Amritsar, September 20
Though efforts are made to develop Ram Bagh as a tourist destination in order to upswing its fortunes, the visitors to the bagh still face sanitation problems.

Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Ram Bagh earlier this week and after his interaction with morning walkers, he was particularly peeved at lack of proper sanitation in the garden. Most public toilets were either lying closed to public or were non-functional. Sidhu issued directions that the toilets be brought in working condition immediately.

“With hundreds of morning walkers converging on Ram Bagh every day, it is the right place to feel the pulse of the city and I want to make my morning visits there a regular feature. However, I was pained to find that a lot needs to be done to develop the place,” he said.

Talking to The Tribune, Sidhu said he had taken up the matter of restoration of the pristine glory of the garden, which was part of the summer palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He added he had given directions to the municipal corporation for complete landscaping of the sprawling garden.

“I have taken up the issue with the Archaeological Survey of India that the historic buildings located in Ram Bagh, including Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama, be spruced up to attract more tourists,” he said.

Ram Bagh, which was got constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the pattern of Shalimar Bagh in Lahore, is in a pitiable condition.

The protected monuments in the city include the Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Service Club, a bathing tank, a reading room, four watch towers and Baran Dari. The total area is 728 kanal, three marla.

Mayor Shawet Malik and SSP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh accompanied Sidhu to Ram Bagh. Sidhu also sought deployment of three constables to check haphazard parking inside Ram Bagh.

Malik said the corporation would soon initiate steps for the beautification of the place with plantation of more decorative plants and pruning of trees. It would also be ensured that the staff meant for Ram Bagh was not deputed elsewhere and for this a duty register would be maintained.

“The corporation staff have been given a 15-day deadline for making the garden litter-free, cutting the knee-high grass, making streetlights functional and beautification of the entire area,” said Malik.

Phagwara, September 20
The agitation by non-government affiliated college teachers entered third week today.

This was stated by ex-district president of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) Jaswant Singh Gandam here.

The protesters again went on strike after taking two periods in protest against the arrest of their 21 colleagues in Chandigarh yesterday and non-acceptance of their nearly two decade-old demands concerning pension-cum-gratuity and 95 per cent grant-in-aid. They would also observe strike after two periods tomorrow.

The strikers also held a campus rally and dharna.. Speakers at the rally, including PCCTU executive committee member Gurnam Singh, district president of the union Tarlochan Singh Sangha and Gandam, alleged that while the government was doling out sops worth billions to please its vote bank, it was declining to accept teachers’ demands involving only a few crore rupees.They declared that a group of 21 teachers from Doaba would court arrest in Chandigarh on September 26. Meanwhile, extending its support to the struggle of the PCCTU, the All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) yesterday called upon various organisations to launch a postal drive. — OC

Hoshiarpur, September 20
The district consumers court, headed by president P.D. Goel and having A.S. Jauhar as member, has ordered the State Bank of India (SBI), Court Road branch, to credit Rs 35,000 in the account of Paramjit Kumar of Bassi Umar Khan village and to pay interest at the rate of 9 per cent on it till the date of payment to the latter.

Bank told complainant that he had withdrawn  Rs 35,000 through ATM service. Interestingly, the man had no ATM card

The forum directed the SBI to pay Rs 1,000 to Paramjit Kumar as cost of litigation within one month. Paramjti Kumar had filed a complaint in the district consumers forum that when he intended to withdraw the money from his account on May 1, 2006, he was shocked to know that there was not sufficient funds in the account. On inquiry, bank officials told him that he had withdrawn Rs 10,000 thrice and Rs 5,000 once through ATM (automated teller machine) on different dates.

Paramjit Kumar lodged protest with the bank that how he could withdraw the amounts as no ATM card was ever issued to him. The authorities of the bank branch took the plea that the ATM card was provided to every customer as per policy of the bank. The ATM card and the pin code were despatched to Paramjit Kumar through speed post at his address.

The forum held that the SBI failed to prove on record that the ATM card and pin code were either delivered to Paramjit Kumar personally or were sent at his residential address.

As such Paramjit Kumar had no opportunity to operate his account through the ATM card. The forum held that it amounted to deficiency in service on the part of the bank.

