The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Cops’ colonies to have master meters
Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 13
It is bad news for cops who are in the habit of stealing electricity by putting on ‘kundis’ and not paying the electricity bills. The PSEB has decided to install master meters outside the police residential colonies to prevent any power theft. The PSEB has already started installing electronic meters to prevent pilferage and manipulations elsewhere also in the state.

The Chief Engineer, PSEB, Mr J.N. Sachdeva, said today that the power supplied to the police colonies would be measured at one point from where it would be forwarded to the individual consumers in the residential colonies. The board will charge the colonies according to the reading on the master meter.

However, Mr Sachdeva said the board would only charge 80 per cent of the metered units consumed from the consumers. Modalities of this new scheme have already been worked out. This became necessary since there were reports that a number of cops were stealing electricity by putting ‘kundis’ which had led to huge financial losses to the PSEB.

The Chief Engineer said for improving the power supply in the city the PSEB has conceived a pilot project. A high-powered four-member team of the Bombay Scheme of Electric Supply (BSES) led by its Managing Director is arriving here on January 15.

The team will study the supply system in the city and suggest various improvement measures.

He pointed out that since the city growth was phenomenal and the supply system needed massive revamp, it was decided to study different models.

The BSES is responsible for supplying power to Mumbai. And it is one of the few cities in the country with uninterrupted power supply. The BSES team will stay in Ludhiana for four days and will get thorough background information about the system that works here.

The pilot project envisages to totally reform the supply system in Ludhiana. It is estimated to cost about Rs 150 crore and would be completed within two years. While 25 per cent of the amount would come as grant, 25 per cent would be sought in the shape of soft loans and the remaining amount would be taken as loan from various financial institutions.

Trying to clarify the PSEB position on the recent stay granted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a petition of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the retrospective charges from the consumers, Mr Sachdeva said the court had granted stay on the plea of the consumer. There was, however, no such individual consumer.

He said the board had asked its legal advisers to examine the stay. Moreover, he pointed out that most of the consumers had already paid the bills for the time for which the petition had sought the stay. The board, he said, had not stopped charging dues from the consumers with retrospective effect.

Tangri released from jail
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 13
Shiv Sena Rashtrawadi chief Jagdish Tangri was today released from the jail. The Additional Sessions Judge had earlier granted him bail in connection with a case of alleged supply of arms to Gujarat rioters. After about six months when he came out of the jail, a wave of thrill and joy ran through his supporters who had come out in large numbers to receive him.

Tangri has lost much due to his ‘’anger’’ and ‘’aggressive attitude’’ against the administration. He has lost control over the Mahavir Mandir Trust, Gur Mandi, which is now under the domain of his old rival, Mr Pawan Sharma, of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray). A demolition squad of the municipal corporation had razed illegal structures allegedly raised by him. Iron gates at both entry points of Gur Mandi were also removed.

His bad days started when in the first week of July, 2001, the police conducted a raid with more than 150 policemen, along with a team of the CIA wing, in Gur Mandi and seized fake CDs. About seven persons, including four policemen, were injured in a clash between policemen and shopkeepers.

On the very next day, the police booked Tangri, his son, Sunil Tangri, Sain Dass, Harvinder Pal Singh and Yadwinder Singh on charges of preparing petrol bombs, collecting arms and provoking Shiv Sainiks to launch an attack on the police party, in case it raided the Gur Mandi area again. An FIR was registered against him under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act and Sections 302, 115, 384, 148 and 149 of the IPC.

After getting a nod from the Chief Minister, Punjab, the police cracked down on Tangri’s den, his supporters and raided the suspected hideouts. Father and son duo evaded the arrest for a long time. They moved an anticipatory bail application before the Sessions Court, Ludhiana, but it was declined. They also knocked the door of the High Court to get pre-arrest bail, but the petition was dismissed.

Ultimately, Tangri surrendered before the police in the second week of July. Since then, he has been in the custody in connection with various cases. However his son surrendered, after the lapse of a long period. He is still in the jail as he has not been granted bail by the court. Recently, he had again applied for the bail, but the request was dismissed last Friday. His supporters claim that now they will file bail application before the High Court.

