Ludhiana, July 14
The parents and relatives of a 22-year-old youth, who was drowned in 
Sidhwan canal, staged a protest outside the Atam Park police post today. They alleged it was a case of “honor killing” and the police was not registering a case of murder against the suspects.

The agitators blocked the traffic by putting the youth’s body on the road in front of police post. The protest led to massive traffic jams. The blockade continued for more than one and a half hours. The commuters had been stuck in long queues from Bharat Nagar Chowk to Bus Stand and Attam Park to Gill Road for more than two hours. The blockade was lifted after the police assured the agitators of action against the accused.

Honey, a resident of Manjit Nagar, had gone missing on July 9. According to the police, Honey, along with his friends, visited the Sidhwan Canal and was drowned in the canal while he was taking a bath. The body was found in the canal at Dharamkot in Moga district on Sunday.

His relatives alleged that his brother was having an affair with a girl and the relatives of that girl killed Honey. His brother alleged the police was not acting on their complaint. He alleged that the police detained the girl and his brother but released them without taking any action.

Today, the police pacified the protesters by registering a case against two persons under section 302 of the IPC.

The police have booked the girl and his brother in the case, said Gurdev Singh, SHO of the Model Town police station.

Ludhiana, July 14
Three minor girls have been sexually assaulted in different cases in the last 24 hours in the city.

In the first case, a 14-year-old girl was abducted and raped by two persons in the Bazigar Basti area of Salem Tabri. The suspects have been identified as Davinder Kumar, alias Deep (34), and his 16-year-old neighbour.

According to the complaint lodged with the police by her parents, the girl had accompanied her father to a religious programme at Bazigar Basti last evening. When he was inside the shrine, his daughter came out at 10 pm to eat something. Meanwhile, the suspects made her sit on their motorcycle on the pretext of arranging tasty food for her. The accused took her to a vacant plot and raped her, the girl’s father said.

After raping her, the accused dropped her on the way to her house at around 1 am. She reached home and narrated the whole matter to her parents.

A case under section 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been registered and the accused arrested.

In the second case, the Jamalpur police registered a case against a landlord on charge of molesting a 10-year-old girl. The accused has been identified as Gurbinder Singh Grewal of Bhamiyan Kalan.

The girl’s mother complained that she, along with her husband, had gone to the hospital for treatment yesterday. She left her daughter with their landlord. When she came back, she came to know that the accused had molested her daughter. The police registered a case under section 354 (molestation) of the IPC against the accused who is at large.

In the third case, the Shimlapuri police arrested a person for attempt to rape a nine-year-old girl who had come to his home to invite his niece to her birthday party at Dashmesh Nagar in Shimlapuri. The suspect has been identified as Sonu (23) of the Dashmesh Nagar area. The father of the victim lodged an FIR against the accused.

The police have registered a case under section 376 and 511 (attempt to rape) of the IPC and section 8 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against him.

Ludhiana, July 14
The police have arrested two drug peddlers in separate cases and recovered 1 kg of heroin from their possession.

In the first case, the police arrested a drug paddler and recovered 500gm of heroin from his possession. According to the police officials, the seized heroin is worth Rs 2.5 crore in the international market. The accused has been identified as Harnek Singh, alias DC, of Taran Tarn.

Manjit Singh Dhesi, Additional Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Crime, said the police set up a check post near the CMCH. When the police signaled the accused, who was on a motorcycle, to stop, he tried to escape. The police chased him and nabbed him soon. His search yielded 500gm of heroin.

The police said the accused was a drug addict and has been peddling drugs for the past few years. He confessed that he used to get heroin from Gurjeet Singh Gora in the Taran Tarn area. The police have registered a case.

In the second case, the Salem Tabri police arrested a drug peddler and recovered 500 gm of heroin from his possession. The accused has been identified as Painta, a resident of Phillaur. The police said the accused confessed that he was a member of a gang headed by Desh Raj, alias Vicky, of Kartarpur.

Ludhiana, July 14
There is good news for pilgrims to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine as the Northern Railway authorities have introduced a fully air-conditioned daily train to Katra, the base camp for the pilgrimage.

