Amritsar, April 22
Amandeep Kaur (30), resident of Kathunangal, was allegedly burnt to death by her husband Manjinder Singh for not bringing money from her parents for purchasing motorcycle.

Even as her parents were also present in the house, they failed to save her due to severe burn injuries and lack of transport facility in the area last night.

The police has registered a case under section 304-B on the statement of Diwan Singh, father of the deceased. Manjinder fled after the incident.

Diwan Singh, a resident of Muddal village, in his complaint stated that her daughter was married to Manjinder about five years ago and had two children. He alleged that his son-in-law worked as a rajmistry (mason) on daily wages.

He said the trouble started about 10 months ago when Manjinder asked his wife to bring a scooter from her parents as he had to travel to far off places for work and made her leave the house.

Diwan Singh said he sent his daughter back and settled the dispute after purchasing a secondhand scooter and expressed his inability to purchase a new one.

However, Manjinder again threw his daughter out of the house about one month ago for bringing Rs 25,000 for purchasing a new motorcycle. Again the dispute was settled after giving Rs 10,000 to Manjinder.

The complainant alleged that he along with his wife and son had gone to meet her daughter last evening. After dinner he saw his son-in-law quarrelling with Amandeep over the same issue.

He alleged that they came out of their room after hearing the cries of his daughter and were shocked to see that Manjinder was fleeing after setting her on fire.

Diwan Singh that they tried to save Amandeep, who had suffered severe burn injuries. However, she died on her way to hospital as it took time to arrange a vehicle, he added.

The police authorities said raiding parties had been sent to nab the accused after registering a complaint.

Batala, April 22
A house in the Pahari Gate area here was set on fire when some thieves were unable to get away with the theft.

The thieves reportedly entered the house of Ashwani Agarwal at Pahari gate and tried their best to escape with the goods and articles.

When they failed in their mission, they set the room on fire destroying a dressing table, DVD player and some clothes which were lying in it.

When Agarwal came home with his wife he felt a foul smell emanating from a room. He turned towards the room only to find the lock of the room to be broken.

Agarwal suffered a loss to the tune of about Rs 20,000. A case has been registered with the Batala police.

RN Dhoke, SSP, Batala, while talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, disclosed that police parties had been sent to different sites in order to arrest the absconding thieves.

Nawanshahr, April 22
The regional office of Punjab Pollution Control Board, Hoshiarpur, has directed Shreyans Industries Limited to construct a water retaining wall of 1 metre width and 0.5 metre height along the bank of Sutlej to avoid the spill over of the discharge of its effluents into the river.

It has also asked the industry to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 25 lakh as an assurance for regular achievement of standards prescribed by the board for various pollutants. It also asked the industry for an assurance not to discharge any effluents into the river.

The action has come after the district administration issued a showcause notice to the industry owner after having collected evidences in the form of a video and still photographs.

The evidences had shown the flow of effluents, via an underground pipeline, from near the Dhusi Bandh and flowing into channels opening into the river.

Water samples that had been taken from the spot by the officials of Punjab Pollution Control Board had also been found to be unfit. The BOD level had been found to be 510 mg/litre against the permissible levels of 100 mgl.

The details on action taken came into light with an RTI application filed by Parvinder Singh Kittna, general secretary of a local NGO Human Empowerment League of Punjab (HELP). The reply in this regard was filed by the environmental engineer of the board.

The NGO had also sought information on the matter from the office of the principal secretary of irrigation department, principal secretary of science, technology and environment and SDM Balachaur.

Both the principal secretaries have not supplied the information even after 42 days, Kittna said.

Since the administrative officials are still not very convinced by the action taken by the board, they believe that the industry owners had scope to operate in a very clandestine manner. The officials plan to continue to keep a close watch on the water discharge.

Arvind Chaudhary, GM, Shreyans, however, has been claiming that the industry has not been violating norms.

Nawanshahr, April 22
With the Punjab panchayat poll coming near, the cold war between the two factions of the SAD one led by the MLA Jatinder Singh Kariha and the other by Resham Singh Thiara seems to have heated up once again.

Taking a lead in the show of strength, Thiara organised a meeting of SAD workers at his residence here today to discuss the poll strategies.

