The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Arrest of drug smuggler stirs hornet’s nest
From Ruchika Mohindra
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Aug 22 — The arrest of one of the biggest smugglers in the state by the Ludhiana police recently has stirred a hornet's nest with revelations about the alleged nexus between the drug smugglers, police and senior politicians.

The local police achieved a major breakthrough on Sunday with the arrest of Balwinder Singh, alias Jeji, and two of his accomplices during a special naka laid by SI Balwinder Singh on Tajpur Road. The three were remanded in police custody and their interrogation has revealed that they had been operating in Punjab, Harayana and Himachal Pradesh for almost a decade and with the law-makers and enforcers at their side.

Highly placed sources in the police inform that in spite of the fact that the kingpin of this gang of smugglers was declared a proclaimed offender and had even reportedly jumped bail, he continued to stay in Nawanshahr and operate from there allegedly with the local police and an Akali minister being in collusion with him. It is alleged that many police officers in the city were on the payroll of the drugs smuggler and a his links with a senior Akali minister too came to his rescue. It was only recently after the reins of the police changed hands that he was forced to leave Nawanshahr.

It is learnt that accused Balwinder Singh began his career as a drug smuggler in 1992 . He would go to the border belt of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and buy poppy from the licensed poppy vends there. Inspector Paramjit Singh, SHO of Focal Point police station, said: "Our investigation has revealed that the accused would buy around 30 to 40 bags of poppy (each bag containing 40 kg of poppy) from a few vends in Neemach in Madhya Pradesh and in each trip he would smuggle around 100 to 150 bag (400 to 600 kg) in trucks. In fact the same truck would not be used for more than four times to ensure that no one got suspicious."

He informed that the accused also prepared and kept fake sales tax forms with each truck in order to ensure that they were not stopped on the way and the trucks easily got entry into the state. The trucks would generally be carrying either onions, gypsum powder or marble slabs on the top and the drugs used to be kept beneath this.

It is learnt that the kingpin was making around Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per month through the sale of poppy and after disbursing the amount amongst his "saviours and employees" he was saving a whopping Rs 2 lakh per month. While he was getting the poppy from Neemach at the rate of Rs 3,000 per bag, he was reportedly selling it here at the rate of Rs 6,000 per bag.

Interestingly, Balwinder Singh was always very cautious while carrying on with his deals. It is learnt that he would first send a car at the pre-decided place of delivery of goods and after the persons in the car would be satisfied of no foul play, they would call up Balwinder Singh on his mobile phone. The latter would then come on a scooter with an aide and on seeing the arrangements would then call up the person sitting in the delivery truck, and then leave the scene before the goods and money exchanged hands.

The Superintendent of Police, City-II, Mr Pramod Ban, said: "The local police had been trying to nab the culprits for a long time and it was only on August 20 that we were able to nab him along with a big haul of poppy husk that he was bringing here for one of his agents."

Mr Ban informed that while though they were able to arrest the kingpin of the gang, Balwinder Singh, his accomplice, Avtaar Singh Taari, and their local agent, Malkit Singh, a resident of Khasipur village, one of his closest associates, Tarsem Lal, sarpanch of Gana village, near Phillaur, managed to make good his escape from the spot. He said that the three accused had been booked under various sections of the NDPS Act and that further interrogation of the accused would lead to the arrest of others involved in this racket.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the accused would be first taken to Nawanshahr for his interrogation in the cases registered against him there and would later be taken to the Joint Interrogation Centre at Amritsar.

Functions mark Vanamahotsava
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Aug 22 — Thousands of saplings were planted on the occasion of Vanamahotsava by various organisations here today. A massive rally was taken out by students to create awareness among people about the need to safeguard the environment.

A programme was organised at Punjabi Bhavan by the Youth Akali Dal. It was chaired by Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Gurdwara Keshgarh Sahib. He distributed saplings among students as prasad.

