Ludhiana, September 19
Three more patients from the district, who were under treatment at the ESI Hospital, Ludhiana, tested positive for dengue today. The patients, all male, belonged to Jugiana, Sherpur and Gobindgarh (Sahnewal). With this, the number of dengue cases reported form the district so far this season has reached 44, while 46 patients of dengue from other districts in the state have received treatment at hospitals in the city. There are 11 patients of dengue from other states, who have received treatment at hospitals in the city.

The District Epidemiologist, Dr Anil Verma, said, "Whenever we receive any dengue case from any area in the city, we immediately inform the municipal corporation for carrying out fogging in the affected area."

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal held a meeting with officers of the Health Department at the Mini-Secretariat to review the steps being taken to tackle vector-borne diseases like dengue. The Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Dr Subhash Batta, and the District Epidemiologist attended the meeting. Dr Batta said, "The Deputy Commissioner asked about the preventive measures being taken by the Health Department to tackle vector-borne diseases."

An officer of the Health Department said it was the duty of the municipal corporation to check leakage of water and get fogging done wherever required.

Visitors wait outside the Civil Surgeon's office in Ludhiana on Thursday; and (below) a man stares at an empty chair during a strike by the health staff. photos: Inderjeet verma

Ludhiana, September 19
Visitors to the Civil Surgeon's office, Ludhiana, remained at the receiving end for the second day today as the clerical staff remained on strike on a call given by the Punjab Health Department Subordinate Offices Clerical Association. Death and birth certificates and drug licences could not be issued even today due to the strike. Several people who were not aware of the strike had to return disappointed from the office.

Work also suffered at community health centres, ESI dispensaries and at the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana. Members of the association also held a dharna outside the Civil Surgeon's office in support of their demands.

Sukhvinder Singh, president of the association, said, "To press the authorities to meet our long-pending demands, we continued our strike for the second day today. We will continue out strike tomorrow also and have decided to extend it to next week.''

The Assistant Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Dr Kaushal Saini, said, "The strike has paralysed our work. We are trying to resolve their issues at the earliest." 

Ludhiana, September 19
While there has been an increase in dengue cases being reported from city localities and elsewhere in the district, the municipal corporation has been "found wanting" in carrying out fumigation operations to control the dengue-causing mosquito.

Tall claims being made by MC officials regarding carrying out fumigation in 30 wards of the city every day are being contested by residents, who assert that either the claims are not based on facts, or else the fogging operations are being carried out in selective areas.

The outbreak of dengue in the industrial hub of the state has become a regular feature. Every year, especially during this season, hundreds of people fall prey to dengue, with the disease claiming many a precious life. The incidence is much higher in slum areas and a large number of localities on the periphery of the city, predominantly inhabited by migrant population, which has been notified as "high-risk areas" by the Health Department due to a poor drainage system and stagnant water.

Not only residents of high-risk areas and other localities in the city, even officials of the Health Department maintain that sufficient preventive measures to break the breeding cycle of mosquitoes are not being taken.

"Fogging to control the mosquito, which causes diseases such as malaria and dengue, is not extensive, especially in the high-risk areas, in spite of the fact that several written communications have been sent to the civic body in this regard," said an official of the Health Department on condition of anonymity.

A similar assertion was made by a large number of residents from different parts of the city who said no fumigation had been carried out in their localities for weeks together. Tarlok Singh, a resident of Giaspura, and Hukam Chand, a resident of Haibowal, said a fogging machine made a round on the main road at best once a week, which was far too inadequate for these thickly populated and disease-prone areas.

The Municipal Health Officer, Dr Vipal Malhotra, however, claimed that fumigation was carried out in 30 wards (15 each in the morning and evening) in the city every day with tractor-trailer-mounted machines whereas some 70 hand-held machines were also being used for the purpose. Sufficient stock of the medicine being used for fumigation was available with the MC and the best possible efforts were being made to curb breeding of mosquitoes, he said.

