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Hosiery goods worth lakhs destroyed in fire Ludhiana, December 24 It took about three hours for the firemen to douse the flames. No loss of life was reported in the incident. The immediate cause of the fire could not be ascertained. The fire seemed to have emanated from a house at the Cemetery Road which housed the Sanjay Apparel Corporation Limited, manufacturing hosiery, garments and school uniforms. The proprietor of the factory, Mr Sanjay Gupta, said he was yet to assess the losses. He said huge stock of hosiery was lying in the house. Since there was no outlet in the factory, set up on the first floor of the house, it was a major task for the fire service officials led by Mr R.K. Sharma, to douse the flames. Everything was invisible as the smoke engulfed the entire house. They had to break open the wall from a side to push in the pipes for dousing the flames. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Luckily there was no traffic congestion on the roads in the morning which helped the fire tenders to reach the spot in time. |
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No political support for anti-encroachment drive Ludhiana, December 24 In the last general house meeting of the MC, the Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sharma, informed the house about the directions of the High Court and the City Mayor, Mr Nahar Singh Gill, announced that an eight-member committee, comprising councillors from all political parties, was being set up to assist the civic body in the task. The purpose behind the move was to associate councillors concerned in the work as at certain places encroachments were by some religious bodies, educational institutions etc. However, even before the said committee could meet even once and deliberate upon any action plan, it has, for all practical purposes, disintegrated with a couple of Congress councillors dissociating themselves from the committee. These councillors maintained that the move could adversely affect their political career. Group leaders of the SAD and the BJP councillors, who were also on the committee, echoed similar sentiments and were even critical of the ruling party for setting up such a committee without taking the members concerned into confidence. A member of the committee said most of the encroachments, particularly those involving religious and educational institutions, were well within the knowledge of MC officials concerned and the then political leadership. “If they had kept their eyes closed and chose to look the other way allegedly for the fear of disturbing the communal fibre and hurting religious sentiments, why should we be expected to bell the cat now. Even though we are aware that the drive is in the larger interest of the city population, we have our own compulsions and political careers to care for,” he said. Some MC officials were skeptical over the attempt to associate councillors in the task of clearing encroachments. An official said most of the encroachments, especially those involving various institutions, took place under political patronage and any action initiated by the civic administration from time to time against the offenders had been thwarted by political intervention. |
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Auction fetches Rs 1.1 cr
for Improvement Trust Ludhiana, December 24 Sources in the trust said a 76.4 sq yd plot in Model Town extension, with a reserve price of Rs 1,360 per sq yd, fetched Rs 7,100 per sq yd, whereas an LIG flat in Maharishi Balmiki Nagar, with a reserve price of Rs 2.20 lakh, was sold at Rs 3.71 lakh. The commercial sites, including constructed booths and shop-cum-offices, were sold at prices between 20 and 30 per cent above the reserve price. Two booths in Block-C in Model Town extension (reserve price Rs 4.5 lakh) were sold for Rs 5.30 lakh and Rs 5.55 lakh, two booths in Block-D of the same locality (reserve price Rs 3.5 lakh) went for Rs 3.70 lakh and Rs 3.95 lakh, two booths in Maharishi Balmiki Nagar (reserve price Rs 4 lakh) were auctioned for Rs 5.60 lakh and Rs 7.01 lakh, two booths in Rajguru Nagar (reserve price Rs 3.5 lakh) fetched Rs 5.26 lakh and Rs 6.10 lakh and three booths in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar (reserve price Rs 3.50 lakh) were sold for Rs 4.55 lakh, Rs 4.60 lakh and Rs 5.50 lakh. Out of the two built-up booths in Bharat Nagar extension, offered at a reserve price of Rs 3.50 lakh each, only one was auctioned at Rs 4.60 lakh, while two SCF sites in the same area (reserve price Rs 15 lakh) were sold at Rs 20 lakh and Rs 20.25 lakh. Officials in the trust said other commercial sites and one residential plot in Bharat Nagar extension could not be auctioned for want of