Speaking on the occasion, he stressed the need for a massive plantation drive in the country. He said the country faced the problems of environment degradation and population explosion. He urged students to spread the message to safeguard the environment.

The jathedar said it was high time the leadership in the country devoted time towards the problems of environment degradation and population explosion. He pointed out that the forest cover was depleting and the government was not concerned. He appreciated the initiative of the dal for taking up the issue.

Prof Manjit Singh administered an oath to the students and people to plant at least one tree each in his lifetime. He said such symbolic gestures were necessary for creating awareness among the people. He also distributed 6,000 T-shirts having the message 'More Plantation, Less Population'.

Mr Amrik Singh Ahliwal, a Youth Akali Dal leader, said his party had taken the initiative last year. He claimed that during the past one year, about 4 lakh saplings were planted all over the state. He said the dal was planning similar programmes aimed at uplift of society. He said the party would soon launch a literacy drive in the state. Mr Avtar Singh Hit, President of the Delhi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, lauded the efforts of the organisers for creating awareness among the people about the environment. He said such efforts should be encouraged and more people should be involved.

The students later took out a rally from Punjabi Bhavan. After passing through parts of the city, the rally concluded at Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran.

Another function was organised by the Punjab Agricultural University at Bhegowal village. Speaking on the occasion, Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor of the university, emphasised the need for massive plantation. He said each individual should plant at least one tree in his lifetime.

Chaos and confusion

IT was chaos and confusion on the roads on the occasion of Vanamahotsava here, courtesy the mismanagement by the traffic police.

The traffic police personnel could do nothing except calling a blanket stop to all the traffic near the Jagraon overbridge on the Ferozepore road. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded for over two hours as the police personnel were making way for the school children who had taken out a rally.

The traffic police officials had, at no place along the busy Ferozepore road, deputed their personnel to intimate people about the road blockade ahead. No traffic was diverted. Eveybody was heading towards Jagraon bridge, as usual, only to get stranded.

It took about two hours for the traffic to get cleared. Nobody knew what had happened. Some managed to sneak through the possible openings, but most of the stranded people were not lucky enough to escape the ordeal. Some two-wheeler riders were seen lifting their vehicles along the footpath to get ahead.

The sidelanes along the Ferozepore road were flooded with vehicles. Mr Sartaj Singh, who had come from Ferozepore, was held up near the Jagraon pul for over an hour. He said the traffic police should have deputed some personnel at advance points and should have diverted the traffic.

It all started around 10 am, when several thousand students came from Punjabi Bhavan to take out a rally around the city to mark Vanamahotsava celebrations. As the students emerged, it looked as if the traffic police personnel were caught napping. The best they could do was to stop all vehicular traffic and let students pass. By the time the students crossed the bridge, the number of vehicles stranded had swollen to a few thousand.

Telecom Dept seeks compensation
From Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Aug 22 — After its underground cables have been damaged, the local Telecom Department has demanded Rs 4 lakh from Himachal Futuristic Communication Limited (HFCL) as compensation. In a letter written to the company, the department has also expressed its displeasure on careless digging by the company.

According to sources, telephone lines in the town were severely damaged during digging by workers of the HFCL recently. The areas worst affected by the exercise were Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, areas near the Ferozepore road and outer regions like Lalto Kalan, Jodhan and Pakhowal. Most of the damage was caused at places where the company used a machine for digging. Sources said if digging was done manually, the damage could have reduced.

The Telecom Department officials say that the repair work has been completed. However, residents of the affected areas continue to call the Ludhiana Tribune office, complaining about dead telephones lines.

The Telecom Department sources said the company had done a reckless digging job. It had cut the Telecom Department cables at many places. At some places, the cables had been buried under the debris, making these difficult to repair.

The department officials were unhappy that the company had been given the permission to dig close to the Telecom Department cables. However, they have not taken up this matter with the Municipal Corporation or the government.

