The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

PAU Vice-Chancellor ‘flouts’ norms to recruit XEN
Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 30
A former employee of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has charged the Vice-Chancellor, Dr K.S. Aulakh, with appointing an Executive Engineer in gross violation of the recruitment rules of not only the university but also the Punjab Government.

Mr Harnek Singh, whose services as SDE were recently terminated by the university, alleged that Mr Daljit Singh, a relative of the VC, was appointed as Executive Engineer (Civil) by Dr Aulakh, overlooking the fact that he was on bail at the time of the appointment.

The latter was booked under Section 409 of the IPC for misappropriation of government material and sentenced to an imprisonment of three years and a fine of Rs 5,000 by the Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Faridkot, on September 28, 2001. Mr Daljit Singh was working as an SDE in the PWD (B&R) at Ludhiana then.

He further alleged that at the time of submitting his application for the post, Mr Daljit Singh was facing a case of corruption and misappropriation registered against him by the Vigilance Bureau.

“He allegedly concealed this vital information in the prescribed application form since it could debar him from applying for any post in the university as per rules. On the day of the interview, October 31, 2001, Mr Daljit Singh stood convicted by a court and according to the rules of the PAU, could not be considered for the post,” Mr Harnek Singh alleged.

The VC opted to become the Chairman of the Selection Committee and ordered Mr Daljit Singh's appointment as Executive Engineer (Civil ) on April 2 and reported for duty on the noon of April 4. The Estate Officer-cum-Chief Engineer, PAU, was not a member of the committee, he revealed.

He further alleged that Dr Aulakh was aware of the prosecution and conviction of Mr Daljit Singh but deliberately chose to ignore this fact as he wanted to oblige the latter because of his close relations. As many as 15 persons had applied for the post.

Mr Harnek Singh, who himself was a strong contender for the post, later made a representation to Dr Aulakh apprising him of the “fraud” that Mr Daljit Singh had committed to grab the position. However, the VC declined to take any action on the complaint, he alleged.

Mr Harnek Singh said after having failed to get justice from the VC, he had written to the Chief Minister, the Director, Vigilance Bureau, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, requesting their intervention in the matter and sought suitable action against Dr Aulakh for not initiating any remedial measures to set things right.

India should be proactive: Gen Malik
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 30
A former Chief of the Army Staff, General V.P. Malik, said here today that national security and economic development were synonymous. A strong and proactive India would lead us towards economic progress.

Gen Malik was here to deliver the fifth Joginder Pal Pandey Annual Oration on ‘India’s Strategic Culture’, in which, he slammed the political leadership of the country for not being proactive in the face of constant provocation. He said it did not know what to do with soldiers after keeping them deployed on the International Border for over 10 months.

He said safe and secure environment in the country was essential for foreign direct investment (FDI), an area where China scored over India. He said the United States of America praised Indian democracy, but invested in China. India did not get even a fraction of the FDI in China, mainly because of the security concerns.

He said Joginder Pal Pandey had been a victim of the same terrorism that was threatening not only India, but also the rest of the world. He said India still lacked a strategic culture. He said national security and defence were different issues and should be treated accordingly. National security, he said, was much more than defence.

The General said Indian political establishment had made a number of mistakes, as it lacked foresight. This had led India to taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations in 1948, then, vacating the strategic Haji Pir Pass in 1965 and returning 90,000 prisoners of war in 1971 without getting anything in return from Pakistan.

He said there was no clear strategy on defence matters; it had taken India 24 years to conduct its second nuclear test after testing a nuclear device in 1974. He did not approve of the “no first-use” nuclear doctrine.

He said: “I wonder if Indian politicians know how to use the defence forces. First, they deploy troops on the border, then, don’t know what to do with them. There should be a greater interaction between politicians and military.”

“In this age of globalisation, we seem to be internalised, blaming each other. There is no consensus on issues of national interest. After the Bofors scandal, Parliament has spend more time discussing defence deals than chalking out a defence policy,” he said.

He called for a change in India’s decision-making process. He said marginalising military in matters of national security was unfair. Gen Malik is himself a member of the National Security Advisory Committee.