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3 of family held for abetment to suicide Ludhiana, December 24 According to Mr Gurpreet Singh, SHO, Police Division No 7, the victim Ram Bilas (45), who ran a bicycle repair shop on the Tajpur locality, was found hanging with a ceiling fan in the bedroom of his house in Sanjay Gandhi Colony on December 20. His family members had alleged that the deceased had an altercation with Amar Singh a few day ago when the latter levelled false accusations against him of harrassing his wife. Amar Singh, along with his family members and another accomplice Lakhwinder Singh beat up Ram Bilas and blackened his face. The aggrieved family members further told the police that the accused again came to their house and threatened Ram Bilas with a similar treatment in order to “teach him a lesson.” Kuldeep Sharma, son of the deceased, said they were convinced that having been disgraced in public, his father was under severe depression and after going to sleep on Friday night in his room, he took his own life by hanging himself with a ceiling fan in the middle of the night. The police was also investigating the charges that the main accused Amar Singh was a smalltime drug-peddler and further that his daughter, Paramjit Kaur, was in the habit of extorting money from the deceased on various pretexts. Those arrested for the crime have been booked under Sections 306/506/34 IPC while efforts were on to apprehend another accused Lakhwinder Singh, who was still absconding, informed the SHO. |
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Sarpanch removed from office Ludhiana, December 24 According to official information, the said sarpanch had contested the election on a seat reserved for the Scheduled Castes, claiming that she belonged to the Ramdasia caste. A certificate to this effect, issued by Tehsildar, Ludhiana (East), was also produced by her in support of her claim. However, on inquiries made by the authorities, it was revealed that the elected sarpanch belonged to the ‘lubana’ caste, which not included in the official list of the Scheduled Castes. The District Development and Panchayat Officer, in his inquiry report, had maintained that the sarpanch had contested election on a reserved seat on the basis of fabricated documents and misrepresentation. In his orders, Mr Mohinder Partap Singh, Deputy Director (LD), exercising the powers vested in the Director, Panchayats, Punjab, under Section 20(4) of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, has removed Ms Hanso from the post of Sarpanch of Raur village and has also debarred her from taking part in proceedings of the village panchayat. |
Celebrations ahead for city residents Ludhiana, December 24 The Sutlej Club authorities have invited famous Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu along with actress Pooja Batra. Mr Sunil Jain, general secretary of the club, said for Ludhiana people, New Year’s eve was a much-awaited event. “The club members long for the day and we try to meet their expectations. Renowned signer Kumar Sanu will be accompanied by his musical band. There will be dance performances also. We have also arranged fireworks, which are always the main attraction of the night. The club authorities also intend to provide the best eatables to the club members on this occasion. The entry fee would be Rs 600 per couple and Rs 300 for a single entry”, said Mr Jain. Mr Yuvraj Dada, general secretary of Lodhi Club, while giving the details of the celebrations said Christmas would be celebrated on the club lawns on December 25. The programme would be exclusively for club members and their families. The main attraction of the programme will be a juggler show, magical show, Santa Claus giving gifts to children, dance performances and carol singing. “For the New Year, we have invited Punjabi pop singer Jazzy B and his musical troupe with a male and female singer each. I am sure the club members would enjoy the evening”, said Mr Yuvraj Dada. Mr Rajwinder, TeleMarketing Executive, Majestic Park Plaza, said on December 24, the hotel management had arranged for a turkey buffet at “break for the border” and there would be Xmas brunch at Tariff Grill. The entry for both the places would be Rs 650 plus taxes (each) for a single entry. The lobby of the hotel has been decorated with “Snow Hut Pastry Shop”, stocked with pastries, pies, and plum cakes. For the New Year eve, the hotel has arranged a DJ at Darbar Hotel. The entry for a couple will be for Rs 1995 plus taxes. Single lady entry will be for Rs 1100. The Majestic Privilege Card holder wold be given 10 per cent discount. There would be live band with popular ghazals at “break for the border”. “At Orient Blade, a Chinese restaurant, we have arranged a China Bazaar in which people can buy various Chinese products. The entry for Orient Blade would be Rs 750 plus taxes”, said Mr