The pair of trains 22461/22462 will run daily from July 14, 2014, with one AC I, five AC 2 tier and nine AC 3 tier coaches.

According to the railway authorities, the train will depart from the New Delh railway station at 5.30 pm and reach Katra at 6.10 am the next day. From Katra, the train will leave at 10.55 pm and reach New Delhi at 10.45 am the next day. It will have commercial halts at the Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot and Jammu Tawi stations.

Those travelling from Delhi to Katra in the AC I class will have to pay Rs 2,385 as one way fare while fare for AC-2 tier and AC 3-tier would be Rs 1,410 and Rs 1,000 respectively. Fare for travelling from Ludhiana to Katra will be Rs 1,485 (AC I), Rs 885 (AC 2-tier) and Rs 638 (AC 3-tier).

Ludhiana, July 14
A four-member team of highly qualified engineers from Engineer India Limited, a semi-government firm, reached here today. They are on a four-day visit to the city with regard to cleaning and beautification of Budha Nullah. The team met the higher officials of the Municipal Corporation and Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal at the Circuit House where the MC officials gave a detailed presentation on the nullah.

The engineers, along with a team of the MC officials, visited the nullah. They started from Jainpur village and Bhattiyan, near here.

The Municipal Corporation Commissioner, Pradeep Aggarwal, said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was concerned about the cleaning of the nullah. During his recent visit to Delhi, he had asked the company officials to visit the nullah to find out solutions to problems coming in the way of its cleaning and beautification.

The team of engineers, led by the Deputy General Manager, Sanjoy Mukherjee, has Yogesh Gautam, Anjesh Garg and Ravikant Sharma as its other members. The interacted with the officials of the MC, Sewerage Board and the District Administration. The company has been handling the cleaning of the Yamuna in Delhi.

Mukherjee said their company had been given the task of chalking out a detailed action plan on the cleaning of the Budha Nullah. He said there was an emergent need to clean the water, which had pollutants and chemicals discharged by dyeing units. He said during today’s visit, they observed the discharge of pollutants and chemicals into the nullah continued.

The engineers will submit a detailed report to the state government. Those who accompanied the engineers to the site included DC Rajat Aggarwal, CEO of the Sewerage Board DK Tiwari, Additional Commissioner of the MC Sumit Jarangal.

Ludhiana, July 14
His is a motivational story for drug addicts who are either under treatment or have recovered completely and trying to come back to the mainstream of society. Once an addict, Amanjeet Singh has been running his own de-addiction centre since 2006 and has successfully rehabilitated more than 700 addicts.

The life of this 34-year-old youngster revolves around the peers who lured him into the dark world of drugs and two volunteers whose motivation helped him take a U-turn. Hailing from a rich family, Amanjeet’s parents are gazetted officers.

Amanjeet said: “I have one elder brother. Both of us were pampered children. We led a very luxurious life. Both of us were very good in studies and extra-curricular activities. After schooling from Chandigarh, I took admission in BCom I at Khalsa College, Chandigarh. There I contested the student union elections and came out victorious. It was at that time I started developing an attitude of “show off”. From bunking classes to indulging in “geri culture” used to be my college routine. But despite of all this, I scored 80% marks in BCom.” He excelled not only in academics but also sports. He used to play hockey, football, etc.

Recalling the first incident when he did drugs, he said: “One day, a hockey player offered me opium and I enjoyed it. I used to have opium along with drinks, feeling that I am a “royal addict”. One day, one of my college mates started inhaling smack in my car. When I objected, he shifted to his car and asked me to try it once. Unfortunately, I tried and started enjoying it.”

As the time passed, the very appearance of this rich boy became suspicious even for his parents. He said: “I used to sell my household things to get money for smack. When I got fed up with this dark world, I shared all this with my parents. They took me to the Freedom Foundation Rehabilitation Centre, Kharar. After undergoing treatment for about six months there, I became clean. I started volunteering my services for the centre where some old addicts also helped me.”

The turning point came in his life with the motivation of two volunteers. He said: “These volunteers asked me to be busy and open my own drug-addiction centre. They convinced me that chances of lapses always remain high if one does not become busy. I thought of the good Samaritans who helped me to come back to the mainstream society. So, I decided I should pay back my debt by serving addicts. My college-time dream of settling abroad got replaced with having my own rehabilitation centre.”

