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Turfed Out: Top
Officials Cling on to Govt Houses
Ludhiana, July 8 Official records procured from the deputy commissioner's office state that Davinder, who is currently additional secretary in the Punjab school education department, has overstayed at his government accommodation at S3 Rakh Bagh after he was posted out on April 14. However, it is mostly police officers who seem to cock a snook at the rules. Several senior cops who have been posted in other cities have not vacated their official residences using the excuse of holding additional charge in Ludhiana. Many are in fact retaining two government accommodations - one at their new place of posting and the other in the city where they are purportedly holding additional charge, much to the ire of senior police officials. Amritsar SSP (Vigilance) Ravcharan Brar, who was a DSP in Ludhiana and was transferred out, is still occupying his house (no. 33A). He is, however, yet to get official accommodation at his new place of posting. DIG (Patiala) Parmod Ban, who was posted to another city a year ago, is still retaining his official accommodation on the upmarket Mall Road. He was earlier DCP in Ludhiana. SSP (Moga) Sneh Deep Sharma has stayed put in Ludhiana despite being posted as the top cop in Moga. He was, however, given special permission by the government as he is the with the third battalion of the India Reserve Battalion. Similarly, Joginder Singh, a DSP and occupant of house no. 11A, is overstaying since July last year. ‘‘He was to leave possession by July 27 last year. But a year has passed but he continues to be here, ’’said a senior administration official. Though SSP of Nawanshahr Narendra Bhargav was posted to another city long ago, he also still retains a house in Ludhiana. However, sources close to Bhargav said he was allowed to retain his house because his wife was also a senior official posted in the city, on which ground he was given “special permission”. Sandeep Sharma, who is DSP in Phagwara and Harjinder Singh, who was an ADCP and now Ferozepore SSP (vigilance), were moved out but are yet to leave their government houses in the city. Sarjeevan Kapila, who retired as assistant director of factories, was to leave his residence (no 54A) in March this year but continues to reside there. Officials have overstayed, to be charged market rent: DC
All these officials have overstayed and none of them has sought the required permission from the state government. We will be charging Them market at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per
month What the ‘defaulters’ have to say: As I’ve been given additional charge of DIG (community affairs) in Ludhiana, I can hold on to my government accommodation in the
city I am a senior superintendent of police with the third India Reserve Battalion and am in fact posted in this city. So I am not
overstaying I have not got an official accommodation in Amritsar. The house meant for me has been occupied by Civil Surgeon of Amritsar. How can I move unless they allot me a house at my place of posting? I have written to my headquarters about my problem. Moreover, I'm holding additional charge of sp (vigilance) in the Ludhiana flying
squad }As I’m holding additional charge of DSP in the third India Reserve Battalion, I am allowed to stay
here. I know I have overstayed here for a year but there are 18 other police officers who have not vacated their government accommodation. First ask officers like the ssp of Nawanshahr and the ssps of Bathinda and Abohar to vacate their houses as many of them have overstayed for over five years. Moreover, Jagraon is a part of Ludhiana district so I can continue to stay
here What do the rules say? Any official who is transferred out of city is required to vacate his official accommodation allotted to him within two months. If, in case, he is not able to do so, he can get special permission to stay for four more months from the deputy commissioner. After that the permission is to be sought from the state government failing which the official has to pay the rent at market price. State can follow Chandigarh’s example
The Punjab government can take a cue from the Chandigarh administration that recently issued instructions to check the practice of transferred officials overstaying in government accommodation on the excuse of holding additional charge in the city. All such officials who retained official residences in Chandigarh as well as the place of their new posting were given notice to either vacate their houses within three months or to pay penal rent. Rent dues