Girls should get equal opportunities:
General V.P. Malik
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 30
“I was shocked to read an article in The Tribune that the ratio of girls in the age group up to 6 years is on the decline in Punjab. The reasons include preference for a male issue, negative attitude towards girls and higher mortality rate due to ill health of female children. All this has to change. It is ironical that this is happening in a country where Durga and Saraswati are worshipped. Girls should be given equal opportunities at home and made self-reliant and women of substance,” said General V.P. Malik, a former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.

He was in the city to deliver a talk as part of a series of Ms Sen Memorial Lecture organised by the Old Students’ Association of the Government College for Women (GCW) Sudha Sen was the founder Principal of the GCW. In its diamond jubilee year, the Old Students’ Association decided to start a lectureseries in her memory.

General Malik said the college had upheld the cause of higher education. He further observed: “Manu, who said that a woman would remain dependent on a man in all stages of her life, was responsible for decline in the status of women in society, a trend which continues even today. Women need to shred such social and religious beliefs. The scourge of illiteracy has to be removed. Women should step out in confidence and contribute in the development of society. “ he emphasised.

The upbringing of girls should not be limited to teaching them domestic chores. Instead, the focus must be on broader education including career orientation. Instead of giving dowry, girls should be educated so that they can carve out their own identity, create a niche for themselves in the economic, social and political scenario of the country,” he said.

He said opportunities for women professionals had increased. They were doing well in every sphere, even in the armed forces. He said, “Women should make good use of all opportunities offered to them and develop a positive self-image, for according to Swami Vivekananda the greatest sin is to think that you are weak.

Ms Sarabjot Kaur, secretary of the Old Students’ Association, thanked Dr Ranjana Malik, who had conducted a lot of welfare activities for the families of jawans during the Kargil war.

Earlier, Ms Inderjit Gill Vashist, Principal of the college welcomed the General and his wife, Ranjana.

A harrowing experience for Vardhman employee
Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, October 30
Mr Neeraj Gupta, assistant manager, Vardhman, had a very agonising experience on the night of October 25, when he was travelling from Delhi to Ludhiana. He had gone to Delhi on the morning of October 25 to meet a customer from Turkey and had to return by the evening Shatabdi. Somehow he missed the train so he decided to return by a night bus.

“I was standing at a bypass in Delhi waiting for a bus when a Maruti 800 car came and driver offered me a seat up to Ludhiana for a fare equal to bus fare. The driver also took two more passengers for Ambala and Karnal respectively. Both of them behaved as if they were strangers to each other and also to the driver.

Near Samalkha, in Panipat district, the driver turned the taxi to a road going towards a village called Minana. He stopped the car at a lonely place. The three persons (the driver and two passengers) were known to each other. They started beating me up. They were members of a gang of robbers, but then it was too late to understand.

They were carrying pistol and knife. They took my gold ring, gold chain, locket, mobile phone, Rs 4,300, watch, calculator, train tickets etc. They tied my legs with my belt and the hands with my shirt and fled from the place”, said the victim.

After struggling for about an hour, he managed to free himself and went to the Samalkha police post for help. “Instead of listening to me, they asked me to go to the Samalkha police station. I was both mentally and physically tortured so I decided not to waste time with the police. I borrowed Rs 150 from a groundnut vendor and boarded a bus from Samalkha and reached Ludhiana. I have lost more than Rs 30,000 in the incident and the horrifying incident has broken me completely”, said Mr Neeraj Gupta.

Probe begins 18 months after murder
Daughter of ‘killed’ woman kept in dark
Mahesh Sharma

Ahmedgarh, October 30
The Jagraon police has initiated investigations in case of the alleged murder of a woman of Jodhan village. According to her stepdaughter and two nieces, she was killed on March 26, 2001, by her brother-in-law and cremated at midnight that day. The village sarpanch had “connived with the murderers” for the cremation that was done in the presence of the Sudhar police.

