Jalandhar, December 19
It was a homecoming for KV-1 school students, Jalandhar cantonment. Old students of the school from across the country and abroad, along with their families, gathered to relive the memories of their school days. The 19th reunion of the old students left them nostalgic with the pleasure of reliving their past days. 

Amidst the golden moments, the old students paid homage to KV’ite martyrs - Major G.P.S. Bindra, Lieut-Col Sanjay Gaur, Lieut Sachin Khindria, Sqn Ldr Anuj Vaid and Flying Officer Vinay Aggarwal. Apart from the students, the meet was also attended by parents of the martyrs who laid down their life for the sake of the nation. 

A virtually poignant Sudarshan Khindria, father of Lieut Sachin, said, “Every time I come here my heart pounds with grief seeing his old pals and teachers here. The Old Students Association (OSA) is like an extended family to me.” 

Lieut Khindria was awarded the Sena Medal posthumously on December 15, 1999. But Sudarshan Khindria lamented the step-motherly behaviour of the state government for not giving any assistance to the family. “The Punjab government failed to fulfil its promises. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at that time (October 1998) had promised to pay Rs 5 lakh and a plot to all martyrs. He had also promised to give an extra amount of Rs 2 lakh in lieu of the plot. It has been 10 years now and we have not received even a single penny,” he said. 

The 22-year-old officer was killed during the Kargil war on October 31, 1998. Another parent present was G.S. Bindra whose son Major G.P.S. Bindra was killed in a counter-insurgency operation in Srinagar on March 29, 1994. He too rued, “What is the price of laying a young life for the sake of the nation. The Punjab government virtually ignored my son’s sacrifice. I do not want anything for myself but an honour in the name of my valiant son. It hurts to see politicians playing dirty games in the name of supreme sacrifices made by these young martyrs,” said Bindra. 

With moist eyes his wife added, “Losing your son is an irreparable loss. No one can fill this void in our lives now but the ignorant attitude of the Punjab government has left us shaken. I did not let my grandson join the Army. We have been humiliated at the hands of politicians.” 

The annual reunion holds a lot of significance for these parents. Every year they donate something to the school in the memory of their children. Sudarshan Khindria has till date donated computers, overhead projector and monetary help to financially weak students. This year he gave a cheque for Rs 1,100 to brilliant students in computer science along with a gold medal. G.S. Bindra too gave a cheque for Rs 5,000 to the OSA.

Jalandhar, December 19
Two British architects will be here tomorrow to offer their suggestions for the upgradation of Burlton Park Stadium into a premier sports hub.

Disclosing this in a press conference, local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia said the sports centre would be equipped with composite facilities not only for cricket and hockey but also for an international-level swimming pool, squash court and tennis court. 

He said discussions had been conducted with the Punjab Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which had advised that British architects be invited for suggestions on the same.

Kalia said the project was being undertaken at a cost of Rs 100 crore. The two architects who are expected tomorrow, Paul Hyte and David Graffith, will give their opinions on the first phase of construction. 

The minister said of the 51.5-acre land, 26 acres would be used for the cricket stadium, 2.5 acres for swimming pool, 9 acre for hockey ground, 2.5 acres for multi-storey parking, 2.5 acres for ground parking and 2.5 acres for roads. 

He said provisions for stay, practice sessions at gym, parking of 3,000 vehicles and seating arrangement for 40,000 spectators would also be made. 

He said the roads surrounding the stadium would also be widened and 70 new shops constructed in the periphery. He said the government was mulling a plan to get a five-star hotel constructed.

Hoshiarpur, December 19
Though the BSP official party nominee Shukhwinder Kumar Sukhi recently opened his election office and has started campaigning for the forthcoming election of Parliament from the Hoshiarpur constituency, the SAD - BJP alliance and the Congress have yet to finalise their respective party candidates due to which a lot of confusion among the local workers and leaders of these parties is prevailing. 

Because of reluctance of local established SAD-BJP leaders from this constituency, certain serving and retired bureaucrats are keen to get party tickets either from the Congress or from the BJP.

According to BJP sources, a retired health director Dr T C Malhan, residing at Jalandhar and the MD of PUDA, Som Parkash, are seeking a party ticket from this seat to contest the forthcoming elections of Parliament. The names of Chaudhary Swarana Ram, presently representing Phagwara segment in the Vidhan Sabha and chairman of Punjab Khadi Udhyog Board Vijay Sampla are being aired for the party ticket from this seat. 

