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| Tuesday,
April 3, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
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MC to face contempt, damages
suit for demolition? Ludhiana, April 2 The demolished building stood in the way of a proposed road alignment to be connected with the flyover. The owner of the building had been provided alternative land, but the tenant, a liquor-vend owner, had obtained a stay order from a local court against the demolition by the MC. While the MC administration claimed that the stay was granted till March 31 and by carrying out the demolition on the same night, the civic body had acted well within its rights and legal obligations, Mr. Ajit Singh Chawla, one of the partners of the liquor firm, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, categorically stated that the firm had obtained an extended stay till April 3, which was duly shown to the MC officials, including the Joint Commissioner, Mr Jasbir Singh Heer and the Municipal Town Planner, Mr S.S. Bhatia. “The MC officials had already made up their mind and they refused to listen to any plea.” Refuting the allegations of the MTP that Mr Bhatia had misbehaved with the MC demolition team, Mr Chawla said on the contrary, the MC staff had acted in a high-handed manner and had started the demolition work, without giving them enough time to remove the electrical gadgets, stocks and other fittings and fixtures. As a result, several items and liquor stock, worth an estimated Rs 5 lakh were damaged. “Not only this, unmindful of the fact that this could result in injuries to those inside the shop, the MC employees started the work while we were trying to remove cash and other valuables,” Mr Chawla alleged. He said even otherwise, the firm was to vacate the shop on March 31 since the liquor vend licenses expire on that date and we were also aware that the building was holding up the work for construction of a road, providing access to the flyover. “We tried our level best to convince the MC officials and pleaded for giving us a little more time but to no avail.” Mr Chawla further contested the claim of the civic officials that the demolition work was started after midnight. The MC team had descended at the spot at around 9 p.m. and the demolition work commenced a little after that. Mr Harmohinder Singh, Congress legislator and another partner in the firm, told Ludhiana Tribune on telephone from Chandigarh that the MC administration had acted in a dictatorial and illegal manner. “We are taking legal opinion to proceed against the MC in a court of law.” Mr Jasbir Singh Heer, Joint Commissioner of the MC, who had headed the demolition team, said he was not aware of any misbehaviour by Mr Chawla with the MC employees. The MTP, Mr Bhatia, was not available for comments. |
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Pay bills before you receive these Ludhiana, April 2 Further, on many of these bills, old arrears had been added to the current charges, though most of the consumers said they had already cleared all their arrears and had receipts to prove it. Ms Kalpana Aggarwal, a resident of Block E of Sarabha Nagar, said she had received a water-supply bill on March 31, according to which, March 26 was the last date of payment. The messenger of the courier company wrote down March 31 in the due-date column, handed over the bill to a child who answered the door bell and left. The bill for Rs 600 had Rs 1,672 added to it as arrears, on which, a Rs 150 interest had been charged. Ms Aggarwal said she had no arrears to pay. She was not the only one to receive such a bill. Her neighbour and many other persons in the locality said they had received such bills on March 31 that had arrears added to these. All of them had paid their arrears. The MC officials said there were indeed some snags in the system of the delivery of these bills. They said the performance of some of the courier companies was not upto the mark and corrective measures were being taken. They said the bills delivered on March 31 would be accepted till 15 days after this for payment with the rebate. Many persons had complained that, as a result of the delayed delivery of bills, those who had to pay arrears, had been denied the one-time facility of payment of arrears without interest. “The facility should be extended to those who have received bills on March 31 or after that,” they said. The issue of the delayed delivery of bills had been raised in the MC House in March end. Councillors of even the ruling SAD-BJP combine had called for reverting to the old system of delivering bills through the MC employees. |
