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| Friday,
July 27, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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MC bylaws violation record missing Ludhiana, July 26 The MC building branch had issued a challan to the promoters of the complex on May 26, 1995, under sections 269(1) and 270(1) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976 for violation of building bylaws and subsequently a notice under section 270(1) was issued on 13-6-1996, directing that the construction be stopped forthwith. Though the relevant record was not available, it was learnt that the composition fee amounting to several lakhs was imposed upon the builders, for certain violations of building norms, which has not been deposited till date and that was said to be the main reason that the entire file, pertaining to the commercial complex, had simply disappeared. According to information gathered by Ludhiana Tribune, the complex was constructed after getting a building plan (No 348) approved on 16-6-1994 and the building branch had issued challan, followed by a notice to stop construction. However, as a result of alleged complicity of the then building inspector posted in the area and those who followed him, no follow-up action was taken. The construction of the commercial complex was completed in the intervening period and no parking area was left, as was statutory and mandatory under the provisions of building bylaws. Dr Sandhu told Ludhiana Tribune that when efforts were made by senior officials in the MC building branch to ascertain the reason for no follow-up penal action against the builders, it came out that the entire record of challans, notices and imposition of composition fee, were missing from the office. The complaint, forwarded to the police by the MC administration, stated that Mr Naresh Kumar, Mr Bharat Bhushan and Mr Vidya Parkash, who had remained posted as building inspectors in the area, during the period the illegal construction of the Kammy Plaza commercial complex was raised, were asked time and again to produce the record without any success. “Prima facie, these persons are responsible for loss of valuable official record and should be booked under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code,” the complaint said. The police were also requested to make necessary investigations to trace the missing record. |
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Treasure hunt lands man in police net Ghungrana (Ludhiana), July 26 This is the tragic tale of Nirmal Singh, alias Dhiddi, a youth of this village, situated 25 km from Ludhiana, who belongs to a family of agriculture and construction labourers. After the brutal police torture, he has fled from the village and is living with a relative at some undisclosed place. Not only he paid a heavy price for discovering the 'treasure', but three other persons, including two goldsmiths, to whom he sold the jewellery, a shoeseller, whose shop the labourer was about to buy, also underwent police harassment. To top it all, the police did not even register a case in this regard and the accused parties allegedly even had to give some money to the police personnel for their safety. The law that a discovered treasure was government property had also been given a go-by in the case. Different versions of the sequence of events came up during inquiries from parties concerned in the case. From their varied disclosures it was gathered that the victim, along with other labourers, was employed with the demolishing and re-construction work of an old haveli in the village in mid-June. They discovered some old earthen pots full of gold jewellery buried under a floor. The owner of the haveli came on the scene and took away the treasure. However, Dhiddi allegedly succeeded in pocketing two gold bracelets and a ring, all worth thousands of rupees. No one came to know about his act for almost two weeks. The poverty-stricken labourer, however, could not resist the temptation for long. He sold a heavy gold bracelet to a village goldsmith and one to a goldsmith in Mandi Ahmedgarh. He bought new clothes as well as two cows. He even finalised a deal of buying a shoe shop. His newly acquired rich status raised many eyebrows among the villagers. The news of the treasure found in the haveli of Harbaksh Singh had already spread in the village. The haveli owner accused the labourer of theft and the Dehlon police allegedly picked him up in early July. The youth was not booked formally in any case and was allegedly tortured mercilessly by the Dehlon police. The police then called the two goldsmiths and the shoeseller, who returned the money or the jewellery, as the case was, to the haveli owner. The police also allegedly pocketed some amount. The youth was admitted to Kundan Hospital, Mandi Ahmedgarh, where he remained under treatment for more than two weeks. He was treated for fits as well as other injuries. Talking to the Ludhiana Tribune from his village residence, Ajit Singh an illiterate labourer and father of the victim, fought with tears as he narrated his tale. The victim Dhiddi is the youngest among his four sons and a daughter. The old man told that a huge treasure was discovered from the haveli of Harbaksh Singh. Soon after, his son, who was employed there bought two cows. When he inquired from his son about the source of money, his son said he had won a lottery. However, soon the police came and took his son away and when he met his son next time, he was in the hospital. The victim’s father said that his son made a mistake but that did not mean he should be beaten like this?. While the haveli owner Harbaksh Singh was not available for comments, his wife denied the discovery of any treasure from the house or lodging of any complaint against the youth. This correspondent talked to the village goldsmith Sukhjinder Kumar who admitted he had bought an about bracelet weighing 50 gm from the labourer. Later the police came and he paid the price of the bracelet to the haveli owner. One of the owners of Jeewan