Hoshiarpur, September 20
In a dowry case, the Garhdiwala police has booked five members of a family at Kessopur village for allegedly torturing and beating Sukhdip Kaur.

The accused, husband Hardip Singh, father-in-law Kuldip Singh, mother-in-law Jaswant Kaur, brother-in-law Jagdip Singh and sister-in-law Jasdeep Kaur, have been booked under sections 498-A, 323, 148 and 149 of the IPC.

Sukhdip, daughter of Lakhbir Singh of Naushera, was married to Hardip Singh on January 9, 2005. “But soon after the marriage I was regularly maltreated and beaten up for bringing less dowry,” she alleged. She said her in-laws were demanding a Maruti car and Rs 1 lakh from her parents.

“We gave Rs 1 lakh to them but that did not fulfil their greed. On the night of September 18, 2007, all the accused beat me up,” she said. Sukhdip said, however, she managed to inform her parents about her woes over the phone. When her in-laws came to know that she had informed her parents, they tied her arms and again beat her up, she added.

Meanwhile, her father and maternal uncle Gurnam Singh reached there. On seeing them, all the members of her in-laws’ family fled. Her parents and relatives got her admitted in civil hospital, Dasuya.

Jalandhar, September 20
An aged person, Surtha Singh, resident of Nawan Pind Donewal village, falling under Lohian police station, alleged that the police had not taken any action against Hira Singh of the same village for trespassing into his house in a drunken state with some ulterior motive.

On the other hand, Lohian SHO Onkar Singh claimed that no such incident had taken place. Hira Singh is a relative of SAD worker Puran Singh, with whom Surtha has a land dispute. Also a Congress worker, Surtha alleged that Hira was found in a drunken state on the terrace of his house on the night of September 17.

Providing CDs as an evidence, he said Hira had admitted that he had been sent by Puran Singh’s son Jeeta to his house. Later, the police was called but no action was taken against him. SHO Onkar Singh said Hira had not entered Surtha’s house. On the contrary, Surtha and his family members had dragged him to their house and beaten him mercilessly and forcibly recorded his voice.

Onkar Singh said on getting the information about the incident, ASI Dalbir Singh visited the spot and saw that Hira was bleeding due to thrashing. Dalbir refused to take him to police station in that condition and asked them to admit him to a hospital. Now, Surtha had levelled allegations against the police of inaction just fearing that any action might not be taken against him and his family members on the charge of thrashing Hira, Onkar Singh. 

Hoshiarpur, September 20
To provide better quality of seeds to the farmers, deputy commissioner D.K. Tiwari has instructed the chief agriculture officer to take legal action against all those shopkeepers who are selling seeds illegally.

Tiwari was addressing a meeting to review the agriculture development and its production here yesterday. He said the farm production could be increased by 20 per cent if the farmers got good quality seeds.He emphasised on the promotion of vermiculture to minimise the use of chemical fertilisers.

The SDMs of Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur, Dasuya and Mukerian and other officers of various departments attended the meeting.

Batala, September 20
Some unidentified persons stole four electric ceiling fans from the cremation ground outside Achli Gate along with three pieces of angle iron. This was stated by cremation ground trustee Banarsi Dass and ex-municipal councillor of the area Harbans Lal Mahajan here on Thursday evening.

They said they had informed the in charge of the city police station about the theft but till the filing of the news report no arrests had been made.

However, when contacted, SSP R.N. Dhoke said a thorough probe would be conducted and the guilty brought to book within a couple of days.

He said he doubted that the theft was the work of some drug-addicts. 

Jalandhar, September 20
The district Congress criticised Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government for hiking the power tariff for various categories from 19 to 30 paise per unit.

Talking to mediapersons here today, district Congress chief Arun Walia said the residents of Punjab in general and middle-class families in particular would suffer a lot due to the steep hike in power tariff.

Congress leaders Vijay Khullar, Virendra Sharma and Satnam Bitta flayed the government for its alleged failure in providing wheat flour and pulses at cheaper rates to the needy. The demanded reconsideration of the decision.

The Congress leaders also criticised the Badal government for hiking the collector’s rate for registration of sale deeds.