According to sources, the compensation amount is likely to increase as the department has prepared an estimate of the damage past month. The company has resumed the digging work and the Telecom Department officials fear more damage.

The General Manager of the local Telecom Department division, Mr J.C. Aggarwal , said, though no response from the company had been received so far, the company would have to pay. He said the company had promised the state government that a compensation would be paid in case of damage due to the digging work.

Sources in the department said the damage had made the employees more unhappy with the government for approving privatisation of the telecom sector.

The telecom employees said they feared that the problems would escalate in future. At several places, cables of the department and the company are both black and indistinguishable. It can make the repairs difficult in future.

‘Announce support prices for paddy’
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Aug 22 — The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has decried the delay in announcement of minimum support price (MSP) for paddy and other kharif crops by the Union Government. The State Executive of the BKU, which met here yesterday under the Presidentship of Mr Manjit Singh Kadian, the General Secretary of the union, noted with concern that uncertainty about the procurement prices and the reported decision of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), not to purchase paddy in the coming season, had created a panic among the agricultural community.

The union called upon the government to announce the procurement prices of all kharif crops forthwith and to instruct the FCI and the Cotton Corporation of India to enter the market for timely purchase of paddy and cotton respectively.

Opposing the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar in the newly carved out hill state of Uttaranchal, the BKU resolved to participate in the proposed ‘kisan panchayat’ being convened by the national President of the BKU Mr Mohinder Singh Tikait, at Saharanpur on September 5.

The BKU expressed its concern over the deteriorating standards of education in rural areas of the state and emphasised upon the need to improve the quality of education to bring it at par with the urban schools. It observed that only through good quality education, the rural children could prepare themselves to face the global challenges and compete in the highly technical and scientific environment.

The union was of the opinion that prior to the implementation of the WTO agreements, there was dire need to globalise the human beings. In the changed scenario, every human being born on this planet should be free to live in the country of his choice, carry out business activity globally and should be able to get citizenship of any country without the hassles of visa or immigration laws, the union opined.

COMMUNITY

MEMORIES OF PARTITION
They died for their kith and kin
LUDHIANA

I WAS born in Harnal village, Gujjarkhan tehsil Rawalpindi district. I was nine years old when the partition of the country took place. It has been 53 years, but the memory of those days is still fresh in my mind.

It was the month of May in the year 1947 when the disturbing news, that hordes of Muslims were invading villages with dominant Hindu and Sikh populations came in. Their targets were particularly the Sikhs. This was because of to the fact that Master Tara Singh, a veteran Akali leader of his time, had opposed the creation of Pakistan, tooth and nail. He belonged to Haryal village, just two miles from our village, Harnal.

We used to daily hear shouts of Allah-Ho Akbar and beating of the drums of the passing invaders on their way to looting other villages.

We received news that our village would be invaded in a day or two. A meeting of villagers was held and we decided with a heavy heart to leave the village the next day, a place so dear to all of us. As the Sikhs were the prime target they voluntarily decided to leave the village in a separate group to avoid any threat to the others. The next day, the Sikh group moved towards Gujjarkhan while the other group headed towards Mandhra Railway Station. My father was in the military and was on leave during those days. With his efforts, five policemen had been arranged to escort the Mandhra railway station group. Though my father was a Sikh, yet, he decided to join a non-Sikh group. He was with us in full military uniform.

The Mohammedan policemen were in league with the Muslims of the villages enroute to Mandhra and had a secret pact with them “to loot the whole group without inflicting any injuries or causing any death.”

And this was just what happened. We were robbed of our belongings. Ornaments were snatched away from the womenfolk. All that we were left with were the clothes that we wore. The looters were not other than the tillers of our own land. My father called them by name to stop this inhuman act, but no one listened.

We reached Mandhra Railway Station in the evening. From there, we were put in military trucks and taken to the Rawalpindi refugee camp.

The Sikh group, which had moved towards Gujjarkhan, was waylaid by hordes of Muslims and all members of the group were brutally murdered. Among the victims was my elder uncle (Tayaji). Nobody was there to perform their last rites and mourn their deaths.