Ludhiana, September 19
The Excise and Taxation Department today confiscated 170 kg of gold belonging to an upcoming jewellery house in the city. Gold worth Rs 60 crore was brought from Ahmedabad in a chartered plane that landed at the Sahnewal airport.

The showroom is slated to open in a couple of days and the gold was being transferred to the showroom.

Since the jewellery house failed to intimate the Excise and Taxation Department about the transportation of the gold into the district, the department seized the gold.

AETC Tejbir Singh Sidhu said, "Kalyan Jewellers was transferring gold for an upcoming jewellery showroom in the city but did not intimated the department regarding the transfer of gold, which is mandatory. The transfer papers were also incomplete. We have seized the gold and penalty will be slapped."

Police sources said the Excise and Taxation Department had asked for a police force to guard the gold.

The Income Tax Department also checked the documents and found alll papers intact. The stock transfer certificate was shown to the Income Tax Department by the showroom authorities.

Excise team impounds six trucks carrying tyres

The Excise and Taxation Department impounded six trucks containing tyres from the Ludhiana dry port. The consignment belonged to a businessman in Delhi and had come to Ludhiana from China without intimation to the department.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 19
The police remained on toes while checking activists of organisations which had threatened to disrupt the SAD conference at Mela Chhapar today. It was apprehended that the protestors who could enter the pandal housing the conference would raise slogans against the government when the chief minister will start his speech.

It was due to unprecedented security strategy implemented by Senior Superintendent of Police Ludhiana (Rural ) Ashish Chaudhary that none of the protestors could reach the venue of the conference.

Unlike earlier occasions, the in charges of nearby police stations falling under jurisdiction of other police district were advised to keep in touch with the mela in charges and ensure that the protestors do not reach the venue through roads and streets situated in their areas.

Teams of cops led by SHO Sadar Jasbir Singh and SHO City Mandhir Singh had cordoned off the area and enhanced vigil at Railway stations and bus stops so that the protestors could not enter the area through public transport.

Meanwhile, office-bearers of protesting unions led by Peermal Singh state president of the Unemployed Linemen Union Punjab said they had staggered their action as IG Gurinder Singh Dhillon had assured that their meeting with the chief minister would be arranged soon. 

Ludhiana, September 19
The actions taken by the building branch of the Municipal Corporation have failed to curb the menace created by blatant violation of building bylaws and unabated change of land use.

The residential and commercial buildings are being constructed without approved building plans while at the same time residential buildings are being converted into commercial establishments even in such areas where change of land use is not permissible.

Not that the MC does not take any action for violations of building bylaws. But the punitive action taken against the defaulters, it seems, is not deterrent in nature, or else the stakes of the builders lobby are too high and they take the composition fee, penalty, or even demolition of parts of the unauthorised buildings, in their stride.

Information obtained from the MC by Rohit Sabharwal and Arvind Sharma, president and secretary, respectively of the Council of RTI Activists, indicated that from January 2000 to August 2013, the MC had issued 21,818 notices under Section 269 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976 for violation of building bylaws.

The MC claimed that of the 21,818 notices issued till date for violations, 17,749 were assessed and 15,268 cases were compounded against payment of composition fee and penalty, if warranted.

"The remaining 2,481 challans of the unauthorised buildings were not compoundable offences as violations related to floor area ration (FAR), front or rear set back or master plan of the city. Some of the non-assessed challans related to such areas where building control is not with the MC and the notices were issued by mistake," said an official of the building branch.

Ludhiana, September 19
To safeguard the rights of senior citizens and parents, all circle revenue officers in the district have been issued orders to include Section 23 in the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, which ensures that if the beneficiary (ward(s) to whom the property is being transferred by the parents) neglects them, the ownership will again be transferred to the parents. The orders have been issued by Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal.

According to the instructions, while registering the change of ownership documents, the officials concerned must ensure that Section 23 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act is included. By marking this clause, the beneficiary will abide by the provisions of the Act and take proper care of the parents. In case the parents are neglected or abandoned by the wards, the ownership will again be changed in the name of parents, if the latter wish so.

