Amritsar, October 31
The deadlock between the MC authorities and employees has come to an end, with the two sides reaching a written agreement about the latter's long-pending demands.

Besides, the MC has also handed them over cheques of their dues, including the two-month salary of the Mohalla Sudhar Committee employees and their other pending allowances.

Confirming this, convener of the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh Action Committee Sanjay Khosla said it all happened due to the intervention of Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi.

It was resolved that employees hired on DC rates/Mohalla Sudhar Committee would be paid two months? salaries , the regular employees to be paid DA arrears, partial disbursal of mobile allowance, immediate implementation of the revised DA, and filling of vacant posts, including the firemen. The firemen have to work constantly for 16 to 24 hours due to acute staff crunch.

The MC authorities have said that the issues which could be resolved locally, would be taken care of on a priority basis, whereas those which needed to obtain the governemnt's nod would be communicated expeditiously to the government department concerned.

Besides, the Commissioner has also agreed to the partial payment of the dearness allowance arrears instantly and two-month pending salary of around 700 workers (amounting to Rs 1.6 crore).

The MC authorities agreed to pay the revised uniform allowance norms and the finance department has been issued instant instructions to release the payment.

The Jalandhar MC has applied Rs 3,440 per annum as uniform allowance (for both summers and winter) to its workers who are entitled for this allowance, whereas the Amritsar MC has been giving the same allowance on the old pattern, which was Rs 967.

It has also been agreed to provide uniform, gas masks, raincoat, gum shoes to the sewermen and special arrangement would be made for their regular medical check-up. Besides, the authorities have also agreed to establish an in-house dispensary for medical aid of the MC workers.

Khosla said around 21 employees who were earlier hired on DC rates but were regularised later were not paid salaries. "They also got cheques worth Rs 30,000 against their two-month salary package. They were looking to see their salary cheques for the past 18 months," he said.

"The funds were being denied because the authorities pretended to be cash-strapped, but it was the duty of the MC authorities to arrange funds from the government. Look at the plight of poor workers who had no money to pay their children's study or their medical expenses for quite a few months," he said.

"Half the amount of he pending mobile allowance would be paid before Diwali and the rest of the amount would be merged in the October salary, which we get in the first week of November," he said.

Amritsar, October 31
A team of the municipal corporation (MC) today sealed five shops and a factory for defaulting on house tax dues, thereby netting Rs 2.5 lakh.

The targeted areas were properties located in commercial establishments at Pink Plaza, outside Hall Gate, on the Railway Station road, East Mohan Nagar and Gobind Nagar on the Sultanwind road.

Amritsar, October 31
Sunil Kumar (40), an alleged drug addict and a resident of Gali Tai Wali, inside Gate Khazana, reportedly committed suicide after consuming celphos tablets late last evening.

He was rushed to a private hospital, where he died in the wee hours today. The police has initiated proceedings under the Criminal Procedure Code following the statement of his wife Kajal, father Hari Om and brother Mukesh. Sunil Kumar used to work as a tailor in a shop and has three children.

The police said that Sunil went missing on Monday and had returned only last evening.

The police said Hari Om, the victim's father, said that immediately after his return, he started vomiting. When his family asked him about this, he told them that he had consumed celphos tablets. He was immediately rushed to the private hospital. The family said he was in the habit of going somewhere without informing the family and used to return home after a couple of days.

He said for time being, the police had initiated action under Section 174 of the CrPC while further investigations were on. He said the viscera would be sent to Chemical Labortary, Kharar, for examination and further action would be taken after getting the reports.

Meanwhile, Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Devi Nagar, Fatehgarh Churian Road, committed suicide by jumping before a train near Jora Phatak. However, the exact cause of the incident is not known as yet while the government railway police officials said they had informed the family members of the victim about the incident.

Amritsar, October 31
About a dozen cops deputed with a PCR team for night patrolling were suspended as they were found absent from duty.

However, in the morning, they were reinstated after a warning by the Police Commissioner. Parampal Singh, ADCP (City-I) made a surprise check at various naka points, including the bypass area. During the raid, he found many cops absent at the naka points where they were deputed for night patrolling.

