Jalandhar, May 2
Seventeen consumers who had knocked the door of the district consumer disputes redressal forum seeking refund of the booking amount for Peugeot 309 cars almost a decade back are in for a major trouble. The forum has issued conditional warrants against the complainants for June 10 for returning money to Fiat India (P) Ltd.

While, earlier, the forum had passed a judgement in favour of the complainants in view of the car not getting launched and consumers left in a lurch for refund, things have now turned unfavourable for them. The forum had then ordered warrant of attachments of Citibank accounts of the company for payment of nearly Rs 40,912 to each of the consumers with the payment received by them in a lok adalat on April 4, 2005, but following an application filed by the company, the case has turned the other way round.

Fiat India had moved an application against the complainants and Pal Peugeot Ltd asking for return of the amount as it said that it neither was a party nor any notice was issued to it. “On the mere issue of statement that we are the successor of Pal Peugeot and Premier Automobiles, an order for attachment of account was passed,” the counsel for the company.

He added that even the state commission had allowed a revision petition on the grounds that there was no evidence to prove that Fiat India was responsible for the liabilities of Pal Peugeot. He had appealed that Fiat was a distinct legal entity separated from Pal Peugeot with the two even registered separately under the Companies Act, 1956.

On April 17, 2008, the counsel for the complainants had moved an application for recalling of warrants. But on a hearing on April 30, no one appeared on behalf of the complainants and the forum initiated ex-party proceedings against them.

The original case had been filed by 34 complainants in 1999 and decision came the next year. The forum, then presided by N.D. Bhatara, had then issued warrants of attachment of bank accounts of Pal Peugeot and Jalandhar-based Delhi Automobiles for non-compliance of orders. It had said, “Neither the opposite parties nor the sister concerns or companies with new names who have taken over assets and liabilities have bothered to comply with the direction of the forum. It is a lame excuse that the companies have separate entities”.

The complainants against whom the orders have now been passed are G.S. Ahluwalia, Shree Ganga, Narinder Singh, Rampal Singh, Dharamvir Bhatara, Paramjit Singh, Moti Lala, Vijay Bhushan, Surinder Pal Singh, Madhu Matta, Atul Sareen, Nitin Malhotra, Gaurav Arora, Balram Kumar, Gurbax Singh, Ram Lubhaya and Kuldip Kaur.

Nawanshahr, May 2
Unruly scenes, altercations and exchange of blows were witnessed at the office of the zila parishad on the last day of filing of nomination papers for the panchayat elections here on Friday.

The trouble started when Sham Sunder Jadla, a local BJP leader, allegedly reached the office of the zila parishad to file nomination papers of BJP candidate Sarabjit Kumar from Jadla zone. As the stipulated time for filing the nomination papers was already over and returning officer Dr Jasbir Singh Parmar has closed the doors, Sham Sunder Jadla tried to force the returning officer to file the nomination papers.

He allegedly had an altercation with the returning officer. Accusing the BJP leader of “hatching a conspiracy” against the SAD-BJP alliance in connivance with Congress leaders, a number of SAD leaders and workers present there opposed him by saying that when all candidates belonging to the SAD-BJP alliance had filed their nomination papers then why was he insisting on filing nomination papers of a BJP candidate. The altercation between the BJP leader and SAD workers turned violent and blows were exchanged. The file containing nomination papers was also torn in 
the process.

SGPC member Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, when contacted on phone, accused the BJP leader of hobnobbing with the local Congress leaders for harming the electoral prospects of the SAD-BJP alliance. Jadla was accompanied by district Congress president Kuldip Singh Rana and block president Chaman Singh Bhanmazara.

Actually, the candidate whose nominations papers were to be filed, belonged to the Congress, alleged SAD leaders and workers.

SAD workers of the area have already been expressing their resentment over the “undue importance” being given to Jadla by the local MLA. The SAD workers have been trying to impress upon the local MLA that Jadla has been tarnishing the image of the party for the past many months and today they got a chance to give vent to their ire.

Returning officer Dr Jasbir Singh Parmar, has lodged a complaint with the police against Sham Sunder Jadla and his associates for creating obstruction in discharging his official duty.