He said he had a major hand in Kariha’s victory in the last assembly poll but after coming to power MLA Kariha ignored him and party workers.

Thirara said, “It was just because of the party high command that I campaigned for Kariha despite the fact that I openly opposed him. However, I would not tolerate the sidelining of party workers during the ensuing panchayat poll.”

The party workers vented their ire against MLA Kariha and said he was giving an undue importance to a local BJP leader, who had allegedly been tarnishing the party image.

Talking to The Tribune, MLA Jatinder Singh Kariha denied the allegation of ignoring party workers. He said Thiara never came to him during the past one year.

“In fact, I would request him to come with the list of works which according to him I have not paid any heed.” He maintained that he had been striving hard to fulfil the aspirations of public and party workers.

Kariha said he had been raising development issues and got a number of projects sanctioned for his constituency. He denied the allegation of giving undue importance to a single party worker.

Interestingly, the cold war had been continuing for the past one decade. During the 2002 assembly poll, the SAD gave party ticket to Resham Singh Thiara due to which Jatinder Singh Kariha revolted and helped another party rebel Hardev Singh Kahma, who was contesting poll as an independent candidate.

In 2007 the party projected Kariha as the SAD candidate and Thiara protested by calling a meeting of party workers at his residence. However, he was pacified by the party high command.

Hoshiarpur, April 22
Hoshiarpur Nagar Vikas Manch (HNVM) chief Amarjit Singh Amar has strongly condemned the alleged threats to life and property of Citizen Welfare Council president Om Parkash Saini.

Saini was allegedly threatened by some Islamabad milkmen for raising his voice against the recent increase in prices of milk and its products by dairy owners and sweetmeat makers in the town.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Amar said raising voice against price hike was a democratic right of every citizen. He urged the district authorities to take stern action against the guilty.

Besides, the district administration should ask the dairy owners and sweetmeat makers to roll back the hike failing which HNVM activists would launch an agitation.

Hoshiarpur, April 22
Keeping in view the plight of terminal patients, who have been declared incurable by their treating institutes and whose attendants are fed up of regularly taking care of them, Sri Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal, a social and religious NGO, has setup a hospice.

The NGO officials claim that the facility is the first of its kind in Punjab. The building, to house eight terminal patients, has been completed and equipped with modern and latest equipments it will be made operational within the next two to three months.

The president of the said NGO, Harish Saini, told The Tribune here on Saturday that the entire project of the hospice would cost Rs 1 crore.

The Shri Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal is also known for introducing two mortuary vans for free ferrying of dead bodies to the cremation grounds in and around the city and providing hi-tech ambulances, fitted with latest medical instruments, to carry accident victims and other serious patients to referral hospitals.

The NGO is also running a regular charitable allopathic dispensary at its building 'Ram Bhawan' located at Chaand Nagar, Bahadurpur.

Apart from supplying monthly ration to poor families, it also provides financial help in solemnising marriages of poor boys and girls. The NGO is regularly organising medical checkup camps.

The union tourism minister Ambika Soni had given Rs 8 lakh from her MPLAD fund for the hi-tech ambulance.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had given Rs 2 lakh, the medical education and research and forest minister Tikshan Sood Rs 50,000 and chief parliamentary secretary Bibi Mohinder Kaur Josh donated Rs 2 lakh for the cause of the NGO.

Hoshiarpur, April 22
Filing of nomination papers for the election of 203 zones of 10 block development samitis and 24 zones of zila parishad, Hoshiarpur, will be done from April 28 to May 2.

This was disclosed by assistant project officer, rural development agency, Bhushan Kumar. The scrutiny of nomination papers would be done on May 3. Withdrawal could be made on May 5 and the election would be held on May 12.

As many as 8,53,188 electorates of 1,347 villages of Hoshiarpur-I, Hoshiarpur-II, Garhshankar, Mahilpur, Bhunga, Tanda, Dasuya, Mukerian, Hajipur and Talwara blocks would use their voting right to elect 203 representatives of the above said block samitis and 24 of zila parishad.

SSP Sukchain Singh Gill said out of the 1,596 polling stations set up for the above said elections in the district, 168 had been identified as sensitive. Special police force would be deputed for fair and free polls at the sensitive polling stations.