J A L A N D H A R

Waiting to get his passport back
Kapurthala, February 26
After some diplomatic pressure by the Indian Embassy in Austria, Tajinder returned home in August 2004 from an Austrian jail where he had spent nearly two months. Two years have passed since then and this resident of Kapurthala is still “struggling” to get his passport back.

Implement iodine deficiency control programme: IMA 
Phagwara, February 26
Demanding the effective implementation of the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme, the Chairman of the State Drugs Advisory Committee of the Indian Medical Association (Punjab), Dr Raman K. Aggarwal, has urged the Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department to issue immediate instructions to all Civil Surgeons in the state to collect samples of common salt under the Prevention of Food and Adulteration Act and send the same for analysis so as to ascertain their iodine contents. 

Dogra Regiment to celebrate silver jubilee
Jalandhar, February 26
The 18th battalion of the Dogra Regiment would celebrate its silver jubilee from March 1 to 3. A number of dignitaries, including civil and military officers, Colonel of the Regiment and Dogra Scouts, Lieutenant-General Bhupinder Singh, would be taking part in the celebrations.

Music director with a magic touch 

Jalandhar, February 26 Titillating visuals that accompany a music album strike a discordant note, feels Charanjit Ahuja, the noted music director of Punjabi songs. “Visuals often interfere with the melody. A slickly-shot video album does not necessarily convey the feel of the song. Take for instance the song “Taara ambraan te”. Noted music director Charanjit Ahuja during his visit to Jalandhar. — Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma

Municipal Corporation receives a grant of Rs 4.91 crore 
Jalandhar, February 26
After netting a grant of Rs 5 crore on January 26, the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar has received another installment of Rs 4.91 crore from the Punjab Local Bodies Department for various developmental projects in the city.

Man drugged, robbed 
Phagwara, February 26
One person was allegedly robbed of his valuables at the bus stand here yesterday night. According to available information, Mr Amit Sharma, a teacher at the Sant Bhag Singh College of Education, Khyala, Hoshiarpur district, was drugged and robbed of his valuables by unidentified persons at the bus stand here.

112 students awarded scholarships
Jalandhar, February 26
As many as 112 students from various schools and colleges were awarded scholarships at the 12th annual scholarship distribution function organised by the Nishkam Sewa Bharti Trust at K.L. Memorial Hall here today.

• Local youth murdered in Manila
• Liquor seized

Waiting to get his passport back
Arun Sharma
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, February 26
After some diplomatic pressure by the Indian Embassy in Austria, Tajinder returned home in August 2004 from an Austrian jail where he had spent nearly two months. Two years have passed since then and this resident of Kapurthala is still “struggling” to get his passport back.

The Austrian police arrested Tajinder while he was on a train to Italy on June 21, 2004, on charges of fake passport and fake visa documents. On August 13, he was released and deported to India by the Austrian authorities. But they kept his papers.

“On the evening of June 21 two years back, I boarded the train to Italy and around midnight some policemen arrested me after accusing me of carrying fake travel papers,” Tajinder recalled, while talking to The Tribune here.

“They took all my belongings, including my mobile sets, money and credit cards,” he alleged, adding that four days later, the police returned the mobile sets and it was then that he contacted his family in India. Later, his family contacted the local passport office in Jalandhar to get a certificate issued that his passport was genuine.

Tajinder claimed that he went on a hunger strike and insisted that he be taken to the Indian Embassy. “The police relented and took me to the embassy and the counsellor there, Mr Himmat Karkarey, issued me an emergency certificate at his own expense and two Austrian officials escorted me back to Delhi,” he claimed.

“But they kept me in jail for fifteen more days even after they got the emergency certificate, making sure that I could not appeal to an Austrian court against the erring police officials,” alleged Tajinder.

“However, my woes have not ended. My efforts to get my passport (number A 7290914) issued on February 25, 1999, by the Regional Passport Office in Jalandhar, have failed, as the Austrian authorities have refused to return it,” he alleged. Meanwhile, efforts to contact Mr Amarjeet Singh, RPO, Jalandhar, proved futile. The office said the issue should be taken up with the Indian Embassy.

Implement iodine deficiency control programme: IMA 
J.S. Gandam

Phagwara, February 26
Demanding the effective implementation of the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme, the Chairman of the State Drugs Advisory Committee of the Indian Medical Association (Punjab), Dr Raman K. Aggarwal, has urged the Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare

Department to issue immediate instructions to all Civil Surgeons in the state to collect samples of common salt under the Prevention of Food and Adulteration Act and send the same for analysis so as to ascertain their iodine contents. In a letter to the Secretary, the copies of which were released to the press today, Dr Aggarwal has also requested the official to establish an IDD Control Cell and Monitoring Laboratory at the Punjab State Health Directorate.

In the letter, Dr Aggarwal cautioned that iodine deficiency in humans could lead to goitre, abortions, still births, mental retardation, deafness, squint and neuromotor defects. For controlling these disorders, the Government of India had issued a draft notification last year, banning the sale of non-iodised salt for direct human consumption, Dr Aggarwal said. He claimed that the standard of iodised salt was also laid down, with the stipulation that iodine content of iodised salt should not be less than 30 parts per million (PPM) at the manufacturing level and not less than 15 PPM at the consumption level.

The Centre, he said, has advised all state Health Directorates to establish Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Cell and Monitoring Labs. Copies of the representation were also sent to the Director, Health Services, Punjab, and other officials concerned. 

