Ludhiana, March 6
There were no takers for a built-up commercial complex on Maharani Jhansi Road, an upmarket commercial hub of the city, which was offered for sale through public auction by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) here today.

As no bidders turned up and not even a single person deposited the eligibility fee, the LIT officials decided to call off the auction after waiting for nearly three hours.

The 2.22 acre commercial complex, with a built-up area of 7,634 square yards, and constructed at a cost of Rs 16 crore several years ago, was proposed to be put on the block as a single unit for the second time, with a reserve price of Rs 197 crore.

The LIT had earlier also made an unsuccessful attempt to sell the complex through public auction on December 10, 2009, at the same floor price. Not a single bidder had turned up for the auction.

Avtar Singh Azad, Executive Officer of the Trust, said as two attempts to sell the complex as a single unit had failed, a proposal would be sent to the Punjab Government to seek permission to sell the complex in multiple units. However, that will take some time as the LIT would have to adopt a resolution at its meeting to this effect and a formal proposal would be sent to the government.

The lack of interest among realtors and investors towards the commercial sites and properties, especially those having a very high value, is being attributed to continuing recessionary trends in the real estate market. Only a couple of days ago, the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) had failed to sell two chunks of land in Sector 40 on Chandigarh Road, which carried a reserve price of Rs 25.68 crore and Rs 24.39 crore.

Similarly, a public auction conducted by GLADA for a hotel site in Sector 32-A on Chandigarh Road with a floor price of Rs 51.69 and another organised by LIT for prime commercial sites got a poor response. Only two of a total 42 sites could be sold for about Rs 55.30 lakh against a total reserve price of Rs 13.66 crore.

An auction of SCF and booth sites in Dugri Urban Estate, Phase III, conducted by GLADA here today evoked a huge response as more than 100 intending bidders participated in the public auction of 15 sites.

Against a total reserve price of the properties at Rs 5,74,72,000, the auction of five SCF and 10 booth sites yielded a little more than Rs 8.32 crore.

According to Anand Mohan Sharma, who conducted the auction along with GLADA Additional Chief Administrator Baldev Singh and other officials, five SCF sites measuring 121 square yards each with a floor price of Rs 4.84 crore were sold for Rs 5,42,44,300 while 10 booth sites with an area of 22.68 square yards each, carrying a total reserve price of Rs 90.72 lakh were sold for almost Rs 2.90 crore at a premium of more than 300 per cent.

Against the reserve price of the SCF site at Rs 80,000 per square yard, the highest bid was offered at Rs 93,000 per square yard while the lowest successful bid was Rs 85,000 per square yard. In stark contrast, the highest bid for the booth site having a reserve price of Rs 40,000 per square yard was Rs 1.34 lakh and the lowest (accepted) bid was Rs 1,18,200 per square yard.

Ludhiana, March 6
Residents remained at the receiving end of private garbage collectors' protest here today. The garbage collectors blocked the busy Bharat Nagar Chowk in protest against A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Ltd. They have demanded that the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation should stop the A2Z company from indulging in door-to-door collection of garbage in the city.

The chowk was blocked for around one and a half hours, from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

As the protest started, some commuters tried to persuade the protesters to let them pass. This led to a heated argument between the protesters and the commuters. Blows were also exchanged.

Long queues of vehicles were seen on Ferozepur Road, Mall Road as well as on the road leading to the bus stand.

The commuters said instead of blocking a road or an intersection, protesters should gherao political leaders, who are to take decision as to whether the A2Z company would lift garbage from houses or not. "People coming from the Jagraon, Mullanpur, Moga, Ferozepur and Faridkot areas use this chowk to reach the Christian Medical College and Hospital. If the protesters continue to harass us in a similar manner, we will accept the A2Z company at every cost," said a commuter, who was stuck in a traffic jam.

