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Labour strike threatens to spread Ludhiana, January 22 A high level meeting in this connection was held today under the chairmanship of the Minister for Stationery and Printing, Mr Rakesh Pandey. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Verma and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Narinderpal Singh. A separate meeting was organised at the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association. Besides leading industrial representatives, including Mr G.L. Pahwa, Mr M.S. Bhogal, Mr Varinder Kapoor, Mr Inderjit Singh Pradhan, the SDM (East), Mr Kuldeep Singh and the DSP Focal Point, Mr R.K. Bakshi also attended the meeting. The meeting continued till late in the evening and resolved that nobody would be allowed to bully the industry at any cost. They expressed support for the management of the Nova Cycles. It was learnt that Mr Verma had taken serious note of the situation and asked the SDM and the DSP to hold meeting with industrial representatives. He is learnt to have assured the representatives who met him today that nobody will be allowed to hold the industry on ransom. He said the law and order would be maintained at all costs and the smooth functioning of the industry would be ensured. While expressing concern over the developments, the representatives maintained that an attempt was being made to sabotage the industrial culture of the city. They pointed out first it was the Hero Cycles, then the Bhogal Sons, followed by the Avon Cycles and Nova Cycles and now the labour mafia had started targeting Ralson Industries. On the other hand the work remained paralysed at the Nova Bicycles, Avon Bicycle Components and SV Autos, sister concerns of the Avon group. The employees have struck down the work as the management decided to do away with the services of 57 of their colleagues. Mr B.D. Arora, legal adviser of the company, said there was no point in taking back these employees as they had been sacked on specific grounds. During the meeting with the SDM and the DSP, the industrial representatives regretted that the vested interests were still trying to hold them on ransom. They pointed out that now the labour mafia had started disrupting the functioning of Ralson Industries. "It clearly betrays their motives that they are hell bent to create labour unrest in the city", they said. Warning against such a situation Mr Varinder Kapoor, general secretary of the UCPMA, said the Left wing trade unionists had sabotaged the industrial culture of Kolkotta from where the industry had to shift out. “Now they are trying to use same tactics here. It is high time for the government to ensure that this does not happen”, he warned. Meanwhile, Mr Sarbjit Sarhali, youth wing president, Punjab unit of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), who is accused of abetting the strike, remained inaccessible even today. |
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Shopkeeper booked for demolishing Improvement
Trust toilets Ludhiana, January 22 The accused had been claiming that the toilets were demolished by the local Municipal Corporation
authorities. But the MC authorities denied demolishing the toilets. Interestingly, the area residents had seen a JCB machine demolishing the structures at midnight around a month back. Still the accused
claimed that the demolitions were done by the MC. The shopkeepers in the
area had been alleging that the toilets were demolished at the behest of an influential shopkeeper, who owned a
plot in the vicinity of toilets. Mr Chopra, had, however, stated that the demolitions were undertaken by MC,
following the complaints by area residents, who were facing problems due to
these toilets, which had become a haven for anti-social elements. Failing to find the real culprits, the Improvement
Trust officials had complained to the district police chief, Mr Narinderpal Singh, to take action against the miscreants. In the complaint to the police, the trust officials had written that earlier a rumour was being spread that the MC had demolished the toilets but inquiries revealed that it was the handiwork of a shopkeeper. The trust officials had asked the police to take action against the accused. The Improvement Trust Chairman, Mr Ashok Singh Garcha, had even written a letter to the MC in this regard and asked the authorities whether they had demolished the complex or not. Then the officials had complained to the police naming Chopra in the complaint. The shopkeepers of the area said that the toilets were demolished at night some
days ago and when they came in the morning the rubble was found in place
of toilets. They said that they had gone to the shopkeeper concerned who had promised them to get the
toilets constructed in the area. They further said that the shopkeeper’s plot
was adjacent to the toilets so he had removed these toilets from there. The shopkeepers were having problems on account of the demolition of toilets. The entire market did not have a toilet which was causing inconvenience to the visitors as well as shopkeepers. While Chopra was not available for comments today, he had earlier stated that the toilets were proving to be a haven for anti-social elements who used to indulge in illegal activities at night there. The residents of nearby
area had also not liked it and they had complained about it to the MC. He had also said that the toilets
were being used as stores by the sweepers of the area who used to keep them
locked and people used to urinate on the outer walls of the toilets thereby spreading stink and filth in the neighbourhood.
