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| Thursday,
May 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Punjab to approach Centre Khamano, May 9 Asked about the steps taken for the release of these Punjabi youths, the Chief Minister expressed his ignorance about this issue. He said he could raise this issue only with the Union Government, which could take it up with the Pakistan authorities. When reporters told him that this issue was related to the Punjab Government also as the Pakistan authorities had demanded police verification reports of these youths, which were to be conducted by the Punjab Government, the Chief Minister replied that he would ask the DGP of Punjab for speedy police verifications and would also raise this issue with the Union Government. During the sangat darshan, Mr Badal gave a cheque for Rs 5000 to Paramjit Kaur of Jatana Neechaa village, a handicapped student of Class X. He announced free eduction for the girl up to higher classes and said she would be given pension. On a complaint of the panchayat of Ranwan village, the Chief Minister ordered the DFSC to lift the bags of rice from Focal Point in Ranwan within three days. He gave a cheque for Rs 2000 to Mr Virender Kumar, father of a six-year-old rape victim. When the father of the victim expressed fear that medical reports of the girl could be changed because the accused was an influenced person, Mr Badal directed the SSP of Khanna to look into the matter. Panchayats of many villages were given grants. These were Panaichan — Rs 2.30 lakh, Mahespura — Rs 2.5 lakh, Kalewal — Rs 2.35 lakh, Amrala — Rs 2.25 lakh, Lakhanpur — Rs 2.82 lakh, Mandera — Rs 2 lakh, Mansurpur — Rs 3.50 lakh, Amargarh — Rs 2.25 lakh, Dhiana Majra — Rs 1.40 lakh, Pohlo Majra — Rs 2.50 lakh, Chandiala — Rs 2.10 lakh, Nanowal — Rs 3.25 lakh, Ramgarh — Rs 2.10 lakh, Raipur Raian — Rs 2 lakh, Shamshpur Singhan — Rs 2 lakh, Sandhari Majra — Rs 2.25 lakh, Sidhupur — Rs 2 lakh, Gaggarwal — Rs 2 lakh, Badesh Kalan — Rs 1.5 lakh, Manela — Rs 20,000, Dhananla — Rs 45,000, Maneli — Rs 2.25 lakh, Raton — Rs 2.60 lakh, Badesh Khurd — Rs 50,000, Hawara Kalan — Rs 2 lakh, Prempura — Rs 1.5 lakh, Suhavi — Rs 3.25 lakh, Ajmer — Rs 2.5 lakh, Kotla Badla — Rs 1.85 lakh, Saidpura — Rs 2.70 lakh and Raipur Majri — Rs 2.5 lakh.
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India, Pak urged to destroy N-arms Ludhiana, May 9 IDPD, an organisation comprising medical doctors, is involved in working for the promotion of peace and better relations among different countries for providing a better world to the humanity. It has also decided to observe May 11 as the ‘Nuclear Disarmament Day’. It will also coordinate with other doctors of neighboring countries to build public opinion for complete disarmament. According to Dr Bharti Uppal, convener, IDPD, South Asia, is one of the most sensitive zones in the world with potential danger of nuclear confrontation. Dr Uppal said that India and Pakistan spend a substantially high amount of their budget on defence, while the expenditure on education and health was only 3 per cent and 4 per cent. Half of the population was living in abject poverty under subhuman conditions devoid of clean water supply. Almost one-third of the nation’s children were undernourished, half of the population had no access to essential drugs. Over 12.5 per cent of the total Indian population dies due to communicable diseases, and 540 of 100,000 women die during childbirth. Dr Bharti said that these problems should be the priorities rather than spending the nation’s wealth on arms. Dr Arun Mitra, general secretary, National Council, said that rather than spending on arms and nuclear weapons, the government should make efforts to eradicate deadly diseases from the country. The government should concentrate on the primary health care of every child. It should provide basic food supply to them and their proper immunisation should be taken care of. The members of IDPD said it was wrong to say that nuclear weapons provided the nation with better security cover and served as the deterrence for future wars. They said that nuclear weapons instead of easing tension between India and Pakistan had added to the worries among the peace-loving people as threat of a nuclear confrontation continued to loom large in the sub-continent. |