In the morning, they appeared before the Police Commissioner, who issued them a stern warning and reinstated them. Due to the festive season, the police has tightened the security arrangements in the city area. 

Amritsar, October 31
Two persons lost their lives in separate accidents in the past 24 hours. Among those killed included Charan Singh, a resident of Gorkha village, Tarn Taran, and Sohan Singh of Chainpur village.

Charan Singh (55) was critically injured when an auto-rickshaw (PB-02-BL-9924) hit him near Ram Talai Chowk located on the main GT Road. He was immediately rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The accused driver of the auto-rickshaw, identified as Ajaypal Singh, alias Kalu, of Patii Malko, Sultanwind village fled from the scene, leaving his vehicle behind. The police has booked him under Sections 304-A and 279 of the IPC.

Gursahib Singh, investigating officer, said Charan Singh had come to Amritsar for some domestic work and had been going to the bus-stand side when the accused hit his vehicle. He said the accused had been arrested.

Meanwhile, in another road mishap near Khiala Kalan village in Lopoke, a youth Sohan Singh was killed when a speeding truck hit his motorcycle last evening. He was returning to his village when the accident took place.

Amar Singh, the victim's father, said the unidentified driver of the truck, numbering PB-02-BJ-9343, fled from the scene, leaving the truck behind. He said his son was critically injured in the accident and later succumbed to his injuries in a private hospital.

The Lopoke police has registered a case under Sections 304-A, 279 and 427 of the IPC in this connection. No arrest has been made so far.

The case Five members of a family of Hardeep Singh of the walled city area had committed suicide at their residence in October 2004. During the investigation, when the name of Kultar Singh appeared, the then SP, city-I, PK Rai, urged his senior officials to transfer the probe to some senior police official. Investigations had found that Hardeep had killed his father and later disposed of his body. However, some of his relatives came to know about this and started blackmailing him and extorted huge amounts from him. Through his relative Manmohan Singh, he came in contact with Jaswinder Singh, a relative of SSP Kultar Singh. Before the SSP, he confessed his crime. “However, instead of arresting him, the accused also started blackmailing them. Getting fed up with this, the family ended their life,” said Sarabjit Singh Verka, the principal investigator, Punjab Human Rights Organisation, adding that while the relatives of Hardeep were arrested by the police, Kultar could not be arrested.

Amritsar, October 31
The Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) today accused the state government and the Police Department of shielding a retired senior police official in connection with a case in which a family of five had committed suicide in the walled city area in October 2004.

The family had blamed a top police official for taking this extreme step and scribbled in a suicide note on the walls of their house. However, later on during the course of investigation, the name of Kultar Singh, the then Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar, had come up.

Ironically, even after elapsing of nine years the trial in the court could not be started as the said main culprit had failed to appear before it, which is delaying the further proceedings.

He, along with three others, including the then SHO Hardev Singh, Manmohan Singh and Jaswinder Singh, (relatives of the deceased Hardeep and Kultar Singh, respectively,) were summoned to appear before the CJM court in November 2009 after recording preliminary evidence.

While three of them managed to get bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Kultar’s bail was rejected by the court.

Sarabjit Singh Verka, the principal investigator, Punjab Human Rights Organisation, in a letter to the President alleged that “despite 32 hearings in the past about four years, the main accused, the then Senior Superintendent of Police, Kultar Singh, has managed to delay the court proceedings by not appearing before the court.”

“Interestingly, he is receiving pension from the same department and enjoying gunmen and official vehicle facilities till now. Further, due to this delay the accused is pressurising the complainant and other witnesses in this case to withdraw the complaint,” Verka said.

He alleged that the duty of arresting him lies with the Police Department, but the consecutive police officials failed to arrest him as he enjoys close association with the government and top police personnel.

In the latest orders, it has directed the Police Commissioner on September 26 to arrest the accused and produce him before the court before November 6.

Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said he was not aware of the case and could comment after going through the same. “I will look into the matter,” he added.

Amritsar, October 31
It would be a "black Diwali" for terrorism-affected families who have failed to get their pensions for the past six months or more. Their repeated requests have failed to yield any result so far.

Criticising the apathetic attitude of the state government towards them, a number of members of these families today raised slogans against the state government and demanded to release their pension immediately.