The complaint in this regard was lodged with the Senior Superintendent of Police at Jagraon, by Ms Ramandeep ‘Jaspreet’ (stepdaughter of the woman), Ms Sandeep Kaur and Mandeep Kaur (nieces) and Mr Darshan Singh, a cousin of the woman, Surjit Kaur ‘Banto’ ‘Hauldarni’. The allegation is that Surjit was killed by her brother-in-law, Gurdev Singh, to grab property, cash and ornaments worth lakhs of rupees. Ex-serviceman Gurdev Singh is the youngest of the three sons of late Niranjan Singh.

Two of the complainants — Mandeep Kaur and Sandeep Kaur — are daughters of Labh Singh, a Patwari in the Canal Department at Budhlada. He died on January 24, 1985, after which, his widow, Nasib Kaur, was declared the wife of his brother, Bikkar Singh, after a ‘chaddar andazi’ ceremony.

Bikkar, a Head Constable in the Punjab police, was already married to Surjit Kaur, who, because she was issueless, accepted Nasib Kaur and her daughters, Mandeep and Sandeep. After Nasib Kaur died on October 16, 1999, the couple brought up the girls. Bikkar died on November 27, 2000, and Banto alone had to look after the girls. Mandeep was given a job in the Canal Department on compassionate grounds and, later, she got married.

During their stay with Surjit at Jodhan, Sandeep and Ramandeep used to be “physically tortured” by their uncle, Gurdev Singh, which made them shift to Budhlada and live with Mandeep. They returned to Jodhan several times afterwards to see Surjit, whom they had not seen since January 2001, but, every time, Gurdev and his family told them that she was on pilgrimage.

“When we received a notice from our uncle, seeking our consent for transferring property rights to him, we suspected a foul play. It turned out that our mother had been killed,” said Ramandeep and Sandeep.

They said villagers had told them that Gurdev and his accomplices had killed Banto on March 26, 2001, and taken away her jewellery and cash. Ms Tejinder Kaur of the same village told them that she had bathed Surjit’s body before the cremation. While doing so, she had removed a piece of cloth from Surjit’s mouth and seen marks of assault and strangulation on the neck.

Allegedly, the Sudhar police is acting under the pressure of the Sarpanch, who enjoys the patronage of a former Punjab minister. Surjit’s daughters were not informed about the death and the ‘bhog’ ceremony. The women have alleged that Gurdev has forcibly taken possession of two houses belonging to them and all their attempts to get the property back proved futile during the Shiromani Akali Dal regime.

Mr Mukhwinder Singh Cheena, Senior Superintendent of Police at Jagraon, has directed Mr Randhir Singh, DSP (D), to investigate the case. Mr Singh, when contacted, said initial inquiries had shown that the death had been due to unnatural causes. He said the police would not succumb to any pressure.

The complainants have alleged that the witnesses are being threatened by the accused. They, however, thanked the police officials who had restored them the possession of their house.

Changing tastes affect Divali sales
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, October 30
Divali, the festival of lights that lights up the shopkeepers’ hearts as their sales jump manifold, has not ignited their hearts this year as the sales have been rather low. The response of the customers has been damp.

Mr J.P. Sethi, the owner of a gift shop in Model Town, is quite puzzled . He says: “There is something wrong somewhere. There is a big slump. Maybe it picks up in the next few days. Maybe people do not want to give gifts any more.” He sells scented candles in varied designs and different containers. Heart-shaped and flower-shaped glass containers are filled with wax while wine glasses have ‘gel candles’ with flowers. The glass containers do not break when the gel candles are lighted and give better light as the containers are made of transparent glass.”The prices vary from Rs 30 to Rs 350 . The range is wide , choice unlimited, but very few customers”, says a worried Mr Sethi.

Another shopkeeper in Ghumar Mandi says that candles in earthen lamps decorated in Jaipuri style called Jaipuri candles are selling well, for these candles burn for a long time. The candles for the dining table, dressing table and fragrance candles for bedrooms are becoming popular. Aroma candles to be placed in drawing rooms that can be gifted to friends are doing well. These candles when lit not only give light but also a very mystic fragrance. For the courtyard of the house,’ lantern candles’ in several colours and designs have been brought out this year. Therapeutic candles made of aromatic oils have been made keeping good health in mind. These candles are supposed to soothe the mind and help a person get good sleep. Floating candles that can be floated in a glass bowl or earthen pot are selling but not very well.