Jewellers in Mandi Ahmedgarh also admitted that he bought a ring from the labourer but handed it over to the police when it came calling. Interestingly, the DSP Mullanpur Dakha P S Goraya, in whose jurisdiction the Dehlon police station falls, had no knowledge about the case. He confirmed no such case was registered, otherwise he too would have learnt about it. Inspector Nirabhjit Singh SHO Dehlon, denied the allegation of torturing the youth as well as the discovery of the treasure. He, however, admitted that haveli owner Harbakash Singh had lodged a complaint of theft of gold jewellery. The police had brought the youth to the police station for questioning and he gave details about the whereabouts of the jewellery. However, later the two parties arrived at a compromise and no case was registered. The SHO, interestingly, commented that there was nothing in this news and this correspondent should not publish it. |
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10-yr RI in dowry death case Fatehgarh Sahib, July 26 As per the prosecution, an FIR was lodged in 1996 at the Amloh Police Station on the complaint of Joginder Kaur, mother of the victim and resident of Khanna town. She had alleged that her elder daughter, Amarjit Kaur, was married to Gurvir Singh of Amloh three years ago and at the time of marriage the sufficient dowry was given to them as per their means. But they continued to pressurise her for more dowry and ultimately was killed as she failed to fulfil their demands. The judge in his judgement has mentioned that the convicts do not deserve any lenient view, as a precious human life had been lost on account of their greed for dowry. He has mentioned that the dowry deaths these days were on the rise and it was a menace to society and deserves to be dealt with a strong hand. |
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Mother, two daughters commit suicide Ludhiana, July 26 The police has also so far not found any clue about any foul play behind the deaths. The post-mortem examination has also not revealed anything other than the strong possibility of death due to poison. The viscera of the deceased have been sent to the State Chemical Examiner’s Laboratory, Patiala. Manjit Kaur (40) and her two daughters Lakhwinder Kaur(16) and Bhupinder Kaur(18) were found dead in their house yesterday by some neighbours who then informed the police. While the girls had already died, the woman was in serious condition. She was rushed to the CMC hospital but could not be saved. The police said the woman told the neighbours that they had consumed some poisonous substance. However, she could not tell the reason. Inspector Santokh Singh, SHO, Focal Point, said the police had recorded statement of the deceased woman’s husband, a nine-year-old son, and other neighbours. However nothing concrete had come up so far. He said the neighbours told that the family was held in high esteem and they had never heard of any quarrel between the
couple. The girls, too were respected. The SHO said though no proof had been found yet but it seemed that poverty might have caused some tension in the family. The marriage of the girls could have possibly put the couple under stress. The man used to work as a mechanic and had recently gone to Delhi. The police said he used to drink a lot and might have squandered the money earned from the trip to Delhi. The police said it believed the tension was over the girls only as the woman did not poison her son. |
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Villagers urge DC to clear road Ludhiana, July 26 Sarpanch of the Thakerwal village Amarjeet Kaur today submitted a written complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S K Sandhu, at a sangat darshan, urging him to clear blockades from the thoroughfare. Their complaint has been listed for next sangat darshan. According to Mr Tara Singh, the thoroughfare between the Tahkerwal and Phulewal villages interconnects several villages. It also reduces the distance from Ludhiana. However, some builders, who have set up residential colonies in the area, have blocked the thoroughfare. The villagers have now to take long routes, which adds at least 5 km more to their distance from Ludhiana. The villagers have been maintaining that the colonisers have grabbed the public land and want them to sell their land for petty amount. The colonisers have purchased land in the adjoining villages of Dad and Dhandri and have cut small plots for sale. After the blockade of the thoroughfare, the villagers have now to take a long route through the fields. They urged the Deputy Commissioner to take measures so that the colonisers did not encroach upon