A former inspector general of police (crime), BK Garg, owes Rs 1 crore to the state government for continuing to occupy the government accommodation allotted to him earlier. ‘‘He was levied the amount when he was about to retire and he was then shocked that his rent was more than his post-retirement benefits", said a senior official requesting anonymity. |
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Health dept yet to issue instructions to caterers
Ludhiana, July 8 The health department has not issued instructions to the caterers and marriage palaces for providing hygienic food to the people at parties. Taking this incident very casually, officials of the health department said they would plan to prepare a list of caterers and marriage palace owners (who also provide catering). Sources revealed that the health department never issued instructions regarding providing hygienic food to the people at parties. Dr Kulwinder Singh District Health Officer, Ludhiana said,”Teams of mass media wing and our sanitary inspectors keep visiting different areas from time to time to spread awareness about general hygiene. We keep issuing verbal instructions to all.'' When asked as if the department ever issued written instructions to caterers or marriage palace owners, he said, “I have joined only a week ago. For issuing instructions, we will have to prepare the list of caterers." Along with monsoons, the wedding season is also going on and almost each marriage palace is booked for one function or the other. And by the time instructions will be issued, the wedding season will be over. |
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Tax inspection at shop triggers protest by traders
Ludhiana, July 8 The traders in the area closed their shops, assembled in front of the shop under the scanner and raised slogans against the alleged highhandedness of the taxation department. Jaskaran Brar, assistant excise and taxation commissioner (AETC), Ludhiana-II, said they had received a tip-off about huge tax evasion, following which a team led by him had gone to the shop of Walaiti Ram Tara Chand, a nut-bolt dealer in the area, in the afternoon. As the inspection of stocks, sale and purchase records of the firm was on, shopkeepers in the vicinity took offence to it and resorted to a protest by closing their shops. He said the inspection team, however, continued with its assigned duty and the inspection lasted for well over two hours. “As the police accompanied the team, the shopkeepers were prevented from interfering with the inspection.” According to Brar, the firm owners failed to produce the accounts books. “We have taken inventory of stocks, sale and purchase record which was available with the dealer,” he added.
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Theft in record room of DC’s office
Ludhiana, July 8 Locks of the record room, that houses files related to property and revenue, were found broken by record keeper, who brought it to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari. The DC forwarded the complaint to the police and a case was registered. Tiwari said they were inquiring into the matter to find out which documents had been taken away. ‘‘There are lakhs of files in the record room,” he said. Sources, however, said one of the files concerning a case of property dispute was also missing. |
Woman delivers baby in emergency ambulance
Ludhana, July 8 Jatin Malhotra, the service’s cluster leader, stated: “Harpreet, whose labor pains had begun, was picked up by our staff at about 8:40 pm. There were four people in the ambulance at that time, when the shift changes - emergency medical technicians Satinder Singh and Maneesh Kumar besides the two drivers, Pargat Singh and Manpreet Singh. The ambulance took her along with Mandeep Kaur, an accredited social health activist. When the vehicle was about to reach the hospital Harpreet delivered a baby boy with the assistance of Mandeep and the two medical technicians. It was around 9 pm when the jubilant ambulance staff informed me they had a newborn baby aboard the vehicle and both mother and child were fine. Only five minutes after the delivery the ambulance arrived at the Raikot Civil Hospital, where the newborn and his mother were admitted.” “Our emergency medical technicians have helped many patients to deliver in the ambulance itself and then admitted the mother and child safely to the nearest hospital. We daily come across 7-8 such patients, who deliver in ambulance. However this is perhaps the first delivery in a 108 emergency ambulance in Ludhiana district”, Malhotra added. Dr Moninder Singh, senior medical officer at the Raikot Civil Hospital, said: “Both the mother and her baby are healthy and we discharged them in the morning. And this could be possible only because we have been provided with a 108 emergency ambulance”. The health department inducted 16 emergency ambulances in Ludhiana district on July 2.