Surinder Kalyan, president of the Valmiki Samaj Bachao Andolan, which organised this protest, claimed that until the MC stops the A2Z company from carrying out door-to-door collection of garbage, they would continue the protest. "We are not against the solid waste management project, but against allowing the private company to collect garbage from houses. The company should be allowed to lift garbage only from the collection points," he added.

Joint Commissioner, MC, AS Sekhon stated that the A2Z company had already offered to accommodate all the private garbage collectors. "If this company starts its operations in any particular area, it will certainly need manpower. The A2Z company is offering a monthly salary of Rs 6,000 besides other benefits," he stated.

Ludhiana, March 6
The two-hour "rail roko" agitation by more than 12 farmer organisations threw the rail traffic in the region out of gear with half a dozen trains getting delayed.

According to railway officials, 18104 Amritsar-Tata Nagar Jallianwala Bagh Express and 14604 Amritsar-Saharsa Jansadharan Express could not commence their journeys on the scheduled time and both these trains were running late by 1.40 hours and 2 hours, respectively. Similarly, 12499 Shan-e-Punjab and 12030 Shatabdi Express, running between Amritsar and New Delhi, were also delayed. These arrived here more than an hour behind schedule.

Among the Amritsar and Jammu-bound trains, 12549 Durg-Jammu Superfast Express and 15209 Saharsa-Amritsar Jansewa Express were held up on the way and these were running late by 55 minutes and 1.20 hours, respectively.

Hundreds of passengers waiting to board trains to New Delhi and many other destinations were stranded at the railway station for hours together. The enquiry counters and other railway officials were clueless about the actual time of arrival of several trains.

"Rail traffic is disrupted every other day by one protesting body or the other as trains turn out to be soft targets. In the process, thousands of passengers have to suffer," remarked Krishan Gupta, a city-based businessman.

Ludhiana, March 6
Following a report on the community service being rendered by Nishkam Yuva Samiti, city residents came forward to offer their services to the non-governmental organisation which has launched geriatric care service in the city.

Shruti Bansal, one of the volunteers of the NGO, said: "We received over a dozen calls. I explained the project in detail to the callers. I am happy that the callers volunteered to work for this noble cause." Sharwan Kumar, founder of the NGO, said the overwhelming response was very inspiring.

The NGO takes care of elderly patients if their family members have to go to work. — TNS

Ludhiana, March 6
A meeting was convened by the Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari today to deal with the issue of complaints regarding the poor quality of food being served under the Mid-Day Meal scheme by the contractor.

The meeting was attended by the Civil Surgeon, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Dev), District Health Officer, District Education Officer (primary).

The decisions taken during the meeting include: The community kitchen for 150 schools was being prepared in Sherpur by the private contractor. The kitchen prepared food from 04.00 am to 08.00 am. Civil Surgeon shall ensure that daily one concerned officer shall remain present in the cooking premises and a daily certificate that food was cooked in hygienic conditions and quality of food was proper in taste for consuming of children shall be taken from the officer on duty by the Civil Surgeon.

Besides, the District Education Officer (primary) shall depute three teachers daily from 04.00 am to 08.00 am to check cooking process and then they shall give a certificate in writing that the quality of food was proper in taste for consumption of children.

Another decision said once the food was taken by the transporters to the 150 schools, the head teacher of each of the School on the time of receiving the tiffin shall give a certificate that he/she had tasted the food and upon receiving the food had found the taste of the food to be proper and consumable by the children. The transporters shall collect the certificate in this regard from the head teacher and one copy shall be kept by the head teacher. Without collecting the certificate, the transporters shall not deliver the food to the school. Any violation from this direction shall invite criminal action against the transporter.

The Deputy Commissioner said all these certificates will be sent daily to Additional Deputy Commissioner (Dev) who shall be the nodal officer for this process. The certificate shall be sent by the District Education Officer (Primary) and Civil Surgeon and the Office of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Dev) shall keep them in record.

"If any complaint about stale food or improper food being served to children is received then the person who had signed the certificate will be proceeded against departmentally and may even be suspended if need be. If any further complaint of improper food being served is received then steps will be initiated to take criminal action against the contractor apart from taking steps to cancel his contract," said Tiwari.

