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| Thursday,
September 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Students on strike lathi-charged, 4 hurt Phillaur, September 3 The injured students were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Phillaur. Students, who have decided to intensify their agitation, said their one-point programme was the removal of the college Principal, Mr A.K. Vaid. The students had gathered in front of the college gate from where they had to flee following a lathicharge by the police around 10.30 am. Later, they staged a demonstration in front of the office of the SDM, Phillaur. Those injured were identified as Sukhninder Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Amandeep Singh and Hardeep Singh. According to Sukhninder Singh, the police launched an unprovoked lathicharge on the students, although they were staging a peaceful demonstration. College gates were closed and heavy police security was deployed. Students said they were shocked that the college administration was taking pains to call the police, but could not call their own students for a dialogue over their demands. The number of girl students on the college premises was low today, sources said. Tension prevailed on the college campus and students boycotted the classes for the second day. The college Principal said the demands of the students were unjust. He said the students wanted freedom of indulging in hooliganism and teasing girls. He said the college management was in touch with the parents over the need to maintain discipline and the parents were backing it. The agitation is set to take political colour as the student leaders have given a call to political leaders and various student organisations to join their protest. They said they would block the GT Road tomorrow to intensify their agitation further. Students are at loggerheads with the college administration over the alleged ‘curtailment’ of their freedom. Students alleged that the college management was restricting their movement and imposing fine on them on one pretext or the other. They alleged the college was a jail and despite being a co-educational institution, girls and boys were not allowed to mix with each other. They said boys were fined if they were seen moving around with girls. Mr Vaid said the students were indulging in hooliganism. They were teasing girls and even bursting crackers on the college campus while classes were on. He said students hated discipline, but it would be enforced at any cost. |
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Woman posing as DC arrested Ludhiana, September 3 Though further investigation into the antecedents of the woman were on, no clue has been found so far about her connections with any terrorist organisation. Highly-placed sources said they had found no evidence to suggest her presence in the city at the time of the visit of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who will arrive here tomorrow. No clue about any sabotage motive of the woman has been found. The woman — identified as Asha Dhingra — was remanded to two-day police custody by a district court. She was booked under Sections 170, 420 and 479 of the IPC, which accuse her of impersonation and cheating. Sources said the police was verifying her criminal record from the National Crime Record Bureau and the Assam police. Police sources said the woman had used her “acquired status” to get her son admitted to an engineering college in the district. She had claimed that her husband Rajesh Dhingra was a director in a multi-national company at Delhi. The college has cancelled the admission of the boy, police sources disclosed. The woman had requested Deputy Commissioner Anurag Verma yesterday afternoon for an official car, claiming she was the Deputy Commissioner of Shimla and her car had met with an accident. Mr Verma referred her to ADC Rahul Bhandari. The officials shared their suspicion about the woman and a list of all IAS officers in the state was consulted. There was none matching the woman's identity. She was arrested and sent to police custody. However, she sought to browbeat the cops by claiming that she was actually the Finance Secretary of Assam and had mistakenly claimed being the DC of Shimla as she had got upset after the accident. Another verification found that she was lying. Her in-laws live in Guwahati in Assam and she was the wife of a peon. Sources said she was married twice. Her first husband was Naresh Aggarwal of Delhi and the second one was Rajesh Dhingra of Ajmer. The sources said the woman might have duped several persons and details of her criminal record would be known after her proper questioning. The security forces are presently busy with the President's visit and further facts about the woman would be known later only. |
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Tight security hits common man Ludhiana, September 3 While the officials are leaving no stone unturned in making the visit of the President a memorable event, the common man is the most affected .Offices of senior functionaries today wore a deserted look. allwere out on their assigned duties. Most of them were busy in one meeting or the other since coordination with various departments was necessary to ensure that everything went with clockwork precision. The work in the administration was severely affected as no senior officer was available for a long period of time to attend to the grievances of the people. In most cases visitors were advised by the subordinate staff to come after September 4. The mobile phones of