Jagraon, September 19
A junior engineer with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited was electrocuted to death while rectifying a fault in the lines supplying electricity to the fields of a farmer at Dhothar village, near Jagraon, today. The deceased has been identified as Bhawanjit Singh (50), who was posted at the Sawadi Kalan branch of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. He died instantly.

Bhawanjit, accompanied by two employees, Karamjit Singh and Gurcharan Singh, was repairing the power cables on a pole installed in the fields of a farmer.

According to sources, power supply to the line, on which repair work was going on, was shut down. The electrocution of the Junior Engineer at a time when the power supply was shut down has raised many questions.

Soon after the incident, SDO SK Jain reached the spot. "When Bhawanjit Singh tried to climb down from the pole after repairing the power cables, he was electrocuted. It is quite mysterious how Bhawanjit Singh got electrocuted as the power supply to the line was shut down at the time of the incident," said Jain.

After some time, a police team, led by ASI Jagga Singh, also reached the spot. The police, with the help of electricity employees, brought down the dead body and sent it for a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, resentment prevailed among the villagers due to the late arrival of the police at the spot. The villagers alleged that the police team reached the spot after more than 1 hour of the incident. "The police team arrived at the spot late despite being informed immediately after the incident. Due to the delay, the dead body kept hanging in the power cables for more than one hour," said a villager.

Jagga Singh denied the allegations levelled by the villagers against the police. "When we came to know about the incident, we rushed to the spot. There was no delay on our part and we reached the spot within 15-20 minutes after being informed about the incident," he claimed.

Bhawanjit Singh is survived by his three children and wife. He was due to retire after two years, it was learnt.

Ludhiana, September 19
No one came forward to help a man who was profusely bleeding after being hit by a vehicle near the HIG flats opposite the Khalsa College for Girls. Girls going to the college were shocked to see a bleeding man, who was crying for help.

The incident caught the attention of two PCR personnel, who rushed called an ambulance and rushed the injured to a hospital.

"Everyone was just looking at the bleeding man passed by him, but no one bothered to call the ambulance," said the police personnel.

Ludhiana, September 19
A 63-year-old NRI woman has claimed that she was falsely implicated in immigration fraud cases. Joginder Kaur Sandhu, who has been booked by the police of Muktsar and Haryana, claimed that land mafia was planning to implicate her in false cases so to usurp her houses located at Punjab Mata Nagar.

Sandhu, the mother of Arvinder Singh Sandhu, who works in the French police department, cursed the day when she had borrowed some money from a local financier.

The woman claimed that though she had returned the money to the financier, the private financier, in connivance with a police officer, hatched a plan to implicate her in false cases.

She said since 2002, she had been booked in eight cases of immigration fraud and in all case she claimed that she had come out clean.

Sandhu, who has been staying in France since 1972, pleaded that the government should take some concrete steps so that NRIs should not face harassment.

Ludhiana, September 19
The Dayanand Medical College and Hospital today announced the launch of Operation Walk III-2014, aimed at conducting free hip and knee replacement for poor patients. As many as 129 free surgeries of joint replacement were carried out in the previous editions of this project in 2011 and 2012.

This special charity activity would be carried out by the faculty of the department of orthopaedics in collaboration with a team from Operation Walk, Maryland, USA. Surgeries to be carried out during the drive would include free of cost imported implants, medicines, hospital stay and food.

Prem Gupta, Secretary, Managing Society, DMCH, said today that the overwhelming success of Operation Walk-2011 and 2012 had inspired the institution to continue this charity effort and provide poor patients with world class surgery.

Screening camps to select patients would be held at the DMCH on September 22 and October 6 in orthopaedics outpatient department. Only those patients with disabling arthritis, who are very poor and cannot afford surgery, would be considered for free surgery. 

Ludhiana, September 19
A six-month-old baby boy, Sani, was apparently born normal but started having enlargement of head after three months. Slowly, the head size had increased significantly. His parents brought him to Ludhiana Mediways Hospital with a head circumference of 60cm (normal 30cm at this age).