The District Education Officer (Primary) has been asked to bring the entire situation in the knowledge of the DGSE who shall take the matter up with the contractor for ensuring that no single case of stale food being served to children was henceforth repeated.

"Additional Deputy Commissioner (Dev) either personally or through Secretary Zila Parishad or DDPO at least once every week will check the community kitchen at Sherpur at time of dispatch of food," said the Deputy Commissioner.

Ludhiana, March 6
It seems that the shopkeepers of Sarabha Nagar main market have no fear of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. This could be known from the fact that even as the civic body’s tehbazaari branch cleared illegal encroachments from the Sarabha Nagar main market last evening, the encroachments resurfaced in the market once again today.

Considered one of the posh markets of the city, the encroachments here are a common sight and the MC seems least bothered about this menace. Its not that these encroachments have sprung up just recently, but they have been existing here for the past several years, as the MC preferred to look the other way.

A visit to the market reveals that the passageways have been illegally encroached by keeping racks selling magazines, eatables as well as other such goods. Besides, the shopkeepers have also illegally allowed people to set up their stalls where “mehndi” (Henna) is applied on hands.

Sources said that such stalls “pay” for setting up their illegal shops in front of the Shop-cum-Flats, which have ironically been converted into Shop-cum-Offices, resulting in traffic congestion in the area.

The MC officials admit that these violations have been prevailing in this market for several years. But they are not able to take any action against the violators due to alleged political interference.

But after the matter was brought to the notice of tehbazaari branch officials by The Tribune, they carried another anti-encroachment drive and cleared all the encroachments again in the evening.

MC’s trehbazaari superintendent, Naveen Malhotra, informed that the shopkeepers had again encroached upon government land and passageways. “I had categorically warned them yesterday that they should leave the passageways empty for the visitors. But if they don’t mend their ways, we would remove the encroachments everyday,” he claimed.

Ludhiana, March 6
Trouble brewed at Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, today when the non-teaching staff, wearing black badges, gathered outside the principal's office to demand that their increments and the DA installments be released as was being done till date.

The non-teaching employees alleged that the KVM management had decided to fix salaries afresh without releasing any increments or the DA installments. On the other hand, the management said it was kept in dark by employees for long.

“The employees had themselves approached the Tribunal Court, in which they lost. The particular document was concealed by them. Later, when the management procured it, the decision was implemented. Still, we provided them ample opportunities to come and sit with us, but they refused,” said president of the KVM management Dr Lajpat Rai.

The Union leaders, including Vishesh Kumar, Shanti Prashad and Rajesh Kumar, said the non-teaching staff was being provided all the grades since 1980.

"The latest directions, however, came as a jolt for around 125 employees who have been working here for the past several years,” said the leaders.

"Yesterday too we wore black badges and today we gathered outside the principal's office. The management, however, seems to be least bothered,” said another employee. 

Ludhiana, March 6
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, bagged the runner-up trophy at the 13th All-India State Agricultural University (SAU) Youth Festival.

Forty universities participated in the festival at Jawahar Lal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur.

Students performed well in various fine arts, drama, dance, music and literary events.

Kamaljoti of the veterinary college bagged a gold medal in clay modelling, while Amandeep Kaur of the fisheries college secured the first position in rangoli making. 

Ludhiana, March 6
The local Congress leaders have welcomed the change of guard at the state level. Hailing the appointment of Partap Singh Bajwa as the new Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief, the District Congress Committee, Ludhiana (Urban), president Pawan Dewan said the move will help contain infighting among the Congress leaders and functionaries.

The Congress had failed to put up a united front in Ludhiana, as in other districts, during the Assembly polls. The dissidents had alleged nepotism in the distribution of tickets, while charging the party leadership with indifference to the workers' lot. During the Municipal Corporation (MC) polls here, too, the party had to grapple with dissidence.

