Jalandhar, August 7
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum today issued orders for the attachment of cars of the Chairman and the Executive Officer of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) for non-compliance of its orders pertaining to issuing of no-dues certificate and a sale deed to a Rohtak-based complainant.

The forum represented by members Surinder Mittal and Rakesh Kumari issued notice for attachment of car (PB-08-AU-0052) of the Executive Officer and PB-08-BH-5700 of the Chairman for enforcement of its order passed on September 11.

Prem Chand of Rohtak had lodged a complaint with regard to his plot number 265, measuring 200 sq yards in the 94.5-acre scheme of the JIT on November 1, 2007. The forum had passed the order on December 12, 2008, for issuing of the 
certificate and the sale deed on deposit of Rs 90,000 instead of Rs 1.92 lakh as were being demanded by the JIT. The forum had also passed orders for compensation of Rs 4,000 to the complainant and Rs 1,000 as litigation charges.

The plaintiff filed an appeal for execution of the orders under sections 25 and 27 of the Consumer Protection Act claiming that he had paid the amount on January 19, 2009, but there had been no compliance on the part of the JIT ever since.

The counsel for the JIT made three requests for adjournment of the case on May 22, June 12 and July 17. On the last hearing, the forum said this would be the last opportunity or else coercive method should be used for execution of orders. Today, again when the forum found that the JIT was intentionally not complying with its orders, the notice of attachment of cars was issued. 

Jalandhar, August 7
Demanding cancellation of an FIR registered against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillor Balbir Singh Bittu, scores of Dal activists blocked the busy Jalanadhar-Amritsar highway at Rama Mandi Chowk here today.

Traffic on the highway was disrupted for almost two hours, subjecting hundreds of passengers and motorists to great inconvenience. The worst affected were elderly persons and children travelling in ordinary buses. They were forced to remain inside the vehicles in the sweltering heat. Ambulances and patients heading from Jalandhar to Ludhiana and vice versa were also hit.

The protesters were demonstrating in favour of Bittu who was booked under section 302 of the IPC for allegedly killing a youth, Vijay Kumar, of Dhilwan village during the post-Vienna episode.

Bittu, however, alleged that the police should also register cases against those who provoked the mob against him. — TNS

Amritsar, August 7
The passport office authorities today condemned the intrusion by members of the maternal family of Mehar Singh whose duplicate passport was fraudulently prepared by his paternal family.

Meanwhile, the Civil Lines police has arrested Yashpal Singh (grandfather of Mehar Singh) and his son Preet Navpal Singh in a passport fraud case. They were presented before the court which sent them to police remand for a day. In a press statement here today, the passport authorities condemned the alleged unruly behaviour of the miscreants in the office that led to disruption of official work, besides holding a press conference in the government office.

They said on June 1, 2009, a demand was made for a duplicate passport for Mehar Singh in lieu of the passport number F-3923068 issued by the RPO, Jalandhar, by submitting an FIR for the lost passport. They added that though the duplicate passport was issued by the office, its delivery to the applicant was stopped owing to the receipt of a complaint from Mehar’s mother.

The duplicate passport was then issued to the applicant by following the required procedure and verification report from the SSP concerned and the CID, Chandigarh.

In order to escape any legal complications after the dispute between an Australia-based couple, the paternal family of Mehar Singh (6) allegedly prepared a new passport by forging documents to send him to his father in Australia.

The matter came to light when Gurpreet Singh, maternal uncle of the boy, raised the issue with the passport authorities, besides lodging a complaint with the police. 

Amritsar, August 7
Religious jathas have become an easy target for Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) for carrying out their nefarious designs including pumping in large quantity of fake currency and narcotics.

This has raised concerns among various intelligence and security agencies, which had earlier also written to their higher ups and Ministry of Home Affairs in this regard, it is learnt.

The recent arrest of Savinder Kaur, an alleged ISI agent, who also fell prey to its tactics, had visited Pakistan on pretext of paying obeisance at holy Sikh shrines situated in the neighboring country a number of times.

Earlier, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) had nabbed Gurjit Singh Bhullar, son of Harpal Singh Bhullar, Chief of International Bhai Mardana Yaadgari Committee, a self-styled organisation involved in sending religious jathas to Pakistan, on charges of espionage.

Highly placed sources in counter intelligence revealed that the ISI had even constituted a special cell for alluring youths between the age group of 16-25 and look out for easy targets especially women for using them as couriers as they don’t easily come under the scanner of intelligence agencies.

They added that it was not possible to keep check on each and every one or frisk all the members of jatha going by roads or through Samjhauta Express after their return from Pakistan.

The sources even claimed that the all the intelligence agencies including IB, RAW, Counter Intelligence and Customs etc have reportedly submitted their report against the plying of Samjhauta Express. However, nothing could be done as it was up to the governments to take any step even as emotions from both countries were involved in this and was necessary for maintaining people to people contact, they added.

Savinder Kaur, who originally hailed from Jammu and had been living in Amritsar for the last 13 years was also instrumental in smuggling of huge quantity of fake currency seized by the Delhi police last month. Her sister was also found involved in fake currency racket, it is learnt.

Meanwhile, the local police seized Rs 10,000 Pakistan-made fake currency and booked four persons in this regard. Vavinder Kumar, in charge District Narcotics Cell, said the police arrested Baldev Singh, a resident of Lopoke village while his three accomplices, including kingpin Ravi Oberai was still at large. Other two were identified as Balbir Singh of Islamabad and Sunny of Guru Nanak Pura.