Amanjeet, who is president of the Punjab State Drug Counselling and Rehabilitation Centres Union, recently oraganised a “recovery cup tournament” at Chhoti Mundiyan for former addicts treated at 20 drug-addiction centres.

Amanjeet, who got married six years ago and has been simultaneously running his poultry farm, said: “More than 18,000 addicts have visited my De-addiction centre. Of them, 800 have recovered completely and I keep in touch with them to keep them on track. By serving them I feel as if I am paying back my debt to my motherland.”

Ludhiana, July 14
The Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) authorities were all set hold a draw of lots for allotment of plots to nine locally displaced persons (LDPs) today, citing court orders. However, on the basis of a complaint that the plots were being allotted to non-eligible persons, the Punjab Government put the entire process on hold and reportedly directed the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, to conduct an inquiry.

The LIT authorities had announced through a public notice that consequent upon the orders of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in favour of the complainants, the draw for allotment of plots was being conducted. Among the LDPs, who had obtained court orders in support of their claims, were those whose land was acquired for developing a 256-acre scheme, Model Town Extension Part II scheme, Sarabha Nagar, and the 475-acre Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar scheme.

The announcement for conducting the draw had stirred a hornet’s nest with all sorts of allegations being 

levelled against the authorities.It was alleged that at least five, out of nine LDPs, had since died and rather than their legal heirs, certain property dealers as well a few conniving employees of the LIT were pursuing these cases in a bid to lay their hands on residential plots, which command a very handsome premium.

A staff member of the LIT said despite being informed through registered letters, most of the applicants had failed to turn up at the Trust office with proof of their identity, which gave credence to the allegations that plots might have been allotted to non-eligible persons.

Sources in the LIT maintained that connivance of certain employees and officials of the Trust as also those of the Local Government Department, Punjab, could not be ruled out.

Jatinder Singh, Executive Officer of the LIT, confirmed the draw had been postponed for the time being on the instructions of the Punjab Government.

He said the Trust had not been intimated about any inquiry ordered into the bona fides of the claimants.

“Any further action for carrying out the directions of the court for the allotment of plots to the LDPs will be taken as per the directions of the government,” he added. 

Sahnewal, July 14
The recently-opened Sahnewal flyover, built to facilitate the commuters, has proved a bane for the passersby in the absence of security supports along the entire stretch.

Commuters have already paid in crores to secure their safety.

The entire responsibility for ensuring safety of commuters is on Soma-Isloux, a private company, which is in charge for carrying out works on the entire stretch starting from Jalandhar to Panipat.

A commuter rued, “Is an almost negligible small cement erection enough to save a person who is moving at a considerable speed on a national highway? I was travelling with my family towards Khanna, when one of the tyres of the car burst. After several turns, I came to know that the tyre has burst. My wife fainted realising the consequences of the accident that we could have met with. All I know is the negligence on the part of officials put my wife’s and two children’s life in danger.”

“The edgeless flyover never fails to give a chill down the spine of the commuters. The flyover should had been first checked for its authenticity and then opened for the use by commuters,” said another commuter.

“During the day time, judgment of the driver may work. But in the absence of lights at night, risk of accidents increases. A number of people have lost lives during the process of road widening. It is the heights of callousness on the part of the company which is least bothered about the safety of the commuters even after extracting thousands of rupees in the form of toll,” rued another commuter.

The flyover had been under construction for few years and in the absence of the flyover, commuters were managing well. They did face traffic woes but were at least safe. But now that the flyover has been opened, everyone assumes that it is safe and can be used at the same even speed. But the lack of supports forces them to slacken speed all of a sudden, especially while overtaking.

“Even at Doraha and the stretch between Sahnewal and Giaspura, the supports are either missing or are broken to the extent of invisibility. Sadly to the ignorance of the commuters who may be caught unawares,” said a passerby.

The spokesperson from Soma-Isolux said, “The overbridges near Sahnewal and Doraha have been opened for the public use recently. A protection metal beam crash barrier will be erected in due course of time but flexible crash barrier has already been placed with reflectors to guide the users on the overbridges.”