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Trader faints during
IT survey Ludhiana, January 22 This also led to some tension in the area as hundreds of traders and shopkeepers had gathered outside his shop. The officials went to three shops. These included Rishab Jewellers, Mohi Jewellers and Goyal Jewellers. One of the jewellers identified as Dharamvir of the Rishab Jewellers fell unconscious. The traders then gathered and raised slogans against the Income Tax officials. They claimed that Dharamvir had suffered cardiac arrest. However, he regained consciousness within few minutes after he was given some water. As the news of the Income Tax survey spread, the traders fearing raids downed their shutters within no time. They gathered outside those shops where the IT officials had gone. They started raising slogans alleging harassment by the Income Tax Department. However, the IT officials remained
undeterred by the slogans and continued with the survey of the documents. They wound up at around 5 p.m and left with some documents. The officials said that they were on a routine survey. They said they had recorded the statements of the shopkeepers and also taken some documents with
them. They stated that the details were being worked out. They said, it was too early to presume anything. They also clarified that their motive was not against any trader and it was a routine survey. At one stage the situation had become tense as a few hundred traders gathered outside the shops
because somebody had spread the news that one of the traders had suffered a heart attack and he had been hospitalised. However, some traders urged their colleagues to exercise restraint as the said trader was alright. They also claimed that they were ready to offer all sort of cooperation to the Income Tax officials and expected same response from the department. They alleged that the traders were being treated as criminals and the department should not adopt such an approach which should antagonise the law abiding and tax paying citizens. They demanded that the traders should be served with advance notice before any such survey was conducted.
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Abolition of octroi sought Ludhiana, January 22 Mr Tulsidas Jaitwani, president of the mandal, said here on Tuesday that the Chief Minister had announced certain benefits for trade and industry. There was need to abolish octroi as all neighbouring states had abolished octroi, he said. Delhi had become a major trading centre after the abolition of octroi and more than 20 per cent of the business in Punjab had been shifted to Delhi, he said. As a result, trade and industry in Punjab had suffered badly, he added. Mr Jaitwani also sought the reconstitution of the Punjab State Sales Tax Tribunal. It should be headed by a judicial officer and not a bureaucrat, he asserted. |
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Boy goes missing under
mysterious circumstances Munna had left his home at 8 pm on Sunday in his Santro car for drinking soya milk from an outlet the on Sidhwan Canal bridge. The car was found parked near the outlet. His mobile phone and jacket were also lying in the car. He was wearing a red shirt and cream trousers when he went missing. Munna used to sit in the shop with his father, Mr Vinay Wadhera, and had no enemies. Family sources said that he was in good mental state when he left the house. According to Mr Ravi Sharma, boy's neighbour, his family members had received a call in the evening, two days after he went missing. The caller had stated that the body of the boy was lying in Jogindera Hospital in Moga. After the call, the family rushed to Moga only to find out that there was no hospital in the name of Jogindera. The family complained to the Moga police about the incident. They complained to the Ludhiana police also. They said that yesterday a police official also received a call which said that the kidnapper of the boy had been found and he was sitting in Sumit's house. When the police official visited his house, there was nobody and the family members said that they had not made any call to him. The boy's father said that they were suspecting that Munna was kidnapped by someone but they could not point a finger of suspicion towards anybody. He added that it was surprising that Sumit was wearing a single jacket in this cold weather and he had removed that also. |