Rajwinder. |
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He gifts smile to every face Ludhiana, December 24 The evening scenes outside the magazine shop in Ghumar Mandi, where he works, are quite varied. While some passers-by halt there for a while to have handshake with Santa Claus, children flock around him for toffees and candies. Among the people who especially come to meet him and have his blessings are newlywed couples. Mr Ranjit Singh says it was only a chance idea that prompted him to don a Santa Claus dress for the first time. It was an instant hit with children and the elderly. Now, it has become an annual ritual for him. There are several others in the city who also love to be Santa Claus and distribute gifts among children during the Xmas season, but Ranjit Singh has surely earned more name and fame as Santa Claus in a short time. |
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Amarinder should quit, says BJP Ludhiana, December 24 He said confusion was prevailing in the state and among the rank and file of the ruling party. A majority of the ministers were not attending to their offices and the work of their respective ministries was thus suffering. ‘‘Charges and counter charges are being levelled by warring factions in the state Cabinet. On top of it, serious corruption charges are being levelled by the leader of the dissident group and Agriculture Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, against the Chief Minister.’’ He remarked that the cat of the ‘‘war against corruption’’ was out of the bag and the Chief Minister, himself had been exposed. The BJP functionary took a strong exception to gross misuse of the political power and the state exchequer by the ruling party. ‘‘Public funds are being squandered to host dinner parties and official helicopters are being used to transport MLAs between Delhi and the state capital.’’ If the lavish parties being hosted by both the factions of Congress was any indication, the ruling party appeared to be a firm believer in the policy of ‘‘eat, drink and be merry’’, he added. Commenting on the recent statement of Ms Bhattal as to how a Chief Minister, who had been reduced to a minority, could run the government? Mr Bhandari said Capt Amarinder Singh had, of course, lost the confidence of the House because less than 25 per cent of the total MLAs were with him. He supported the dissidents’ demand for the resignation of the Chief Minister. |
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Readers Write We the inhabitants of the Tagore Nagar ‘A’ a prime and posh locality of Ludhiana city, would like to bring to your notice that there are six electricity poles in the middle of the main postal colony leading to New Dayanand Hospital as well as Tagore Nagar ‘A’, Civil Lines, Ludhiana. On this road thousands vehicles pass daily. These poles are traffic hazards being in the middle of the road, on account of which many accidents have taken place, particularly at night hours. In order to get these poles removed, we approached the concerned XEN (PSEB) through written communication with a copy to the Chief Engineer, PSEB, Ludhiana, as well as to the Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana, drawing their personal attention towards these traffic hazards and requesting them earnestly for making arrangements for the restructing of the poles. Pawan Sood Influx of migrants changing demography I have read with interest the views expressed by Mr Charanjit Singh Channei of Khalsa panchayat in Ludhiana tribune and main edition of 15-12-2003. Though migrants are unwanted, yet they are indispensable. They are instrumental for cheap labour to the industry and agriculture sector. Being Indian citizens entry of migrants cannot be checked. To check their activities certain steps should be taken urgently, otherwise in the next 30-40 years they will become makers of the Government in Punjab. Every migrant should carry a character certificate of the District Magistrate of the state so that the criminals and notorious people do not enter Punjab. Further the migrants should be given only labour jobs and not any government job. This will naturally check the influx of migrants. Moreover the migrants should not be allowed to create slums in the main cities of the Punjab. Sher Singh Encroachments in city Encroachments on public and government lands in Ludhiana by unscrupluous persons have become a common thing and is going on since long time. At present, with the order of High Court to vacate such occupied lands, the issue has become