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February 17, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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FORGOTTEN PROMISES Ludhiana, February 16 The plan was mooted to cut the pollution levels in the city, caused mainly due to the auto-rickshaws plying on the roads, by none other that the Deputy Commissioner who was also the Regional Transport Authority for Ludhiana. The declaration of the plan had come as a whiff of fresh air for the city residents, who have seen the levels of pollution touch an alarmingly high level during the past few years. Moreover, the scheme sounded promising for checking ever increasing traffic on the city roads. But the delay in launching the scheme is making the residents lose hope with each passing day. While they claim that the Deputy Commissioner had brought them a new hope at the same time they argue that many such plans had been mooted in the past also but were never transformed into reality. The district administration had invited applications for 74 new route permits for 20 identified routes during the first phase of the local transport system in November end. The Deputy Commissioner had stated that the long awaited local bus service would start operating on all major roads in the city, positively by January 2003 as the process of granting route permits had already been initiated. He had argued that the city had witnessed phenomenal growth in recent past but it lacked a mass transport system that had resulted in increasing air pollution, traffic congestion and had also endangered public safety. He stated that he had shouldered the responsibility of giving the city a transport system. It is worth mentioning here that there are about 20,000 auto-rickshaws plying within the city, which are a major source of air pollution and traffic congestion. Local buses were to be run to replace a large number of auto rickshaws which would have had an immediate impact on the levels of air pollution. The plan, however, was going to be a big challenge because at present there are no bus terminals, no bus stops for any local bus service and also there are encroachments on most of the main roads which may hamper the movement of the buses initially. |
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Group clash in Chowni Mohalla Ludhiana, February 16 The tension sparked off when Sandeep Gaggat, son of a leader of Safai Mazdoor Union of the Municipal Corporation, was beaten by a group allegedly led by Satish Naggar, husband of a BJP councillor, over some old rivalry. Satish Naggar is quite a hero in the area after he murdered a youth named Babu, who was allegedly a terror in the area, two years ago. Sandeep Gaggat was admitted to the Civil Hospital. Late last night, Satish Naggar, along with some other members of his group, also went to the Civil Hospital, to get himself medically examined as he, too, wanted to register a case against Sandeep. Both the groups clashed again and even damaged some vehicles. The district police has registered a case against Satish Naggar, accusing him of rioting and attempt to murder Sandeep Gaggat. Several of his group members have also been booked along with him for rioting and arson in the Civil Hospital. In order to foil any other misadventure by both the groups, the district police posted hundreds of cops in the area. A curfew-like situation prevailed in the area owing to heavy police presence and the tension between the two groups. People preferred to stay indoors. After a gap of almost two years, Chowni Mohallah, often referred as an eyesore of the city, is again witnessing tension arising out of rivalry between two rival groups. |
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Give NRIs due respect: Tej Prakash Gujjarwal (Ludhiana), February 16 Mr Tej Parkash Singh, highly appreciating the contribution of Mr Kuldeep Singh Grewal for the development of the village, said that Punjabi NRIs settled in different parts of the world were sincerely willing to provide better health and education facilities to the people in their villages and if persuaded and encouraged respectfully, they could make liberal donations. He asked the people to accord due respect to the NRIs who in turn could help a lot in changing the fortunes of the rural people. Referring to the efforts of the state government for attracting maximum investments form the NRIs, the minister said that Chief Minister, Punjab, during his recent foreign visit to mobilise investments for the development projects from abroad had succeeded to persuade a large number of NRIs and a group of well to do NRIs had already visited different parts of Punjab to explore the projects for investments. He said that the state government had also succeeded in convincing the international Financial Institutions like World Bank to clear financial assistance for the development projects and welfare programs in the state, which were completely stopped during the last five years tenure of SAD-BJP rule. Recalling the contribution of the Late Beant Singh former, Chief Minister, Punjab, for the development, in Gujjarwal village and the surrounding areas, Mr. Singh claimed that a government polytechnic for Women , an indoor sports complex and a stadium were set up in the village during his tenure for the improvement in the education and sports in the area. He said that with the induction for financial reforms the financial condition of the state had substantially improved and government was going to take up all round development of the state on war footing. He informed that funds amounting to Rs. 141 crore were being spent in the villages and Rs 400 crore for welfare schemes to improve the living conditions of the weaker sections. Referring to the demands, the minister assured that the terminated bus service from the village to Chandigarh would be restored soon and other development projects would also be taken up on priority basis. Addressing the function, local Congress, Mr Jagpal Singh Khangura, said that the NRIs had a lot of dreams about the development of their native village and were always willing to spend their hard earning for the welfare of their local brethren and appealed to people to properly maintain the projects executed by the NRIs. |
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The agony of being an Indian cricket fan Ludhiana, February 16 ‘‘But no longer. After yesterday’s dismal performance by the team, we feel quite ashamed wearing this uniform. Even in the match against Holland, though they managed to win, yet there was nothing exciting about their performance. Imagine they could not play the 50 allotted overs against a team comprising bankers and other professionals," both Mahesh and Suresh chipped in. ‘‘We all thought the clients would be happy to see us in this colour
whilst they availed of discounts on drinks and food. But now that craze is not there. But orders are orders so till the World Cup matches are over, we have to stick to this dress code. We only hope and pray that our team somehow manages to salvage its prestige by beating Zimbabwe and England,’’ said waiters of Nanda Hotel. Many hotels and restaurants are offering discounts on drinks and food at the points if a sixer was hit by an Indian cricketer. The clients were given a free soft drink when an Indian bowler took a wicket. The proprietors of Sangeet Cinema, Ludhiana, and Natraj Cinema, Khanna, are ruing the fact that they spent a lot of money on technicalities to telecast the matches live for the cricket fans. If India continues to perform in this shameful manner, the frustrated audience may tear the seats, they fear. A lot of money, effort and planning has gone into the efforts made by the owners of several restaurants and hotels to convert the lobbies into cricket fields, to have the cut outs of cricketers to provide special blue uniforms, but all seems to be in vain. 'Go India Go' was the voice of all lovers of cricketers in unison, but Sourav and his men have greatly disappointed all their fans and now everyone feels like saying ‘‘Come Back Indians, Come Back’’.