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PPCC seeks relief for employees Ludhiana, January 22 In a press note here, Mr Balwant Rai Kapoor, Chairman of the Labour and Employment Cell of the PPCC, stressed the need for announcing a similar relief package for government employees and private factory workers so as to win their support in the coming parliamentary elections. Mr Kapoor said the policies of privatisation and disinvestment in government departments and public sector undertakings should be withdrawn, fresh recruitment should be opened in all government departments to check unemployment, recruitment on compassionate grounds should be reintroduced, contractual labour system scrapped, bonus paid in all government departments and municipal bodies, all ad hoc and daily wage employees regularised on full pay scales to check exploitation and child labour should be stopped in the private sector. He demanded that the Minimum Wages Act, the Employees Provident Fund Act, the ESI Act, the Bonus Act, the Payment of Wages Act, the Factory Act, the Gratuity Act, the Weekly Holidays Act, the Workmen Compensation Act and the Maternity Benefits Act should be followed strictly in the private factories to ensure social security and justice to the working class. Meanwhile, the INTUC (Punjab) vice-president, Mr Sunder Lal Mehta, has asked the state government for the grant of pension to all retired employees of the municipal corporations and municipal committees whether they had retired before or after 1990. Mr Mehta demanded further relief by way of exemption from octroi duty in electricity bills and exemption from house tax up to 300 sq yards houses to all citizens. Further, freedom fighters, ex-servicemen, senior citizens and physically challenged persons should be exempted from all civic and local taxes and should be provided free electricity. He wanted declaration of all gazetted holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act so that the employees of banks, insurance sector and other financial institutions were able to avail of these gazetted holidays which had been denied to them by the previous government from 2001 onwards. |
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Badal
asked to declare Panthic agenda Ludhiana, January 22 Prof Darshan Singh said here on Tuesday that it was necessary for all Akali factions to declare their Panthic agendas as they would seek votes in the name of the Panth. He said they must declare their goal for the Sikhs as the Panth did not belong to one individual and the Panth meant the community as a whole. Prof Darshan Singh hailed the formation of the International Akali Dal by Mr Atinderpal Singh, who had declared Khalistan as the Panthic agenda of his party. Prof Darshan Singh regretted that Sikhs were labelled as separatists and anti-national when they were struggling for the achievement of Khalistan. The former Jathedar maintained that it was the duty of the Akal Takht Jathedar to seek a clarification from the Sikh leadership regarding their Panthic agenda. He did not approve of the awarding of a siropa to Mr Badal and his son by the Akal Takht. |
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Sehajdhari body chief flays SGPC decision Ludhiana, January 22 Dr Ranu alleged that television channels sponsored by the SGPC were telecasting vulgar videos and scenes, which were eroding Punjabi culture. He stated that banning certain singers from reciting Gurbani or evicting SGPC employees whose children had not been baptised from their houses would not serve the purpose. He said it was the duty of the SGPC to serve the community and preach, but over the decades, it had become a stage for settling political scores and its resources were being used for personal gains. |
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Sena to unfurl Tricolour
in Srinagar Ludhiana, January 22 This was stated by Mr Pawan Gupta and Mr Pawan Sharma, national president and general secretary of the party, respectively, in a joint statement here today. The party would also hold a public rally at the same venue to celebrate Republic Day. They said the rath yatra would take off at 11 am from Pracheen Mahakali Mandir in Patiala after a yajana and would arrive in Ludhiana in the afternoon the same day. The party workers would receive the rath yatra at the Clock Tower Chowk. From there it would proceed to Jalandhar, covering towns of Goraya, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur en route. After night halt at Jalandhar, the yatra would reach Pathankot in afternoon on January 24 where a rally against terrorism would be organised on the Ram Lila grounds. In the evening, the rath yatra would leave for Jammu for night stay there. On January 25, the rath yatra would leave from Raghunath Mandir in the morning for the last leg of the journey to Srinagar. According to party functionaries, the National Flag along with the party flag would be unfurled at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on January 26. Thereafter effigies of militant outfits Lashkar-e-toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed would also be burnt. Meanwhile, the district president of the party, Mr Krishan Sharma, condemned damage caused to the anti-terrorism rath by some miscreants in Patiala last night. Terming it an act of cowardice, he said the party workers would not be deterred by such actions of anti-national forces and would continue their fight against terrorism. |