a big headache for the Municipal Corporation, PUDA and the administration. Reports appearing the newspapers is a matter for surprise and worry. There are about 10,000 encroachments in the city which have been made by politicians, religious organisations, various institutions, industrialists and residents. Most astonishing thing is that 83 religious places are built illegally on government lands. But these have not flourished overnight. Now at this stage it is not an easy job to remove these illegal constructions/ encroachments. In many cases, especially in religious places authorities have to face the hostile attitude of the people due to their sentiments. Kuldip Singh Combating spurious drug racket It is a bold initiative by Union Cabinet in recommending the death penalty for spurious drug manufacturers and traders. Imagine a situation when a patient is unmindfully struggling for life, banking upon the so-called life-saving drugs, not sure if these are fake or spurious medicines. The moot question is who will catch the cat and bell it?In a country where law-makers have become law-breakers, the commoners don’t have any mechanism to ensure that they are delivered the right and pure drugs and not the spurious or adulterated ones. Why has this racket been going on for so long? Let the offenders be tried and persecuted in public if we really want to curb the menace quickly and effectively. Otherwise even this provision of the death penalty for offenders will die its own death. Let each chemist hang a placard depicting “No spurious drugs here” in their shops. Let the district health administrator be made accountable for any laxity shown in drug delivery. B.B. Goyal |
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Review committee meeting held Ludhiana, December 24 Representatives of Punjab and Sind Bank informed that during the first half of the financial year, banks had achieved 43 per cent of annual target of credit to the priority sector of advances and 80 per cent to non-priority sector advances. Deposit figure in Ludhiana district was Rs 9,619 crore and advance figures Rs 7,920 crore. During the first half year, advances increased by Rs 1532 crore. The district achieved Rs 939 crore in the priority sector of advances, out of which Rs 391 crore went to agriculture, Rs 322 crore to small scale industry and Rs 226 crore to other priority sectors. |
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Police-public meeting Samrala, December 24 On this occasion, Mr Jasvir Singh warned the chemists of the subdivision not to sell intoxicants and declared that the local police would take stern steps in future against such persons. He also appealed to the public to cooperate with the local police, regarding information against law violators and also informed that night patrolling by the police had been started by a special commando unit. The newly joined SHO Sarbjeet Singh assured that to avoid any traffic inconveniences, the encroachments of shopkeepers and rehri owners would be removed and the traffic rules in the city would be implemented strictly. |
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Camp for scouts, guides concludes Mandi Gobindgarh, December 24 State joint organising commissioner Bela Singh spoke about the scout movement. Randeep Kaur and Jatinder Singh (E School Sounti) were declared best “Bulbul” and best “Cub”, respectively, while Canal Colony School and Sensibera (Amloh) got the second position. Mr Bela Singh distributed the prizes. Mr Baljeet Singh Ania, vice-president, Anti-corruption Federation of Amloh block, provided silver medals to the winners. BPEO Amloh Raj Kumari, Zora Singh and Rakesh Bhambri spoke on the occasion. |
Boy kidnapped,
ransom sought Ludhiana, December 24 The police said today that no arrest had been made so far.
Baby abandoned The Sahnewal police yesterday registered a case under section 317 of the IPC on the statement of Mr. Nachhattar Singh, a resident of Kohara village, against an unknown woman who threw a newly-born child along the road as a result of which the baby died. The body was spotted on Tuesday evening. The police said that it was clueless about the crime.
Shop burgled On the statement of Mr. Manmohan Singh Bedi, a resident of Sargodha Colony on the Pakhowal Road, the division number 6 police yesterday registered a case under sections 457 and 380 of the IPC against unknown person(s) who stole Rs 13,000 and several tyres, tubes , rims and other cycle parts from his shop after breaking open the locks on the back of the shop located on the GT Road near Dholewal on the night of December 22. The complainant stated further that he estimated the total loss to be around Rs 47,000. The police is clue-less about the burglary.
