55 jhuggis reduced to ashes in Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur, April 7
As many as 55 jhuggis of migrant labourers were burnt when a fire broke out in an area on the Bari Bassi road at Chabewal village, 8 km from here, yesterday. No loss of life was reported in the fire, but all the household articles of 55 families residing in these jhuggis were destroyed.

Cheque-mate for MLA, DWO
Amritsar, April 7
Sufi Samvad Sanstha and Cultural Club (SSSCC), Amritsar, has served a legal notice to the district welfare officer (DWO), Congress MLA and collector for non-clearance of cheque of Rs one lakh issued to the society on December 28, 2006.

Badal govt harassing our men: Khaira
Phagwara, April 7
District Congress committee chief MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has alleged that Badal government was harassing their party men by falsely implicating them in different cases.

Child labour cases: Dept spares big fish
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 7
Even as the department of child labour has identified 3,720 child labourers in the district, the officials have been able to issue challans in just 15 cases.

In a report submitted to Jyoti Setia, vice-chairperson of the central advisory board of child labour, the department has clearly mentioned that 1,123 underage labourers are employed in the sports industry, 471 in hotels and 491 in book business. Also 720 kids are working as domestic help. However, the report also reveals that the department had issued challans to small-time operators, mainly engaged in the food and embroidery business, whereas the big fish have been spared.

The figures show that 104 kids are working in the agriculture sector, 276 as rag pickers and 535 were self-employed. Punching holes in the report, Setia said according to department figures there were nearly 17.07 lakh child labourers in Punjab in 2001. Going by the average figure of 3,720 child labourers in one of the 20 districts, the total state tally comes out to be 74,400, which is far too less. Setia said she has not received latest statistics from any other district. “I had gone to Ludhiana yesterday, but the officials there have yet to complete the survey”, she said.

Notably, the department has been running 27 schools for the child labourers. However, in one of the schools in Sangal Sohal village here 40 out of 42 children have flunked their Class V examination. When Setia questioned the officials about the poor result, the latter said the kids coming to the institution have a very low IQ and it was extremely difficult to
teach them.

Regarding the Child Labour Act, Setia said the officials have been told to first bring about awareness among the employers and to act only when they flout the law even after being warned. Commenting on the need for child rehabilitation centres, she said a meeting was held in March this year and it was decided that such places would be set up soon. 

Bitta continues Capt bashing 
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 7
Targeting former Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AITTF) MS Bitta held his third consecutive press conference, here on Saturday.

Calling for a social boycott of Amarinder, he alleged that the ex-CM has done nothing for state’s development. He accused Amarinder of deliberately not ordering inquiry into the recovery of 70 kg of RDX in Jalanmdhar some time back. He also alleged that there was strong possibility that the ex-CM was involved in Burail jailbreak case, where in dreaded terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara had escaped along with his accomplices.

Bitta did not even spare Amarinder’s horse Sunny which he had got imported. “It’s a government property and it should be returned to it,” he said.

Training his guns on ex-DGP SS Virk, Bitta said, “His role in giving facilities to 300 cats also needs to be probed.” Bitta has already held two conferences at Delhi and Chandigarh.

55 jhuggis reduced to ashes in Hoshiarpur
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, April 7
As many as 55 jhuggis of migrant labourers were burnt when a fire broke out in an area on the Bari Bassi road at Chabewal village, 8 km from here, yesterday. No loss of life was reported in the fire, but all the household articles of 55 families residing in these jhuggis were destroyed.

With the help of people and shopkeepers of Adda Chabewal, who rushed to the spot and informed the municipal fire brigade about the fire, 20 jhuggis were saved. The fire engine controlled the fire in one hour.

It is reported that when a child was burning a stove for preparing tea at about 3.15 this afternoon his jhuggi caught fire.

Meanwhile, SDM Pritam Singh and tehsildar Vijay Kumar Sharma, along with a police party and district Red Cross Society secretary Amarjit Hamrol reached there and helped the people in the rescue operation.

The SDM said that actual loss was being assessed. He said that household articles and other required material would be provided to the fire victims by the Red Cross Society.

Cheque-mate for MLA, DWO
Sanjay Bumbroo
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 7
Sufi Samvad Sanstha and Cultural Club (SSSCC), Amritsar, has served a legal notice to the district welfare officer (DWO), Congress MLA and collector for non-clearance of cheque of Rs one lakh issued to the society on December 28, 2006.

Harkanwal Korpal, president of SSSCC, said that the cheque drawn on Indian Overseas Bank was issued by the DWO which was announced by a Congress MLA in recognition and appreciation of the cultural activities of the society during a function on November 13, 2006. He said that the society presented the cheque for encashment on February 7, 2007 but the cheque was dishonoured.

The notice said that when the society approached the DWO and Congress MLA in order to enquire about the reasons for halting the payment, they were told it could not be made due to the implementation of code of conduct applied for the elections.

He said that the DWO and MLA had assured them that the cheque would be cleared after the declaration of results on February 27.

When the society tried to encash the cheque on March 8 but it was again rejected with the observation “payment stopped by the drawer”. He said the organization again approached the two who again assured that the cheque would be honoured after the Beas elections as the code of conduct was still in force in the district. He said that it presented the cheque for the third time after the elections were declared for the Beas constituency but it was again received back dishonoured.

Serving the legal notice on behalf of the club, the counsel urged DWO to make the payment within the statutory period of 15 days from the receipt of legal notice otherwise the organization would be constrained to take legal recourse under Section 138 of the negotiable instruments act. 

Badal govt harassing our men: Khaira

Phagwara, April 7
District Congress committee chief MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has alleged that Badal government was harassing their party men by falsely implicating them in different cases. Talking to newsmen here today, Khaira claimed that 35 cases were registered against Congressmen in Fatehgarh Churian, 12 in Beas, 4 in Qadian and 3 in Kapurthala district.

Giving details, Khaira said in district Kapurthala, police has arrested party leader Surinder Kakkar, who runs a chemist shop in Bholath. He alleged that Bholath DSP Balbir Singh arrested Kakkar on the night of April 5 on the behest of defeated SAD candidate Bibi Jagir Kaur. — TNS