officers, too, remained switched off . Similarly, the functioning of the district police was affected as most officers from the station house officer upwards were busy in making foolproof security arrangements for the visit. Hardly any work is being done at police stations across the district since most of the force has been deployed on security duty. Only serious law and order matters are being dealt with. Teams of officers could be seen rushing from one venue to the other carrying out checks besides fine- tuning
arrangements. Managing logistics for scores of senior officers and more than 4, 500 cops from several adjoining districts is proving to be quite a chore for the local police. The area around the two venues - Guru Nanak Bhawan and PAU- resembled a police cantonment with cops deployed all around. No area has been left unattended. While no visitor is allowed inside the bhawan complex, the police is keeping a strict vigil at the entry gates to the university. Frequency jamming devices are in place at the venue of the kisan mela and the morning and evening walkers ,who throng the university
lawns, have been requested to bear with any inconvenience caused to them. students ,too ,have been told to keep off and the departments closed on September 4 and 5. |
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Traffic
diverted for President visit Ludhiana, September 3 The commuters coming to the mela from the Gill village side have been asked to use the road along the canal and enter through gate number 5. Similarly, commuters from the bus stand have been urged to use the road from the Bharat Nagar chowk to the old courts via the Fountain chowk and take a left turn on the old DMC road to gate number number 4 via Kitchlu Nagar. For the commuters coming from the Chandigarh side, the police has said that people should take the road leading to the Dholewal chowk take a turn on the road towards the Gill Chowk, the engineering college and take the road along the canal to come out on the Ferozepore road. Similarly, all movement during the visit of the President to the PAU will be restricted. People have been asked not to use the link roads opening on the Ferozepore road from the Bharat Nagar chowk to the university till the departure of the President. However, there will be no restriction on the movement of traffic in other parts of the city.
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S. African students to meet Kalam Ludhiana, September 3 The group of the students includes Amanda, Moses, Koketjo and Goodman, all doing BCA course, Sailly, who is doing BBA course, and Farzana Fakir, an MBA student. The students are much excited over the proposed meeting with the President. Dr
K.N.S. Kang, Director of PCTE, said the meeting was likely to act as a morale booster for the students. He would also present his book ‘Business families of Ludhiana’ to the President, he said.
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Will rain
play spoilsport, worry kisan mela organisers Ludhiana, September 3 On the suggestion given by meteorological experts, the tents over the open air theatre were given a waterproof cover today. Even the part of the exhibition that has been laid in the open mela grounds, where the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, will go tomorrow is being covered by huge plastic sheets. A meeting of the Vice-Chancellor, Director of Extension Education and Professors from the Department of Agronomy and Agrometeorology was held this morning where the decision was finally taken. Explaining the forecast for tomorrow, Dr Parmjit Singh Sehra, Professor of Meteorology, said there had been a low pressure area in the neighbourhood of Punjab a and thundery development was likely. Moderate rainfall was possible in isolated parts of the region, he said. Since the Vice-Chancellor had told all departments to make the entire arrangements for the exhibition by this afternoon, all the delicate models, charts, seed samples and other exhibits had to be kept under the tents today. After Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, made a round of the exhibition, all displayed items were covered under plastic sheets. Scores of students, research fellows and other employees from different departments were told to stay near the exhibition with directions to carry back the exhibits in case it rained heavily. Meanwhile, the university has also released a list of crops and varieties which will be put of sale on the occasion. A total of 47,253 packets will be put on sale of which more than 30,000 will be of vegetable seeds. These will include wheat varieties PBW-343, 373, 233, 396 and 154, gram varieties PBG-1, GPF-2, GL-769, PDG-483, gobi sarson GSL-1, toria TL-15, lentil LL-699, mentha M-150, berseem BL-10, tomato TH-1, chilli-CH-3, carrot-S-21 and peas PB-87. The
university will also release new publications in addition to the
existing farm literature. The new ones include ‘Package and
practices for crops of Punjab (Rabi-2003-04)’, ‘fish culture’,
‘Home Preservation of fruits and vegetables’, ‘Nutritious
recipes from carrot’, ‘Pear cultivation’, ‘Mushroom
cultivation’ and ‘Pig farming’. The publications will be
available in Punjabi and English. |
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Vulgar dances banned
at Chhapar Mela Ludhiana, September 3 The administration has refused permission to organisers of such dances to put up stalls at the venue. Violators will be strictly prosecuted. The dance stalls, though they generated revenue for the district administration, were severely criticised by the media for cultural degeneration. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Jagraon, Mr M.S.