Tangri was booked in six cases on various charges including possessing pornographic stuff, extorting ‘’hafta’’ from shopkeepers of Gur Mandi and supplying arms to Gujarat rioters.

The trial of Jagdish Tangri and his son is pending in the court of Mr J.S. Bhatia, Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, in which the accused-turned “approver”, Yadwinder Singh, has deposed against both of them. He has stated before the court that after the raid by the police in connection with pirated CDs, the duo provoked others to launch murderous attack on the police party to teach them a lesson, if it raided the area again. He also asserted that ‘petrol bombs’ were distributed by them. An other witness, Vipin Thapar, has also deposed against the duo. The case is now fixed for evidence on January 18.

On Saturday, he was granted bail by the Additional Sessions Judge, Mr J.S. Bhatia. But despite furnishing bail bonds before the Duty Magistrate on Sunday, he was not released by the jail authorities, due to some technical reasons. Today, he was released around 1o’clock.

Undertrial gives the slip to cops
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 13
An undertrial lodged in the Borstal jail here hoodwinked three constables of the Punjab Police and disappeared from the Civil Hospital were he was taken for a medical examination today late this afternoon.

To cap it all, the three cops could not even remember how he looked. Constable Malkiat Singh allegedly caught an innocent man and kept him detained for about an hour despite his pleas that he was not an undertrial.

The man was relieved of the ordeal only when the other undertrial, brought to the Civil Hospital along with the escaped undertrial, stated he was not the person the police was looking for.

Sources said undertrial Jairam, aged 19, was a TB patient. He was brought frequently to the Civil Hospital for treatment. He was facing charges of theft.

As per the routine, the jail authorities handed him and others to a police party. Head Constables Gulzar Singh and Balwant Singh were on guard of the undertrial. They reached the Civil Hospital at about 1 p.m. There they handed him over to constable Malkiat Singh. The latter said he had no idea when the undertrial had slipped away.

Alarmed the cops began searching for the undertrial but in vain.

There was quite a scene at the Civil Hospital. The man kept repeating he was not an undertrial, but the cops would not listen. They detained the man for about an hour. Meanwhile, the other undertrial who had come for a medical examination were huddled into a police bus. They, too, said that the man was not the undertrial the police was looking for.

Jail Superintendent L.S. Jakhar said the authorities daily handed over the undertrial to the police. If anything happened to them outside the jail, it was the responsibility of the police party. A case has been registered.

Tailor enters Limca Book of Records
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, January 13
A young unlettered tailor from a small town, Goraiyan, has entered the Limca Book of Records. Pawan, who has performed amazing feats is close to getting recognition in foreign countries too. The Limca Book of Records in a letter dated January 3 have informed Pawan that a pair of trousers stitched by him with detachable parts that can be worn in ten different ways will find mention in this year’s edition of the Book. Another of his astounding creations a set of 35 jackets, has also been selected by the Book of Records.

Pawan has showed that persistence pays. A German national impressed with his achievements has sponsored his trip to Germany where his elder brother works in a garment store. The owner of the garment store wants Pawan to exhibit his accomplishments to German people.

Pawan is excited. He says: “I always had faith in my hard work. I have got success in India as I have been telecast on all main TV channels. My desire was to go abroad and now it is being fulfilled. My latest feat has been taxing, but I did not rest till I was able to perform it.”

Pawan has placed an egg on the cap of a pen, placed a 1 kg weight on the egg. Atop it he has placed a soft drink bottle and another bottle on it. The most amazing part is that he managed to pass an egg through the neck of the bottle. The whole feat took him hours, but he has unbelievable concentration.

He had earlier balanced an egg atop another.

‘Pak shrines must be under SGPC’
Bhushan Sood

Amloh, January 13
Under the Nehru-Liaqat Ali pact, 1953, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is the elected body of Sikhs, is entitled to manage and look after the gurdwaras in Pakistan. The Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee constituted by the Pakistan Government headed by a Muslim, who was not aware of ‘Sikh maryada’ could not keep the maintenance of Sikh shrines properly. These were the views of Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, President, SGPC, who was addressing a large gathering after inauguration of Guru Nanak Trading Company in Grain Market, Amloh, today.