Liquor seized The division number 7 police last night arrested Paramvir Singh alias Pamma, a resident of Mukandpur village falling under the jurisdiction of Dehlon police station, recovered 12 bottles of Hero whisky, allegedly smuggled from Chandigarh, and booked him under the Excise Act. |
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Fake VCDs, DVDs seized Ludhiana, December 24 Mr Sansar Chand Sharma, senior investigator, Indian Music Industries Limited, said that after receiving reports that some shopkeepers in the Bhadaur House area were selling fake and duplicate CDs, he lodged a complaint with the police in this regard. The police conducted raids on Gupta Gramophone Limited, Pappu Videos and Sunil Videos and seized the fake CDs. Mr Sansar Chand said that it had taken him and his officials three hours to count the fake CDs. Till filing of this report, he claimed to have counted 10,000 CDs. Three persons arrested in the raids included Ravi Kumar, Harbhajan Singh and Ashok Kumar. |
Small units cry for relief Ludhiana, December 24 A large number of affected units were at the verge of closure and in the absence of corrective steps, lakhs of industrial workers would be rendered jobless, they said. The members were sore at the “indifferent attitude of the Union Government”,which, they said had led to major producers of steel holding the entire industry to ransom. Mr G.L. Pahwa, president, and Mr Varinder Kapoor, general secretary of the association lamented that the small and tiny industrial units, located in the non-designated or residential localities of the city, were being penalised for no fault of theirs. Just because of their location, these units were being denied new power connections, extension in sanctioned load and no objection certificates from departments concerned, which was proving to be an obstacle in their expansion plans. “These industrial units were set up in more than 24 such areas, which were almost uninhabited way back in sixties and seventies. It was only after these localities had been covered by the industry up to almost 70 per cent that residential houses were built. Having made a small beginning, many of the owners of these units chalked out ambitious plans to expand and modernise but due to their location, they unable to see their plans through.” Functionaries of the UCPMA said that the units, operating in non-designated areas, were providing direct and indirect employment to more than two lakh persons. The unique feature of majority of these units was that these were run by self-employed entrepreneurs, at times with the help of family members. Quite a few owners were also residing on the premises. Pleading that all such areas, where a large number of small and tiny industrial units were located should be designated “industrial belts”. They said since these areas had been marked “residential” in the city's master plan, several departments, including the Punjab State Electricity Board, the Punjab Pollution Control Board and the municipal corporation, did not entertain their applications for NOCs for various purposes and extension in power load. To add to their woes, residents in these colonies also kept lodging frivolous complaints against them, leading to further intimidation by government officials. |
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Manufacturers make hay while the sun plays hide and seek Ludhiana, December 24 Huge stocks can be seen piling up at the railway station for transportation to different destinations across the country. This, they say, is only a part of the huge stocks which are being dispatched to different parts of the country as big manufacturers use their own mode of transportation and do not rely on the Railways. Sources in the hosiery industry maintained that everyone seemed to be immensely benefitting from the cold wave. Make hay while the sun shines is the common saying, but now it appears to be other way round, remarked a jubilant hosiery manufacturer. “Bigger the volume, bigger the profits,” said Mr Raj Awasthi, Managing Director of the Sportking Group of Companies, which manufactures woolens, jackets, track suits, shirts, trousers and kidswear. He revealed that it was not only the severe cold which had benefitted the manufacturers, but also the long duration of the winter. Mr Awasthi said although last year the winter was severe, but its duration was short. “This year the duration of the winter has increased as the mild cold started from November, giving a fillip to the hosiery sales,” he added. Mr Vinod Thapar, president of the Knitwear Club Ludhiana, an apex body of hosiery and knitwear manufacturers and the Federation of Knitwear Textile and Allied Industries Associations (FEKTA), said the intense winter had pushed up the demand to such an extent that there were no pending stocks lying with manufacturers and they were unable to meet the massive demands. “It is after a decade or so that such a season has come,” he revealed, adding that most of the units were manufacturing to the full capacity. Mr Thapar pointed out while earlier the manufacturers would start discount sales, this year there were not any rebate in the prices and the market was likely to remain like that for next few weeks. So far nobody is thinking in terms of special discounted sales as the demand continues. |