They died so that others may live. The ghastly scene of looting, snatching, wailing of women and children and lathi blows to those who refused to part with their lives’ earnings is still so fresh in my memory as if it had happened only yesterday.

Harbans Singh Harnal
137-138, Laxmi Puri
Neta Ji Nagar
Ludhiana

Like grandfather, like son and grandson
From Surbhi Bhalla

LUDHIANA, Aug 22 — Theirs is a pedigree that has become synonymous with medicine. The Aggarwals have a long association, spanning over six decades and three generations, with the medical profession. Dr O.P. Aggarwal, his son Indresh Aggarwal, and grandson, Atul Aggarwal, are now not just attached to the profession, but deeply involved with it. The medical profession seems to run in their blood.

Their clinic continues to be one of the most popular with patients, also because they charge a modest amount of Rs 15 as consultation fee. The 86-year-old doyen of the family, Dr O.P. Aggarwal, is not ready for any argument about the meagre fee charged in his clinic. He believes, “Medicine is a noble profession, meant for serving people with a missionary zeal and not a trade aimed at making commercial gains”.

Luckily for him, he has an obedient son, Indresh, who respects his father’s sentiments. Down the line, Indresh’s son, Atul, also shares his elders’ views. Amidst crass commercialisation in the medical profession, the trio believes that doctors must be service-oriented.

About 60 years in the profession, the eldest Aggarwal, has witnessed a lot of changes in the profession. These, he observes, are good as well as bad. Good from the sense that phenomenal developments have taken place in the world of medicine and technological advances have led to the treatment of many diseases. On the other hand, crass commercialisation has also cropped in, turning the profession into a commercial venture.

Recalling his own time, he remembers with regrets, “the Hippocrates oath which was given to us at the time of the degree, really meant a lot for all the doctors. But today, most of the doctors are no more service-oriented and behave like businessman only”.

Although he has deep regrets for the deterioration in medical ethics, but he agrees that newer investigations have discovered regiments for more diseases, which could not even be diagnosed earlier. And more sophisticated and latest treatment is now available.

According to the senior Aggarwal, in this era of specialisation and superspecialisation, doctors are more investigation-oriented. In order to escape penalty under the Consumer Protection Act, they rely more on clinical investigation rather than their own experience.

Dr Aggarwal feels nostalgic about the past when doctors were accorded tremendous respect. The profession was believed to be one of the noblest. However, times have changed and so have the attitudes of the people towards doctors, he remarked.

In a city like Ludhiana, where most of the doctors are accused of minting money, Aggarwals still believe in the age old ideal of serving people. Starting from a few annas in the forties, the Aggarwals charge only a sum of Rs 15 and also provide medicine with in this amount.

After serving the city for over 50 years, Dr O P Aggarwal appears to be quite a satisfied man. “I feel lucky enough to have been able to do what I believed in, with dignity and honour”, he remarks with a great sense of achievement.

Qualified from Amritsar in 1940, he served the Punjab Government for three years and started practicing in Ludhiana in 1944. He is probably the senior-most living physician in the IMA, which he joined in 1941. After serving the Ludhiana Medical Association in various capacities, he became the state president of IMA in 1977-78.

During his tenure, Punjab won the IMA rotating trophy for best performance. He also rose to became the senior vice-president of IMA (All India) with headquarters in Delhi.

The second in line, Dr Indresh Aggarwal joined his father in 1968. Dr Indresh still remembers his father’s first lesson to him, “do not go after money.” Since then, he has been assisting his father in the profession. Dr Indresh has been serving the city for over 30 years now. Besides being a doctor, he has also been associated with various social service programmes.

Medical profession runs their blood. Like grandfather like grandson, Dr Atul Aggarwal passed his MD (Medicine) from Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. Presently, he is doing a fellowship in Cardiology in USA and with an aim to come back and serve the nation.