He said in the coming days, a committee would be constituted by the SGPC which would soon meet the Pakistan premier, General Musharraf, to apprise him of the necessity of handing over the control of Pakistan gurdwaras to the SGPC.

He said offerings at gurdwaras in Pakistan were not being spent on the welfare of the shrines, but on ‘propaganda’ against the SGPC and India, Mr Badungar maintained.

The condition of Sikh shrines in Bangladesh and Afghanistan was even worse. Most buildings had been demolished by the Taliban while a few were in a dilapidated condition. The Sikh population in Bangladesh was miniscule. The SGPC had urged the Centre to seek permission to undertake reconstruction and repair of the gurdwaras from their respective governments.

The SGPC chief appealed to the Sikh community to follow the teachings of Gurus. He was worried at female foeticide, which had brought down the female sex ratio to 750 for 1000 men.

He gave a clarion call to parents to save their children from the drug menace. He spoke against other social evils like dowry. He said the SGPC had started five training institutes to provide free three-month training to the Kirtani Jathas of gurdwaras not under the control of the SGPC. This would begin from Baisakhi. Mr Badungar criticised Akali factions who had weakened the SAD.

Mr Tarsem Singh, former President, Municipal Council, Amloh, presented siropas to Prof Badungar and Mr Nirmal Singh, MLA, Satrana.

Among others who spoke were senior Akali leader and former minister Dalip Singh Pandhi, Mr Nirmal Singh, MLA, Satrana, and Mr Hari Singh Shamash Puri, senior vice-president, SAD, Fatehgarh Sahib.

Dual citizenship hailed
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 13
The recent decision of the Government of India to provide dual citizenship to non-resident Indians (NRIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs) has been widely hailed by the people here.

However, some people expressed cynicism, saying it did not offer much to the NRIs or the PIOs . “It carries more symbolism than any substance.” NRIs should be encouraged to help the country in different ways.

According to Mr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who resides in Canada for the past 20 years, the move of the government had further strengthened the sense of belonging among NRIs for India. He pointed out, “The sense of belonging was already there and it only needed to be reciprocated and acknowledged”. Mr Dhillon however cautioned. “You cannot expect the NRIs to rush back to India, but it is a kind and warm gesture”.

On the other hand, NRIs like Mr Avinash Kumar did not expect much. He said the system was still the same. Each NRI had been asked to deposit Rs 10,000 for participating in the conference which was presided over by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Delhi recently. He said they were asked at the venue to pay Rs 10,000 each.

Mrs Bhupinder Kaur Gill, whose two sons are settled in Canada, was not sure as to what dual citizenship would mean. However, she hoped it would ease various visa restrictions.

After Gujarat, Punjab is said to benefit the maximum from the government decision. The Punjabi diaspora is said to be the second largest after Gujarat is.

Meanwhile, the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal have hailed the government decision, saying it will benefits hundreds and thousands of NRIs and PIOs. According to various immigration consultants, the decision of the government may further spur interest among the people here to seek citizenship of other countries.

Marriage Bureau with a difference
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, January 13
In this materialistic world , there are certain people who are conscious of their obligations and take time out of their busy, hectic life to help people. One such person is Pawan Kumar Aggarwal. He says: “By God’s grace, we make enough money from our business of selling buttons and ‘namkeens’. My father and grandfather were well-known in our community. People often asked them to arrange for matches for their children.

His shop in Kacchi Gali, is part of Chaura Bazar. The narrow lanes are full of filth and there are no toilets.

“Five years ago, I started to go about systematically. I got letter-heads of Niskam Vivah Sanyog Sewa and got printed particulars needed for marriage like age, colour and date of birth. I did this to help people solemnise marriages as the problem of finding a good match can be a taxing. Traditionally, ‘nais’ and pandits used to visit houses and give horoscopes.”

Mr Pawan earlier, did not charge any money. Now he charges Rs 100 only. The money is used to pay a girl who keeps records. He has bought a computer. He maintains separate registers for different castes like Brahmin, Kayasth etc.