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Beopar mandal rejects VAT return forms
Ludhiana, July 8 The steering committee of the PPBM, which met here today under the presidentship of Amrit Lal Jain, also called for scrapping the notification, asking the VAT registered dealers to fill in a separate form and issue a separate cheque for 20 per cent VAT surcharge towards PMIDF (Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Fund) allocation. Jain said it was unanimously decided that the mandal functionaries, wearing black bands, would submit memoranda to their respective deputy and assistant excise and taxation commissioners at the district-level, demanding replacement of new VAT return forms 23 and 24 with the previous ones, and withdrawal of notification for separate return and separate cheque for 20 per cent VAT surcharge (towards PMIDF). In case the government fails to act, traders will resort to protest dharnas from August 15, 2011, which will continue till the demands were accepted. He said, “Rather than fulfilling their promise of making the taxation system simpler and cutting down the red tape, the department comes out every day with new procedural hassles, and adds to the misery of traders.” Making a strong case for review of high rate of VAT on petrol, Jain said 32.75 per cent VAT on petrol was totally uncalled for and unjust. With the maximum rate of VAT on petrol in all other neighbouring states being 24 per cent, the petrol dealers in Punjab were rendered uncompetitive, while the people in the state were also bearing the brunt of highest rate of the fuel in the entire Northern India.
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Stars converge on city
Ludhiana, July 8 The company is organising a tour for the actors, including Gippi Grewal, Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa. The artists will visit Jalandhar, Amritsar and Chandigarh. Neeru Bajwa said, “The movie conveys a social message.” While Gippy Grewal, who used to sing earlier, said, “I did not find much difference between singing and acting, as I did not have stage fear in mind.”
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PAU invites application for innovative farmer awards
Ludhiana, July 8 Giving details about innovative farmer awards, PAU director of extension education, Dr MS Gill said the awards included S Dalip Singh Memorial Award, Parvasi Bharti Award, S Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award, S Surjit Singh Dhillon Award and Sardarni Jagbir Kaur Memorial Award. S Dalip Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award, carrying cash prize of Rs 5,000 along with a citation, will be given to a self-cultivating farmer of field crops in Punjab, he said. Parwasi Bharti Award, carrying cash prize of Rs 8,000 along with a plaque and a citation, will be given to a self-cultivating farmer engaged in diversified farming system, whereas S Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award, carrying cash prize of Rs 3,100 along with a plaque and a citation, will be bestowed on self-cultivating vegetable grower. —TNS
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Farmers apprised of sapota cultivation Ludhiana: Sapota (chiku) is an important fruit crop which can be successfully grown in the sub-mountainous parts of Punjab. Imparting useful knowledge to farmers about the successful cultivation of the fruit, horticulturists of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) shared information on its varieties, propagation and planting, manures and fertilisers, irrigation and intercropping, fruit maturity and harvesting. A hardy, perennial and evergreen tree, sapota can be grown on a wide range of soils. The soil should be deep, well drained and there should be no hard pan in the sub-soil, said the experts. They stated that the fruit was a good source of digestible sugars and had appreciable amount of protein, fat, fibre, mineral, calcium, phosphorous and iron. Dr GS Kahlon said kalipatti, one of the varieties of the fruit, was oval with sweet, mellow flesh of excellent quality, while cricket ball was large and round having three to five seeds. Dr HS Rattanpal said veneer grafting was a commercial method of spota propagation. “Khirni is the best rootstock producing vigorous plants with high productivity,” he added. Stating that the seedlings were raised in pots or beds, the expert added that the seedlings of pencil thickness were suitable for grafting. Dr Rattanpal said sapota could be planted during August-October and February-March in the pits (1x1x1m). The planting should be done at 9x9 m spacing and farm yard manure, phosphorus and potassium should be applied in the month of December-January, he added. Half of nitrogen should be applied in the month of March and the remaining half in July-August. PAU experts, referring to irrigation and intercropping, told the farming community that sapota required irrigation at 30 days interval in winter and 10 to 12 days interval in summer. Young plants should be watered regularly. The horticulturists added that sapota was a slow growing plant and took about six to eight years to come into commercial bearing. Pulses and vegetables should be referred as intercrops, as these kept weeds under control and prevented nutrient loss through leaching. Separate arrangement should be made for irrigation and fertilisation of intercrops and inter-plants. Regarding the maturity of the fruit crop, the experts said being climacteric in nature, sapota should be picked when properly mature. Harvested fruits should be cleaned of latex and scurf by washing in clean water or by rubbing with gunny bags. The scientists advised farmers that the uniform and rapid ripening of fruits could be achieved by the dip treatment with ethephon (1,000 ppm) for two minutes. For any information on the cultivation of this crop, the horticulturists may be contacted on 0161-2401960/Ext. 303. Certificate course in French