“The sale of cards is not brisk at all. It has been reduced by 50% this year. If a customer bought 100 cards last year, he is buying only 50 cards this year. Moreover the designs have generally remained traditional. The customers are reluctant to buy cards this season as many are sending cards by E-mail. Moreover, they do not want to affix Rs 5 stamp on the card for they are not sure whether it would reach on time,” says Rohit, a dealer in cards in Bhadur Market for many years.

While some say soft toys, wall clocks, statues made of poly stones with glazed finish are finding a few takers, others say that fruit bowls of crystal glass, a set of fancy six glasses of different designs, tea sets, decorative figurines and imported thermos have more takers. But barring a few shopkeepers who say the sales are normal, others lament that if the sales do not pick up, they will go into a heavy loss as they have invested a lot of money.

Firefighters, health officials put on alert
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 30
Mr Anurag Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner, said here today that the district administration was prepared for any eventuality during the Divali celebrations. All officials had been told to strictly implement restrictions on the open sale of crackers at places that had not been approved. The final arrangements were reviewed at a meeting of officials of various departments here.

The DC said crackers could only be sold at Daresi Ground, the Government College for Women, Haibowal, Jamalpur and Dasehra Grounds in Urban Estate of Dugri Road. Cracker sale would be permitted at no other place in the city, keeping in view fire hazards.

He told the Municipal Corporation and the Fire Officer to deploy one fire engine at each place earmarked for cracker sale, on November 3 and 4. One fire engine each should be sent to Jagraon, Samrala and Raikot on these days, as these towns had no fire engine.

The Fire Officer has been told to keep firefighters and fire engines ready for any emergency on Divali. To ensure the proper communication among firefighters and controlling officers, the DC has sought six wireless sets from the police.

Mr Aggarwal also told the SSPs of Jagraon and Khanna to ensure proper communication among the controlling officers and firefighters to implement the restrictions on the open sale of crackers. The Fire Officer of the MC said at the meeting that cracker dealers were violating the directions of the administration. A mandatory distance of 3 m between two cracker shops was not being maintained and restriction on the use of flammable tarpaulin sheets to cover stalls was being flouted. The SDM was told to take immediate steps to get the safety norms implemented.

The District Health Officer was told to depute his staff round-the-clock at railway station to check the supply of adulterated food items. Such food items are brought here from outside for sale every year. The DC said the General Railways Police had been told to help health officials catch suppliers of such food items. The DHO has been told to taking food samples from the district to check the sale of adulterated sweets and other eatables.

There would have to be more doctors in hospitals and mobile medical teams should be ready for any emergency on Divali. At the meeting, the DHO said his department had already started taking these samples.

Stray-animal menace dogs city population
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 30
While the Municipal Corporation find it difficult to effectively deal with the menace of stray animals like dogs and pigs in the city, which, of late has assumed alarming proportions, the residents are faced with a host of problems created by stray animals with incidents of damage caused to human life and property becoming a matter of routine. Besides, the stray animals, moving around freely both in the residential and commercial areas, pose a serious threat to public health and hygiene.

As the people continued to suffer the damage inflicted by four legged creatures, the sources in the MC pointed out that the biggest impediment in the way of effective action against stray animals was the proactive role being played by bodies like People for Animals, Society for Prevention of Cruelty against Animals as well as relevant legislations for prevention of cruelty against animals.

Packs of stray dogs and herds of pigs could be seen moving around freely in almost all the city localities and at times a monkey or langur also joining in, to add to the woes of the city residents. The problem was not confined to the interior localities in the old city but even posh localities like Model Town, Sarabha Nagar, Urban Estate, Model Gram and other colonies along the canal on southern bypass were the favourite moving grounds for pigs and dogs. Besides causing damage to property and creating insanitary conditions, these animals occasionally attacked and injured children and even grown ups. There had been at least half a dozen incidents in the city in the recent past when pigs or dogs had mauled the children in different city localities.

Although the MC had initiated action in this direction and a special gang comprising five officials and a sanitary inspector had been set up to make regular rounds of city localities in general and problematic areas in particular for shifting the stray pigs from residential localities but the move had not yielded the desired result. As far as action against stray dogs was concerned, no headway had been made so far. The MC general House had also, more than once, discussed the issue of stray pigs in the city and had called for immediate remedial action but to no avail.