He says, “People want to marry in their own caste. After the forms are filled and duly given to me, I scrutinise these and suggest a suitable match. The parties meet and discuss the details and finalise the marriages. We do not have a record of the total number of marriages that have taken place. We only request the people to inform when have got their ward married, so that we can strike off their names.”

Three held for assaulting cops
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 13
The Division No. 8 police has arrested three persons after a PCR team was attacked and beaten up by some ‘tipsy’ men outside a liquor shop in the Kailash Cinema chowk in Civil Lines, here last night.

According to information, a Lohri function was in progress opposite the liquor shop. It was around 10 pm when three youths, who had been drinking inside the liquor shop, started making trips to a nearby bonfire and teasing women. When someone told them to behave, they became violent. The PCR team which was called on the spot was also allegedly attacked by them. In the scuffle that ensued between the cops and the youths, turban of one of the cops fell on the ground and attempts were also made to snatch his service revolver.

Accidental death or murder?: The death of Jagtar Singh, a barber living in Rania village falling under the Sadar police station, which was supposed to have occurred due to an accident outside the government school in Sangowal village on Saturday, has taken a new turn with doctors performing the post-mortem saying the body bore injuries on the head and the hands which had obviously been inflicted by sharp-edged weapons.

According to information, the sarpanch of Sangowal village had informed the police after noticing a scooter parked along the road outside the school and the body which was lying a little away from the vehicle.

The victim, who was running a shop in Harnam Pura village, used to commute every day on the scooter.

Apart from the post-mortem report, residents of Sangowal village also argue that had it been a case of accident the scooter would not have been found in a parked state. The police said investigations were on and a case of murder would be registered.

Dacoity bid: A dacoity bid by three armed robbers, who entered a cable factory on the Sua road in the Focal Point area on Saturday night, was foiled by an alert employee, Mr Harmit Singh, who challenged the robbers.

The robbers attacked and injured Harmit Singh. The Focal Point police has registered a case of attempt to murder.

Cases of beating: The Sadar police has registered a case of beating on the statement of Mr Jeewandeep Singh, a resident of Aggar Nagar, against Kuldip Kumar, Rakesh Gupta and his sons, who reside in the same locality. The complainant had alleged that the accused intercepted him on the road and beat him up as a result of which he was injured.

Another case of beating was registered at the same police station on the statement of Mr Major Singh, a resident of Duley village, against Ranjit Singh, Karamjit Singh and Labh Singh, all residents of the same village. The complainant alleged that the accused had intercepted him on the road and beat him up.

The Model Town police has registered a case of beating on the statement of Ms Satya Rani, a resident of Abdullapur Basti, against Karam Singh, his wife, Paramjit Kaur, Harpreet, Gurpreet and Charanjit. The woman alleged that the accused entered her house and beat her up.

Three held with liquor: The Division No. 6 police has arrested Raj Kumar, a resident of mohalla Giaspura, and Avtar Singh, a resident of mohalla Gobind Pura in Shimla Puri, and seized 21 bottles of illicit liquor form their possession which the accused were transporting in a car. The Sadar police has arrested Manoj and seized nine bottles of illicit liquor form his possession. The accused have been booked under the Excise Act.

BUSINESS

Now steel furnaces in fire
K.S. Chawla

Ludhiana, January 13
While steel prices are shooting up, furnace steel plants are facing manifold problems. Some of the plants have been closed down at Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh. The steel prices have recorded a high causing crisis for steel-using engineering industries, particularly small scale-units. Enquiries show that the Union Government has provided a bail out package for the bigger steel plants in the country and the financial institutions asked to restrict their outstanding at softer rates.

As a result, the steel plants have raised the prices of finished products. Moreover, bigger plants are engaged in the export of products. Recently, the demand for steel has picked up in the country following an undertaking of housing and other development projects by the government.

The international prices of steel items like H R coils have gone up from 170 US dollars to 300 dollars. The steel was available at cheaper rates due to a surplus in the CIS countries. The Chinese are importing large quantity of steel from various countries which has resulted in the hike in the prices. In Europe the production of steel was cut due to recession and now with the rise in demand, shortage of the same is being felt.