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Father shoots son Ludhiana, February 16 When the son persisted with his demand, Gurcharan Singh in a fit of rage went to his room, came back with the loaded gun and shot him. Apparently not content with shooting him twice, he pumped another bullet into the body of Avtar Singh. The son reportedly died on the spot while Gurcharan Singh has been arrested. A case has been registered and further investigations are on, the sources added. |
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J&K minister assures cooperation to Kashmiris Ludhiana, February 16 The minister appreciated the efforts of the sabha in retaining their cultural identity. He assured all possible help for setting up a community centre. He said he would explore the options and would also take up the issue with the Punjab government for providing land to the Kashmiri Sabha in Ludhiana. He also invited the Kashmiri Pandits to come and visit Kashmir, their homeland, which they had left 13 years ago. He hoped that the situation will improve soon and they would be able to return. The minister promised that he would maintain a regular
liaison with the sabha and would always serve as their representative in the government. The sabha president, Dr M.K. Mam, and other members, including Prof M.L. Peer, Mr M.K. Ganjoo, Dr T.K. Kaul and Mr M.L. Gudoo and others expressed their gratitude to the minister for sparing the time for the havan. The sabha members also prayed for the return of peace to Kashmir so that they could return to their homeland. |
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J&K woos Punjab industry Ludhiana, February 16 This was stated here today by the Minister for Industries in J&K government, Mr Ramman Mattoo, while talking to The Tribune. He was here to interact with industrialists. Yesterday, he held a detailed meeting with the representatives of the industry. The meeting was organised by Mr Manjeet Singh, vice-president of the Ludhiana Management Association (LMA). The minister said the J&K government would introduce a new industrial policy shortly with focus on information technology, biotechnology, food processing, furniture and other sectors. Answering on how the government would provide subsidy to the industry lest it would be misused, he clarified that the subsidy would be provided only on production. Mr Mattoo also allayed the apprehensions of the industrialists about the situation in J&K. He pointed out that the area earmarked for the industry in Jammu region was absolutely free from militancy and was as safe and peaceful as any other city in Punjab. He said the J&K government would prefer the Punjab industry since Punjab had a geographical advantage. He added that the Chief Minister, Mr Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was very keen on setting up industrial infrastructure in the state. He promised that an industry-friendly atmosphere would be created in the state. He said during the last three months, proposals of investments worth Rs 900 crore from various domestic and multinational companies had been received by the government. Mr Mattoo, who is an engineering graduate and an entrepreneur himself, observed that the state government was serious about setting up industrial infrastructure in the state and it was in the priority list of the Chief Minister. He pointed out that the Chief Minister had toured various states and addressed the meetings of the industry organised by the CII in Mumbai and Delhi. In the same context, Mr Sayeed will address a CII (northern chapter) meeting in Chandigarh on February 25. |
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PSEB holds technical interaction camp Ahmedgarh, February 16 Mr Mukhmohan Singh, in his presidential address emphasised the need for self appraisal and called upon all employees of the board to know and rectify their own faults. Appreciating the role of various employees during the camp he acknowledged weaknesses and problems projected by them. Admitting staff shortage in board offices he appealed to officers to make maximum use of available staff in providing more efficient service to consumers. He confirmed having written to the board Chairman for providing more staff and required materials. He claimed that sincerity and devotion to work is the only key to provide satisfactory service to consumers. Mr Singh assured the officers and other employees of the board that he would not succumb to any political pressure while protecting the interest of those employees who bring cases of power theft the notice of their seniors. Giving information on methods adopted by power thieves Mr Kuldip Singh, Executive Engineer at Ahmedgarh division, said board has suffered massive loss due to theft in LS Connection. The meter junction seals are so smartly tampered with that even the officials of enforcement wing fail to detect the theft. He told that some consumers had been using remote control devices to slow down or stop the meters. Some consumers cut down number of coils in oil type CTBT meters to record lesser number of units. MCB is tilted in other cases. Commenting upon failure of board cases in court he said, “TSRE is not prepared properly in many cases which favours many defendants. Board had to face frustration for lapses committed by junior staff. “Mr Kuldip suggested that service cable should always be