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| Tuesday, March 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
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FMD killed cattle, say PAU experts Ludhiana, March 12 Dr D.R. Sharma, Head of the Department of the Preventive Medicine of the PAU, told The Tribune that he was fully convinced that it was the foot and mouth disease which had claimed lives of animals in the villages. He said he had given certain tips to farmers for taking precautionary measures to check the further mortality of the livestock. He was confident that with the tips given by him there would be perceptible change in the situation in the villages concerned. Dr Sharma said the samples of the animals affected by the disease had been sent to Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, for identifying the virus responsible for causing the disease. He said there were seven types of virus which could cause this disease and only after the arrival of the report he would be able to tell what kind of virus had affected the livestock in the Ghaloti area. Dr Sharma said there should be a restriction on the movement of the livestock from the affected villages to the cattle fairs and elsewhere. As it was a contagious disease, the movement of the affected animals could cause the transmission of the disease to the livestock in other areas. It may be mentioned that though the Animal Husbandry Department of the Punjab Government had also collected samples of the animals affected by the disease but so far it had not issued any statement officially identifying the nature of the disease. Sources revealed that the department had, however, typed the prevalent virus as of type “O”. Dr Sharma said,”
If the HAU also types the strain as Type “O” then vaccines can be modified by increasing the ratio of the particular strain in the vaccine. It may take another week for the HAU to type the strain of the virus. After that we will decide the course of action.” Dr Sharma added that because the disease was spreading to adjacent villages near Khanna there was a need to adopt strong strategies to check the further spread of the disease not only in the state but all over the country. He suggested the farmers to get their cattle vaccinated against the disease. He said getting cattle vaccinated, which caused a momentary dryness in the milch cattle for two-three days, was better than to loose the cattle. Meanwhile, despite the fact that the scientists had advised that there should be a total ban on the movement of the animals, a cattle mandi was held at Khanna last weekend. Cattle from far and near places were sold and bought at the mandi. Experts said the Animal Husbandry Department should impose a blanket ban on such mandis for the time being to check the further spread of the disease in other parts of the state. |
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CRIME FILE Ludhiana, March 12 According to information, the migrants fell down following the collapse of a single-brick railing along the roof. When this correspondent reached the site this morning, Meetan Singh (22), a cousin of the deceased, told that it was around 11.30 a.m. that the deceased and some of his friends were sitting on the wall which suddenly collapsed plunging four of them onto the concrete floor below. Jainendra, who suffered serious head injuries and fell unconscious, was rushed to a private clinic in Focal Point from where he was shifted to the Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Hospital. Dissatisfied with the services at the hospital, the migrants attending on Jainendra again shifted him to a private clinic in Sherpur where he breathed his last in the evening. He was cremated at the Jamalpur cremation grounds yesterday morning. Shameem Ansari (19) and Ajay (23) received serious injuries while another boy named Ajay (17) was lucky to escape unhurt in the accident. Shameem is still in a private hospital in division number three area with a fracture on his left arm while Ajay, who sustained some nasty bruises in the fall, is convalescing among his relatives here. The incident was not reported to the police by the relatives fearing a postmortem of the deceased. Dowry death According to the FIR lodged by Mr Rajesh Kumar, a brother of the deceased, his sister was married to Raj Kumar, son of Mr Des Raj, about five years ago. Adequate dowry, according to their status, was given at the time of marriage. But the greedy in-laws harassed her for more dowry and finally murdered her last night. Tension prevailed for a quite while at the cremation of the deceased this afternoon at the Gau Ghat cremation grounds, when some supporters of the accused tried to persuade the relatives of the deceased to withdraw their complaint. According to Mr Gurpreet Singh, SHO, efforts were on to nab the husband of the deceased who has been absconding. A case has been registered against the accused. Bid to grab land According to the FIR registered against two arrested persons and nearly 20 other unknown persons at the Model Town police station yesterday, one of the plot owners, Mr Jagjit Singh, son of late Mohan Singh, was informed by neighbours that some 22 to 23 persons had broken open the locks of the nine shops and taken possession of their ancestral property. When they reached the spot, they were threatened by the accused . The police has registered a case under Sections 447, 448, 380, 506, 148 and 145 of the IPC against the accused. The arrested were presented in court this afternoon and were remanded in police custody till tomorrow. Meanwhile, the aggrieved party had approached some central ministers in this connection following disclosures about the real land grabber, a kin of an Akali minister in the Panjab Cabinet. In all likelihood, they are going to have a meeting with the Chief Minister. Business premises raided One company was found using Woolmark without proper licence on their website. A spokesperson added that legal action would be taken against anybody found misusing the brand name. Protesters demand youth’s arrest Though the father of the accused was taken into police custody, shopkeepers of Ganesh Nagar downed their shutters and flocked to the police chowki to demand the immediate arrest of the main accused, who was absconding after the incident.
