The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Mahavir Singh: An unsung national hero Anuradha Shukla Jalandhar, October 30 “Knowing that you are fighting for the country proves that we have not accepted slavery from our hearts. Now that you are on the path to freedom, don’t look back and never betray your associates.” These were the words Mr Devi Singh, father of the freedom fighter Mahavir Singh, who died for his country in the Cellular Jail of the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Mahavir Singh died unknown and unsung. To add insult to injury, the successive governments of the country are yet to recognise the sacrifice of this freedom fighter. Talking to The Tribune, Mahavir Singh’s nephew Yatindra Kumar Rathod, says that the sacrifice of his uncle has gone unnoticed all along. “While there is a statue of my uncle in Andaman, his own state has not bothered even to appreciate his sacrifice,” he says, with his eyes full of tears. “My uncle died because of forced feeding and his body was tied to a stone and thrown into the sea from the back gate of the Cellular Jail. No one came to know of his death for days. Not even the jail inmates were aware of his death. Even his body was not handed over to our family,” he rues. The freedom fighter’s nephew says, “My father Balbir Singh was once asked why Mahavir Singh was not remembered. His answer was that the government did not care and the family of the freedom fighter would never beg for recognition.” Interestingly, the family, that has in its possession the trunk belonging to Bhagat Singh, has decided to give to the nation that trunk. According to Mr Rathod, Mahavir Singh was a student of Class VI when he was first drawn towards the freedom struggle. He was just in his early teens when he raised the slogan of “Mahatma Gandhi ki jai” in the Aman Sabha organised by the British. He was punished for his audacity. But the seeds of the revolution had been sown. During his studies at DAV College, Kanpur, that was the hub of the revolutionary activities, he joined the freedom struggle in all earnest. “It was the gutsy Mahavir Singh who was trained to conduct the secret operations of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha. He was the one who helped in the escape of Bhagat Singh, Batukeshwar Dutt and Durga Bhabi from Mauzang House in Lahore. That is when Bhagat Singh left his trunk with Mahavir Singh who took it to his village. His aunt Khetal Kunwar was the major influence in his formative years. My uncle also wanted his sister to join the freedom movement,” says Mr Rathod. Mahavir Singh’s family, too, had to pay a heavy price for the heroism of their son. They had to shift their residence nine times, as the British government would chase them everywhere. Finally, the family settled in Jaipur. The family’s property was encroached upon in the village. Ironically, the man who gave up his life for the country’s freedom has faded into oblivion today. Is anyone listening?
	Phagwara reels under drug menace Anil Jerath Tribune News Service Phagwara, October 30 The sale of drugs in the city continues to earn profits to the suppliers despite hundreds of ‘nakas’ set up by the police at the Phagwara’s entry points. As a result, the incidents of snatching, theft and burglaries are also on the rise. “With the easy availability of smack in the city, youth addicted to it resort to snatching and other crimes to procure the drug,” a police officer said. Enquiries by The Tribune revealed that the major supply centres of smack and other narcotics to the city are the adjoining districts and villages. Smack is mainly produced in Kullu from where it is routed via Sirmour to the city and other areas of Punjab. The dhabas located at the National Highway in Phagwara are also being used to smuggle the contraband. Semi-literate and unemployed youths from the migrant colonies are the major buyers of smack in the city. “After getting addicted to the drug, these youths resort to burglary and snatching to buy their daily quota. The mushrooming of slums and the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards the problems faced by these people adds to the growth of crime,” the officer added. During the past month, Phagwara police have arrested a dozen drug addicts and recovered smack from their possession. But the department is unable to nab ‘big sharks’. One of the two addicts arrested by the City police confessed to have indulged in snatching to buy his daily quota of smack. He also revealed that a number of small and big operators were in this business. But the cops failed to cash on this information.