They alleged that for the past over six months they had not received their monthly pension while they were forced to make rounds of government offices for the same.

“We are in touch with the top officials concerned in Chandigarh, but what we get is only assurances. It has become difficult for those who depend on pension only,” said Dr BR Hastir, chairman, All-India Terrorist Victims Association.

“In the absence of any pension, it would be a black Diwali for them,” he said.

He alleged that the government had adopted indifferent attitude towards their demands and said a number of families lost their wards during heydays of militancy in the state and they were still battling to settle down even after two decades of their displacement.

He said with a lot of efforts, the state government started pension benefits for them. However, during the years these families were not getting their pension regularly. A number of families in Ajnala were still waiting for pension for the past 10 months, though many of them had got the same earlier this month.

Dr Hastir said the association would be forced to launch an agitation if the government failed to address their grievances.

Former Cabinet minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla also reached the spot and she assured all possible help to the protesters.

Amritsar, October 31
In a weird case, an inmate lodged at the Amritsar Central Jail under the NDPS Act has threatened to commit suicide if he is not provided with the dosage of drugs he was habitual to.

The accused has been identified as Chander Mohan (40), a resident of Khandwala in Amritsar. He was awarded 20 years’ imprisonment for indulging in drug trafficking and a case under Sections 21/61/85 of the NDPS Act was registered against him in 1999.

Officials said, he was so desperate, being addicted to drugs that he had even tried to hang himself with the window grill last evening while using his parna (small turban) but was timely saved by fellow inmates.

Leaving nothing to chance, the jail authorities had to lodge an FIR with the Cantonment police under Sections 309/506 IPC, 42, Prisoner Act, 1894.

Jail’s Deputy Superintendent RK Sharma said he had threatened the jail staff to provide him drugs or let him go free to have his dosage, otherwise, he would kill himself and would held them responsible for the same.

“He had even threatened me on same unreasonable account. We got a case registered with the police, yet he has become a headache for us, yet we are keeping a vigil on his activities,” he said.

It has been learnt that Chander was indulged in smuggling drugs from across the border and allegedly used to supply heroin and smack in the Majha region during the late nineties.

His brother, identified as Inder Mohan, and his son also have been languishing in Patti jail under the NDPS Act.

At present, over 40 per cent of the jail inmates are addicted to drugs and they adopt all tactics so that their dosage should reach them. Hardly a day passes, when narcotic substances or mobile phones were not seized from inmates. Recently, the jail authorities had put a blanket ban on the entry of onions, tomatoes, capsicum and even the bathing soap to the jail through outsiders as these were being used to conceal drugs.

Nonetheless, innovative ways come to light for getting drugs into the jail.

Recently, a man has been arrested while he tried to smuggle in 10 gm of poppy husk and other narcotics powder to his female kin lodged in a prison inside the Central Jail premises by hiding the same in a diaper meant for her infant.

In another instance, guards found drugs in a tennis ball that landed on the jail premises.

Amritsar, October 31
A folk orchestra competition was the main attraction on the second day of the inter-zone youth festival (final) of Guru Nanak Dev University.

The student-artistes played rarely available folk instruments like flute, matka, gagar, dhol, nagara, chimta, dhapli, iktara, algoje, dholki, chankana, been, tumbi, sarangi, kanto and dagga.

The event started under the supervision of Dr Jagjit Kaur, Director, Youth Welfare Department.

Over 1,000 student-artistes from affiliated colleges of the university are participating in 30 items of music, theatre, dance, literary and fine arts. The final festival would be concluded on November 2.

Mimicry, mime, elocution, poetical symposium, debate, folk songs, fancy dress, geet/ghazal and fine arts were among the other items of the competition.

Dr Ranjana Grover, Dr Kulwinder Kaur and Sarabjeet Kaur were the judges for the classical dance competitions. Dr Kanwaljit Singh, Dr Narinderjit Kaur, S Ranbir Singh and Renu Sehgal were among judges in the category of folk orchestra.

Gurwinder Kaur and Gurjot Kaur were the student comparers.

On Friday, skit, bhangra, group song western, vaar, kavishri and western vocal, quiz preliminary, rangoli and phulkari the competitions of will be held.