Dogra Regiment to celebrate silver jubilee
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 26
The 18th battalion of the Dogra Regiment would celebrate its silver jubilee from March 1 to 3. A number of dignitaries, including civil and military officers, Colonel of the Regiment and Dogra Scouts, Lieutenant-General Bhupinder Singh, would be taking part in the celebrations.

The battalion, raised by Lieutenant-Colonel Sham Lal Dogra at Faizabad in 1981, got the President’s Colour on February 18, 1984. The battalion has served in various operations, including aid to civil authorities in combating terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and assistance to local administration during the Mumbai riots and earthquake relief at Latur in 1993.

The battalion also has the distinction of being the only battalion of the Dogra Regiment to have the highest peacetime military award, Ashok Chakra, awarded to Major Sandeep Shankla posthumously in action on August 8, 1991. He had led an action against militants in the jungles around Zafarkhani in Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir and laid down his life in the service. 

Music director with a magic touch 
Minna Zutshi
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 26
Titillating visuals that accompany a music album strike a discordant note, feels Charanjit Ahuja, the noted music director of Punjabi songs. “Visuals often interfere with the melody. A slickly-shot video album does not necessarily convey the feel of the song. Take for instance the song “Taara ambraan te”. The video shows a girl frolicking about near the sea. The visuals made this song alien to me,” he says, rather sentimentally.

Delhi-based Ahuja is known for his “magic touch” that catapults singers to instant fame. Interestingly, he himself is averse to the quickies that singers churn out. “Music is not merely an aid to fame. I have seen singers who beseech all and sundry to give them a chance to sing. And they put up the perfect pretence of being ‘socially-responsible’ singers. But at the first flush of success, they become inaccessible to those very people whom they claimed to serve. Their cultural talk also goes into hibernation,” says the disciple of Pandit Kundan Lal.

Known to be a hard task master, this Mandolin expert (he learnt Mandolin from Jaswant Singh) says he has seen how people salute the rising sun. A perfectionist to the core and stickler for discipline, he does not take kindly to the singers who have a cavalier attitude to work.

“The music I compose comes from my soul. If the singers don’t give their best, I justifiably lose my temper. But the moment the recording is over, I am back to my normal self,” he avers.

He rues that artistes today have no time (and neither any inclination) to discuss the finer aspects of music with the lyricist or the composer.

“Even the artistes who have toiled hard for their success have become more or less complacent. It has all been reduced to autograph-signing and money-spinning business,” he feels. 

Municipal Corporation receives a grant of Rs 4.91 crore
Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 26
After netting a grant of Rs 5 crore on January 26, the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar has received another installment of Rs 4.91 crore from the Punjab Local Bodies Department for various developmental projects in the city.

A cheque for Rs 4.91 crore was handed over to the local Mayor by the Punjab Local Bodies Minister, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, here today.

The minister said the ongoing construction of Domoria Bridge in the old part of the city would be completed shortly and it would be opened for people in the month of June.

“Developmental works to the tune of Rs 45 crore were in progress in the city. There will be no shortage of funds for the development of the city. Not only this, the department is undertaking developmental works in all Assembly constituencies on war footing. An estimated amount of Rs 990 crore is being spent so that residents of all main cities of Punjab get 100 per cent coverage vis-à-vis facilities like water and sewerage by the end of September,” he added.

He further said the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar was constructing its administrative block on the MC premises. “Nearly Rs 14 crore is being spent on this project and different developmental works in the city are being implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis,” he added. 

Man drugged, robbed 

Phagwara, February 26
One person was allegedly robbed of his valuables at the bus stand here yesterday night. According to available information, Mr Amit Sharma, a teacher at the Sant Bhag Singh College of Education, Khyala, Hoshiarpur district, was drugged and robbed of his valuables by unidentified persons at the bus stand here.

He was relieved of his gold chain, four rings, a mobile set and cash worth Rs 20,000.

After regaining consciousness, Mr Sharma today disclosed that he had boarded a bus from Hoshiarpur for Phagwara. From Phagwara, he was to take a bus to Patiala. When he got down at Phagwara bus stand for taking another bus to carry his onward journey, he was accosted by some persons who offered him a drink and he fell unconscious after taking it. — TNS

112 students awarded scholarships

Jalandhar, February 26
As many as 112 students from various schools and colleges were awarded scholarships at the 12th annual scholarship distribution function organised by the Nishkam Sewa Bharti Trust at K.L. Memorial Hall here today.

Dr Ravinder Verma, Secretary of the trust, who read out the annual report of the organisation, said scholarships were awarded on the basis of the achievements of the students in different fields.

He said a physiotherapy-cum-X-ray-cum-dispensary unit would be started during the current year by the trust. “We are also working on a project to introduce a mobile unit to provide health facilities to people in the rural areas.”

Mr Ashok Verma from Savi International presided over the function. He announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh to the trust. Mr Narinder Sehgal of Kapsons Industries Limited was the chief guest on the occasion. — TNS

Local youth murdered in Manila
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, February 26
Another NRI youth was reportedly murdered in Manila this morning. Already 12 NRIs from Doaba region have been murdered in the Philippines in the past one year. According to information, Rajesh Kumar (25) was shot dead by some unidentified persons. The victim hailed from Santpura Mohalla here. Rajesh Kumar was reportedly waiting for his wife outside a church, where she had gone to pay obeisance, when the incident occurred. He had migrated to the Philippines three years back and had married a local girl there.

Liquor seized

Phagwara, February 26
The Phagwara police arrested Ravinder Singh, a resident of Ajjam village in Phagwara, today on charges of liquor smuggling. The police claimed to have recovered 132 bottles of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) of different brands. A case under the Excise Act has been registered against the alleged accused at the Sadar police station.— OC