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Police fails to check rising crime graph Ludhiana, May 9 Ten police personnel, including an ASI and an SHO, have been suspended in the past week. While some of them are facing charges of being involved in police torture leading to custodial death, others have been held responsible for dereliction of duty. About 10 police personnel have been sent to police lines for not acting in a proper manner. Not only have the incidents of robbery, child kidnapping and murder gone up, but incidents of police highhandedness have put a question mark on the efficiency of the police. In cases involving police highhandedness, one man has lost his life, a couple has been tortured and the whereabouts of a youth last seen in police custody are not known. The main incidents of police highhandedness include the beating up of an alleged pickpocket by three constables and an alleged custodial death in Haibowal. The three cops involved in the first incident have been suspended and two cops have been suspended and booked for murder in connection with the second case. The officials of the Arora Palace police post have been booked for the mysterious disappearance of a youth of Shimla Puri. The latest case of police torture is the alleged subjection of a couple to third-degree torture by the Kailash police post officials. The couple, who are migrant labourers, have been accused of theft. As a result, on the one hand, a deep sense of insecurity prevails among the masses and on the other, anti-social elements have stepped up their activities without fear of the police. Two groups have recently indulged in a shootout to grab a piece of land. This follows the ransacking of a house in Ghumar Mandi and severe beating up of members of a family by more than 20 persons in broad daylight. The ire of the public against the rising crime graph can be gauged from the fact that once a case of police brutality or police failure comes to light, residents come out on the streets and go on the rampage without fear of any police action against them. A recent such incident is the holding of the Haibowal police to ransom for almost two days and damage to six police vehicles by a mob. The police, in what seems to be a knee-jerk reaction, has gone in for reshuffling of the city police officers twice in less than three months, which has been embroiled in controversy. Allegations regarding the postings on political recommendations instead of on merit have been doing the rounds. SSP Kuldip Singh says criminal acts take place in the whole world and this city is no exception. He adds that the police has taken action against the guilty cops and the public has no reason to complain. He claims that the police is facing serious shortage of staff, which has affected the work. He says the existing staff has an immense workload due to shortage of staff. The crime scenario has given rise to speculations about a large-scale change in the police set-up. While it is being proposed that the district should be divided into two police zones under two SSPs, speculation is rife about the immediate shifting of the senior police officials. |
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No buyers for fish market
shops Ludhiana, May 9 Mr Darshan Singh, Assistant Director, Fisheries, says, “The market was constructed in 1998-99 to provide buyers and sellers a platform that would ensure remunerative price to the producers and quality fish to the consumers at a competitive rate. Due to high rates fixed by the department, about Rs 2000 per month per shop, and the non-cooperation of the municipal corporation, the project has not yielded the desired results so far.” The market sources say more than 300 quintals of fish is consumed every day in the city alone. Fish comes not only from the ponds in the district, but also from Kolkata and Mumbai. Says Mr Balwant Singh, a fish producer of Kotli village, “The fish is sold at between Rs 25 to 30 per kg here. The demand is higher during winter as compared to summer. More than 4 lakh migrant labourers in the city eat it. The local Punjabi population generally relishes the fish during winter, but the migrants take it for the whole year.” The department constructed about 20 shops at a cost of about Rs 25 lakh. Another market had been constructed at Patiala, but both the markets failed to serve purpose. The retail shopkeepers alleged that the location of the market was not suitable and the rent was too high. Mr Darshan Singh admits, “The proposed rent of the shops is too high for the small shopkeepers, who sell about 20 to 50 kg of fish in the labour localities, but in totally unhygienic conditions. Initially the rent was fixed at Rs 2000 per month for a single shop, with an annual increase of 10 per cent. Later it was decreased to Rs 15,000 per annum, without any increase in rent clause.” He adds, “We have written to the government to decrease the minimum rent further and relax other conditions. If the corporation helps, the market can prove a success, besides providing clean conditions to the sellers and buyers. It will further remove the middlemen from the trade. |
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Badal playing communal card:
DYC Ludhiana, May 9 He observed that with an eye on Assembly polls, the government, headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had adopted a resolution condemning Operation Blue Star during its last year in office. The government had also exploited the sentiments of the masses in the name of 1984 riots and fundamentalism in Majitha byelection. The arrest of hard core militant Wassan Singh Zaffarwal was stage managed, which had exposed the real face of the ruling party, he said. Mr Mehta expressed the apprehension that the SAD(B) leadership, in a desperate move, might manage the ‘surrender’ of more hard core militants and could even field them in elections to regain power. He deplored the reign of terror let loose by the police under the patronage of ruling party functionaries all over the state and cited cases of police repression in the city during the past three months to substantiate his allegation. The DYC, Mr Mehta added, will issue a white paper to expose the corrupt and tyrant officers. The DYC chief termed the ‘sangat darshans’ and grants by the Chief Minister as a ‘political stunt’, aimed at covering the acts of omission and commission by the government during its four-year rule. The ruling party was grossly underestimating the voters, who would see through the game plan and would give a befitting reply to the ruling combine, he added. Meanwhile, Mr Pawan Diwan, chairman, Urban Development Cell of the India Youth Congress, has flayed the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and particularly in this city. Addressing a meeting in Shastri Nagar locality here today, he lambasted the coalition government, led by Mr Badal, for its failure to safeguard the life and property of the people. He hailed the unity move, initiated by the PPCC president, Captain Amarinder Singh, and assured that the YC ranks would stand solidly behind the party leadership to mobilise public support in the coming Assembly elections. |
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Forum rejects PUDA
plea Ludhiana, May 9 According to the complaint, a plot (3790/250) in Sector 32-A, Ludhiana, was allotted to Davinder Singh on March 29, 1993 and he transferred the plot to Ms Manjit Kaur after fulfilling all requirements. The complainant stated before the forum that as per the allotment letter the total cost of the plot was Rs 3 lakh ( at the rate of Rs 1,200 per square yard) and she was asked to deposit the balance in installments. The consumer stated that the installments which were payable by March 1, 1997, March 1, 1998 and March 1, 1999 were paid a month late and the PUDA had charged Rs 27,000 on June 8, 2000 on account of non-construction and delay in the payment. After that, she approached the authority for getting possession of the plot but she was told that the matter was under consideration and she should wait for sometime. After waiting for a long time, the PUDA asked her to deposit Rs 9,903 for the building plan and the said amount was deposited but instead of delivering the possession of the plot and sanction of the plan, the complainant was informed that on measuring total area of the plot, it was found that the area covered was 343.75 square yards instead of 250 square yard. She was asked to pay Rs 3,672 per square yard for the excess land. It was alleged that the demand of Rs 3,672 per square yard for excess land was illegal. The PUDA pleaded that the enhanced price of Rs 3,672 per square yard was demanded from the complainant as per the latest policy and the complainant made the payment. The respondent stated that there was no deficiency in services and the amount was being charged as per rules on account of non-construction and delay in payment. The forum observed that according to the document produced, the tentative price of the plot was fixed at Rs 3 lakh after calculating the price at the rate of Rs 1,200 per square yard and it was mentioned that the price was tentative subject to the variation of the area on actual measurement. The forum held that there was no justification for claiming the price of excess area at the rate of Rs 3,672 per square yard and as such the PUDA was entitled to claim price for the excess area only at the rate of Rs 1,200 per square yard. However, the amount charged on account of delay in payment and non-construction was allowed by the forum as the amount was charged as per the rules of the authority. |
DGP, Home Secy visit
city Ludhiana, May 9 Taking note of the increased number of murders and robberies, the Chief Minister announced here yesterday that the Home Secretary and the DGP will visit Ludhiana to assess the law and order situation, particularly in view of some recent cases involving, besides other crime, some cases of custodial deaths and killings in various armed scuffles. Interestingly, the Home Secretary and the DGP in a whirlwind visit to the city soft paddled the entire issue as if nothing was wrong anywhere. Although the Chief Minister had announced that the two senior officers would talk to a cross section of people and seek their opinion about the situation, the two officials met no one and just sat in the Mini Secretariat and talked with the same officers about whose performance they were otherwise supposed to have feedback from the general public. Rather they made a quiet entry into the city