Senior police officials were trying to defuse the situation at the time of reporting. KHAMANO Satta operator arrested SAHNEWAL Case of fraud According to the FIR , Raghbir Singh, of Majara village has alleged that his cousin Amarjot Singh of Kheri, Amarjot’s mother-in-law Balbir Kaur and Balbir Kaur’s son Nardeep Singh had cheated them of their money. A year before , a deal was finalised in which Amarjot, his mother-in-law and his brother-in-law had promised Raghbir Singh of sending Lakhvir Singh, the complainant’s younger brother, to some foreign country within one year. They had demanded Rs 5 lakh for the purpose, out of which 2.5 lakh was taken by them in advance. Now they had begun to shun the company of Raghbir and his brother and started procrastinating the whole issue. Smelling something fishy, Raghbir Singh lodged a complaint. The Sahnewal police has registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC. Liquor seized One killed Sungeshwar of Una in Samastipur (Bihar) was on his way to Ramgarh village when a motorcyclist hit him as a result of which he was seriously injured and taken to the civil hospital, where he was declared dead. The motorcyclist has absconded while the motorcycle number has been noted down (PBAD-5157). A case has been registered against the accused under Section 304 of the IPC. |
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BOTTOMLINE Ludhiana, March 12 While addressing a press conference here today, Mr Kapila disclosed that in the past one year alone 8 persons of the city were convicted in the court for concealing their income. The convicted persons included leading manufacturers, traders and exporters. The court has fined and announced imprisonment in these cases. He said: “The department has issued notices to more than 2000 persons for concealing financial information and not filing IT returns. The department is investigating their income. The surveys and information collected from the public has led to the disclosure of income worth more than Rs 100 crore.” Incidentally, there are 4.4 lakh assessees in the Ludhiana range which comprises Ludhiana and Moga districts and Malerkotla and Dhuri towns. About 25-30 per cent of them are not filing returns regularly under the law. Mr Kapila informed that the department was concentrating on those landlords which had rented 50 to 100 rooms to migrant labourers. The colonies and clusters have been identified. About 400 individuals have been identified. These people have disclosed their investments in these houses and income from rent. The department has already introduced a new procedure of group scrutiny and investigation. Regarding the prevalent practices of income concealment by the assessees, Mr Kapila said: “Some of the hosiery traders and cycle parts manufacturers are showing fake gifts worth lakhs of rupees in their expenditure. They are charging commission from them and taking cash in some cases. The department is taking action against them.” The department has expedited the process of refunding the extra amount deposited with the department. The cases up to December 31 have been already cleared. Now the department will take just one week to refund the amount if the returns are filed in April and other initial months, he added. |
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Punjab Board Class X, XII exams
begin Ludhiana, March 12 Several college teachers who are members of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union and the Government College Teachers Association boycotted the examination to express resentment against the decision of the board to appoint school teachers as superintendents in college centres. Consequently, ad hoc staff of colleges and teachers from various schools were called up to perform the duties. Besides, under the directions of the state government, 46 cluster in charges had been appointed for vigilance. MACHHIWARA: Annual examinations of Class X and XII of Punjab School Education Board began here today. The examination started at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. as per schedule. According to the cluster in charge, Mr Balbir
Dingh, there are seven centres in this cluster at Government Senior Secondary School, Machhiwara, Shakti Public Senior Secondary School, Machhiwara, (both having centres for Class X and XII) and Government Senior Secondary School, Hambowal Bet, Government Senior Secondary School,
Labangarh, Government Girls High School, Machhiwara, Government High School, Panjgrain and Chopra Public High School, Machhiwara. |
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Dr Kande is IMA state
president Ludhiana, March 12 Dr Gursharan Singh, president local unit of the IMA, in a press note said that a total of 56 votes were polled, out of which four were rejected. The office-bearers of IMA branches from all over the state participated in the election. The IMA members criticised Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Health Minister, for promoting quackery by inaugurating various nursing homes. The state council also dissolved the IMA house committee. The council unanimously resolved that in the present circumstances, the old IMA house committee had no place. The members criticised the house committee for not presenting its budget and other economic matters in any of the council meetings.