Punjab Agricultural University holds educational programmes in French which are quite popular. The programmes include one year certificate course in French (part time) for graduates in any subject, and one year diploma course in French for graduates in any discipline having one year certificate or equivalent in French. The application forms are available in the office of Dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, on payment of Rs 50 by cash or by sending demand draft of Rs 70. The last date for the receipt of applications is July 25 and the interview will be held on July 26 at 2 pm and 10 am. — TNS
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Attempt to break ATM proves futile
Ludhiana, July 8 The incident came to the light in the wee hours of today when a watchman of the area saw the glass door broken and informed the police about the incident. According to the police, the ATM machine was not tempered with and no loss of money was reported. — TNS
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‘Golgappas’ continue to be in unsafe hands
Ludhiana, July 8 On June 30, Dr HS Bali, Chief Medical Officer, Ludhiana, had issued instructions imposing fine on those found serving “golgappas” without gloves from July 1. However, it was observed that a majority of “golgappa” vendors in Civil Lines, Ghumar Mandi, Model Town, Sarabha Nagar, Dandi Swami Road and Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar and Agar Nagar continued to serve the eatables without wearing gloves. And, customers also seemed to be little bothered about it. Husan Lal, a vendor at Civil Lines, who was found serving without wearing gloves, said: “I serve like this. Gloves are not required for this job.” Customers enjoying the “chaat” and “golgappa” were oblivious to the fact that the CMO had issued instructions to vendors. Satinder Kaur, a customer, said: “I am a regular visitor to this vendor and have never fallen sick after eating here.” Harnam Kaur, another customer, said: “I don’t know about the instructions of the health department. I am here to enjoy the ‘chaat’.” Similarly, in the Ghumar Mandi area, a roadside vendor, Ramsaran, said: “Wearing gloves is a cumbersome process. Also, gloves rupture after some time. What is the use of wearing these when hands get wet again?” he said. We have started checking ‘golgappa’ vendors and making them aware about the importance of wearing gloves. However, people should also avoid eating where vendors don’t wear gloves. It is for their own good. There are no rules under which we can take action against erring vendors. We can only warn
them. ‘List of vendors with MC’
A few days ago, we conducted a check on some vendors in Model Town and destroyed the material of two of them, i.e. ‘Churmure Glogappe Wala’ and ‘Ambale Wala’, as they were found without gloves and not maintaining proper hygiene. We cannot check all vendors in one go as we don’t have a list of vendors. The list is with the municipal corporation and only they know from where all these vendors
operate.
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Cong questions efficacy of state government
Ludhiana, July 8 Addressing a series of meetings in different wards of the city here today, the DCC president said the government was only surviving on lies. He said while it had failed the whole of Punjab, the situation in urban areas was deplorable. He said the recent bandh call given against the price hike had been deservingly rejected by the people of the state.
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Muslims burn effigy of UP Government
Ludhiana, July 8 Shahi Imam of Punjab and national president of the Majlis-e-Ahrar Maulana Habib ur Rahman, who led the protest, said forcible entry of policemen in a house in the village and showing disrespect to the holy Quran would not be tolerated. He said the BSP government in UP had been persistently harassing and discriminating against the minorities. “But the act of sacrilege committed by the state police has crossed all limits while also bringing shame to the democratic setup in India.” The Shahi Imam further alleged that the repressive and “goonda” acts of the police in Uttar Pradesh had tacit approval of the state Chief Minister Mayawati. “Had it not been so, the government would have brought to book the officers guilty of letting loose a reign of terror against minorities by now.” In an ultimatum to the UP Government, Maulana said if the guilty policemen were not proceeded against without any further delay, the Majlis-e-Ahrar would launch a nationwide protest against the BSP government and Mayawati. “We are determined to fight against the jungle raj in Uttar Pradesh, and if felt necessary, the Muslims from all parts of the country will march towards Lucknow to hold a historic protest against the Mayawati government,” he added.