without letting anyone know about their visit. The two officers held a meeting with the senior officers in the district administration including the Deputy Commissioner Mr S.K. Sandhu, the Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr S.R. Kaler, I.G Mr J.P. Virdi, the Deputy Inspector General Police Mr P.S. Sandhu, the Senior Superintendent of Police Mr Kuldeep Singh and others. But they did not meet people over here as was announced by the Chief Minister. While the Home Secretary took out some time from his “busy schedule” to address a press conference, the DGP skipped it by making a quiet exit from the venue before the scribes entered. And much to the disappointment of mediapersons, the Home Secretary also had nothing much to say except for harping on the same old issues of modernising the police force with better equipment for communication and transportation, besides enhancing the manpower. When asked about the specific cases related to Ludhiana, the Home Secretary preferred to maintain a silence. At best he was vague and at worst self contradictory in his answers and arguments with the media. The best he could say about the issue was that “it also figured during today’s deliberations”. And what were the remedial measures that had been proposed or contemplated? He had no answers. When the recent incident about the removal of the Station House Officer of the Police Station Haibowal and his subsequent rehabilitation within three days as in charge of the all important CIA staff was pointed out to him, he said, it might have been done to suit the administrative convenience as inquiry was to be conducted. He further said until he (the SHO) was proved guilty he could not be punished. But why were the two other constables had been suspended as inquiry was yet to be completed? Again the Home Secretary had hardly any answers. According to the Punjab Home Secretary the Punjab Police is all set to get a facelift with massive modernisation in the field of communication and transportation. Besides, the staff strength will also be increased and the direct appointment of Deputy Superintendents of Police, Inspectors and Sub Inspectors will resume from next month. The Home Secretary said today’s meeting was part of a programme launched by the Chief Minister to improve the police functioning in the state. Similar meetings would be held at Jalandhar, Amristar and Patiala. He said that Rs 9,00 crore were being spent on police administration in the state. Besides a grant of Rs 35 crore had been provided by the centre for upgrading and modernising of communication network in the police department. |
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Experts dispel doubts
on elevated road Ludhiana, May 9 Dealing point by point with the objections and suggestions, filed by public in a meeting of the all party subcommittee here on Tuesday, they pointed out that the problem in traffic regulation was essentially due to inadequacy of existing road capacity and even with the regulated enforcement of operations of three-wheelers and buses on the old G T Road would not ease the traffic congestion. The meeting was presided over by the city Mayor, Mr Apinder Singh Grewal. Besides a four member team of RITES, it was attended by the Senior Deputy Mayor, Mr Jagdish Prasad
Loomba, and Ms Pran Bhatia of the BJP, Mr Manjit Singh Mundi and Mr Hakam Singh Giaspura of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Surjit Singh Ahluwalia of the Congress and Mr Jai Parkash, an independent councillor. There was a furor for quite some time in the office of the Mayor before the meeting started when Mr Sunil Mehra and Mr Madan Lal Bagga, both councillors, lodged a strong protest over non-inclusion of the area councillors concerned in the subcommittee meeting. Mr Mehra claimed that the MC general house had adopted a resolution to the effect that in such subcommittees set up by the MC, the concerned area councillors would be ex-officio members. The Mayor, however, refused to relent and the councillors were asked to leave. In response to the call for objections and suggestions for the elevated road, the MC had received 22 objections and suggestions, which expressed a variety of apprehensions over the project. Complainants mainly the shopkeepers along the old G T Road, strongly felt that the elevated road, estimated to cost Rs 40 crore, would not serve the desired purpose and would rather add to pollution caused by vehicular traffic. The RITES experts disagreed with the observation that the project would add to the pollution levels. It was the static traffic which produced more pollution and with the construction of elevated road, the speed of traffic would increase on both levels and thus the pollution would rather decrease, they claimed. The technical experts also termed it a misconception that only three to 10 per cent of the total traffic, flowed on the national highway between Jagraon Bridge and Chand Cinema. A detailed traffic study conducted by RITES experts before planning the elevated road had concluded that the peak-hour load was in the range of 3,000 to 5,500 passenger car units and the proposed elevated road was expected to carry around 40 per cent of the traffic volume. In order to provide better access to the city population, both from old city and new localities, the technical consultants agreed to certain modifications in the existing design of the road. According to the city Mayor, ramps will be provided near Raikhy Cinema Chowk and Mata Rani Chowk to enable motorists to use elevated road for going towards Delhi and Jalandhar. The proposed railway overbridge (ROB) on Lakkar