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Lok Bhalai Party to contest six LS seats Ludhiana, January 22 Addressing a press conference here today, the LBP president, Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, said both the Congress and SAD-BJP combine had failed the people of the state and the LBP was there to provide them a better option. He claimed that the party was going to perform a decisive role in the forthcoming elections as people had received the party agenda very warmly. |
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Recruitment rallies from Jan 25 to Feb 9 Ludhiana, January 22 He said that the rallies would be held at Moga on January 25, Ferozepore on January 28, Dasuya on January 28, Garhshankar on January 29, Faridkot on January 30, Patiala on February 7, Dera Bassi on February 8 and Ludhiana on February 9. He said that the eligible candidates should report at the given places at 6 am for screening. He said that the eligibility for candidates is matric with 33 peer cent marks in aggregate. The age limit is between 16 and 21 years, the minimum height should be 170 cm and 163 cm for candidates belonging to the Kandi area. Col Bisht stated that the candidates should be in possession of education, caste, character and residence certificates in original along with their photostat copies. The candidates will also be required to bring 12 copies each of recent passport size photographs with turban and without turban. He said that for further information candidates are advised to contact the BRO, Ludhiana. |
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Roadways workers stage dharna Ludhiana, January 22 Addressing the dharna, trade union activists Karamjit Singh Aujla, Harminder Kumar and Gurcharan Singh Dugga threatened that if the government continued with its delaying tactics and indifferent attitude, the roadways employees would be forced to go for a one-day strike on February 24. Focussing on the pending demands, the speakers called upon the government to complete the fleet of 2,407 buses, grant due promotions to employees and restore recruitment on the compassionate grounds. Prominent among those who addressed the dharna and rally were Mr Avtar Singh Aitiana, Mr Khushi Mohammed, Mr Devinder Singh Rahal, Mr Avtar Singh Grewal, Mr Joginder Pal, Mr Nirmal Singh, Mr Harbhajan Singh Jhaj, Mr Harchand Singh, Mr Gurcharan Singh Phallewal, Mr Amrik Singh, Mr Sukhdev Singh Gaddowal, Mr Manjit Singh, Mr Pardeep Kumar, Mr Balbir Singh Bobby and Mr Hardial Singh. |
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Sun shines bright Ludhiana, January 22
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Case registered against agitating mill workers Ludhiana, January 22 The ASI had stated in his complaint that after getting information on his mobile phone from the liaison officer of Ralson India Limited located on the GT Road that some agitating workers had snatched the attendance cards of their colleagues at the gate of the factory, he rushed to the spot with a police party. But agitating workers started throwing stones at them as a result of which he sustained injuries. All accused managed to escape, added the complainant. No arrest has been made so far. Property dealer booked:
Confusion prevailed after demolitions as the same came in the wake of the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order to demolish all unauthorised structures on public land. It was only after Municipal Corporation authorities denied having demolished the public utilities that the finger of suspicion was pointed towards the accused in the case. However, no arrest has been made so far. Casino owner held:
Fraud alleged:
Copyright violation:
The Division No. 2 police yesterday registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC and various Sections of the Copyright Act of 1957 on the statement of Mr Sant Ram of Guru Arjan Dev Nagar, Jalandhar, against Shekhar Gupta of Harcharan Nagar. The complainant had stated that the accused was preparing fake audio and video CDs and selling them in the market. The police said today that the accused was arrested yesterday and 170 video Cds and 132 audio cds were seized from his possession. Assault cases:
Another case under Sections 308,323 and 34 of the IPC was registered at the same police station on the statement of Mr Umesh Kumar, a migrant from Bihar now living in Mohalla Kartar Nagar, against Rama Kant, Dinesh Dev, Hardev and Dalip, who belong to Haryana and live in the same locality. The complainant had stated that the accused came to his 'rehri' in Mohalla Atam Nagar on Tuesday and hit him in the head with a stick as a result of which he was injured. No arrest has been made so far. Power theft:
Injured:
Liquor seized:
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Apex chamber members meet parliamentary panel Ludhiana, January 22 Mr P.D. Sharma, President, Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Punjab) met senior officials of steel ministry and some Members of Parliament on this issue before and after the meeting to know the real situation. Senior officials of the steel ministry were asked to supply the basis of this abnormal rise in prices. It was revealed that due to rising cost of inputs these prices had been increased. For instance iron ore, which was selling at $28 in 2002, was now being sold at $70 per metric tonne. Mr Sharma claimed these figures that were mere manipulation. The prices of iron ore in the international market may go up to $35per metric tonne in April after a rise of 18 per cent. The officials had no answer to this price situation. In order wriggle to out the officials claimed that spot prices were much higher than the prices to the long term contracts. Mr Sharma said that integrated steel plants never go in for spot purchase. In fact all major integrated steel plants in the country had iron ore mines under lease as a long-term contract. Similarly the officials tried to make out that the price of cocking coals used for steel making had gone up from $120 to $320 per metric tonne. This figure was also highly manipulated. Mr Sharma asked the officials as to why India was supplying iron ore to China when the latter had stopped the supply of cocking coal to India. “The officials tried to explain that India is going to have agreement with China under which India will supply iron ore to China and get cock from China. However, these explanations are made to mark the time as these are time consuming proposals”, said Mr Sharma. The officials were further asked the reason for allowing liberal export of steel of sorts when there was a scarcity in the country. The officials said that steel export was to the extent of 4.5 metric tonne. They further stated that export was done to continue the presence of steel producers in the international market. As per the official version, the export was being done only as a token. However, Mr Sharma asserted that out of total production of steel of around 33 metric tonnes, export was to the extent of 5.5 metric tonne which was substantial and not token by any measure. The export was causing acute shortage of steel in the country to justify any hike in prices of steel. The matter was discussed with some Members of Parliament and with representatives from other parts of the country. The plight of small scale industry, due to high prices, was very miserable throughout that length and breadth of the country. Mr Rajnish Ahuja, president, Focal Point Sheds’ Association and Mr Prakash Singh Saimbi, general secretary of Focal Point Sheds’ Association were also present with Mr Sharma during the discussions. |
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Parliamentary panel apprised of SSIs’ problems Ludhiana, January 22 Mr Avtar Singh, general secretary of the chamber, said the problems relating to the procurement of raw material and easy credit to units in the small-scale sector were taken up at the meeting. The chairman of the committee, Mr P.C. Alexander, was apprised of the critical phase the engineering industry in the small-scale sector in Punjab was passing through due to the non-availability of basic raw material and the non-compatible credit flow from financial institutions and banks. Mr Alexander assured the delegation that he would take up the problems on a priority basis. Mr Joginder Kumar, patron of the chamber, said the duty on imported steel scrap should be removed and on defective steel it should be reduced from 40 to 5 per cent. He said the lowest rate of interest of 5 per cent should be made applicable on imported steel items to ease the import of steel products and to bring the prices of steel under control, which had been hiked arbitrarily. He said the import duty on nickel should also be abrogated and the 16 per cent central excise duty on nickel should be removed. Mr Inderjit Singh
Pardhan, president of the chamber, urged members of the committee to visit Ludhiana to examine the plight of the small-scale industry in Punjab. Mr Alexander assured the delegation that protective measures would be taken for the safeguarding of the small-scale engineering industry in the state. He added that points about the easy credit flow of finance to small-scale units should be formulated so as to promote exports. He sais the issue of the period of credit of 180 days would be considered favourably and the lending rates to small-sector units might be reduced. |
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Hoteliers seek incentives Ludhiana, January 22 Mr Harjinder Singh, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, released the directory. On the occasion its general secretary Amarvir Singh said the directory contained not only the telephone numbers but also details of small to five-star hotels and restaurants in the city. He said the directory would be useful for the tourists from all over India and abroad. Mr Harjinder Singh said the corporation was always there to support the association whenever it needed help. The general secretary of the association said they would organise a seminar in which the Tourism Development in the city would be discussed. Mr I.B.S. Nanda, project director of the directory, was honoured on the occasion. Mr Nanda said the directory was very useful for the people of Ludhiana and all hoteliers. |
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Ludhiana, January 22