	‘Reliance investment to boost state’s economy’ Tribune News Service Kapurthala, October 30 The investment of Rs 5000 crore by Reliance Industries, owned by Mukesh Ambani, in the agricultural sector in Punjab would give a thrust to the economy of farmers and the state government’s diversification plan, Mr Surinder Singla, Finance Minister, Punjab said here today. Mr Singla was here to attend the closing ceremony of 44th Annual Athletic Meet of Sainik School, Kapurthala, as a chief guest. The minister told reporters on the occasion that the Reliance Industries had planned to invest Rs 2000 crore in the initial stage while the total investment of the company would be to the tune of Rs 5000 crore after which the fresh vegetables grown in the state would be transported daily to different markets across the world by at least 25 aircraft from the Amritsar airport. After the diversification in agriculture sector, the area under the organic vegetable cultivation would be increased resulting in the decline in the use of fertilizers and pesticides. This ultimately would raise the profits of producers, said the finance minister. He claimed that the induction of luxury cars had increased the efficiency of ministers. On the foodgrain procurement issue, he said that in addition to the smooth procurement of the crops, the state government was able to set up the refinery as well as a petro chemical unit worth Rs 30,000 crore. On the issue of the delay in the release of scholarship amount of Rs 80 lakh for the students of Sainik School, Kapurthala, since the last year, the minister expressed his ignorance.
	Vajra Corps Divali fete a huge draw among army jawans Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 30 The Divali fete organised by the Vajra Corps at Jalandhar Cantt here today had a host of programmes for the family members of army personnel. Various stalls were the major attraction of the fete, and the highlight of the event was the Sufiana music rendered by artiste Salim. The Army Wives’ Welfare Association (AWWA) vice-president, Ms Diya Gupta, inaugurated the fete. “Army jawans have been on the forefront when it comes to the nation’s security. We believe that programmes such as this fete are important as they give the families of the army personnel a chance to relax and enjoy. Keeping in view the Divali fest, the fete assumes all the more importance,” said Lieutenant Colonel U.K. Vaish. A bumper raffle for the kids was one of the favourite items. The children from the Ragini Event team entertained the audience with dance and singing. The children took part in fancy dress, dance, horse-riding, fun games and fun races organised on the occasion. A talent hunt contest was also held. The best stall competition, too, had many takers for it. Various snack and tambola stalls were put up to add to the charm of the programme. Ms Diya Gupta addressed the gathering on the occasion. The programme was organised in association with the event management company Seenaina. The Tribune was the media sponsor for the fete.
	Geographers discuss disaster management issues Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 30 The recent catastrophes, including earthquake, tsunami and hurricanes, remained the key issues of discussion during the two-day geographers’ conference on “Challenges to geography in 21st century”, which concluded today at DAV College here. Most of the lecturers and students from colleges of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh discussed various aspects of disaster management. Reading out her paper on “Challenges to geography in disaster management planning”, Ms Harpreet Kaur Thiara, a lecturer from the host college, said the number of natural disasters had been doubling with each passing decade and in the last 25 years, more than three million people had lost their lives. She added that due to the increase in human population, development was occurring in flood-prone areas and earthquake zones. She said that even as the geographers were well-equipped with a wide variety of data, tools and observation devices, still there was a scope for improvement, especially in Asian countries. Quoting the statistics from the World Disaster Report 2003, Ms Jasbir Kaur Dosanjh, lecturer from the SR Government College for Women, Amritsar, said that as many as 2.5 million people had been reportedly affected by disasters in the decade between 1993 and 2002 Mr Hans Raj Josan, Minister of State for Forests, inaugurated the conference and announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for the college. Dr P.S. Tewari, president, National Association of Geographers, spoke on the rapid increase in population and the development of BPOs and IT industry. On the second day today, Prof Pushpinder Kaur, Prof Sunil Kumar, and Prof Ritu Jaiswal presented their research papers on the employment potential of geography. The convenor of the seminar, Prof AK Trivedi, read his paper on the role of geography for common man. The Municipal Corporation Mayor Surinder Mahey was the chief guest on the occasion. Abhishek Saini from Saint Joseph College won the first prize, while Neeraj Trehan of the same college stood second. Mandeep Singh from DAV bagged the third position.