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HC Judge in city Ludhiana, March 12
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Contractor alleges
harassment by GM Khamano, March 12 His last contract ended on December 11, 2000. The date for next year’s contract was fixed on October 27, 2000, but no contractor except him turned up. He offered to give Rs 5100 per month but it was not accepted. Later on he bid to give Rs 6100 per month. On February 5, 2001, he again bid to give Rs 7000 per month but the auction was again deferred. When asked as to why this sum was less than that for 2000, the contractor said despite his repeated requests the stoppage of buses here was not sure. He told that on January 1, 2001, the GM sent one Inspector and four drivers here on duty to stop the buses from staying here forcibly and to stop at other places. When asked about this matter, the Inspector, Mr Jagdish Kumar, declined to comment. He said he was here on the order of GM, Punjab Roadways. Despite repeated attempts, the GM could not be contacted. The Inspector was busy ordering Punjab Roadways buses not to stop here and go to some other stop for refreshment. |
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Consumer protection week from March 15 Ludhiana, March 12 Disclosing this here today, Mr Parveen Vij, District Food and Supplies Controller, informed that a district-level seminar will be organised at Punjabi Bhavan here on March 15 in which different heads of the departments will educate the consumers about their rights and relevant acts on consumer protection. In addition, several stalls will be put up and literature on consumer rights will be distributed during the two-day Kisan Mela on March 15 and 16 at Punjab Agricultural University, where the officers concerned will also attend to the grievances of the people. |
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Congmen support PPCC chief on EVM
issue Ludhiana, March 12 Addressing a news conference here today, Mr Surinder Dawar and Mr Harmohinder Singh, presidents of the District Congress Committee urban and rural, respectively, observed that the ruling coalition, led by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had throttled the democratic system by rigging the polls through ‘fixed’ EVMs. Strongly supporting the demand made by the PPCC chief to revert to the old system of voting through ballot papers, the Congress activists maintained that people in general still preferred and had faith in the traditional system of voting. Mr Dawar and Mr Harmohinder Singh claimed that step taken by Captain Amarinder Singh against the use of EVMs had evoked most favourable response among the Congress rank and file and people in general. The government had come in for sharp criticism for violating all norms and political ethics as well as befooling the electorate by rigging the byelections. They further said the EVMs were not considered dependable and foolproof the world over and developed countries like Germany, France and England had discarded this method of voting, in favour of voting by ballot papers. “During the US Presidential elections held recently, the performance of the EVMs had drawn flak and had created quite a controversy.” Condemning the misuse of EVMs in Sunam, Nawanshahr and Majitha by the ruling party, the Congress activists asserted that the party would stand behind the PPCC president to defend the democracy and to maintain the sanctity of the process of elections in the country. Prominent among others present at the occasion were Mr Nahar Singh Gill, general secretary, PPCC, Mr Krishan Kumar Bawa, secretary, PPCC, Mr Pawan Diwan, chairman, Urban Development Cell of Indian Youth Congress, former Punjab minister Mr Malkiat Singh Dakha and Mr Manjit Singh Malerkotla. The District Youth Congress (DYC) has lambasted the civic administration for insanitary conditions prevailing in many city localities and the menace of stray pigs that has made the lives of residents, particularly those in outer colonies, miserable. Addressing party workers meetings in wards no. 5 and 66 in the course of its ‘public awareness campaign’ here today, the DYC president, Mr Parminder Mehta alleged that all claims of the MC officials of shifting the stray pigs in the city areas to a pig pond, specially set up on Tajpur Road, had proved a hoax. The insanitary conditions prevailing in many localities, were further worsened by the pigs, littering the residential areas with garbage and waste material, creating a serious health hazard. The unchecked movement of pigs in residential areas and busy roads also lead to road accidents and there have been many instances when children were bitten by the pigs. According to Mr Mehta, people in several city colonies like Shiv Puri, New Shiv Puri, Basti Jodhewal, Sardar Nagar, Shimla Puri, Kitchlu Nagar, Rishi Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Janakpuri and Salem Tabri were virtually living under the terror of stray pigs and the animals entering into the houses was not an uncommon phenomenon. He warned the MC administration to initiate effective measures to remove the pigs from city colonies, without any further delay, failing which the YC would resort to an agitation.
