AGRICULTURE

Overflowing sewage damages crops
Our Correspondent

Khanna, March 13
No repair work was started till this afternoon to check the leaking sewage water which has started to damage the crops in the Bhaghaur village 5 km from here, after the breach of the embankment of sewerage ponds of Khanna sewerage disposal system in the village.

Villagers alleged that, however , they had informed the officials of Municipal Council, Khanna and the member of Rajya Sabha, Mr Sukhdev Singh Libra, about the situation but nothing has been done to check it.

The town has a population of about 1 lakh and there are 7 ponds in Bhaghaur village for disposing sewage. The sewage of the city falls in these ponds which were not sufficient to consume the whole water.

Mr Hans Singh, a resident of the village alleged that the officials of Khanna MC were not concerned about the health of the villagers, as three old wells were also near these ponds which were contaminating drinking water in the village. He said the villagers fear that this may cause an epidemic in the village.

Another villager said it was a routine that after every month or two there was a flood-like situation in the ponds which damaged the crops also. And the overflowing of the sewer water on the roads and streets caused foot diseases among residents of the village.

Mr Sukhwinder Singh Gill, S.D.M. Khanna, when contacted said it was not a flood as reported in some newspapers. It was a routine problem which occured many times due to excess pressure of the sewer water. He said this problem would be solved only after the completion of sewerage project of Rs 8.52 crore which was already in progress. He said the MC was paying compensation to the farmers for the losses each and every time.

He also said he had ordered the municipal officials to check the over-flowing water and also to assess the extent of losses.

EDUCATION

Charu declared Ms SDP
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 13
The final year students of BA and BCom courses of the Sanatan Dharam Pracharak College for Women were bid adieu at a function organised here today.

The second year students of the college sang several Hindi and Punjabi songs. Group and solo-dance items were performed on the latest Punjabi pop numbers.

Final year students recited a poem on the pleasant stay in the college. Besides, the students participated in lucky draw and played tambola and other games.

Nearly 30 final year girls participated in a fashion show in which Charu Jain of BA was crowned Miss SDP, Suruchi of BA was declared first runner-up and Saloni of BCom was chosen second runner-up.

Ms Chandrakanta Gupta was the chief guest. Ms S.Verma, Principal of the college, wished the students good luck for their future.

COURTS

Forum tells car firm to refund amount
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 13
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Pal Peugeot Limited to refund Rs 25,000 along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum to Mr Joginder Singh.

According to the complaint, Mr Joginder Singh of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar had booked a Pal Peugeot car and had deposited Rs 25,000 with the car agency — Fair Auto, Sherpur Chowk Ludhiana — through the dealer of the company — Jaycee Engineers, G.T. Road, Amritsar.

The complainant stated before the forum that he was informed through a letter on March 15, 1997, that the company had launched a new diesel model and asked him to purchase the same, adding that he was told that Jaycee Engineers was the new dealer.

The complainant reportedly found the price of the car was beyond his reach and so he wrote a letter to the company to refund Rs 25,000 and a copy of the letter was also sent to Fair Auto. The company allegedly informed the complainant through a letter that the company had no dealer in Ludhiana and they had corrected their address in their records. The complainant alleged that in spite of sending many letters to the company, his money was not refunded.

Jaycee Engineers pleaded that the car was never booked with it and the car agency was not the dealer for said car at the time of booking of the car. Fair Auto’s plea was that it was only a collecting agency for receiving the applications and demand drafts for the company. The respondent admitted that it had booked the car and received an application and a demand draft in favour of the company and those were sent to the company.

The forum observed that the complainant had sent discharge receipt-cum-priority card for the cancellation for the booking on April 24, 1997, but the company had not refunded the said amount so far. The forum further stated that as per terms and conditions of the booking, the company had to refund the amount within two months.

The forum directed Pal Peugeot to refund Rs 25,000 along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum from June 26, 1997, till the date of actual payment of the amount. The forum dismissed the complaint against Fair Auto and Jaycee Engineers.

Judicial remand for three in firing case
Our Correspondent

Amloh, March 13
Gurmeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Amolak Singh of Kanjari village, who were named in the FIR, were arrested by the local police and the Hon'ble court of Mr K.S. Cheema, Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Amloh, sent them on judicial remand up to March 26, on Monday.

It was alleged in the FIR No 10 (dated 17-2-2001), lodged by Jasbir Kaur w/o Harminder Singh of Kanjari village, that the accused along with more than 24 persons demolished the wall, trespassed into her house in the absence of male members of the house, damaged the electric meter, telephone and other articles of the house and opened fire. The police had registered a case under Sections 452, 307, 323 and 427 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

Police remand
The police arrested three persons on Monday and later produced them in the court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Amloh, on the complaint of Ms Sonia Kumari w/o Rajinder Kumar Arora of the local Diamond Medical Hall in the old grain market, the fourth alleged accused Renu Chug was arrested earlier on Saturday.

Ms Sonia Kumari has alleged in the FIR that her husband Rajinder Kumar Arora, her father-in-law Amarjit, mother-in-law Tirath Rani and sister of her husband Renu Chug (married at Ludhiana) gave her a beating and thrashed her. She was admitted to the local civil hospital.

The police had registered a case under Sections 498 and 323 the IPC against four persons of the family.

While Renu Chug was released on bail, the other three accused were given police remand till March 14 by the Hon'ble court of Mr K.S. Cheema, Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Amloh on Monday.

‘Delay in justice due to staff shortage’
Our Correspondent

Jagraon, March 13
Mr Justice Amarveer Singh Gill of the Punjab and Haryana High Court visited the courts at Jagraon and was accorded the guard of honour.

Mr Harpal Singh, Mr Ajaib Singh, Judicial Officers alongwith Mr Jaskaran Singh, SSP, Jagraon, Mr Jaspal Mittal SDM, Mr Suraj Parkash EO, Municipal Council, alongwith the members of the Bar Association were present.

In an exclusive interview with this correspondent Mr Justice Gill said the delay in delivering justice was mainly due to the paucity of judicial officers. To a question about the strikes being observed by lawyers in spite of the judgement of apex court, he said since “the lawyers are under the Advocates Act, the judiciary as such cannot take any action against erring advocates. However, the remedy lies with the litigant to complain against the said lawyers to the Bar Council”. To another question about so many adjournments by the judicial officers, he explained that sometimes the lawyers are busy in some other courts and get adjournment but observed that cases should not be adjourned and every order adjourning time and again the case must contain reason for the purpose. Mr Justice Gill also informed that since the law casts duty on the judicial officers to hear the counsel and then to decide, as such, some time the cases are adjourned due to the non-availability of the advocate concerned.

He said the evidence of a witness should be recorded under the strict attention and supervision of the judicial officer. Mr Justice Gill was of the view that Bar and the Bench should cooperate in the judicial system for quick and fair delivery of justice.