He underwent a diversion procedure, under which the increased amount of intracranial fluid or CSF was sought to be shunted to his abdomen.

A ventriculoperitoneal programmable shunt was implanted. This is a tube with a computer chip, which is implanted behind the child's ear. This chip senses the pressure inside the head and releases fluid accordingly into the abdomen. Also, the pressure and flow settings of the valve can be changed using an external remote directed over this computer chip. The child has done well after this surgery and is ready for discharge.

The operation was performed by the Chief Neurosurgeon, Dr Jaspreet Singh Dil, and his team. — TNS

Khanna September 19
Timely action by the Khanna police saved the situation from worsening at the Guru Ravidas Mohalla but SHO City Khanna got injured during a fight between two groups.

According to sources, a tussle was going on between two groups over the presidentship of the Guru Ravidas Mandir. After the tension prevailed in the area, a police party led by SHO City Khanna reached the spot. When the police party reached scene both groups were pelting stones at each other and the police party intervened pacify the situation. When SHO and team were trying to calm down both groups someone pelted a broken brick at the SHO and he got injured. He was rushed to Civil Hospital Khanna where he was undergoing treatment.

After the incident, senior officials of Khanna along with more police personnel reached the spot and controlled the situation. After statement of SHO (City), Khanna, the police has registered a case under Sections 307, 353, 186, 160, 148, 149 of the IPC against some persons and has arrested nine persons. Apart from this, the police has booked more than 20 persons of both sides on the complaint of each side.

The arrested persons were presented in a court after which they were sent to judicial custody in Ludhiana jail up to October 3. 

Ludhiana, September 19
Ludhiana may have been suffering in the revenue collection from the land-deal registries due to several factors but the district has certainly generated a whopping amount of revenue to the state exchequer, through the Transport Department. From April 2013-August 2013, the revenue of the Transport Department has gone up to Rs 75.12 crore from Rs 44.80 crore in 2012 (April-August).

As per the data available with the District Transport Department here, the revenue collected between April-August 2011 was Rs 46.87 crore while in 2012 it slided down to Rs 46.80 crore but from April 2013-August 2013, the revenue of the department got increased to Rs 75.12 crore.

Expressing satisfaction over the increase in the revenue, District Transport Officer Anil Garg said the department has generated revenue through various sources ,including fees, auction of fancy numbers, Motor Vehicle Tax etc. “One of the major reason behind good revenue generation is that taxes have been hiked by the government. Besides, being an industrial town, fleet of new vehicles is added everyday and department gets good collection through Motor Vehicle Tax also,” said Garg.

One of the employees of the department said, “On August 9, 2013, the tax of buses was increased from Rs 2.75 per km to Rs 3 per km. Besides, the Motor Vehicle Tax on new vehicles was increased on August 30, 2012. Daily, new cars, including luxury cars are added to Ludhiana roads and the residents have no dearth of money here. They do not mind spending few lakhs to get fancy numbers for their vehicles. Department gets huge amount through the auction of fancy numbers each year,” said the employee. 

Ludhiana, September 19
Though Bachelor of Fisheries Science (BFS) course was started in 2008 at government-run GADVASU for creating professional workforce for the Fisheries Department, ironically, the degree is not recognised in the department.

Two batches have passed out, but the students are out of job and their future is at stake. The Fisheries Department has been recruiting BSc Zoology students over them.

The passed out students protested over the issue during the visit of Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike today.

“It is ironical that even after having the four-year professional degree, we are not eligible for job in the Fishery Department, whereas three-year BSc Zoology graduates are recruited by it. The government has to further train the latter in fisheries before their appointment in the department,” said Khushvinderjit, a pass out from the department.

“It is laxity on part of the government as well as the university. There should have been better collaboration between the Animal Husbandry Department and the university as the degree should have been recognised by the government before it was started,” said a student, who passed out from the college last year.

VK Taneja, Vice-Chancellor, GADVASU, said: “We have been writing to the government for representation of the course in the government selection procedure. It should have been done by now, but it has taken time,” he said.