When asked to comment on the situation, the MC Commissioner said although seized of the problem, the civic body was taking a lenient view just because it was the weaker section of the city population that was engaged in pig rearing to supplement their income. However, the MC would now take the matter to its logical conclusion to rid the people of the menace of stray animals. “Initially, we shall launch a campaign to educate and persuade those engaged in pig rearing to shift out of the city colonies and thereafter the stray swine would be forcibly removed to pig pond and the strict action will be taken against owners.”

The MC, he added, had set up a pig pond in an area of around 2 acre in Jamalpur colony at a cost of Rs 5 lakh for providing shelter to stray pigs. Plans had already been finalised to establish a dog house along side for stray dogs. The site had been earmarked and fencing was already in place. “The civic body is seeking the assistance of bodies like the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animal and the People for Animals to train the MC employees for catching stray dogs. A van and trained dog catchers will also be made available to clear the city localities of stray dogs in next couple of days.”

In accordance with the provisions of Animal Birth Control Rules 2001, a monitoring committee had been set up for census of dogs and to chalk out the modalities for dealing with stray dogs shifted to cattle pond. The committee would comprise of representatives from Animal Husbandry Department, health department, civic body and NGOs. According to the Commissioner, the health staff of the civic body would soon issue a public notice asking the people, keeping pet dogs, to get themselves registered so that the stray dogs could be identified and accordingly dealt with. After giving the city residents a reasonable time, the civic administration would launch prosecution against the defaulting persons under the relevant provisions of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976.

MC repairs roads as commuters suffer
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 30
A step aimed at facilitating smooth movement of vehicular traffic on city roads is creating serious problems for city residents.

Partial closure of all major roads for the repainting of road markings and zebra crossings, during peak hours, coupled with the heavy rush of shoppers in major commercial centres for Divali, often leads to prolonged traffic jams with serpentine queues of vehicles stuck on the roads.

A similar situation was witnessed between Phawara Chowk and Session Courts Chowk in the Civil Lines area this morning when traffic movement was obstructed for well over an hour with the traffic policemen nowhere in sight.

During past few days, the repair work on several busy roads in the city has also led to obstruction of traffic during day time, creating problems for motorists and other road users. The residents are wondering why the repair work cannot be carried out during the night.

The civic administration had undertaken a comprehensive campaign for reconditioning and repair of roads in the city, including repainting of road markings and zebra crossings as a part of beautification of the city for Divali.

Officers’ Wives Club controversy continues
Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 30
The controversy over the dissolution of the Officers’ Wives Club today took a new turn with Ms Sunil Aggarwal, wife of the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Aggarwal, justifying her action, claiming that the functioning of the club had deteriorated in the past few years.

In a statement issued through the local DPRO’s office, Ms Aggarwal said, “the functioning of the club had deteriorated in the past few years. Wives of senior officers posted in the district were not even invited. This club had become conglomeration of ladies who would indulge in unnecessary gossiping and even quarrel on petty matters. This is the reason why the club was dissolved”.

The club was constituted about two decades back with a woman Deputy Commissioner as its president. Some old and senior members of the club have questioned the moral and legal authority of Ms Aggarwal in dissolving the club. There was no written constitution and there were no rules, regulations or guidelines about the powers of the president, they said. A member observed that Ms Aggarwal should also refer to the rules, if any, under which she had dissolved the club.

Terming the dissolution as “dictatorial”, the member said, “if the president had any reservations about the functioning of the club, she should have convened a meeting”. She expressed surprise as how the president could herself feel aggrieved by claiming that the wives of the senior officers were not invited. “If she can possess the authority of dissolving the club, she could, in the same manner, use her discretion to invite everyone she liked”, the member pointed out.

“The club has no office, no finances, no assets....or anything else. It is a forum where the officers’ wives sit and talk and discuss various issues and organise religious and cultural functions and we are continuing with those activities irrespective of the fact whether someone has dissolved the club or not”. And it continues to be an open forum where everybody is welcome, she added.