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Land acquisition orders lead to resentment Ludhiana, April 2 The land measuring over 3,600 acres had been acquired in early seventies. The farmers had been paid full compensation at that time. It serves as test-firing range for the Halwara, Adampur and Pathankot air bases. The land, although acquired by the air force, was allotted to the farmers for cultivation on contract basis for a nominal amount which was revised from time to time. Currently the land has been allotted at the rate of Rs 1,000 per acre. However, recently the government issued an ordinance asking the farmers to vacate the land by March 31. This was not practically possible since the crop was standing in the land and could not be harvested so early. A 25-member sangharsh samiti was formed which has decided to take up the issue at different forums. They have also decided to meet the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the Defence Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh. The farmers are sore and have been asking as to what has prompted the Defence ministry to make them vacate the land as they have been cultivating it for all these years. The local defence authorities have been expressing their helplessness on the issue since the orders for getting the land vacated have been issued by the ministry. However, the farmers have reportedly been allowed to harvest and the date has been extended up to April 15. The main concern of the farmers is not just the harvesting for this year but the permission for further cultivation. They will somehow harvest the standing crops but what shall they do after that. The livelihood of about 1,500 families of about a dozen villages depends upon the 3,600 acres of land. The villagers have decided not to give up. A meeting of the representatives of all the affected villages was held recently at Gurdwara Baoli Sahib. The villagers decided to urge the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the union government, so that livelihood of thousands of people is not hit. |
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Youths attack GNE hostel Ludhiana, April 2 The incident took place at about 10.30 p.m. when the youths, all said to be ‘outsiders’ attacked the hostel. They spotted the student and beat him severely after a short chase. The student, Satnam Singh, received injuries. He was also hospitalised for few hours. The attackers were yet to be identified. ASI Dalbir Singh said the police reached the campus immediately but has yet to register a case as no one had approached the police. The college Principal, Mr R.P. Singh said the attack was probably a sequel to an altercation between certain students of the college and some outsiders who had come to participate in a fete held on the campus yesterday. He said today being a holiday the student has not reported the matter to him. He said he had heard of the incident and would report the matter to the police after taking the statement of the injured student. |
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SPEAKING
OUT Ludhiana, April 2 “Every problem has a solution but as far as sport is concerned, it should not be the victim of the differences of the two countries and we should solve the matter through talks,” said Teja Singh, Vice-President, Basketball Federation of India. He condemned the decision of the government of not partcipating in Sharjah tournament. “The sports should not suffer due to politicial controversies. Sport is the only medium through which the tension between the two countries could be eased.” If the boycott is the only solution of the problem, then first of all we should stop the special bus service from Delhi to Lahore”, he added. He said that the government should find the solution through peaceful talks and imposing ban on the sports activities was not the right step in this direction. “The dirty politics should not affect the sport at all” , said Olympian Hardeep Singh Grewal. “The government should not prohibit the cricket team from participating in the tournament as this decision would hurt the feelings of the millions of sports lovers and especially cricket lovers.” He was of the view, “Sport is one of the medium which could be used to promote peace.” Monika Mittal, a software engineer, expressed that the government was committing a mistake by denying permission to the national cricket team to participate in the Sharjah tournament.” She observed, “Posing ban the cricket is not a solution of the problem. Rather this would create more problems as this would increase the tension.” She was of the view, “The sports lovers and sportsmen have nothing to do with the diplomatic relations of the two countries and they were made to suffer for doing nothing.” Sayyam Tiwari, a shopkeeper, said we should not play with the country which was promoting terrorism and was responsible for the killing of so many innocent people. He opined, “The country which has been indifferent towards restoring peace is not entitled for our love, affection and cooperation.” He said I could not think of interacting with those who had ditched us so many times.” He appreciated and welcomed the decision of the government. Pankaj Prabhakar, a businessmen, said that the government took the right decision of imposing ban on playing cricket with the Pakistan. He was of the view that the attitude of Pakistan had taken lives of a great number of soldiers and innocent people in Kargil. He asserted that we should not forget the sacrifice of our great soldiers who had laid their lives for the country. He said, “How can we forget the sacrifice of our martyrs and play cricket with our enemy.” Rachna, a student, favoured this decision of the government. She said, “We should not play with Pakistan until the Kashmir matter is solved.” She was of the view that by promoting terrorism in Kashmi, Pakistan is holding India to ransom and we should not play with the country which has created so much problems for us, “ she asserted. |