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Local youth dies in US
Samrala July 8 Gurdeep Singh (26) had gone to the US in 2008 for study and was working in California after completing his study. According to the deceased’s brother, Manjit Singh, they received a call from his friends that Gurdeep died on July 3 due to some unknown reasons. They also sent sponsorship to the family members so that they could bring back the body to his native village for the last rites. According to Manjit Singh, his mother had been keeping unwell for some time and had expressed her urge to visit the US to meet her son and spend some time there. However, the family members were yet to disclose the news to her. She had talked to Gurdeep some days before his death.
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PPP to approach poll panel
Samrala, July 8 Talking to mediapersons here today, Manpreet termed the trend harmful for democracy.
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Pickpockets heed request, leave behind wallets
Ludhiana, July 8 The incident took place here this afternoon when the victims approached the organisers claiming that their wallets had been stolen. Following this, an organiser made an announcement on the public address system that the purses contained vital documents. “If pickpockets want to take the money, please do, but kindly leave the wallets behind as these contain driving licences, ATM and debit cards, etc. It will cause a major harassment to the victims. Kindly leave the wallets behind after taking the money,” the organiser said. Minutes later, the wallets were found near the wall of the exit door. Though the money was missing, documents were found intact. The organisers later “thanked” the pickpockets for their “gesture”.
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Snatchers escape with dog
In the haste, one of the suspect’s mobile phone fell on the road. The incident took place around 5 pm when Mamta Sharma, a resident of Gurdev Nagar, was walking her dog. Two youths came on a motorbike, snatched the pug, worth around Rs 20,000, and fled the scene. Mamta Sharma’s husband Raju Sharma, said the pug was two years old. He added that the mobile phone belonging to one of the snatchers fell on the street as they tried to flee. The mobile was handed over to the police. Division No. 5 SHO Naveen Sharma said: “We have been given the mobile phone. We are in the process of investigation.” Sources said the police was scanning the mobile details of the snatchers and was in the process of gathering the name and address of the snatchers.
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District Scan
Plantation drive
Punjab Minister for Jails and Cultural Affairs Hira Singh Gabria exhorted people from all walks of life to contribute towards the enhancement of green cover in order to combat alarming level of environmental pollution. Launching a plantation drive at Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Government Girls Senior Secondary School here, he said the campaign would continue for next two months and saplings would be planted in each and every school. He said people should not only plant more and more saplings, but should also nurture plants till their maturity, because trees held the key for creation of a healthy society. New VAT forms cause confusion
The industry here, has sharply reacted to the introduction of new VAT return forms 23 and 24. According to Rajiv Jain, general secretary, United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association, the forms have been repeatedly revised during the past few days, which had created confusion among traders. He said the excise and taxation department should hire technical staff who should make proper corrections before introducing any new form or procedure. He said the process of refund of 75 per cent VAT was slow. — TNS
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Woman booked for kidnapping minor girl
Ludhiana, July 8 The victim who was recovered from a furniture shop near Bharat Nagar Chowk is currently recuperating at the local Civil Hospital. The victim’s mother said the incident took place on Sunday when her daughter was walking towards her maternal grandmother’s house. Baljit Kaur approached her daughter and offered her a free ride. “On her way, Baljeet Kaur offered her food laced with sedatives. After consuming the food, my daughter fell unconscious. She kept my daughter in a shop in Bharat Nagar Chowk where a man raped her,” she alleged. The police has registered a case against Baljeet Kaur and Vinod Kumar and started its investigation. The two are at large.
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Ludhiana, July 8
Venus Ladies Club celebrated “Teej” by organising a teej queen contest. The function was marked with fun and frolic with dances, music, indoor games and an absorbing question round about the month of “Sawan” which marked the rainy season.