The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Two shopkeepers released on bail
Tension eases in the Gur Mandi area
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 6
After day-long tension, peace returned to the Gur Mandi area today evening following the release on bail of two of the three shopkeepers, who were arrested yesterday evening by the police on charges of making duplicate audio and video CDs. Shops opened in the market in the evening after remaining closed in the morning.

The Gur Mandi Shopkeepers Association has also withdrawn its proposed agitation plan after the release of the two shopkeepers. The two shopkeepers were released on bail by a city court. The third accused Ashok Kumar, was, however, remanded to police custody till tomorrow.

Peace returned to the area after a meeting between members of the Shopkeepers Association and the police at Kotwali police station. The shopkeepers were demanding immediate release of the accused and withdrawal of cases against them. The police refused to do so as an FIR had been lodged and said the shopkeepers should move court to get those arrested released on bail.

Shopkeepers claimed in the evening that the police had acceded to their demands. However, the police said they had not given any relaxation and was determined to close the illegal preparation of CDs from the market.

Tension prevailed in the area since morning as the shopkeepers kept shutters down to protest against the police action. The police had put up tight security in the area to prevent any law and order problem. Mounted police were deployed in the market to chase away any person trying to incite violence.

The shopkeepers remained collected outside the Kotwali police station and in the market for the better part of the day. They also took out a protest march in the market in the forenoon and also raised slogans against the police.

Students await gazettes
Deepkamal Kaur

Ludhiana, July 6
Even though Punjab Technical University has declared the results of BBA and BCA final year students, no gazettes for the same are available this year.

The university has prepared independent results of each college and dispatched them across but no merit list or gazettes have been prepared by the university this year. As a result, the students do not know their overall rank in the university. The students said they had repeatedly requested the university authorities to send them the gazettes, but all their efforts had proved futile.

Even few colleges here that boast of having secured top ranks in the university every year have been unable to make any such claims this time. Proliferation of colleges offering the BBA and BCA courses in affiliation with the PTU is another problem. The college authorities here said when they represented the case on students’ demand, they were told that preparation of gazette or merit list would be a very tedious job at this point of time when the staff was busy preparing results of other classes.

The college authorities said later on persistent demand from the students, they again pleaded with the PTU officers to send photostat copies of results of all colleges but were again refused with an excuse that it would prove to be an expensive proposition since there were more than 100 such colleges. The students now complain that with more than 130 non-teaching staff members employed for the purpose, their demand could not be fulfilled by the university authorities.

While the PTU had been preparing gazettes for all the classes till the previous sessions, no gazettes were prepared for five classes, including BBA second and final year and BCA all three years in the previous semesters.

Mr S.K. Bhatia, Registrar of the university, said this time it had been decided that gazettes of all classes would be released simultaneously after the university completed the process of checking and independent declaration of results of all classes.

PLUS TWO RESULTS
Toppers do their village proud
Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

Machhiwara, July 6
The feeling that these three classmates — Jarnail Singh, Ranjit Kaur and Jagpinder Singh — belonging to semi-literate lower middle class families have achieved a remarkable feat and done this sleepy town proud is yet to sink in. While Jarnail and Ranjit topped the statewide plus two board examination of the Punjab School Education Board, Jagpinder Singh was declared fifth.

Little did they realise that what started as a healthy competition between them would see them corner three top positions in the examination. “ We will only believe this too good to be true news when we see the detail marks list,” they exclaimed. All three were students of the local Shatki Senior Secondary School.

Oblivious of his achievement, topper Jarnail Singh was bowling to his friends in a play ground in the middle of the town when the Ludhiana Tribune team traced him out. The shy, unassuming and introvert 17-year-old shrugged off his achievement and agreed to express his feelings after a lot of persuasion. He scored 403 marks out of 450 aggregating 89. 6 per cent.

The only son of a lineman in the Punjab State Electricity Board, he said he had little interests but a burning ambition to make it to the civil services. “ I am willing to give whatever it takes to make it to the top and this is only the beginning,” he adds with steely determination.

“Apart from remaining engrossed in my syllabus books, I also like to keep track of the latest news. The feeling of topping is yet to sink in although all I ever wanted to do was to score better than Ranjit and Jagpinder. All this is hard work and my relatives and neighbours have labelled me as a bookworm. I even take comments like he is just like a girl — one was my competitor — in my stride since I have realised that it takes a lot to become successful in life and this is only a small step in that direction”, he added. “I studied by myself and never went in for special coaching, he added.