Nullah of nuisance Ludhiana, April 2 Residents of Kucha Attar Singh, Kucha Des Raj and Kucha Sant Ram — streets between Ghanta Ghar Chowk and Society Cinema — are not happy with the civic authorities for ignoring their problems. The turning of the nullah into a garbage dump, particularly by the hotels, is the source of all their problems. While a small bridge at the end of Kucha Des Raj connects Katchehri Road with the Bhadaur House market, there is no such link between the market and Kucha Attar Singh or Kucha Sant Ram. Residents of Kucha Sant Ram have erected a wall to keep off the foul smell from the nullah. The absence of bridges has made the place a deserted one, encouraging roadside dwellers to use it for relieving themselves. The road that runs along the nullah from the GT Road opposite Minerva Market to Society Cinema is full of litter. There is poor sanitation in the backlane of Bhadaur House. The place is good only for garbage throwers and rag pickers. Mr Jagdish Pal Saggar, a resident of Kucha Attar Singh, said the nullah was blocked for the past two months, which was raising the level of slush in it. This stagnant water is an ideal breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes. The surrounding air is full of foul gases that emanate from the nullah. Residents have approached civic authorities many times in the past , but they have not done anything to improve the conditions so far. Mr Sumesh Sharma, who owns a photostat-machine shop at the end of the street near the nullah, says that carcasses of dogs and cats are also thrown in the nullah. The man who is supposed to clean the nullah comes here only for a while in the day and that, too, only to pick up some junk that can be sold. Mr Sharma says that the Municipal Corporation should also cancel the allotment of shops near the nullah. Those who had been allotted these plots years ago have not constructed shops here so far. “They should be told to either construct the shops within a given time or surrender their allotments,” he said. If the road is also metaled, it will give a civilised look to this ugly side of Bhadaur House. |
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Demolition of old jail complex halted Ludhiana, April 2 In the wake of recoveries of bodies of minor boys at regular intervals from the complex, the police had set up a police post in the old complex and it was decided to demolish the old complex to ensure that no untoward incident
occur again in the complex. On a visit to the place , this correspondent found that demolition which had been started with much hype had been stopped leaving several barracks and dreary chambers intact. The dilapidated cell, where the last body of a minor boy was found, still stands. Though search lights have been fixed atop a building in the complex to illuminate the vast open area around the various buildings in the complex at night , the buildings remain as dark inside as ever before. Cells and barracks still exist in the complex where any kind of criminal activity can be carried out away from anybody’s gaze provided the criminals somehow or the other manage to dodge the cops on duty. Mr Des Raj, sub-inspector, who is in charge of the newly set up police post in the complex, told that to begin with there were 14 cops at the post, now there were only seven of them. He had no idea why the demolition was stopped soon after it was started, he said It may be mentioned here that division number police had claimed to having arrested the ‘ criminal’ who sodomised minor boys before killing them. That no such incident has occurred in the complex after his arrest may or may not be the clinching evidence against the arrested man. It might be only due to the round the clock presence of police personnel in the complex that the criminal or criminals, who have been using the place in the past for their activities, have decided not to use the place. Meanwhile, police sources say that there never was a move to demolish the dilapidated structures. Only the wild grass and shrubs were taken care of. No criminal would dare to sodomise a minor boy in the open ground when there are a whole lot of barracks and cells lying open and deserted which can be used with more
advantage. The last body in the complex, which was found per chance by a kite chasing boy, was lying in a dilapidated jail cell at a place which is not easily accessible due to the partly fallen roof of the cell. The police sources could not tell with certainty whether the police post put up in the complex would be turned into a permanent chowki or not. Wait and watch, they added. |
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Ban on cattle fairs ineffective Ludhiana, April 2 A highly placed official has said that the ban imposed by the State Animal Husbandry Department on the holding of cattle fairs remains ineffective due to certain factors. The ban had been imposed on March 23 in view of reports that the FMD was killing cattle in the state. Despite the ban, cattle fairs were organised at Jagraon and Samrala recently even after the Animal Husbandry Department had said it had informed all District Development Panchayat Officers (DDPOs), Subdivisional Magistrates and Deputy Commissioners about the ban. The AHD officials say that they can only impose the ban and the District Administration and the Department of Rural Development should enforce it. Dr Harprem Singh, Deputy Director of the AHD in