Chhinna, said a ban had been imposed on such dances. Last year also these dances were banned on the second day of the mela after the Tribune carried a report describing the plight of the dancing girls. Mr Chhina said he had also ordered a ban on loudspeakers that caused noise pollution at the mela. This is the first time that the authorities has taken a step against
''zinda'' dances. For the last many years, the dances performed by semi-clad girls had proved a major attraction for the visitors to the mela. Mr Chhinna said he would depute cops in mufti at the venue to check prostitution, which was common earlier. Last year the Punjab State Commission for Women had intervened and asked the administration to ban such activities at the mela.
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Clear stagnant water, orders DC Amloh, September 3 The DC has launched cleanliness drive and anti-encroachment drives in the district. He reached here yesterday at 7.25 am and went around of the streets of ward number 1, 2 and 3 on foot. Mr Sandeep Hans, SDM, Amloh, Mr Parmod Sood, Naib Tehsildar, Mr Baldev Singh Aulakh, council chief, Mr B.R. Gupta, Executive Officer, Mr Jiwan Kumar Puri, Mr Ramesh Kumar Gupta and Mr Budh Ram (councillors), Mr Gurdev Singh, chief of the District Congress (SC cell), were also present. Mr Ahluwalia visited the disposal point of sullage water. The residents pointed out that the development grants were spent on raising the level of streets, although upgrading of the sewerage system should have been given priority. Raising the level of streets resulted in drainage water entering into their houses, they said. “A pond at the centre of the town has become a cause of nuisance as it produces foul smell in the area,” they added. Later, talking to mediapersons at the residence of the council chief, Mr Baldev Singh Aulakh, the DC said he had completed his round of the towns of Sirhind and Mandi Gobindgarh. Now, he would be visiting the remaining wards of the town on September 4, 8 and 10. He said encroachments should be removed from the roadside to ensure smooth flow of traffic. He assured the residents that their problems would be solved soon. |
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Councillor
faces removal Ludhiana, September 3 This follows the dismissal of his writ petitions by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and also the Supreme Court in which he had challenged his earlier dismissal. Mr Puri was removed as councillor on August 14, 2001, for allegedly misusing his position for personal gains and causing a financial loss to the corporation. It was
alleged, mr Puri,had raised illegal construction by encroaching a part of the 80-wide public road duly carved out in the Town Planning Scheme of the area, known as Shiv Puri
Part-I, sanctioned by the government. According to a show- cause notice issued to Mr Puri by the Principal
Secretary, Department of Local Government, Punjab, on July 21, 2003, the allegations were investigated by the Building and Road Committee of the corporation. After Mr Puri was removed from his office on August 14, 2001, he filed a civil writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court which stayed the operation of the impugned order. |
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Help mentally challenged: Birmi
Machhiwara, September 3 In a letter written to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mr Jaspal Singh Jassi, he has directed him to take steps for the treatment of such persons. Immediately after receiving the letter, Mr Jassi got these mentally sick patients examined by doctors of the Civil Hospital, Samrala. The team was led by Dr Sanjay Kapoor. Dr Kapoor said he had contacted Dr Sarabjit Singh, a psychiatrist with the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, and briefed him about the condition of the patients. He said the patients would soon be sent to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, for proper treatment. OC
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Residents
of New Colony stage dharna Sahnewal, September 3 As it poured last evening, the water from sewers and other waste material entered houses of the residents of the colony. A resident
said: "insects that had bred in the stagnant water came along with the water that entered our houses'.' The residents were protesting against the councillor of their ward who, they
said, "is least bothered about our problems''. The dharna was led by Mr Sukhram Sonu,
president, Bhagat Singh Youth Sabha. The residents are under an epidemic threat .the drains have been closed by the council and instead three wells constructed that do not have the capacity to hold the water. as a result, water stagnates on the streets of the colony, making life hell for the residents. They have threatened the authorities that if any further delay is caused, they would be forced to intensify their protest. Mr Amarjit Singh, AME, Nagar Council ,who was present on the occasion listened to their problems and assured them that the tender regarding a ' proper water and sewer' outlet had already been passed.