Admn flayed The DYC president called for more effective police patrolling in the area on the periphery of the city, where anti-social elements and drug peddlers were having a field day. The complaints lodged with the police against the criminals and anti-social elements were not attended to. Mr Mehta lamented that the district authorities were indifferent towards a large number of people, who were threatened and held to ransom by the ‘land mafia’. “Hundreds of city residents, who had personally appeared in sangat darshan programme of the district administration against the denial of registration of title deeds by the original owners of land and extortion racket flourishing in the outer city localities, were yet to get justice.” Meanwhile, the Anti-Pollution and Welfare Association of New Janta Nagar and Shimla Puri colonies on Gill Road has sought the attention of the civic body towards pathetic insanitary conditions of the main road and streets in these colonies. Addressing a meeting of the association last evening, Mr Sher Singh, president of the association, alleged that garbage taken out during the cleaning of sewerage lines, was not removed from the streets and was left to dry up. Similarly, the roads and streets dug out for laying of telephone cables were not repaired, causing inconvenience to residents and vehicular traffic. He said the residents in street No 5, 6 and 7 in New Janta Nagar were denied water connections by the MC, whereas all other localities around these streets were provided the facility. |
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A short lived
wonder? Ludhiana, March 12 Not only for the city residents, the market also became a centre of attraction for numerous people belonging to the nearby villages and towns who just paid a curious visit to the market to witness the wonder of cars going up five floor in a huge elevator and of course, the escalator. School students from neighbouring towns led by their teachers, especially came to the city on Sunday tours to visit the market as inquisitive tourists. But the novelty is wearing out gradually. Of late, there has been a noticeable decline in the number of groups of school children being taken around the market by equally enthusiastic teachers. Nearly half of the 650 shops on various floors of the market still remain unoccupied because, in spite of being the cleanest market of the city, retail trade has not picked up. There were only a few cloth wholesalers in the beginning . Then arrived wholesalers and retailers of medicines, readymade garments, audio-cassettes and so on. But it is still far from being a complete market where one can buy virtually everything. Though a complete range of readymade wear is available at a number of shops, there is no shoe shop yet in the market. A number of other trades are also missing yet. Nevertheless shopkeepers are hopeful that sooner or later the market would be able to cater to every shopping requirement of the customers. Trade in the market is slowly picking up and the shopkeepers are optimistic about a bright future ahead. Nobody is grumbling. The Calibre Plaza Shopkeepers Association, headed by Mr Man Singh, is, however, not very happy with the local MC authorities which are currently insisting on converting the basement into a parking and not allowing the shops to be constructed as was originally planned. Shopkeepers are opposing the idea of a basement parking on the ground that it would cause unnecessary pollution in the market. They point out that underground parkings were being phased out even in cities like Delhi. The parking provided at the top of the market is sufficient to take care of cars and scooters of the customers. If need be, the shopkeepers have agreed to park their own cars in the nearby public parking lot near Mata Rani chowk to accommodate as many of their customers as possible. |
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Designer
interiors The famous architects in the city well understand the taste of their clientele, so they tend to combine modern ideas of creative design and still maintain the traditional forms and shapes. The deft use of different materials like wood, glass, upholstery, methacrylate and metals in living rooms, dining rooms and bedroom furniture is becoming more and more popular in the city. The newly introduced trends are not only decorative but durable, economical and adaptable too. “People prefer to use glass roofs in their living rooms and drawing rooms. Not only do they look good and artistic but they give proper lighting to your homes”, said an architect in the city. The designer stain glass roofs are very much in vogue. Marble flooring has always been very popular among city residents. But the trend is slowly changing as more and