On account of his ill health Chaudhary Swarna Ram may not opt to contest the election whereas Vijay Sampla, residing at Jalandhar, has recently been appointed chairman of the Punjab Khadi Udyog Board.

Sources further revealed that majority of the local BJP workers and leaders have persuaded Dr Raj Kumar, a leading social activist and coordinator of all 36 NGOs of Hoshiarpur to contest from this seat on party ticket. Dr Raj Kumar who is a resourceful person has agreed to contest and has started campaign to get a party ticket.

Former president of the PPCC, Shamsher Singh Dullo, recently visited this constituency and met a number of local Congress workers and leaders to establish his candidature as a Congress nominee from this seat. The chairperson of the National Safai Karamchari Commission Santosh Chaudhary is also a serious contender for the Congress ticket from this seat. She is also regularly touring the constituency for gearing of party workers in her favour. A retired additional DG of Punjab Police D R Bhatti is also a contender of the Congress ticket.

Jalandhar, December 19
The war of words between the mayor and District Congress Committee representatives over favouritism in the allotment of tenders for the slum development project continued even today with the former saying that the latter had simply resorted to cheap politics.

Mayor Rakesh Rathour, in a press conference, said he had asked joint commissioner Rahul Gupta to do some fact-finding regarding allegations levelled on the matter and report to him in a week’s time. He hit his rivals with a counter-allegation saying that the Congress during its regime had allotted tenders worth Rs 18 crore to a single bidder in the very first round.

He, however, clarified his stand on the issue, saying, “I am trying to bring corruption in the MC down to zero tolerance level. I had made the tender allotment system so transparent that I had already told mediapersons that they were free to view any tender allotment of any project in the office.”

Asked whether all three bidders were related to each other, he said he was not aware of this fact. “Even if they were and had come as representatives of three separate entities, we could not reject the bid on technical grounds,” he said, adding that he had earlier cancelled gthe tender allotment twice and did not want the project for the poor to lapse. 

He said the matter of delay in payment of earnest money and inauguration prior to work allotment was being probed. “If the report indicts any officer, we will take action against him,” said the mayor.

Kapurthala, December 19 
The police has nabbed four armed members of an inter-state gang of thugs and recovered four “fake” bricks of gold, a country made pistol, two live cartridges and two knives from their possession. The armed gangsters could be arrested after a shootout near Kala Singha last evening.

Talking to The Tribune, SSP Rakesh Aggarwal claimed that the thugs had been active in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and other neighbouring states for the past many years and had been cheating innocent people in the name gold bricks. 

The modus operandi of the gangsters was that they used to make telephone calls to their prey posing themselves as labourers who had excavated bricks of gold in the Nuh and Mewat areas of Haryana. They had been alluring their targets offering them gold bricks at Rs 2 lakh each after convincing the customers about the purity of the gold, the SSP claimed.

He said that following a complaint, the police laid a trap and nabbed Alijan, Islam, Usman and Zaheer, residents of Nuh and Mewat. They even fired at the police party in a bid to escape but to no avail.

The SSP said the thugs claimed to have looted people for over Rs 30 lakh. — TNS

Tarn Taran, December 19
Devinder Singh (27), a youth of Jamalpur village, falling under Patti police station, was beaten to death by his four relatives, residents of the same village.

The police authorities said here today that a case under sections 302 and 328 of the IPC had been registered against four persons, including two women members. The accused had been identified as Charan Singh and his son Sukhinder Singh and their wives Balwinder Kaur and Jaspreet Kaur, respectively. 

Sukhjinder is an army personnel and had come on leave only two days back to the village. According to information, the deceased is a close relative of the accused. Jaspreet complained to her husband about allegedly being molested by the deceased some days back. The angered Sukhjinder told his mother to bring Devinder to their house.

As soon as Devinder came to their house all the accused started beating him and poisoned him. Satbir Singh, father of the deceased, came to the spot and requested them not to do so. 

Satbir admitted his son to the hospital in a serious condition where he died soon. The accused have absconded.

Jalandhar, December 19 
As part of a statewide mega lok adalat, “Samadhan-2008”, a two-day lok adalat will be organised in the Jalandhar session division, covering Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Nakodar, Phillaur and Balachaur, in their respective judicial court complexes on Saturday and Sunday.

Over 27,000 cases would be taken up for settlement in the different courts. Talking to mediapersons, Jalandhar district and sessions judge-cum-chairman of the district legal services authority Gurdev Singh claimed that nearly 38 benches had been constituted for taking up cases of various categories. — TNS