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READERS WRITE This is in reference to recent incidents of Mumbai bomb blast, Kumbh stampede at Nashik and the collapse of a bridge in Daman. All these accidents led to loss of precious human lives. And we need to fix the responsibility for all these accidents. We cannot simply brush them aside by saying that they were beyond human control. If the intelligence agencies were working properly and getting the right feedback, the blasts could have easily been averted and precious lives saved. Now the government should ensure that the culprits are brought to the book. Similarly, the stampede at the Kumbh mela in Nashik was also attributed to the mismanagement by the administration. Had the administration made good arrangements for the pilgrims, the tragedy would not have occurred and again we paid with precious human lives. The bridge collapse at Daman is also shameful. People responsible for the construction for the bridge should be brought to book and so should be the engineers associated with it. Unfortunately, we seemed to have lost the value of human lives since we have become thick-skinned and insensitive towards the drama of death and bloodshed. D.V. Saharan, Sarabha Nagar
Blatant lies The most blatant lie I had ever heard in my entire life is that the roads of Ludhiana city are the best in the country. Nothing could be far removed from reality than the statement made by the Chief Minister to this effect while addressing a van mahotsav rally in Guru Nanak Bhawan, Ludhiana, a few days back I know the Chief Minister is not to be wholly blamed for stating this but the real culprits are the bureaucrats who are misleading him with facts contrary to the ground realities. This time it was the Municipal Commissioner who is an expert in projecting an absolutely wrong picture of the development works under his charge. Earlier, he misled everybody by declaring that there is 100 per cent supply of water for the urban population in Ludhiana. May I then ask the Commissioner as to who are those people who keep on clamouring for the supply of safe drinking water, reports about which keeps on appearing in the press with the regularity of weather reports? Are not they the part of urban population of Ludhiana? About roads, less said the better. Roads in Dugri urban estate have not been repaired and upgraded for the past four years. Most of the smaller roads in both phase I and II have become mud tracks. Many are full of potholes and negotiating them during monsoons is an ordeal. The Commissioner again lied when he defended himself by saying that some of the roads had been damaged after the recent rains whereas the fact is that Dugri Urban Phase I and II roads have not been cared for since the previous monsoons. I will request the honourable Commissioner to keep his information updated. The roads in Dugri Urban Estates, particularly in localities like Karnail Singh Nagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Simla Puri, Vikas Nagar, Vikas Puri, Janta Nagar, are deplorable. It will not be out of place to mention that one cannot convince people by making false and misleading claims of development and one day the ruling party will have to pay a heavy price for such blatant lies and lack of provision of civic amenities to the people. In case of the condition of city parks, nothing is hidden from the public. Most of the parks have been converted into dumping grounds due to the callous and negligent attitude of the MC Commissioner, Ludhiana. Major S.S. Khosla
Builders of the nation Every year teachers are eulogised as builders of the nation, and the need for improving their lot is highlighted on September 5 which is observes as Teacher’s Day every year. Awards are also given to deserving teachers on this day. Dr S. Radhakrishnan, once said, “A good teacher is 100 times better than a priest and a good educational institution is 100 times better than a temple.” Everyone recognises that the quality of education depends, in the ultimate analysis, on the quality of teachers. The teachers are, indeed, the architects of a nation’s destiny. No national reconstruction is possible unless the teachers gear up the educational system and adapt it to national needs and aspirations. The future of a nation is determined by the quality of teachers it produces and of the educational institutional it
supports. In fact the teacher is the index of the nation. But it is painful that even after 56 years of Independence, the teaching community feels frustrated. Neither the government nor society is making any serious effort to improve the quality of teachers or to create satisfactory service conditions for them. They are being denied the facilities and concessions to which they are entitled to by virtues of their noble profession. They are being obliged to form unions, stage dharnas and fight for a living wage and security of employment. In fact, they have not yet been given their rightful place in society. If we want to safeguard the future of our nation, it is essential that men of proper ability should be drawn to the teaching profession. This can be ensured only if the teacher is given better emoluments and proper status in our society. Yash Paul Ghai