Second topper Ranjit was busy in household chores when the team reached her residence. She reluctantly came out thinking that we were from some college who wanted her to join their institution.” I am elated though all I wanted was to score over Jarnail and Jagpinder. We have been in a healthy competition for the past many years. In the house tests, sometimes I scored better and at other times either of them scored better than the others,” she revealed. She scored 398 out of 450 to aggregate 88. 44 per cent.

This lanky and outgoing girl belongs to a marginal farming family and says she has to milk the buffaloes besides preparing the meals sometimes. “Study hours are flexible and my favourite time for studying is during the night. I studied by myself since no one in our family is highly educated,” she added.

At this point her father, Gurdial Singh, interjected to say he had told her that “tuitions were no problem but she insisted on doing without them. Unlike most people here, I want my daughter to go in for higher studies, a view shared by my wife, Paramjeet Kaur,” he explained.

“Due to some family circumstances, I have opted for the arts stream at the local National College for Women, turning down offers from other colleges in the district. I am pursuing a course in web designing presently,” she said by way of further plans.

Jagpinder Singh, too was busy playing cricket with his friends when the Ludhiana Tribune team tracked him at his native place Sherian village. The shy and unassuming topper too is yet to come to terms with his new found popularity in the village.

“Son of a marginal farmer, he too comes from a family where no one is highly educated. I shared notes with my friends Ranjit and Jagpinder and we discussed our problems with each other,” he added.

However, all three of them were all praise for their Principal, Mr Bhupinder Kapoor, who was totally attentive of their problems and really interacted with them on a regular basis to create a conducive atmosphere. The school is basking in its new found glory and the number of queries for admissions is remarkable, says Mr Kapoor. The school presently has a strength of over 700 students.

Stray pig mauls child; residents up in arms
Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, July 6
It turned out to be a horrendous day for 12-year-old Chintu. As the child, a resident of the New Shivpuri locality in the old city area, was standing outside his house, a stray pig caught hold of his leg and dragged him to a nearby vacant plot. Before people around could respond to his cries for help and come to his rescue, the pig had torn down his flesh from arms and thighs and broken a bone of the left arm.

Chintu was rushed to a private nursing home in the locality in a badly injured condition by his parents and residents of the area, who had gathered at the spot. Although the child was badly terrified and in a state of shock, there was no danger to his life, according to doctors treating him.

Eye-witnesses to the incident told Ludhiana Tribune that had it not been for Muchh, who irons clothes on a wheel cart just around the site, the child could have been eaten away by the pig. Hearing the cries of Chintu, Muchh picked up a stick and thrashed the pig, who let the victim off and ran away.

Perhaps the child was luckier in another way, says the area councillor (Ward No 66) Mr Sat Pal Puri, who also arrived at the scene of tragedy on being intimated about it. “The vacant plot with lots of garbage thrown there by the people is a regular hunting ground for stray pigs and dogs, but luckily the pig which attacked Chintu had no company today, otherwise the situation could have been worse.”

Chintu’s father, Salman Khan, a flat machine worker, and mother Chanda were shell shocked over the tragedy that had befallen their son. As they witnessed their badly injured son being given medical assistance in the nursing home, they cursed the administration for the indifference shown towards the menace of stray dogs and pigs in the locality. They said that the problem had assumed alarming proportions to the extent that a permanent threat loomed over the life of children in the area.

Dr Geeta, a surgeon in the private nursing home where Chintu was admitted for treatment, told Ludhiana Tribune that the child had suffered multiple bites on his arms and legs and a compound fracture in the left arm. She said the victim was emotionally upset and frightened but otherwise all his systems were normal.

Meanwhile, irate residents of New Shivpuri and adjoining localities seemed to have made up their mind not to take things lying down and shake the civic administration out of its slumber. Maintained the area councillor Mr Puri: “We shall submit a memorandum to the MC administration demanding immediate steps for the removal of stray pigs and dogs from the locality. In case the civic officials fail to solve the problem, the residents will sit on a dharna and resort to other democratic but peaceful means.”

PF scam detected in 2 colleges
Our Correspondent

Khanna, July 6
A Provident Fund scam worth lakhs of rupees came to light in two colleges of the city run by the AS High School Trust and Management Society. The matter was raised by a management member, Mr Krishan Murari Bedi, in the budget meeting of the trust held on June 28. It was alleged that Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) to be deposited by the management was being deposited more than the prescribed norms by the clerical staff of the AS College for Boys and the AS College for Women.

In the meeting it was directed that detailed information would be furnished about the whole affair before the management up to July 6. The secretary of the AS College for Boys, Mr J.S. Lotey, said the next course of action would be decided by the managing committee. He confirmed that lakhs of rupees were involved in the scam.