more people are opting for stylish tiles and Italian marble due to easy maintenance and long lasting shine. “I have changed the marble flooring of my living room and drawing room. I had seen wooden flooring in one of the houses in Delhi. It looked good and elegant, so I opted for that”, said Mr Narinder Singh (not his real name), a Sarabha Nagar resident. The latest sleek kitchens are affordable and economical. They offer perfect blend of style and function creating an environment, where cooking becomes a pleasure. The quality kitchen furniture presents a wide range of quality and consumer friendly products symbolic to modern living and in tune with the times which are termite and rust-free, borer free, water proof, attractive, pre-finished and laminated. The perfect children’s rooms are the hot favourites among the elite Ludhianvis. These spacious rooms are specially created which are complete with beds, study tables and baby cots turning into swings whenever required. Monisha, an interior designer in the city, said the people in the city who have fancy taste and style prefer to have things which are durable and have permanent colour, sheen and texture. “The furniture which does not require periodic application of varnish or paints and easy to clean and maintain is in demand these days”, added Monisha. |
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MC meeting postponed Khanna, March
12 The budget
meeting was called today to pass a budget of Rs 1330 lakh 99 thousand.
Out of total 26 members 24 were present in the meeting. When the
municipal officials tried to start the meeting, local MLA Bachan Singh
Cheema, raised the question that as there were no signatures on the
agenda, file, what was the authenticity of the budget agenda. |
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Rally against Budget proposals Khamano, March 12 Giving this information, secretary Yashpal told that a meeting of the committee was held in this regard under the chairmanship of Mr Jaipal. In this meeting, the BJP-led government was flayed because in the Budget, millionaires and foreign companies had been given a lion’s share and the anti-employee Budget had snatched crores of rupees from the pockets of employees. In this Budget, privatisation had been speeded up and the things of daily use had become costlier. |
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No check on sale of uncovered food Ludhiana, March 12 “The masalas we get from the market are quite adulterated. Infact, everything is impure. The water that we get to drink from the municipality is murky at times and people suffer from cholera. After having suffered from an acute attack of cholera, I have started boiling the water. Is it not our basic right to get clean potable water? Why is the human life of no concern to anybody in authority?” said Mr Kishan, a factory worker, who has to manage the house after losing his wife. Mr S.P. Madan, a senior stenographer, says: “I am horrified to see foodstuff being sold out in the open and people flocking to eat this kind of food. I know in my lane most of the people are suffering from gastroentrities as they keep on eating salads and cut fruit sold in the rehris on the roadside thinking it to be very nourishing. On the contrary, they are now suffering and spending money on medicines and tests.” One cannot even imagine the number of man hours lost in sickness due to ailments caused by impure water and food. But are our health authorities concerned? The Health Officer, Dr R.C. Garg, said: “We have no record of any jaundice or gastroenteritis cases for the month of February. We have three food inspectors who are deployed to take samples of any edible material and water. The samples are taken once a year. The water is sent for testing for impurities in PAU, whereas foodstuff is sent to Chandigarh where there is a state public anaylist laboratory. Those found selling adulterated food are punished under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act . The punishment can be from 6 months to 10 years, depending on the nature of adulteration.” Dr Garg could not tell how many cases of adulteration were noted and he could only recall one person who is undergoing imprisonment for selling paneer unfit for human consumption. It is amazing that for a population of more than 25 lakh only three inspectors are deputed. In the age of computers, the water and foodstuff is sent to different places for checking the impurities. The offenders are tried by Chief Judicial Magistrates, and who do not know the long legal procedures. Dr Garg also informed that the Municipal Corporation had to issue licenses to the rehriwalas selling the foodstuffs but since many are not licensed, the problems arise when they have to check their