On the other hand, Jadla has lodged a complaint with the police against SAD leaders Dildar Singh Mazara Kalan, Girdawar Singh Palli Uchi and Jagat Ram Punnu Mazara, who are also close associates of the local SAD MLA.

While the returning officer and SAD workers are claiming that Jadla reached the office of the zila parishad after 3 pm, the stipulated time for filing nomination papers, Jadla in his complaint has said he reached there at 2.45 pm but he was obstructed to file the papers. He denied allegation of hobnobbing with the Congress leaders. MLA Jatinder Singh Kariha and district BJP chief Ashwani Ballagan could not be contacted as they had switched off their cell phones.

Hoshiarpur, May 2
Rajya Sabha member and district Congress committee chief Dharam Pal Sabharwal today refuted the charges of denying the party ticket to the supporters of former minister Naresh Thakur and former MP Charanjit Singh Channi. Talking to The Tribune, Sabharwal claimed that the ticket for the panchyati raj elections was being allotted after consulting both these leaders and the former market committee chief Sunder Sham Arora.

He said the strategy for the panchayati raj poll was unanimously formulated in a party joint meeting. Besides, all the leaders decided to work unitedly to ensure party’s success, he claimed.

He said the Congress had fielded its candidates in 24 zones of the zila parishad and 203 zones of 10 block samitis. “The party would be contesting independently,” Sabharwal added.

Jalandhar, May 2
A UKG student of St Francis Convent School, Kartarpur, was crushed to death by a school van this morning while he was heading towards his classroom.

According to the information, deceased Pratham had got down from his school van and was on his way to the classroom when another van of his school (PB-08-AU-8617) crushed him. The police registered a case against driver Pargat Singh.

Meanwhile, PRO of Diocese of Jalandhar Father Franco Mulakkal had regretted the incident and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.

The school authorities said they would take a strict action against the driver. He said the school would remain closed tomorrow. 

Jalandhar, May 2
The government should take measures to develop Adampur Air Force base as an airport for international flights.

This was stated by NRI Sabha president Kamaljit Singh Hayer. He said allowing civil flights from the Air Force base would facilitate the diaspora from the Doaba region, which was the NRI capital of Punjab.

Hayer said, “If civil flights can be allowed from Bathinda Air Force Station, then why not Adampur. We have already taken up the matter with the union and Punjab governments”.

When his attention was drawn to the refusal by the ministry of defence regarding the use of Adampur Air Force Station for civil use citing security concerns, Hayer said every issue could be settled through parleys”. The state government should take up the matter strongly, he added.

Commenting on the sabha’s activites, he said it was due to the sabha’s initiatives that NRI police stations were set up. “Now we are trying to set up fast track NRI courts so that NRIs do not feel harassed by the slow legal process in the country”.

He said an officer of the DSP rank should deal with the complaints against NRIs since this would discourage registration of false cases by lower staff. Hayer said he would be meeting Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to demand review of 1,300 cases against NRIs in which they had been declared as proclaimed offenders (POs).

The CM had agreed that an NRI member would be appointed to all the district complaint committees. Besides, an NRI member would also be deputed in the district and state planning boards, he added.

Jalandhar, May 2
A 22-year-old newly married woman was burnt to death under mysterious circumstances at her residence in the Pacca Bagh locality of the city today. The police booked three persons, including the husband of the deceased, for the alleged dowry death.

A fire was noticed in the small house located in a narrow street of the Pacca Bagh locality in the morning and neighbours tried to enter the premises which was locked from inside, police sources said, adding that fire engines were summoned which brought the fire under control within half an hour. But the woman living in the house, identified as Rajni Sharma, was charred to death in the fire. During investigation, it came to light that the deceased was married to Chetan a few months back and very frequently the couple used to have conflict over some domestic issues. The matter was resolved many a time on the intervention of neighbours.

Today morning also some heated arguments were heard by residents and after about an hour the fire was noticed in the house, superintendent of police S.K. Kalia said, adding that on the complaint of relatives of the deceased three persons, Chetan Sharma (husband), Kiran (mother-in-law) and Kanchan (sister-in-law), had been booked under section 304-B (dowry death), IPC, and efforts were on to arrest them. — PTI