crore and Rs 84.67 crore, respectively. During a series of meetings held with the liquor contractors in the city during the past few days, senior officers of the Excise and Taxation Department, including the State Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr D.S. Kalha, tried to impress upon them that the government had fixed a target of at least 10 per cent hike in the excise income from the district. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune on the condition of anonymity, a senior Excise and Taxation official maintained that while some corrections, depending upon profitability during the year, might be allowed to take place, the department would ensure a reasonable increase in the collections and targets fixed by the government would be achieved. Both trade and official circles confirmed that there would be no significant change in the formation of groups and the liquor vends would be put to auction almost in the same chunks as had been done last year. In pursuance of the State Excise Policy for the current year, which was finalised by the Cabinet in its very first meeting earlier this month, the government, for the first time would fix the minimum and maximum prices of both the country liquor and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL). In the wake of a drastic downward trend in the sale of beer during the year (from 20 lakh cases to 11 lakh cases), the prices of beer would also be slashed to hover between Rs 30 and 40 for normal beer and Rs 35 and 45 for extra strong beer, officials disclosed. |
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NATIONAL PROTEST DAY Ludhiana, March 14 The protest rally was organised as part of the nation-wide strike call given by the Central Trade Unions to protest against the proposed amendments in the labour Act and against the government’s anti-people and anti- worker policies. Addressing the rally, Mr Naresh Gaur, secretary, Punjab Bank Employees’ Federation, said,‘‘We are protesting against the ‘distress sale’ of blue chip PSUs such as VSNL, and the proposed sale of the BPCL and HPCL in which PSUs have been debarred from bidding as well as the scheme for Central Government employees which has been dubbed as a ‘camouflage for downsizing and retrenchment’.’’ He added that the decision to observe the national protest day jointly followed after what was perceived as an ‘unsatisfactory’ response of Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha to the trade union concerns on the labour legislation front during their pre-Budget meeting held on January 12. Mr Ashok
Awasthy, district president, Punjab Bank Employees Federation, said,‘‘The unions have prepared an eight-point charter demanding scrapping of the government’s plan to amend the Industrial Disputes Act (Chapter 5 (D) and the Contract Labour Act. The government should rather introduce a comprehensive labour Act to cover agricultural labour and to hike interest rates for provident fund and for small savings to the 1998-99 level.’’ The local federation has also demanded that government should take stringent measures to release non-productive assets of the banking sector and all outstanding taxes running into several thousands of crores of rupees against big industrial houses. Meanwhile, the employees of Life Insurance Corporation of India at Ludhiana under the banner of North Zone Insurance Employees’ Association
(NZIEA) observed a ‘national protest day’ here today, to protest against the anti-people and anti-worker policies of the Union Government. The demonstrations were held in front of LIC offices here. Mr Harbans Singh, divisional secretary,
NZIEA, the impact of this year’s budget on middle class, workers and poor people and reduction in rate of interest of PF, small savings , to 1998-99 level. The divisional president of the association, Mr Amarjit Singh, while addressing the rally said that the association opposed the thoughtless privatisation by the government and changing the labour laws in favour of the employers. Meanwhile, the district BSNL Employees Union observed a national protest day on a call given by the Central PSU trade unions by holding a rally in front of Mata Rani Telephone Exchange here today. Mr Balwinder Singh, district secretary, BSNLEU, said that the trade unions had condemned the decision of the Union Cabinet to amend the Industrial Dispute Act granting liberty to the employers to retrench workers and effect closures of at their will in all establishments employees up to 1000 workers. Mr Balwinder Singh said that the union would protest any move of the government regarding disinvestment of the BSNL. Meanwhile, Hundreds of activists of trade unions, led by the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), staged a protest march from the Municipal Corporation office to the Clock Tower chowk here today and held a demonstration against the policies of privatisation, "encroachment" on trade union rights and shrinking employment opportunities. |
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George to attend CMC convocation Ludhiana, March 14 He will address the graduates and give away prizes to students. Dr
J.S. Gujral, Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, will be the guest of honour and present degrees to students. Nearly 55 MBBS and 55 B. Sc (Nursing) students will get degrees. Meritorious awards will be presented for various categories like best graduates, best interns and lifetime achievements. |
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India moving towards fiscal crisis:
experts Ludhiana, March 14 These views were expressed by financial experts at a seminar on ‘‘Implications of Union Budget 2002-03’’ held here last night. The seminar was organised by the Ludhiana Management Association. Speaking on this occasion, Dr Chandra Mohan, Consulting Editor, Financial Express, said,
‘‘The minister has tried to balance too many factors in the proposed Budget during a politically and economically difficult time. He has announced measures to revive growth, encourage economic reforms in states and agriculture sector.’’ However, the growth strategy would depend on the monsoons and growth in the agriculture sector, as the minister is depending on farm income to boost industrial demand, he added. Dr Chandra Mohan said,
‘‘Mr Sinha has announced specific measures to boost textile, shipping, steel and housing sector. However, the whole budget, it seems, has failed to create a climate for further investment. The country would have to pay a heavy price due to his failure to widen tax base. Number of states like Kerala, AP and Maharashtra are already on the brink of bankruptcy.’’ He said though the service sector was contributing about 49 per cent to the GDP and agriculture constituted about one fourth of the total GDP, the total tax collections from these sectors were negligible. The minister had limited options when about 70 per cent of the expenditure on defense, salaries and service of debt was already committed. It was unfortunate, said Mr Chandra Mohan, that the tax to GDP ratio had declined from 9.9 per cent in 2001-02 to 9.2 per cent according to the current budget estimates. If bold measures like widening of service tax or taxing of agriculture income were not taken, besides curbing wasteful expenditure, the country would face another financial crisis, he added. Commenting on the budget implications, Mr D.K. Joshi, Deputy Chief Economist, Electricity Regulatory Authority of India, said,