identification.Water and colours used for ice candies are also tested. According to Dr Garg, even waiters have to undergo a medical test but do they really go, is the million dollar question. Seeing the horrendous colours used by the makers of these ice candies, one cannot believe that they are ever tested. There are hundreds of ice candy factories using impure water and cheap synthetic colours which can even cause cancer. Mrs Asha Rani is horrified to see such cheap coloured ice candies being sold outside all the schools. The Health Officer of the MC, Dr Brar, was on leave and Dr Grewal when contacted said that he was busy with the illness of one of his relatives. So he could give his views later. According to Dr Dilpreet Brar, flies on uncovered food are potential carriers of many disease like typhoid, paratyphoid, fever, diarrhoea, , dysentery, cholera, conjunctivities and trachoma, to name a few diseases. Jaundice is also a common disease transmitted through unclean water. Here are certain points to be kept in mind to maintain good health free from disease. (a) Do not eat uncovered food, (b) do not buy soggy fruit or rotten vegetables for they are cheap (c) destroy all rotten food and meat, (d) if you see murky water coming from taps, besides complaning strongly to municipal authorities, bring water to boil and let it boil for 10 minutes to kill all germs; and (e) get vaccinated against cholera, typhoid and hepatitis.
Surgeon remakes skull A 12- hour-long surgery was conducted by Dr Sharad Samson at the CMC Hospital. The broken bone of the skull was replaced with a bone from the patient. The operation is the first of its kind here. The patient Kuljit Singh’s skull was shattered by robbers, who have not been arrested so far, in the Sahnewal robbery in November. One of his optic nerve was cut off as a result Kuljit has lost vision in the right eye. An emergency surgery was performed and the clot was removed. However, in the case of Kuljit Singh nasal discharge continued. He was in the hospital even after two months. This time, the investigation showed total destruction of the base of the skull, with air within the brain. Dr Sharad took the bone graft from the posterior surface of the frontal bone of the skull. Kuljit told this correspondent that the nasal discharge had stopped and he did not have headaches as before. He was trying to adjust with the vision from one eye only. Dr Gursharan Singh, president of the IMA, felt that for such a tedious surgery the fee of Rs 7,000 was too little. Dr Samson felt sad for not having been able to save his eye."
Discarded doors The doors of the house tell a lot of things — the financial condition of the householder, his aesthetic taste and how much safety they provide. These days the affluent people discard the old doors as they are old fashioned, and do not go with the decor of the house. The architect also tells his client in that those horrendous looking doors will have to go. So they go. But where? To the junk dealers, who else? Doors are stored in a colony named after Sahir Ludhianvi just near the Jagraon bridge. Just like there are construction teams, there are also contractual demolition teams. These people offer to demolish old houses. After assessing the value of things like doors, windows, iron and bricks, they pay the money to the house owner and after demolishing, some people take away the doors and windows to sell while the others take the bricks and still others take the iron. The doors are stored after getting them repaired and polished. For this purpose, carpenters and painters are employed by the door sellers. These artisans are able to give almost a new look to the doors and windows. Mr I.C. Dhiman, one of the dealers, said with pride, “I have doors made of walnut wood. I sell these doors for Rs 2400 to 2500 only, whereas a new door of walnut would cost Rs 20,000.” Mr Som Parkash Sood, who has been in the business for last six years, says, “There is lot of recession in the market. We are selling much lesser doors than last year. The price of the door depends on its condition. Some doors fetch us Rs 500 and can even get us Rs 1500. The doors are made well and good deodar wood is used. The new door these days would cost nothing less than Rs 10,000. Mostly our clients are middle-class people. They come from villages too.” Mr Chaman Lal, another door dealer, said, “Sometimes people come and sell us these doors when they are making new houses. We just keep a profit of Rs 100 per door and dispose them of. Similarly the windows are priced according to their sizes and their present condition. The declining business of resale of old doors is depressing the dealers. They hope the business will pick up soon. |
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