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Seminar on insurance protection Ludhiana, December 24 The seminar was attended by Dr Manmohan Singh, president IMA, Dr L.S. Chawla, former Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Science Dr S.N. Tiwari, Civil Surgeon, along with doctors from the city nursing homes and hospitals. Mr A.S. Namdhari, Senior Divisional Manager, of the company gave details about various policies, particularly the professional indemnity policy which covered errors, omissions and negligence of the doctor while performing operatiosn, tests and prescribing medicines etc. He informed that National Insurance had launched a new package policy, namely Sampuran Surakasha Bima which provided seven risks in a single policy like professional indemnity, fire, personal accident, mediclaim insurance, computer insurance, household appliances breakdown and vehicle insurance. “Under this policy, there is a saving of premium up to 20 per cent”, he said. Mr Namdhari further said to help poor people, National Insurance was setting to universal health insurance policy. “This policy provides reimbursement of hospital expenses of a family up to Rs 30,000 on floater basis, Rs 25,000 in case accidental death of earning member of the family. The premium is as low as Re 1, Rs 1.50 and Rs 2.00 per day for individual, family of 5 persons and 7 persons respectively. The annual premium is Rs 365, Rs 549 and Rs 730, respectively. The association like the IMA can help the poor by selling this policy to individuals, group, association and club members”, he said. Dr Gursharan Singh, district president, IMA informed that the professional hazardly were increasing day by day. By taking such a policy from National Insurance Company, medical professionals could pass their operating risk to the insurance company, he said. Mr J.S. Kalra, Senior Divisional Manager of National Insurance, presented a vote of thanks. |
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Hotel industry opposes move on tariff hike Ludhiana, December 24 In a statement, Mr N.S. Nanda, president of the association said the hotel industry would be adversely affected with this hike and it would be quite unjustified. He said the hotel industry had not been given any incentive so far in spite of the fact that it was declared a full-fledged industry vide a Punjab Government notification. He stressed that the industrial tariff should be charged instead of commercial tariff by the PSEB. Mr Nanda pointed out that Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab had already made an announcement which was incorporated in the Punjab Tourism Policy, released some time ago that the hotel industry would be charged industrial tariff in future. Mr Nanda urged Mr R.S. Mann, chairman, PSERC, that Rs 750 should be charged as a transformation charges on extended load and not on whole load if load exceeds more than 100 kw on clubbing of the meters in one business premises. In another memorandum, Mr Nanda requested Mr D.P. Reddy, Excise and Taxation Commissioner Patiala that in view of sluggish business of the hotel industry the enhanced license fee from Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs 2 lakh and assessment fee on the IMFL and beer in last year might be rolled back to provide relief to the ailing hotel industry this year. |
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Corporation Bank, IndusInd Bank
tie-up over ATM Ludhiana, December 24 This arrangement is aimed at offering the customers of both banks the facility of using the combined network of ATMs, both existing and proposed, across India. Corporation Bank has the second largest network of ATMs amongst the Public Sector Banks. The Bank has installed 580 online interconnected ATMs from Jammu to Thiruvananthapuram and Kutch to Siliguri. Indusind Bank currently has a network of 139 ATMs. As part of its 10th year of operations, IndusInd Bank continues to focus on responding actively to the evolving needs of its customers for easy, flexible and affordable access to banking products and services. The tie-up with Corporation Bank enables the bank to meet such needs of their expanding customer base. Corporation Bank with its strong ATM network has tied up with seven banks for sharing the ATM network. |
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Dry cleaners oppose service tax Ludhiana, December 24 Mr Santokh Singh Ahluwalia, president of the association, in a press note here today, said the imposition of service tax, coupled with steep hike in prices of inputs like electricity and petrol, had rendered the trade unprofitable and a large number of units were finding it difficult to survive. He said the executive committee of the association would assemble in Khanna on December 28 to discuss all related issues in detail and chalk out a strategy to take up the matter with the government. Mr Ahluwalia, while emphasising the need to upgrade and modernise, informed that the association had made arrangements to hold a quiz contest for members at its periodic meetings to apprise them with latest techniques and modern technology. Prizes would also be offered to winners. |
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