Pul, further linked to the elevated road, will bring about a major improvement in the traffic movement. Stairs would also be provided at three places, near Railway Station, Raikhy Cinema Chowk and Mata Rani Chowk, to provide a pedestrian link between two levels of the road. According to the MC sources, the elevated road project would be put before the general house for its approval before work order was issued to the contractors, to whom work has already been awarded after assessment of the technical and financial bid. |
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Denied compensation, villagers may move
HC Machhiwara, May 9 Mr Jagir Singh, the president of the struggle committee, said four years ago the people of this area read a notification in various newspapers regarding the acquisition of 2080 acres of fertile land to set up an industrial focal point on the
Kohara-Machhiwara Road. All the farmers protested against the acquisition and started an agitation. In the meantime, the MLA from Koom Kalan constituency, Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, and Mr Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon, general secretary of the youth wing of the SAD (B), assured them that the government would give them attractive price of the land which could be more than the market price. The farmers expressed their consent to give their land. The compensation was settled at Rs 11.80 lakh per acre, which was to be paid in one
instalment. On December 26,2000, the government rejected the acquisition of 1500 acres and said the compensation for the remaining 500 acres would be given at Rs 7.50 lakh per acre. The decision disappointed the people, but they agreed. The government issued a notification on March 22,2001. On April 10,2001, the collector of the Industry Department of Punjab held a meeting with the farmers at Kohara and told them to get their cheques on April 26. On the said date, even the owners of land who lived abroad arrived to get compensation, but instead of giving cheques, they told that the Punjab Government had set aside the proposal of setting up industrial focal point. The affected farmers held a joint meeting at Bhagpura and condemned the new decision of the government. In this period, they could not sow the crops in this land because the revenue tehsildar had banned sowing any crop in this land. They could not get any loans from banks on this land. They decided to go to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and file a petition to get compensation for the loss for the past four years. |
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Presentation is the key, says master
chef Ludhiana, May 9 Professionals in the food industry know that residents of the city spend a major part of their income on having quality food of different varieties and are always looking for something new. This is the reason that many good restaurants have come up in the city and the owners of these are concentrating on providing various varieties of quality food to the customers. The latest in the series being Sanjeev Kapoor. He is in the city these days to promote, ‘The Yellow Chilly’ Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khana Khazana, a five star restaurant in Sarabha Nagar. “Log ankhon se pehle khate hain, mouh se baad mein khate hai”, says Sanjeev Kapoor while stressing on the importance of the presentation of food in the hotel industry. The 37-year-old chef attributes his success to his style of presenting various dishes. He was of the view that customers can have the same meal at home but it is the presentation of the food which makes them frequent good restaurants and hotels to enjoy the same stuff. According to Kapoor creativity and innovation is very important for a chef because people are always interested in something new. “If you can serve the old wine in new bottle in such a way that people enjoy the same thing with a feeling that they are having some thing different only then can you become a successful host”, he said. He said that he learnt the most from his experience in a restaurant in Newzealand where he worked for two and half years. The kind of work culture in which everything has to be done in a systematic manner provided good experience to him. He learnt the importance of hygiene and