Mr Bedi said the management was bound to deposit 12 per cent of the pay up to Rs 6,500 per month towards the CPC. For salary more than Rs 6,500, no CPF could be deposited without the consent of the management (employer ) . He said the clerical staff was despositing more CPC of employees getting a salary exceeding Rs 6,500 per month. Mr Lotey said that the management had never given its consent to deposit more CPF.

According to sources, the scam was detected when a management member noticed that the CPF of a Principal of another institution run by the same management was half of that of a Superintendent of the college.

‘Govt can help end DMCH row’
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 6
“If asked, we will definitely try to end the ongoing stalemate between the union and the management of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). To the best of my knowledge, no party has sought our intervention so far. We will do the legitimate intrusion because it is a charitable hospital”, said Mr R.C. Dogra, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Punjab, who was in Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on the concluding day of the ‘Radiation Safety’ week here today.

The minister also stressed that the Private Nursing Home Registration Act should also be strictly implemented in the state as it was for the benefit of the patients.

When asked about the action against the accused District Health Officer (DHO), Dr Birinder Pal Singh, Mr Dogra said once he got the inquiry report from the Vigilance sleuths, he would definitely take appropriate action against the DHO. “It is certain that he will not join his seat again”.

Mr Dogra also said that the state was putting in all efforts for the strict implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Test (PNDT) Act. “We, in any case, will follow the directions issued by the Supreme Court regarding the Act”, said Mr Dogra.

Later, Mr Dogra delivered the inaugural address on the last day of the week-long National Radiation Safety Workshop. He said radiation science had emerged as an important discipline of medicine in the past century as an investigative modality (commonly known as X-rays, CT scans and nuclear imaging) and for therapeutic modality in the treatment of various diseases, especially cancer.

Dr A.Chougle, Associate Professor, Radiation Physics, SMS Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur, deliberated on the ‘radiation hazards and methods of protection’ in his keynote address. The radiation hazards could be classified as Somatic effect, occurring in the individual who was exposed to ionizing radiation and genetic effects, occurring in the progeny of the exposed individual.

Experts suggested that four main basic types of radiation-measuring instruments could be used in workplace. Those were personal monitoring dosimeter, dose rate meters, surface contamination meters and airborne contamination meter and gas monitor.

Meeting held to end stalemate
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 6
To put an end to the ongoing tussle between the management and the union of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), a meeting was held today at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, Medical Superintendent, in a press statement today said that the meeting chaired by Mr Anurag Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner, was also attended by Mr Ajay Sharma, SDM, Mr A.K.Sinha, ADC, and Mr Prem Nath Gupta, secretary, managing society.

The union members, however, said that they would not call off their strike till everything was put in black and white. “Today’s meeting is a positive step towards ending the ongoing stalemate. But we will continue with the dharna till we get everything in written from the management”, said Mr Chander Mohan Kalia, president of the DMCH Union.

Meanwhile, many indoor patients at the DMCH started vacating the hospital premises because of lack of care and proper maintenance. Monica, a patient from Mansa district, said that she was going to some other hospital as she was not getting proper treatment at the hospital. “Doctors are treating patiently but without proper assistance, they cannot do much. My parents have decided to take me to other hospital”, said Monica.

COMMUNITY

Life under Lakkar bridge
D.B. Chopra

Ludhiana, July 6
Towards Society Cinema end of the Lakkar bridge along a wall behind the shops there are three temporary shanties covered with faded polythene sheets of various hues. The inmates of these shanties, mainly rag-pickers and re-saleable garbage collectors, have chosen the place for the advantages it offers.

One of the inmates of these shanties is Sanju, a middle-aged woman who landed in the city about 20 years ago from Kolkata with her husband. She hails from Samastipur in Bihar but had been in Kolkata for sometime where her husband worked as a rickshaw-puller before the couple decided to head for the richest city of Punjab. Now Sanju has three daughters and two sons who hang around their mother all day while their father, suffering from some epileptic disorder, sits on a mat in the shade of the bridge like the inmates of rest of the shanties.

Sanju said she was hardly making both ends meet as the wages from the jobs of cleaning utensils in households were quite low. One of her daughters is working in two households for which she gets Rs 800 per month. She herself cleans utensils in a couple of houses to bring up the children.

When she is not working, she sits in the shade under the bridge and look after her little son while gossiping with neighbours. In fact, from dawn to dusk, the inmates of these shanties keep shifting their positions under the bridge moving along with the shade. The open space along the railway tracks provide enough space for the children to play and run around.