The overall rise in the prices of steel in the internal market and the international markets has adversely hit steel industry of Punjab. There is acute shortage of iron scrap.... and particularly sponge iron scrap. The scrap prices have shot up by Rs 1000 per tonne and was quoted at Rs 10,500 per tonne in the local market. The price of sponge iron scrap also witnessed a rise of Rs 1500 per tonne and was available at Rs 9000 per tonne.

Imported iron scrap has gone up from 105 dollars to 130 dollars per tonne.

Following shortage of raw material, the price of MS rounds has registered an all-time high increase of up to Rs. 16,000 per metric tonne from Rs 14,000 per tonne. This hike is causing problems to small-scale engineering units in particular.

The rise in prices of steel products has not helped induction furnace units to come out of the crisis. Rather, the crisis has deepened. The conversion charges have gone up by Rs 3000 per tonne due to the hike in power tariff.

Mr P.D. Sharma, President, Apex Chamber of Commerce and industry (Punjab), says the plight of furnace units is such that they are not able to pay supplementary electricity bills. The apex chamber filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the recovery of arrears of the electricity bills, which has been stayed by the court.

Mr Sharma has suggested to the state government to reduce the power tariff by 25 per cent for night consumption.

Mr Sharma has also urged the Punjab Government to approach the Central Government to break the cartelisation of big steel producers.

Mr Inderjit Singh Pradhan and Mr Avtar Singh, President and General Secretary, Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings, expressed their concern over the rise in steel prices and the crisis faced by small scale-units.

They opposed any further hike in the power tariff.

‘Small-scale cycle industry in doldrums’
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 13
‘In the era of cut throat competition, where mere survival is termed success, about 90 per cent of the small scale cycle and cycle parts manufacturers in the industrial hub of Punjab do not go for formal market planning and just about 13 per cent of the manufactures have got separate marketing department. But ignoring the critical activity of marketing can prove fatal for these scale units.’

These are the findings of the research titled ‘Marketing practices of small scale cycle and cycle parts manufacturers of Ludhiana’, conducted by Mr Tej Partap Singh, a student of Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE). The study was conducted under guidance of a senior faculty members, Mr Khushdeep Dharni, and included 30 firms, manufacturing cycles and cycle parts. Out of these 30 firms, 14 were also exporting to foreign markets.

The study revealed that 2 per cent of these firms did not take up any promotional activities at all. Out of 24 firms, which were undertaking the promotional activities, 16 preferred outdoor advertisement like banners, glow signboard and hoardings. In case of print media, advertising trade journals were use by 22 per cent of the respondents while 10 per cent advertised in the magazines. As many as 12 per cent of the respondent companies reported using Internet as an advertisement medium.

Among the small scale firms covered under the survey, the average annual promotion budget was less than Rs 2 lakh and almost all of them went for sales promotion by distributing free samples. As far as pricing was concerned, around 87 per cent of the firms adopted going rate pricing while the rest depended upon cost plus pricing. As many as 28 firms reported making direct sales to the customers followed by sale realised through agents. Most of the firms relied heavily on product guarantee and only 24 per cent were providing service back up.

Another significant feature which came out during the survey was poor performance on the part of marketing research, brand building and research and development (R&D) as only 12 per cent of the firms undertook brand building exercise while marketing research and R&D activities were completely ignored. The institutional customer set of these firms included largely the medium scale and small scale industries and only 24 per cent were supplying their output to large scale industries. Although no formal brand building activities were taken up, 77 per cent of the firms reported to have a registered brand while 95 per cent of these preferred brand extension.

The scenario of marketing in foreign countries was no different in comparison to domestic markets Out of 14 firms, which were in the export business, 12 firms faced problems of lengthy procedures and corrupt officials. Around 27 per cent of the firms stated that transportation cost was too high. To avoid exchange rate fluctuation risks, all firms preferred to raise invoices in Indian rupees and avoided forward exchange contracts.

Dr K.N.S. Kang, Director, PCTE said, “Marketing is the most important activity of the present day business and lack of formal market planning is definitely going to be a major factor in elimination of these firms in the wake of globalisation and WTO regime. Without proper attention to marketing process and brand building, there can be a big question mark on the future of any business.