They are specialists in fisheries and would be able to handle the work much better, he added.

The minister, who professed ignorance about the issue when students met him, said the university should send the requisite documents and the needed amendments would be made in the selection procedure and the eligibility conditions.

Ludhiana, September 19
The campus of the Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE) is abuzz with activities these days as its week-long mega event ‘Koshish’, entered its third day today.

Students present a cultural item during ‘Koshish’, a mega event, in Ludhiana on Thursday. photo: inderjeet verma

It was altogether a different experience watching students from other countries not just mingling with their Indian counterparts but trying to perform even better in cultural and literary events.

During this festival, about 2,700 students of the PCTE are taking part in events like nukkad natak, fashion show, western group dance, folk group dance (boys and girls), choreography, solo events, solo dance, instrumental solo, western solo, dumb charades, picto, quiz, portfolio management, debate (British Parliamentary), group discussion, fine-arts events, rangoli, poster making and canvas painting.

The foreign students were too excited to take part in Indian cultural events. An enthusiastic Verka, a student of B.Sc ATHM, Second Year, from Macedonia, said: “It was wonderful to deal with different cultures and I felt delighted to participate in the Rajasthani folk dance. I feel myself fortunate enough to be a part of this country and institution.”

She also wished if such cultural events could also be incorporated in her country.

Dressed in traditional Indian outfits, they were attracting everyone's attention.

Nakimul Patra, another student from Uganda, said: “Learning an Indian folk dance was lifetime memorable moment for me.”

She said she missed her family members as her parents would have felt too happy to see her performing Indian dance.

Dr KN S Kang, director-general, PCTE Group of Institutes, said the enthusiasm and zeal shown by students in the nukkad natak showed that the youngsters were well aware of the hindrances in the social system and ready to take those challenges.

Dr Kang said such festivals help students in developing team spirit, cultural brotherhood and leadership skills. These skills would help them to compete in highly competitive environment.

He told students that it was not about winning or losing but about participating and cherishing those everlasting memories.

Ludhiana, September 19
Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, who was in the city today to attend a seminar at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, said the government would soon set up a separate department for goat and piggery to boost rearing of goats and pigs. He said farmers in the state considered it below their esteem to rear goats and pigs.

Asked about filling of vacancies in the department, he said 70 per cent positions had been filled and the recruitment of 175 inspectors had been approved.

He said though the number of livestock had gone down in the state, the productivity of milk had increased because people were preferring quality of the breed over quantity.

He said there was need for development, promotion and acceptance of allied agriculture activities, including dairy farming, fisheries, goats and piggery, as the demand for these was increasing.

He said there was need for collaboration and exchange of information between farmers and scientists for the development of allied agricultural practices in the state.

Ludhiana, September 19
Writer-teacher Karamjit Singh Grewal has been honoured by the Punjabi Sahit Akademi for receiving national award on Teacher's Day. Currently working at Government High School, Kheri Jhameri, Karamjit has been actively propagating children's literature and theatre for children.

He has written many books for children, including 'Chhad Ke School Menu Aa', 'Jangal De Vich Chor', 'Kirat De Bano Pujari', Chanan Mamta Da, Nikke Nikke Baal and a book of children's plays Dharti Di Pukaar. He has also shot a video, including 'Boliyan Naal Varanmala' teaching Punjabi alphabet using the boliyan. He won an award for the video for innovative teaching through audio-video by an American-India Foundation. "The video has multiple aims for teaching the alphabet, our culture through boliyan and also promoting our mother-tongue amongst children and making learning easier and fun," he said. 

Ludhiana, September 19
Teachers serving in schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had raised hue and cry that some of the private managements in schools were not giving them proper pay scales and they were being allegedly exploited.

Acting on their complaints, the CBSE had issued guidelines to the schools to update their websites and also mention the grades, being provided to their teachers.

Since the decision had not “gone-well” with most of the schools, certain managements when asked for the reason for the delay in providing information on the websites had maintained that they were “not bound to provide such information”.