Ludhiana, July 14
Four children of a family were found missing from Guru Arjan Dev Nagar Samral Chowk area, yesterday.

The missing children have been identified as Neeraj (18), Deeraj (15) Rohit (12) and Neha (9).

Ravi Kumar, father of the missing children, has registered a missing complaint at the police station, Division number 7, in this regard.

According to the information, the four children had left home to visit a public place to enjoy the holiday.

A maternal uncle of the children received a message today, saying that the siblings have left the house willingly and do not want to return. 

Khamano, July 14
A gas agency at Khamano area was sealed before it could even start functioning. Following this, some BKU leaders, workers of the area and administrators of the gas agency held a protest again the action.

Jasvir Singh, Sanghol, proprietor of the gas agency, said they had NOCs from the departments concerned. “It was only after getting a nod from the departments that we spent a huge amount of money to construct the godown and office for the gas agency. Officials sealed the agency without any prior information yesterday,” said Jasvir Singh.

I was not given any copy of the complaint or irregularity or any notice before the agency was sealed, said Singh.

Meanwhile, Jasvir Singh along with Kisan Union leaders Kashmira Singh Ranwan and Bahadar Singh Bath alleged that the Administration is harassing him. They suspected hand of an influential person in the whole issue.

Jasvir Singh said he was under the debt now due to the construction and completion of other formalities. “I don’t have any other way out than to struggle,” said Singh.

BKU leaders said opening of a gas agency at Khamano/Sanghol has been the main demand of the area residents since long. They said residents are annoyed with the action of the Administration to seal the gas agency.

On the occasion, BKU leaders threatened to hold protest against the Administration.

The SDM, Khamano, Arina Duggal, said, “We are enquiring into the matter and will take a decision only after consulting the matter with the Deputy Commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib. We will see all the NOCs as well. The matter will be sorted out in a week.”

There is no gas agency in Khamano Sub-Division and consumers have to wait for their turns in long queues to get gas cylinders from the vehicles that come from other area.

Ludhiana, July 14
With the Centre allocating Rs 2,037 crore for cleaning the Ganga, residents want the state government to allocate funds for cleaning various rivers in the state, especially the Sutlej.

“The Sutlej is being polluted by sewage and industrial effluents flowing into it. However, no concrete step has been taken to address the issue,” said Sarabjit Singh,a resident.

He said one of the major sources of pollution in the river was Buddha Nullah, but nothing was being done to clean it and stop dumping of garbage into it.

“Punjab derives its name from five rivers. These rivers are a part of its identity and existence. So these should be cleaned. Stricter penalties should be imposed on those who pollute the rivers,” said another resident.

“Cleaning the Sutlej and checking the flow of industrial effluents into it are of utmost importance. The presence of toxic metals can lead to cancer,” said Amandeep Singh, another resident. 

Ludhiana, July 14
With the rising cases of crime against women in the city, women are feeling insecure. The police may dismiss it as a fear psychosis, but for the women the fear is a reality and they have to fight it every day.

Tejdeep Kaler, university professor, said: “Women feel unsafe in the city. Almost every day, we get to hear about incidents of snatching. Women are soft targets. I, myself, have been a victim of snatching. Of late, I have noticed that women are reluctant to venture out alone. It’s not an easy going for women in the industrial hub of Punjab.”

Surinder Kaur, employee, Punjabi Bhawan, said: “It’s time for women to raise their voice against incidents of snatching and eve-teasing. If women stay silent, it only leads to a rise in such cases. Family and friends should encourage women to speak up for themselves. There should be a strong familial and social support mechanism so that women don’t feel insecure.”

Sandip Kaur, teacher, said: “We need to change our mindset. Women are taught tolerance to the extent that they go on tolerating injustices meted out to them. If doing injustice is wrong, tolerating injustice is equally unacceptable. Social groups and NGOs should pitch in to motivate women to raise their voice against injustice. Besides, the police should take a swift action in cases of sexual harassment. A stringent punishment to the culprits is a must.”