open and in theft-prone areas meters should be installed at a common place outside the premises of consumers. Mr Harjinder Singh, SSO, Maloud, claimed that board suffers losses due to lapses at the time of purchases. Board has been purchasing meters worth lakhs from such firms which disappear after the supply. According to him purchases from standard firms had shown better performance. He called upon his colleagues to launch a crusade against those board’s employees who erode board’s profits by helping consumers steal power. Mr Ravinder Singh said most of the public functions were organised by using stolen power. Board officers and employees must ensure that at least at functions which are attended by them, stolen power is not used. Mr Manjit Singh SDO, Mr Kirpal Singh, SDO Sehar, Mr R.K. Singla SDO, Mr Gurmeet Singh, AJE, Mr Gyan Singh, JE, Mr Bhajan Singh, JE, Mr Surjeet Singh, JE, Mr Sadhu Singh, AJE, Mr Kesar Singh, JE, Mr Bhinder Singh, JE, Bhupinder Singh, JE, Bhupinder Singh, JE, Ujjagar Singh, AJE, Ashok Kumar, AJE, Jagtar Singh, JE, Randhir Singh, LM, Ranjit Singh, LM, Baljinder Singh, LM and Paras Ram, LM, spoke about various topics, including night patrolling, job order compliance, public dealing, store provisions, preventive maintenance of HT/LT line , mapping of HT and LT system, importance of various registers. New construction of HT and LT line, defaulting amount and load balance of
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Camp to regularise illegal connections Ludhiana, February 16 According to a spokesperson of the board, the drive is aimed at regularising the maximum number of connections in the areas where theft is on the higher side. Officials at the centre accept applications and regularise the connection on the spot after the receiving the necessary documentation and charges. Officials said as many as 54 applications of domestic and commercial consumers were processed and an amount of Rs 74, 000 was realised from them. This will help in discouraging power theft and also increase the revenue of the board. More such camps will be held in the district in the coming days, the officials added. |
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City to have IMA Club Ludhiana, February 16 Dr L.S.Chawla and Dr S.B.Khurana were nominated the patrons of the club. Dr Gursharan Singh and Dr Rajesh Sharma will be the President and Secretary of the proposed club. The IMA in its meeting held earlier had authorised Dr Gursharan Singh to make a club here. This could be made possible only after the possession of the building was taken by the IMA recently. Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander has been nominated the chairman of the Building Committee which will decide the blueprint of the IMA Club. He suggested to hold various CME programmes to collect money for the club. Dr Dinesh Trehan was nominated as the Sports Secretary Dr N.D. Avasthi and Dr Nauhria will look after the cultural activities of the club. Dr Rajesh Paul has been nominated the chairman of Recruitment Committee for making new members. The meeting passed several resolutions unanimously. It was proposed that the members will have to deposit Rs 10,000 as membership fee. The fee for non-practicing doctors is Rs 5,000. This amount is valid only for a limited period. The IMA office of Ludhiana and IMA, Punjab, will function from this building only. Dr Yashbir Dewan, Senior Neurosurgeon of CMC, was authorised to make constitution for the proposed club with the help of five members of his choice. The constitution will be completed within a month. It will be mandatory to become a member of IMA to join this club. The proposed club has been planned to increase social interaction among doctors. “ This will decrease professional rivalry feels IMA. The IMA will also keep the options open for the members of the Indian Dental Association for joining this club. Dr Balvir Singh Sekhon was unanimously elected as Secretary, Finance. |
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Minor girl’s charge against relatives Ahmedgarh, February 16 The story narrated by Inderpreet Kaur (10) and her grandfather Nirmal Singh in the presence of Mrs Surinder Kaur, an authorised sarpanch, Mr Zora Singh, a former sarpanch, and Mr Hardial Singh, an Akali leader, reveals that Tehal Singh (35), younger brother of Niraqal Singh, had disappeared under mysterious circumstances on July 14, 1999. He went to deposit the school fee of Talwinder Singh (Inderpreet’s brother) at Ahmedgarh but never returned home. Suspecting foul play on the part of his daughter-in-law, Balwant Kaur and her mother Gurnam Kaur, he has asked the police to interrogate them, but his request was turned down and a simple report of ‘missing person’ was registered. Instead of helping the family, the police had blamed them for intentionally sending Tehal Singh out of state.
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Two decomposed
bodies found Ludhiana, February 16 The bodies were recovered from two different flats situated close to each other. The bodies seemed to be of labourers. The police said there was no clue about the identity of the youths as the bodies did not even have complete clothes over them. |
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Suspect
in murder case caught Chandigarh, February 16 |
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