One of the directors of a chain of schools here had said if need-be, they would move the court against the CBSE directions. Keeping all this in mind, the board has changed the format seeking information from the schools and now, rules have been relaxed.

Harmeet Kaur, Principal, Nanakana Public School, here, said earlier, the board had kept the deadline of September 15 to furnish all details but now, with amended rules, the schools had been told to provide the record by the end of this month.

"They have been asked to provide details of the lump sum amount being given to each teacher,” she said.

She said if the school managements were paying to the teachers as per the CBSE guidelines then there was no need to hide any information. “It should be in black and white. It had asked for the details following complaints by some teachers in the district. They need to be given salaries as prescribed by the board,” Harmeet added.

Ludhiana, September 19
From now onwards chartered accountants will be filing the audit reports of their clients themselves. Earlier, all taxpayers had to do was fill in the column regarding audit report but now CA will be separately sending the audit report.

Last date for filing audited returns is September 30 and the tax payers are in a hurry to get all the formalities done. Meanwhile, this is an extra burden on chartered accounts.

A senior income tax official said, "All those whose sales is more than Rs 1 crore and those who profit less than 8 per cent need to get their returns audited. From this year onwards chartered accountants will be uploading the audit report separately."

He said, "Returns are not audited by the department but the person or the company have to get it done from the tax professional and then the professional will submit the audited return with the department online. In addition to this, digital signatures are also compulsory on the audited returns."

Penalty for not getting the returns include half per cent of the total sales or Rs 1.50 lakh, whichever is less.

Tax professional Jatinder Khurana said, "Professionals are facing lot of difficulty in uploading the returns. Time is less and sometimes the web portal also does not respond. There are some columns which are not clear and professionals uploading the audit report separately will only lead to confusion." 

Akali leaders felicitated

Ludhiana: The Women Welfare Society felicitated Akali Dal leaders Dimple Rana, Tajinder Chahal, Sameer Sharma, Abbas Raja, Dr PC Sharma and Manish Shah. Speaking on the occasion, Dimple Rana said, "The Women Welfare Society is doing a commendable job in making women self reliant and financially independent. More and more people should come forward and help the members of the society in carrying forward their noble cause."

Rs 4 lakh for Baba Deep Singh Nagar

Malkiat Singh Dakha, district president, Congress committee, on Thursday handed over a cheque of Rs 4 lakh to the residents of Baba Deep Singh Nagar. The money has been granted from MP's quota for the development of the area. Speaking on the occasion, Dakha said: "The government is committed towards the development of the country."

Awarded

Jarnail Singh, conservator of forest department, has been awarded with "Environment lover" award by the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur International Foundation. Speaking on the occasion, Jarnail Singh said trees from long have been man's companion and only the presence of trees can make the environment clean, fresh and pure. Panchayats, welfare societies and NGOs should come forward and plant more and more trees for healthy living.

Founder's day celebrated

Gadri Party today celebrated founder's day at Gurudwara Budha Sahib, Lalton Kalan village. Speaking on the occasion, Gurmeet Chadha said gadri movement played an important role in the struggle for independence and remembering the great heroes on this day we recall all the sacrifices done by them.

Polio drops administered

As many as 3, 80,486 children were administered pulse polio drops during the 3rd sub-national round of pulse polio campaign in Ludhana district. District Immunisation Officer Dr Sanjeev Hans said, "The volunteers of the Health Department covered 7, 77,775 houses in five days of the campaign which concluded today."

Protest

Members of the Hindu Sikh Jagriti Sena protested outside the Civil Surgeon's office on Thursday for not taking action against a doctor of the Arora Nursing Home for his alleged negligence in treating a patient. Civil Surgeon Ludhiana Dr Subhash Batta said, "The enquiry is being conducted in this case by the enquiry officer Dr Maninder Singh. I have ordered him to file a report at the earliest."