Baljit Kaur, housewife, said: “Earlier, people had respect for women. Today, we may have progressed technologically, but our value system has gone for a toss. Moreover, we have double standards. We have a long list of dos and don’ts for girls, but we never teach boys to respect women. Parents often tell their daughters not to wear ‘provocative dresses’, but they never teach their sons the basic lessons about gender 
sensitivity.”

Jagraon, July 14
Motorists think twice before taking Sherpur Road in the town. The two-kilometre stretch is full of potholes.

The road connects the town with more than 12 villages, including Sherpur Kalan, Kothe Fatehdeen, Kothe Baggu, Kothe Jeeve Ke, Kothe Sherjang, Sheikhdaulat, Galib Kalan, Kaleran and Galib Ran Singh.

Situation is no better at the Grain Market, Sabzi Mandi, offices of the Market Committee and Mandi Board, Punjab. Traffic jams have become a routine occurrence on the road.

Area residents said their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. “The civic body is not interested in repairing the road.

“The authorities should get the stretch repaired at the earliest. How can they turn a blind eye to our problems?” asked Joga Singh, a shopkeeper at Sherpur Road.

The residents said they had brought the matter to the notice of Mandi Board officials many a time, but nothing had been done to improve the condition of the road.

Jagraon Market Committee secretary Jaswinder Singh said the construction of road was delayed fro want of funds. “We have asked the government to release funds for the construction of the road. We are hopeful of receiving the funds soon,” said Jaswinder Singh. “The authorities keep boasting of developing the town, but when it comes to proving it, they choose to look the other way,” lamented a resident.

Ludhiana, July 14
Hardy Sandhu, Varun Sharma and Anil Juneja starer Punjabi comedy film “Yaaran Da Katchup” is soon coming to tickle the funny bone of the audience. The cast and crew of the film was in the city today to promote the film which is slated to be released on July 18.

“The story is about three close friends who meet every seven years and celebrate their ‘Ohi Day’. This time, they are meeting in Pattaya (Thailand) and there is a lot of confusion and fun happening,” said Abhay Baiju Chhabra, director of the film.

Already popular in the audience for his melodious songs, Hardy Sandhu is debuting in acting with this film. “Initially, I was nervous, but gradually things became easy for me. Since the film is based on friendship and I give utmost importance to it in my life, playing this character was natural for me. Although a lot of people would have said this, I would like to repeat that all relations come naturally in an individual’s life, but friendship is the only relation which he chooses by himself,” said Sandhu.

While “Fukrey” fame Varun Sharma was all praise for his director Abhay Chhabra as he gives freedom to the artists and is very strong on the technical front.

Third friend, Anil, is also a newcomer. “Everybody was there to support me and nothing was tough for me while shooting,” he quips.

“The story of the film is somewhere desi, but the look is totally different. When you’ll come out of the theatre after watching the film, you’ll feel like celebrating in the same way with your friends,” said director Abhay.

This is Yuvika’s second film and explaining the journey of the film in three words she said, “Shooting, shopping and fun.”

Jaswinder Bhalla, BN Sharma, Vijay Tandon, Rana Ranbir, Ranjan Sehgal, Kruti Popat, Anita Hassanandani, Yuvika Chaudhary, Simpy Singh and Shagun Jaiswal will also be seen in the film.

Ludhiana, July 14
A building inspector in Zone A of the Municipal Corporation “fraudulently” registered his family members’ names as “owners” of a property in the assessment register.

Rajesh Kumar, a relative Ravinder Saggar, Harinder Saggar and Narinder Saggar, legal heirs of the property, who has been given the power of attorney of the property, stated that information obtained under the RTI Act revealed that the “tenant” had been named as the owner in the assessment register.

A formal document was signed between the tenant and the landlord, which mentioned that the particular shop was given to one Sushila Kumari Sehgal, a resident of Pindi Street, on a rent deed of Rs 1,200 per month, but the assessment register with the MC showed that Sushila Sehgal, wife of late Vishva Mittar Sehgal, and Rimmy Sehgal, wife of Pradeep Mittar Sehgal (under Section 105) were the owners of the property. The complainant alleged that other tenants had also started constructing shops. The owners have 15 such shops in Pindi Street and three tenants have not even paid water and sewerage bills. “The tenants of three other shops have not paid rent for the past two years. In their twilight years, the owners do not want to move the court,” lamented the complainant. Building inspector Pradeep Sehgal, against whom the allegations have been levelled, said the property was “purchased” by his family members way back in 1996-97. He said it was a plot and the construction was carried out by his family. Since there were many owners of the property, his family had given money to one of the owners, but registry could not be done to date. When asked to produce a receipt, the building inspector said there was no such document, but he said that all taxes were paid by them. Besides, he alleged that the family was being “threatened” by the complainant.