Criminals at large For the last few months incidents like murders, kidnapping, looting and robberies have registered an increase which has created panic among the residents of the city. The gruesome murder of a woman in Model Town area by four robbers has demonstrated that the law and order situation in the city has deteriorated. One thing is confirmed that all anti-social activities are being carried out by migrants from other states. Due to tremendous increase in the city population (35 lakh approximately), the strength of migrants has also increased. They have intermingled so much with the local populace that it has become difficult to identify them as migrants. They have adopted Punjabi culture, living style but are committing such heinous crimes. Last year the administration advised the people to submit the details of their tenants and servants to the concerned police stations but no one has bothered to do so. The Deputy Commissioner has once again ordered everyone to submit such details but no one is serious about the situation. People are now feeling insecure and are in a state of panic. The administration should take a serious note of the prevailing situation and take some stern steps to curb such horrible incidents in future. The following are some suggestions which may be followed to improve the situation: 1. The entry of migrants must be recorded with detailed information about their background at the time of their entry in the state. Special police stations should be set up at the railway stations/bus stands for this purpose. 2. All migrants must have identification proof and character certificate duly verified by their area police stations. 3. Residents of colonies must be aware about such elements. Unknown persons should not be attended by residents. Do not open the doors until and unless such persons are recognised. 4. Hawkers and representatives of different companies selling products should not be allowed to enter into colonies. 5. Do not appoint any servants, especially migrants, in their houses above the age of 10/12. Frequent visits of their relatives to meet them should be strictly prohibited. 6. Residents must have mobiles at home which should always be in order to contact during emergency. 7. At least one person must stay at home during day time. 8. A single light must be on
through night time. |
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Numismatist
loses bag Ludhiana, September 3 |
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2 security guards found murdered Mandi Gobindgarh, September 3 The murder came to light when another security guard Shingara Singh reached there and found them dead. Mr B. Chander Shekhar, SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, said today that a case had been registered. The killers had not stolen any thing from the spot or caused any damage to the telecom equipment. Some personal enmity cannot be ruled out. The post-mortem examination was conducted at the local Civil Hospital. Khanna Man killed: Ludhiana The accused, Tarlochan Singh, a resident of New Shakti Nagar, and Parwinder Singh, a resident of Baba Thaan Singh Chowk, were arrested on a specific tip-off that they were posing as ‘nambardaars’ and getting various prisoners released on bail on the basis of a fake land ‘farad’. Fraud case: Minor girl abducted: Woman assaulted: Shop burgled:
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PNB to launch Internet banking Ludhiana, September 3 He said PNB was the first bank to introduce bilingual software, popularly known as BANCMATE, in its 127 branches. It facilitated the issuance of bilingual statements to the customers. Now the bank had decided to launch Internet banking at all its CBS branches. The service would be available from August 6, he added. He said in its effort to emerge as an institution providing comprehensive financial and related services, the bank had achieved diversification in its business. The bank entered the bullion business in 2,000 and during 2002-03, it achieved a turnover of Rs 1,304 crore in gold business, while this turnover in silver imports was Rs 159 crore. |
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PSIEC staff hold protest
Ludhiana, September 3 The demands included regularisation of daily-wage workers, work-charge employees, release of ex gratia for the years 2001-02, 2002-03, restoration of staff welfare fund and excursion trip, consideration of requests for transfers on compassionate grounds, filling of vacant posts by promotion etc. TNS
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