The eldest Aggarwal has a word of advice for the young professionals, — that they should work sincerely with missionary zeal. “Never think of becoming a millionaire overnight”, he cautions.

Land, grant for church revival
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Aug 22 — Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, Speaker, Punjab Assembly, announced a grant of Rs 25,000 for the Marantha Revival Church organisation here.

He made this announcement at a function organised by the organisation. He said that the government would provide land to an ashram proposed by the organisation. Earlier people of all religions participated in a day-long congregation held on the occasion

Pastor Eric Gopal Singh read out a memorandum of demands, besides highlighting the achievements and activities of the organisation.

LUDHIANA CALLING

Professor Ram Kumar Bajaj, Director of the National School of Drama, was right when he said that if one show was staged in isolation, it was of not much use. There should be a drama festival, for when one sees a play, one yearns to see more.

Mr Sunil Kant Munjal, President, and Mr S.K.Rai, Secretary, respectively, of the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagan, have to be thanked for bringing Ghasiram Kotwal to the city. The city is raving about the brilliant performances of the artistes. The beauty of the play was that the actors made everything look real.

In another scene, Ghasiram punishes one Brahmin and orders his nails to be removed. No weapon was used to do that, but one could feel that Brahmin’s anguish and pain. The effect was possible due to deft play of light and music.

Ahead of schedule

Last week, residents of a nearby village and the district authorities landed themselves in an embarassing situation when, contrary to their reputation of arriving behind schedule for public functions and keeping every one waiting for hours together, three Punjab ministers — Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha (Technical Education), Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala (Animal Husbandry) and Mr Nirmal Singh Kahlon (Rural Development) arrived almost two hours ahead of schedule to lay the foundation stone of a bridge, a veterinary hospital and a 24-hour power supply project, respectively.

The officials of the Information and Public Relations Department here were put in awkward position when some scribes and lensmen from language and English newspapers reached the DPRO’s office, from where they were supposed to proceed to Assi Kalan village for the function. There were many red faces when the PR officials sheepishly told the scribes that the ministers had performed their jobs of laying foundation stones early in the morning and rushed back to Chandigarh to attend a meeting.

On persistent enquiries for the reason behind such a tearing hurry by the ministers, it turned out that the Chief Minister had suddenly called a meeting of the SAD(B) legislature party in Chandigarh on the same day and the ministers, obviously keen on attending the meeting, did not want to let the opportunity of performing yet another foundation stone laying ceremony go by.

Testing times

If the functions beginning and concluding before the scheduled time, particularly those attended by politicians, are a rarity, the social and cultural functions in the city, more often than not, are stretched so long that it becomes an endurance test for guests and others. The other day, an installation function of one such organisation at Lodhi Club, which was to commence at 9 pm, began one hour behind schedule.

The introductions, recognitions, report by the outgoing team, installation of new office-bearers, thanksgiving, detailed report of new projects to be taken up in the future and mutual back-slapping was dragged well past midnight. Most of the guests were yawning and waiting for the promised dinner. Trifles like punctuality and consideration to others are alien to Ludhianvis.

Death of a General

The death of Major-General B.S. Ahluwalia (retd), a much decorated soldier who was also largely responsible for making Kwality ice cream a household name in the region, has left Ludhiana’s social life poorer.

An active Rotarian, he was a familiar figure, along with his wife, Ms Jagjit Ahluwalia, at the Rotary get-togethers as also on the social circuit. Born in 1920, in a village near tehsil Pasrur, district Sialkot, now in Pakistan, he was the son of an Army doctor. He received elementary education in the village school and in various cantonment schools in Punjab upto middle standard, before shifting to New Delhi in 1932, where he matriculated in 1935.

He graduated in 1939, joined a medical college, he joined the Army in 1942 and was commissioned in 1943 as Second Lieutenant from Officer Training School, Bangalore.