presentation there. He attributes his success to extra effort put in to take care of hygiene, to preserve nutrient value, taste and presentation of food. He is one of the best chefs in the country but still he feels that hotel industry in India lags behind that in other countries as far as hygiene is concerned. However, wherever he goes, he briefs every professional to take care of hygiene and nutrient value of the food as only then can success be achieved in this field. Sanjeev is planning to write a book on ancient Indian food because at that time awareness about importance of food was at its peak. “Our ancestors were aware of the importance of the various spices, cereals, vegetable and grains and they knew that what should be eaten, in how much quantity and at what time to get the maximum benefit out of the meals. They were also aware of the kind of food to be had at different ages”, he said. While admitting that a lot of research work has to be done to write such a book Sanjeev said he was determined to accomplish his target and very soon he would start working on it. “I have earned a lot but by writing this book I will have a feeling of doing social service along with earning my livelihood”, Sanjeev said. |
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Senior citizens receive
gifts Ludhiana, May 9 The gifts included curtains for the common room and office, two fans, an exhaust fan, some utensils, two telephone sets, magazines, religious cassettes and seasonal fruits. Ms Attar Kaur, who has been residing in the home for the past few years said, “I feel happy when these women come and give us gifts. I have four children whom I seldom see. My son pays for my upkeep in the home. Sometimes, my two widowed daughters also come to meet me. So in my lonely life, these ladies being a bit of diversion. I appreciate their kind gesture.” However, 97-year-old K.S. Kalra was not very happy to receive gifts. He said, “I do not approve of the idea of gifts being given to us for everyone is well settled here so why should they give things to us? I have been here for the past eight years. Many a time people bring gifts for us, but why for us? I know they want to make us happy, but they should help others who really need these things. We can manage well within our resources.” Another inmate of the home, Mr Mohan Lal Mehra, said, “I like to call myself postman of the Almighty. On my behalf, I want to say that I feel degraded receiving gifts. Everyone living in this home can pay for his need. We need not be helped. Rather this help should be given to those people who are really in need.” One of his friends said that Mr Mehra is a former president of the Municipal Corporation. He had brick-kilns and cement depots. Being wealthy, he donated Rs 50,000 to the Red Cross. However, this gentleman ,on the condition of anonymity, said that he himself, liked receiving gifts. “I am very happy that we are still remembered by society”, he said. Mr S.L. Khurana, the oldest inhabitant of the home, said, “I have become indifferent to gifts. What we need are better medical facilities. A teacher of deaf and dumb school works as in charge of the home. He goes home at night. In case of emergency, we are left on our own and have to make our own arrangements for
hospitalisation, etc. There used to be an ambulance at our disposal, but ever since it went out of order, it has not come back. Red Cross sends us ambulance.” The home is being partially supported by the Red Cross. It has brought in an improvement in the home after its pathetic condition was described in this paper a few months ago. The building has been given a facelift. The sofas have been repaired and new orthopedic mattresses have been provided, by the Punjab National Bank.
The gifts evoked a mixed reaction. |
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Aligarhi work on Punjabi suits Ludhiana, May 9 The exhibition, Noor-Taara, displays fine hand woven cotton fabric from all over India. Ms Renuka Bajaj, the brain behind the exhibition, disclosed that the handwork and embroidery was done by poor Hindu and Muslim women workers of Aligarh. “The poor women in Aligarh are not allowed to go out and work by their husbands and families. All the embroidery and applique work on dupattas, suits and kurtas is done by these poor women”, she said. The organisers have used pure cotton fabric for the designer suits. Ms Bajaj said, “the flowers and leaves are made by cutting small pieces of cloth and the gents kurtas are made out of pure hand woven cotton cloth”. The main attraction of the exhibition are the famous south Indian mangalgiri, gadwal and kalamkari embroidered suits. The traditional Indian outfit salwar-kameez displayed here are made of Kota fabric from Rajasthan, organza from Banaras and chanderis from Madhya Pradesh. |
Teenaged girl abducted Ludhiana, May 9 Snatching case Intimidation case Hit-and-run case Liquor seized |
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