Ludhiana, said, past week, the local SDM and he had reached Neelon village near Samrala to stall a cattle fair that was being organised there. He said he had even met a mela officer of the Department of Rural Development at the fair. The ban has become ineffective due to various reasons. Farmers who are dependent on livestock do not want the ban. Nobody wants a sick cattle. Once an animal is affected by the FMD, its milk yield reduces and it is unable to reproduce for some years after this. Due to this, farmers want to dispose of the cattle as soon as possible. Not understanding that the FMD can spread quickly, buyers fall for the reduced prices, thinking that they can get the animal treated. A senior AHD official said the cattle-fair fund had also made the ban ineffective. He said the income generated from these fairs was put into this fund that did not go to the state exchequer. It was rather given to panchayats. The official alleged that there had been many instances of embezzlement in this fund by employees of the department. The official also said the funds generated from the animal assessment fee were about Rs 1 lakh, which were pocketed by these employees. The official said the AHD had written to the state government on these issues many times, but in vain. He said, while the state was facing an FMD epidemic, the Department of Rural Development was not helping the AHD in controlling it. The official said, when the FMD had struck at Moga past year, which was followed by a ban on cattle fairs, officials themselves had organised a cattle fair after that. As many as 20,000 animals got affected by the disease, out of which, 2,000 died. |
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Durga Ashtami celebrated Ludhiana, April 2 Beautifully dressed little girls in various residential colonies of the city flitted from house to house with plates in their hand since early morning as they were in great demand everywhere for worshipping. Many of these little ‘goddesses’ really looked divine with colourful ‘chunris’ covering their heads. Besides worshipping and feeding these little goddesses with halwa, puri and grams, people also made cash offerings to them. Temples of the town also wore a festive look since early morning as people flocked to make their offerings. According to Hindu mythology, Durga is considered the “aadi shakti’ responsible for all creation. |
Don’t kill time lest time kills you Ludhiana, April 2 Dr A. Zahir of PAU says: “The malady with the people of this country is procrastination. People keep putting away their jobs for the next day and while away their time on petty talk and gossiping. They will work only when it is utmost necessary for them to work. With the result half the work is not done. The truth is very evident in government run institutions where clerks and others do work at the most leisurely manner. The job that can be finished in one day takes many days to finish in these offices. Time management is very important for achieving good results. The same Indians become so much more productive when they go to foreign countries as they learn to value time.” “The student community is another example. Students kill time doing practically nothing the whole year. Just a month or two before the examinations, they start looking at the syllabus and start studying. They rush for extra coaching and get very hassled during the preparatory period of the examination, and sometimes get so depressed that they even take away their own lives. The students in the classes never pay attention and their minds are wandering over their affairs or other small matters,” said Mrs Monika Walia, a teacher of St. Patrick School. “In the law courts cases have been pending from years. So much time is wasted in courts and the poor litigants keep waiting for the whole day to be told in the evening that their case would be heard at later date. No one values time and so the work keeps piling up”, says Mr B.S. Sandhu practising in district courts. The general tendency of people is to while away their time doing nothing. Many people can be seen discussing politics, movies, endlessly wasting many man hours. India’s biggest resource is its manpower. Yet, we have not made the best use of it as the people are not trained to respect time and be punctual. One has to waste a lot of time attending political meetings, marriages, social functions. Neither does the chief guest, nor do the bride and the groom arrive on time. If one multiplies the man hours wasted on such like occasions, the total hours lost will be stupendous. Everyone knows time and tide wait for none. Time once lost never comes. The people who kill time will be ruthlessly killed by time.  |
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Pensioners for implementation of
pay Ludhiana April 2 Mr Des Raj Garg demanded that increase of 5 and 10% pension should be allowed after reaching the age of 65 and 75. An increase of 0.5% in pension should also be granted after rendering 33 years service, after every six months. The dearness allowance @ 97% as on 1.7.1993 should be merged for the purpose of gratuity. Full pension should be granted after rendering 25 years’