The shade also comes in handy for Mohan Lal, a Bengali , who has been living on the bridge itself for the past one year or so. Mohan Lal opened his eyes in an orphanage in Kolkata about 50 years ago. He ran away from there when he was about five and went to Jalandhar to be on his own. He worked there for many years till a labour contractor duped him of Rs 10,000 following which he came to Ludhiana.

Though the bridge is about to be demolished as a flyover would be replacing it in the near future , the people who spend the summer in its shade hope that the new flyover would also provide them with the same comfort.

CRIME

Contractor booked for labourers’ death
Tribune Reporters

Ludhiana, July 6
The Focal Point police yesterday registered a case under Section 304-A of the IPC on the statement of Assistant Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, against Sunny, a contractor in the Focal Point area, The complainant had stated to the police that the accused had forced two labourers, Neeraj and Raj Kumar, to enter a sewage hole where both of them died due to suffocation. No arrest has been made so far.

Cases of fraud

The Shimla Puri police registered a case of alleged fraud under Sections 420, 467, 468, 470 and 471 of the IPC yesterday on the statement of Mr Sanjiv Kumar, a resident of Shimla Puri, against Ajaib Singh, Talwinder Singh, Satpal Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Jora Singh, Gurbachan Singh and Pal Singh. The complainant had alleged that he had purchased a plot from the accused and had given Rs 40,000 to them after a written agreement. But the accused neither transferred the plot in his name nor returned his money.

In another case the Focal Point police registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC yesterday on the statement of Mr Dwarka Parshad, a resident of Jamalpur, against Raj Kumar, resident of the same locality. The complainant had stated to the police that he had given a loan of Rs 1 lakh to the accused who later refused to pay back the same. No arrest has been made so far.

Woman beaten

The Division Number 7 police station yesterday registered a case under Sections 354, 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC on the statement of Ms Sunita Verma, wife of Mr Ram Murti, a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Colony, against Pinki, wife of Mr Hem Raj. The complainant had alleged that the accused had stopped her on the way and had beaten her up. The accused later fled from there. The accused had also threatened her, she added. No arrest has been made so far.

Cases registered

The city police registered two cases yesterday under the Apartment Act on the complaint of Assistant Chief, PUDA.

The first case was registered in the Division Number 7 police station under Sections 3, 5, 8, 9, 14(1), 15, 18 and 21 of the Panjab Apartment Prop. Act, 1985, against Sunil Kumar and Bhupa Singh, residents of Sukhbir Colony. PUDA official had alleged that the accused had prepared forged papers of plot belonging to PUDA and had sold it further. No arrest has been made so far.

The other case was registered at the Sadar police station under the same sections against Mohinder Singh, a resident of Phullanwal village, who had also prepared forged papers of a plot belonging to PUDA in his name and had sold it further. No arrest has been made so far.

Motor cycle recovered

On a tip-off, the Jodhewal police yesterday arrested Madan Lal, a resident of Begum Pura village, falling under the Bilga police station, and recovered a motor cycle from his possession which had been stolen from the city sometime ago. The accused has been booked under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC.

Excise Act cases

During special checking, the Shimla Puri police yesterday arrested Mohinder Pal, a migrant from UP, and recovered 19 bottles of illicit liquor from his possession and the Sadar police arrested Ravi Kumar, a resident of Mohalla Isher Nagar and recovered four and a half bottles of countrymade liquor from his possession.

In another case, the Sadar police arrested Joginder Singh, a resident of Rajapur village during special checking yesterday and seized seven and a half bottles of illicit liquor from his possession. The accused have been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.

KHANNA

5 kg poppy husk seized

Under a special drive launched against anti-social elements, the Khanna police has registered a case against five persons, including one woman, under Sections 18/61/85 and 15/61/85 of the NDPS Act and arrested a woman with poppy husk on Friday.

According to a press note issued by the SSP, Khanna, Mr Davinder Singh Garcha, on secret information from a police informer a case was registered against Rajiv Kumar, Subash Chander, Mehar Singh, Bant Singh and Salma for running Narcotics Trade. The SSP said those arrested were earlier involved in dara and satta business and the police was looking for them.

During the searches when the police party under CIA in charge Malkit Singh was checking the anti-social elements a woman was stopped and 5 kg poppy husk was recovered from her. She was arrested and was later identified as Salma. The police is trying to nab the other four persons SSP said.

JAGRAON

1 booked for gambling

The local police on a tip off arrested Ravi Kumar, alias Minti, near Kamal Chowk when the accused was luring people to stake in number game to multiply their money by seventy times and registered a case under Sections 13A, 3, 67 of the Gambling Act.