Meeting

A meeting of BSP missionary workers was organised at Basti Jodhewal on Thursday. Ramanjit Lali from the party said, "The anti-party elements are responsible for weakening the party in the state." —TNS

Ludhiana, September 19
Chewing tobacco on a train proved to be costly for a 35-year-old man as he was reportedly stabbed by a Nihang Sikh, who had objected to the use of tobacco. The victim, identified as Nitin, a resident of Salem Tabri, was rushed to the Civil Hospital. His condition was stated to be critical.

According to information, Nitin was chewing tobacco while travelling on the train from Ludhiana to Jagraon. A Nihang Sikh, who was sitting next to him, objected to it.

The duo had a heated argument, during the course of which Nihang pulled out a dagger and stabbed Nitin repeatedly and fled the scene.

Ludhiana, September 19
A Punjab Home Guards jawan, deputed in the Government Railway Police Force at the Ludhiana railway station, was booked in a drug peddling case by the Salem Tabri police here today.

The accused, Subash, was arrested in the morning.

Sources said yesterday, the city police had arrested Rakesh Kumar and seized 400gm of 'charas' from his possession. During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had procured the contraband from Subash.

The police has also seized 10gm opium, 40gm ganja and 10gm of charas from Subash's possession.

Subash said passengers carrying small quantities of drugs used to be his targets. He used to keep the drugs and let them off after receiving bribe. Earlier, two cops of the RPF, ASI Manohar Lal and constable Charanjit Kaur, were booked in connection of the kidnapping of a child.

Theft

Ludhiana: The police has booked a person on a complaint of Parveen Kumar of Rohtak, Haryana. He stays at Chanpreet Guest House, near Shaheed Sukhdev Inter-state Bus Terminus, along with his friend on September 17. In the evening, he locked his room and left the guest house for shopping. When he returned, he found his luggage ransacked. He alleged Sandeep Kumar, an attended, had stole his three cameras, a laptop and Rs 5,000.

Car theft

Thieves stole a car from Maya Nagar near Ghumar Mandi. The victim, Jatinder Kumar had parked his car (Hyundai Verna) outside his house. In the morning, he was shocked to find the car missing. The police conducted a sluggish investigation and registered a case nearly after 10 days of the theft.

Minor abducted

The city police has booked a youngster from Bihar on the charge of kidnapping a minor on the pretext of marriage. The incident came to light when the 14-year-old girl did not return from school. Her mother came to know that the youngster, identified as Shambhu, had kidnapped her daughter.

Businessman booked

The police has booked a businessman for manhandling an employee of the Sale Tax Department. Sunil Kumar, owner of Sweety Fabrics in Sunder Nagar, was booked on a complaint of sales tax officer Pankaj Takkar. The officer had raided Sunil's factory in Sunder Nagar. When Deen Mani confiscated some documents, Sunil Kumar snatched them. — TNS

Jagraon, September 19
The Sidhwan Bet police have confiscated three tractor trolleys allegedly involved in illegal mining and smuggling of sand. These tractor trolleys loaded with sand were impounded by a police team led by ASI Jaspal Singh near Sidhwan Bet yesterday night while they were trying to smuggle the sand from the Sutlej.

The police has also arrested the drivers of these tractor trolleys and registered a case against them under the Mining Act. The accused have been identified as Chamkaur Singh, a resident of Agwar Lopon area near Jagraon, Tarlok Singh and Karnail Singh, both residents of Khurshaidpura village near Sidhwan Bet.

As per the information given by Sidhwan Bet SHO Jangjit Singh, the accused were arrested by a police team led by ASI Jaspal Singh near Sidhwan Bet during routine patrolling. "A police team was patrolling in the area when they noticed three tractor trolleys laden with sand moving towards Jagraon. The police team stopped all the vehicles and when asked, the drivers of these vehicles failed to show any document following which the police team arrested the drivers and impounded the vehicles," said SHO Jangjit Singh.

There is a ban on mining sand from the Sutlej. But despite the ban, some persons still excavate sand from the river and then sell it at high prices.

According to ASI Jaspal Singh, during the preliminary investigation the accused confessed that they have been involved in illegal sand mining for a long time.

Later on, all the accused were produced before a local court which sent them in judicial custody till the next hearing.