service instead of 33 years. Medical allowance to the pensioners should also be enhanced from Rs 250 to Rs 500 per month. Pension @ 50% of the last pay drawn as on 1.1.1996 should be sanctioned at par with the Central Government. The Punjab Government should also revise the rates of dentures, hearing aid and spectacles for the pensioners. The Haryana Government has already enhanced the amount for hearing aid to Rs 3000 per pensioner, it was mentioned. The association also donated a sum of Rs 5000 by bank draft towards Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, which was delivered to the chairman of the Lal Bahadur Shashtri Social Forum. |
19 cows rescued, five arrested Ludhiana, April 2 A police party intercepted the truck at a naka and booked a case. Meanwhile, Mr Sandeep K. Jain, president of the PFA, said the cows had been kept at Tajpur road veterinary hospital. The PFA has requested the police to enforce the relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, Transport of Cattle Rules 1978, Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act 1955 and asked to shift the cows to Govt Infirmary for treatment and upkeep. The accused were transporting the cows without any valid permit, fitness certificate from veterinarian and violating the transport of cattle rules 1978 (under PCA Act 1960). Rules suggest that a maximum of six adult cattle can be taken in a truck. The animals were being taken to Bihar, from where they were supposed to be sent to West Bengal or smuggled to Bangladesh for slaughter as many cows were “dry” and infertile. The local wing of the Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) today held a demonstration in the old courts and raised slogans against five persons who were arrested by the police and produced in the court for allegedly transporting 19 cows to some place in Bihar for slaughter purpose. The accused have been sent in police remand till April 4. |
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Illegal digging Doraha, April 2 |
Stock brokers keep their fingers crossed Ludhiana, April 2 The management of the LSE is worried if the present trend of non-trading continued for long, the investors’ faith may be completely eroded in the exchange as the trading remained almost suspended for the third consecutive day. Mr R.C. Singal, President, LSE, says,‘‘ Officially trading is open, but very few brokers and investors are coming forward for trading.’’ Some brokers feel that after holidays and the completion of annual workload, IT officials may come back to inquire about the flow of cash through on-line trading during he recent past. In fact, brokers the investors do not follow the guidelines of SEBI and the Income Tax Department to save the Income Tax. Insiders in the LSE admit that there are adequate provisions under the SEBI rules to ensure transparent trading. Ideally, the brokers should have proper record of investors’ cash investments and income through them. But such records are seldom kept in proper order. And here lies the problem. Brokers say that it is very difficult to keep the cash record of all investors. One leading broker, who is presently under investigation, says, ‘‘The nature of stock market is speculative and most of the trade is done on verbal orders. The investors are not ready to reveal their identity, and we are interested only in our brokerage fees. Who will come to the market if we have to keep all records of all transactions?’’ he asks. How much the brokers earn through this mechanism. The leading brokers are not ready to reveal. Mr Singal says,‘‘ It depends on the nature of dealing, risk factor and timing, besides the price of shares. The Income Tax Department can assess our account books in which we keep records of our fees.’’ In fact, the investors were shocked after the raids of the IT department at the LSE as they fear that investigations may start against them also. Currently, they are avoiding even to meet the brokers as it may be interpreted otherwise by the investigating officials. The brokers had failed to understand the timing of the raids. A leading broker and director of the LSE who did not wish to be named, said,‘‘What is the point of these raids when the market price of our tickets has fallen from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Out of 300 brokers, only about 100 are working at very small margins. The regional companies had already cheated most of the investigators and brokers.’’ Is there a way out to resolve the crisis? Mr Singal says, ‘‘We are just pawns in the hands of big share markets. SEBI and Finance Minister must intervene to build up the confidence of investors and ensure that trading is done in a transparent manner.’’ |
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‘Exim policy not beneficial’ Ludhiana, April 2 Allocation of Rs 250 crore proposed for the current year, with a view to give impetus to the state-wise exports and constructing the infrastructure, R&D centre, development of minor ports, creation of new export promotion industrial parks is too meagre amount which needs to be raised reasonably keeping in view the works to be taken by the states for the promotion of exports. The conditions framed for rationalisation of existing export promotion schemes appear to be against the present exporters will prove detrimental to the exporters. The practice of grant of advance license for physical export should continue. Import of second-hand capital goods will subdue and eclipse the indigenous machine tool industry . |
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