	Fortis issues safety guidelines on Divali Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 30 For the safety of the public, Fortis Hospital has issued an advisory on the precautionary steps to be taken while burning firecrackers duringDivali. Talking about the basic precautions to be taken to avoid any burn injuries and electric shocks, Dr. Vikas Bhutani, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, said, “The earthen lamps and candles should be placed safely away from any flammable material like wood, cloth or paper and electric wires. Electric lights should never be tied to any metal poles.” Firecrackers caused most of the mishaps reported during Divali, said Dr Bhutani as he advised, “When lighting firecrackers, one must wear close-fitting thick cotton clothes instead of loose fitting synthetic clothing and ensure a bucket of water nearby while lighting firecrackers.” Cautioning people against ignoring children during the celebrations on the festival, Dr Vishal K. Singh, Consultant, Paediatrics Department of the hospital said, “Never give fireworks to young children. Close adult supervision of all activities is a must.” “Be particularly careful of your eyes,” advises Dr Rajan Chugh, Consultant & Eye Surgeon in the hospital, “A small error of judgment, and ignorance or a casual approach can take away the eyesight, partially or totally, in one or both eyes. Do not splash water if the injury appears too severe inside the eye. Do not drink or eat anything following the injury, especially in case of small children, as they may need general anesthesia for which one has to empty stomach. Also, do not rub the eyes,” he cautioned.
	In rhythm with Punjabi music Minna Zutshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 30 Peppy numbers, pulsating music and the rhythm of Punjab in its varied flavours. “Harbhajan Mann Live” organised last night at the Dusshera Ground, Jalandhar Cantt, was a complete entertainment package that had the audience jiving to Punjabi songs. The songs, interestingly, touched a whole gamut of emotions, right from mother’s affection to beloved’s fondness to a poet’s anguished cry. Both Gursewak Mann and Harbhajan Mann struck an instant rapport with the audience. Harbhajan’s Mirza, sung soulfully, was an ode to the depth of the Punjabi culture. The programme was a vibrant mix of folk, pop and film songs. As the evening progressed, the audience’s involvement became all the more intense. Though at times, the crowd did get restive, the programme continued without any hitch till midnight. In spite of the anchor Sattinder Satti calling attention repeatedly to the richness and the beauty of the Punjabi culture, the semi-clad women dancing to typical folk songs seemed incongruous props. “Why can’t the props be in sync with the songs? The music and the songs are steeped in Punjabi culture. But the artistes dancing to the accompaniment of the songs look totally Western, if we go by their outfits,” said an audience member, while expressing his appreciation for Harbhajan’s style of singing. Among those who attended the programme included Minister for Social Welfare Gurkanwal Kaur and MP Rana Gurjit Singh.
	Martyr cremated with full military honours Jalandhar, October 30 The mortal remains of Sukhjinder Singh, the army jawan who died in the Kashmir valley while on duty last fortnight, were consigned to flames today with full military honours in Kapurthala. The district Sainik Welfare Officer Captain S.P.S Panesar (Retd.) said that the jawan, from Dak Begowal village, was given an emotional send off by hundreds of people who gathered at the village to pay tributes to the martyr. Army unit jawans reversed their arms and fired in the air as a mark of respect to the martyr. Subedar Chamkaur Singh from 18 Punjab said that Sukhjinder gave up his life for the country on October 8 after 6 years of service. Sukhjinder is survived by his father, mother and wife. Military Station, Kapurthala, conducted the last rites of the martyr. The Head of the Chief Station Commander, Commanding Officer 19 Punjab, Col Rakesh Chabba, Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala and director Sainik Welfare laid wreaths on the mortal remains of Sukhjinder. — TNS
	Red alert in city Jalandhar, October 30 The Jalandhar police has beefed up security measures in the city in the wake of the yesterday’s bomb blasts at Delhi. The Superintendent of Police, Mr S. K. Kalia, said the security in the city had been tightened and the people had been instructed to be cautious while doing Divali shopping. He urged the city residents to inform the police about any suspicious object or person. A meeting with the cinema and hotel owners of the city was held today to discuss the safety measures required to prevent any untoward incident, said Mr Kalia. “The hotel owners have been instructed to keep full records of the visitors. The cinema hall owners have also been asked to conduct searches in their theatres before the start of any show,” he added. — TNS
	GRP requests NIT to submit report on ragging case Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 30 After giving one more day’s time, the Railway police today requested the Chairman of Dr Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Mr Hari Gautam, to submit the ‘already delayed’ report by Chaitley Committee, constituted to name the persons responsible for the unchecked ragging in the hostel which allegedly led Amit Gangwar to commit suicide on Oct 12. The special request for speedy submission of the report was sent today, according to GRP authorities here. The Chaitley Committee report was expected to be submitted by the NIT authorities on October 28.