He was posted to 1st Punjab Regiment Centre at Jhelum (Pakistan), later posted to 16/1 Punjab for further training in jungle warfare and weapons. In late 1943, he was posted to 11/1st Punjab Regiment, then fighting against the Japanese advance on the Indo-Burma border. He also took part in the battle against the Japanese forces in Akyab and later in the Kohima battle in early 1944. Later in 1944, he took part in the battle of Tungtha, Meiktila and the battle for Rangoon in Burma as a company officer and Brigade Intelligence officer. In early 1945, he proceeded to Indonesia with the battalion to take surrender of Japanese troops and keep peace between Indonesian-National forces and the Dutch forces.

In 1947, he was posted to General HQs on staff of Military Secretary’s Branch, CHQ, and had the responsibility for the posting of officers as per their elections to serve in the Indian or Pakistan Army. He was the only Indian to be posted to MS Branch for Staff Posting and was posted to newly formed HQ Western Command as Deputy Assistant Military Secretary to General, later Field Marshal K. M. Carriappa. He also took part in the first Indo-Pak war in Jammu and Kashmir. He also took active part in India-China war of 1962 in Thagha area. He was wounded in action and taken prisoner by the Chinese. He spent 11 months as Chinese prisoner in Tibet and in mainland China.

Repatriated to India in 1963 and posted as General Staff Officer (GSOI) of Delhi and Rajasthan area, responsible for the defence of Rajasthan border with Pakistan from Jaisalmer to Rann of Kutch. He also took part in the Indo-Pak war of 1971 in the western sector and captured maximum Pak territory in the Shakargarh salient.

He took premature retirement in 1973 to join a private company at Ratlam. Two years later, he joined Volga Frozen Food and Ice Cream Company at Mumbai and turned a loss making unit into a profitable venture. He joined Kwality group in 1980 and set up the first ice cream plant at Panjim, Goa.

In 1982, he took over as the Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Kwality Ice Cream Co, Ludhiana, and was responsible for its sale throughout Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and other neighbouring areas. From a minor unit with a turnover of only Rs 25 lakh in 1982, he raised its turnover to nearly Rs 5 crore within a few years.

IT revolution

Indians may not have noticed it, but the stock of the Indians and their country has been steadily going up internationally, thanks to the IT revolution which has been sweeping the country for quite some time now. The revolution was quiet so far, but what really put it on the front pages of the media throughout the world was the visit to India of the US President, Mr Bill Clinton, and the handsome tributes he paid to the Indian IT professionals and industry.

For a group of British and American IT experts who visited Chandigarh, Amritsar and Ludhiana a week ago as a part of a project team put together by the British NRI, Mr Jasbir Singh Jassi, the spread of IT industry in Punjab and general awareness about it among the Punjabis has been “simply amazing”. “I have never seen so many hoardings, advertisements and signboards on IT courses and facilities being offered by various outfits in England or any other part of the world as they are here in Ludhiana,” exclaims Ms Elizabeth Sutherland, wife of a British IT expert who is part of the team. “Everybody here seems to have been bitten by the IT bug”.

A British IT expert who has taught students both in England and America says he has found Indian students to be much more quicker to learn than their counterparts abroad. “What took British and American students up to four weeks to learn was learnt by the Indians in just two weeks”, says Mr Nicholas Coates. One member of the British team was impressed to learn that the local office of Ludhiana Tribune is centrally air-conditioned and fully equipped with the latest electronic gadgets.

Colourful sarees

Colourful sarees are preferred by working class women. These lend charm and light up the otherwise drab atmosphere of the overcast grey clouds of the monsoon season.

Psychologists advise the use of bright colours to cheer one up. Red can cheer up even a depressed person. Primary colours like red, green and yellow are warm colours and should be worn during the monsoon.

Tailpiece

A wise old man, when asked about the secret of longevity, summed it up as follows:

“Open air,

Free from care,

Conquest of despair,

Daily prayer”.

— Sentinel