After the Assembly and MC polls, fissures in the party have kept resurfacing, prompting the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari, to say that infighting is the biggest foe of the Congress. The new PPCC chief, according to political analysts, has a tough job ahead of him, as plugging the fissures at the state as well as the district levels would be an uphill task.

Meanwhile, local leaders have said that relatively younger Bajwa would enthuse the party workers and boost their sagging morale. "The profile of the electorate is getting younger. More than 60 per cent of the voters are young," said Dewan. The change in the party's state leadership will augur well for the party in the 2014 Parliamentary polls, he said.

"It is a matter of pride not only for the state Congress but also for the party segment in the Majha region that a former Youth Congress president, three-time MLA and a sitting Member Parliament has been given the command of the Punjab Congress," said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (Legal Cell) member and former additional advocate general, Punjab, Harpreet Sandhu.

Meanwhile, Akali leader Hira Singh Gabria, while commenting on the appointment of Bajwa as the President of the PPCC, claimed that the change would not make any difference to the Congress party's poll fortune. 

Ludhiana, March 6
Mobile wing of the excise and taxation department today seized nearly 202 cartons of goods from the railway station. The department got a tip off after which it reached railway station at around 3 am and continued raid till 10.30 am.

"We are suspecting that some of the goods were without bill which entered the railway station from its backyard. The exact value of the goods seized can be ascertained only once we open each and every parcel which will take time. Till now we were busy keeping the goods at the godown," said Inderjit Singh Bhamra, assistant excise and taxation commissioner (mobile wing).

Goods were being loaded from Ludhiana railway station and were going out of Punjab. The goods were mostly related to hosiery, added Bhamra. The raid was conducted on the directions of AETC Inderjit Singh Bhamra and ETO, DS Garcha and KS Dhaliwal conducted the raid.

Ludhiana, March 6
The city police today arrested the second accused in connection of a murder case of rickshaw puller, who was brutally killed on August 27.

The accused have been identified as Amandeep Singh, alias Money. The rickshaw puller Charanjeet Singh (40) was found brutally murdered near the bus stand on August 27, last year.

Charanjit Singh, alias Babbi, was murdered after he allegedly misbehaved with Atar Singh, who had gone to deceased's house to complain against his nephew, who had stolen mobile phones from Atar Singh's house.

Divulging the details, in charge police post Surjeet Singh Nagra said, "Charanjeet Singh (40) was found killed near bus stand. He was stabbed with sharp edged weapon in the right side of neck. A resident of Ambedkar Nagar, Charanjeet used to pull the rickshaw near bus stand."

While three persons including Atar Singh, Deepu and Money were arrested earlier by the police, Amandeep was arrested today. — TNS

Ludhiana, March 6
The Additional Sessions Judge Surinderpal Kaur has convicted a youth Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, of Guru Ram Dass Nagar, Makkar Colony, Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana. He was sentenced rigorous imprisonment for seven years.

His co-accused Rama Devi of Makkar Colony has also been awarded seven years jail imprisonment under section 120-B of the IPC.

Keeping in view the nature of offence committed by the accused, they were not entitled for any lenient attitude, observed the court while dismissing the plea of leniency raised by the accused.

Initially a case under Sections 376, 511,120-B of the IPC was registered against the accused at Focal Point police station on May 30, 2008 following the statement of 
victim girl.

Later on, during evidence the court found that the rape was committed with a girl, as the report of chemical examiner was clear on this point.

The victim girl had stated to the police that she was standing outside her house. Rama Devi was her neighbour. She called her inside. When the victim went there, the accused Happy was already inside the house.

He started clicking her photographs on mobile. She objected but Rama closed the door and went outside.

Thereafter, the accused did the committed the crime. When the victim started shouting, her mother rushed to the spot and the accused ran away.

The prosecution had examined as many as 11 witnesses in this case.

The accused pleaded innocence and claimed false implications. But after appreciating the evidence on record, the court observed that the guilt of the accused persons stands proved beyond any reasonable shadow of doubt.