Ludhiana, July 14
Multiplexes in the city do not screen Hollywood movies. Bollywood and Punjabi movies still rule the roost in the multiplexes and Hollywood fans remain deprived of watching their favourite movies on the big screen,” said a student.

Saksham, a city-based businessman, said it was strange that the multiplexes did not screen Hollywood movies. “We do not get to see our favourite movies here,” he said.

“I have to go all the way to Delhi to watch a Hollywood movie. Why can’t the multiplexes in the city screen such movies?” he asked.

Richa, a residents, said, “Ludhiana is said to be a metropolitan city with more malls, hotels and restaurants, but still not enough Hollywood movies are screened here.”

“Only a few Hollywood movies are screened in the city multiplexes,” said Ayush, a student. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, July 14
Farmers, who had once adopted the drip and micro-irrigation system to check water depletion and power connections, are a harried lot. Recently, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited penalised consumers for misusing electricity.

While the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited authorities have threatened to initiate legal action against the consumers, in case they fail to deposit the penalty, organisations fighting for the rights of farmers have announced to defend their cases.

Farmers from villages falling under Ludhiana and Sangrur districts led by Baldev Singh Latala and Sikandar Singh Jartauli, joint secretaries of state and Ludhiana district units of Punjab Kissan Sabha, alleged that the farmers, who had tried to make up losses by using drip and sprinkle connections for irrigating traditional crops other than vegetables and fruits, were asked to pay lakhs of rupees.

Fifty farmers have been penalised by the department.

Those receiving notices included owners of land owned by religious places of a special community and non-resident Indians (NRIs).

Gurdev Singh , an NRI from Dhulkot village, alleged that he had been issued notice to pay Rs 2.28 lakh, adding that he had rented out the land with dip and micro sprinkle connection to a farmer of his village. Gurdev Singh said he had asked his attorney to challenge the notice in court of law.

The drip system aimed at promoting plantation of fruit, vegetables, medicinal, ornamental, aromatic plants, cereal crops, pulses and oilseeds to break paddy-wheat rotational cycle in Punjab. 

Ludhiana, July 14
MP Ravneet Singh Bittu today batted for the small and medium steel industries of Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh in the Lok Sabha. He urged the government to reduce the import duty on scrap to zero as was the case earlier. He also demanded the lowering of excise duty from 12.36 per cent to 6 per cent to help the local industry.

Bittu said there were many clusters of the steel industry in the country which were facing difficulties. One such cluster is located around Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab. “The industries use scrap as raw material and have been serving the country for the past four decades by catering to the requirements of our automobile, engineering and housing sectors. The small and medium industries have been providing employment to lakhs of people. But today 50 per cent of the industries have closed down and the remaining are on the verge of closure which would render lakhs of workmen jobless, besides loss of investments worth several thousand crores of rupees,” he said.

Demanding that raw material be made easily available to the industry, Bittu urged the Union Government to provide early clearances for supply of iron ore and coal to the domestic industry so that the industry was able to manufacture sufficient steel for the needs of the country and was also able to export.

Ludhiana, July 14
The Central Board of Excise and Customs’ clarification on excise duty is likely to bring relief for sectors selling goods at discounted rates to attract buyers.

The board has clarified that manufacturers would have to pay excise duty on the selling price, even if discounted, and not the production cost plus profits as ruled by the Supreme Court in 2012. As per a notification issued by the CBEC, if a manufacturer sells goods at a price less than the cost of production plus profits, the transaction value will be used to calculate the levy. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in August 2012, the department had sent show-cause notices to several auto and tyre companies among others and had asked them to furnish cost data of various products for the previous years.