‘‘During the past five years, the government’s dependence on internal borrowing has increased manifold, but has failed to invest this money in right direction. The government would have to cut down the cost of investment by taking appropriate steps. There is a need to increase investment in infrastructure sector, which has long gestation period”. Mr Sudhakar Verma, Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, lamented that a large section of unorganised sector was involved in tax evasion, resulting in overburden on the law-abiding citizens. Mr Mahesh Munjhal from the Hero group of Industries, felt that Finance Minister’s policy to cut down exemptions to the income tax assesses may force them to spend more money, thus leading to more demand for industrial sector. Mr V. K. Goyal, general secretary, LMA, also felt that the budget has failed to unfold bold steps to take the economy on a growth-oriented path. Around 200 industrialists, management executives and other leading personalities of the city attended the seminar. |
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Canadian councillor honoured Mandi Gobindgarh, March 14 Prominent industrialists who took part in the discussion were Mr Bharat Bhushan Toni, Mr Joy Kutty, Mr J.P. Sharma, and Mr Jagtar Singh. It was pointed out at the meeting that industrialists had to run at far off places for the purchase of raw material. Ms Aujla said: “The raw material of melting scrap, which is costly in India, is surplus in Canada. In such circumstances if early changes in policies are not undertaken, Indian industry will face difficulty in the WTO scenario.” Later, Dr Harbans Lal, Minister for Forests, and Mr Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, MLA, Amloh, joined the dinner given to Ms Aujla by councillors of the MC. |
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New tourism policy on the
anvil Ludhiana, March 14 The Golden Triangle between Delhi-Agra-Jaipur comprised tourism industry valued at about Rs 1,500 crore, he said, adding that the Punjab Government was contemplating building up a similar infrastructure in Amritsar and its surrounding areas. The Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and water resorts like Gobind Sagar Dam and Harike, coupled with an international airport at Amritsar would provide the perfect locale for a tourism set up. In the new tourism policy, Mr Sekhri said the financial burden would not be put on the government, but private participation would be invited. The government would remain the regulatory body and would also share the profits. Tourism, Mr Sekhri said was bound to provide employment to thousands of people directly and indirectly. He disclosed that the Government of India had already identified Harike and Gobind Sagar for wildlife sanctuary projects, which would further boost tourism in the state. He said tourists complexes would be made to work as individual units and would have to be self-supporting, besides boosting the states revenue. The department does not expect any budgetary support from the government, he added. Mr Sekhri said he was actively pursuing the matter of expansion of the Rajasansi international airport at Amritsar so that international flights could directly land there. He said at present the airport had a runway that was not suitable for big aircraft to land. “Once the airport becomes serviceable for big planes this would further boost the tourism potential in the state”. With the industry in a bad shape in the state viable sources of revenue could be generated through tourism, he said. Since he is also the Minister for Culture, he said the State Cultural Affairs Department would soon be revamped in accordance with the new programmes and policies of the state government. Mr Sekhri was on his first visit to Ludhiana after being sworn in as a minister. The Ludhiana district Congress President, Mr K.K Bawa, honoured him at the party office, while Mr Sekhri, who belongs to Batala, assured Congress supporters that Ludhiana too would figure conspicuously on the cultural and tourism map of the state as envisaged in the new tourism policy. |
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Two injured in separate
attacks Ludhiana, March 14 According to information, the victim, who was allegedly attacked by a resident of the same locality due to some old enmity, has been admitted to the Civil hospital. The Model town police station has registered a case under Sections 452, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC on the statement of Mr Harvinder Singh, a resident of Dugri, against Manpreet Singh, alias Junga, Raju, Harpreet Singh Kala and Baldev Singh, all residents of the same village. The complainant had alleged that the accused forced their way into his brother’s house on Tuesday. The suspects, who were armed with lathis, swords, bricks and stones, attacked his brother, Manjit Singh, and injured him, added the complainant. One killed Booked for theft Burn victim dies Case registered According to information, Mr Gurnam Singh had placed Rs 1.63 lakh in an almirah after disbursing salary some days ago. The police has registered the case against security guards namely Sukhwinder and Deepak Sharma. Theft cases An auto-rickshaw driver, who allegedly tried to steal a bag of flour from a shop in Shimla Puri on Wednesday on the pretext of buying a milk bag, was caught red-handed and handed over to the police. The Sadar police on the statement of Mr Nand Singh of Baddowal village has registered a case of alleged theft against unknown persons, who according to the complainant, took away his horse and the mule on Tuesday night. The Sadar police station has registered a case of theft on the complaint of Mr Karnail Singh, president of a gurdwara at Ayali Kalan village, who stated that someone had took away the door of the religious place on Tuesday. Seven arrested According to information, on a tip-off that some men and women were present in a room near Nakhan Wala Bagh in the area, the police raided the place and arrested the accused, which included a former woman sarpanch. JAGRAON Transformer stolen Booked for satta Liquor seized Poppy husk seized SAMRALA Case registered According to information, the victim was admitted to the DMC, Ludhiana. On her statement the police has registered the case. Sarpanch killed |
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