the public land. In another case relating to the encroachment on panchayat land in Heran village in Raikote subdivision, the Deputy Commissioner ordered an inquiry by the District Panchayat Officer and registration of case. Mr Gurdial Singh, former sarpanch of Heran village had alleged that the village numberdar Bahadur Singh had encroached upon the public dharmashala and also demolished its staircase. He alleged that the village panchayat was supporting him and not letting the police to register case against him. The dharmashala, he said, had been constructed after a unanimous decision of the village panchayat. The Deputy Commissioner also directed the District Education Officer to look into the matter of delay in retirement benefits to husband of Mrs Nand Rani Sharma of Doraha. She had complained that even after five years of retirement of her husband they had not got any retirement benefits. The DC asked the DEO to submit the report within 15 days. Of the 50 complaints listed today, 25 were claimed to be solved on the spot, while the remaining 25 complaints would be settled within next 15 days. |
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WHO gives rabies control project to PAU professor Ludhiana, July 26 Dr C.K. Singh, a rabies expert at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has already got on the job he has been assigned by WHO. He has started collecting the data for the project. He will submit a report by the end of this year. By convincing WHO for the practical execution of his strategy to control the population of stray dogs, Dr C.K. Singh has brought a rare laurel for PAU. Dr Singh was invited by WHO at its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland, to attend a session from July 17 to July 20. He was one of the 80 rabies experts who were invited from all over the world to take part in the consultations on strategies to control rabies. Dr Singh while talking to Ludhiana Tribune today, said that WHO had shifted its focus on the control of rabies from India to Punjab. He further said that WHO had assured him that it would fund the rabies-control effort in Punjab and sought his services in the field trials with oral baits for vaccinating stray dogs. According to Dr Singh, India was the country which caught the attention of WHO as there were as many as 25,000 to 30,000 deaths reported every year due to rabies, while in other countries the cases reported were in hundreds. He said that the situation was already alarming and concrete efforts to curb the menace were needed. He said he was able to convince WHO about his three-pronged strategy to control rabies in the country. Dr Singh said that while the rabies-control programme in India was being discussed at WHO, he had to assert himself to say that the method of rabies control adopted by the WHO in European, African and Latin American countries, where there were a few stray dogs, would not work in India. He had emphasised on the three- pronged strategy and the experts were finally convinced. Under the project the expert would collect data from all local hospitals where cases of rabies have been reported. Then he would shortlist the villages where outbreak of rabies was reported recently. “We will form a team of veterinarians of the area, NGOs and Panchayat members who will go to certain villages and perform
sterilisation operations. Then vaccination would be done. In the end we would compare the population after the control measures and before it. Then the observations would be forwarded to WHO, that will evaluate the work for further projects,” said Dr C.K. Singh. He said after receiving good results from this state, WHO would initiate a national level project to control the rabies. |
YC activists burn Musharraf’s effigy Ludhiana, July 26 Carrying banners and placards, the Youth Congress activists started the procession from the District Congress headquarters and marched towards the Clock Tower where they held a demonstration before setting ablaze the effigy of General Musharraf. The protesters blamed him for the recent killings of innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir. They raised slogans against the Central and Jammu and Kashmir Governments for failing to safeguard the life and property of the people there. Mr Dewan blamed General Musharraf for the Kargil war. He pointed out that it was public knowledge that General Musharraf was the architect of the Kargil intrusion. He said even during his recent visit to India for the Agra summit, the Pakistani President did not give up his intransigent attitude towards India. The Youth Congress leader said it was General Musharraf as Chief of the Pakistani Army during the regime of Mr Nawaz Sharif who had masterminded the Kargil operation. Mr Dewan regretted that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had forgotten all that and invited him to India for talks. While praising the country’s armed forces for safeguarding the unity and integrity of the nation at the cost of their lives, Mr Dewan criticised the NDA government for its weak policy which made it to cut a sorry figure during the Agra summit. Mr K.K. Bawa, Chairman of the Labour and Employment Cell of the Pradesh Congress Committee, condemned the killing of Amarnath pilgrims. Among others who spoke on the occasion were Mr Jaswinder Singh Sabi, Mr Akshay Bhanot, Mr Jasrnail Singh Grewal and Mr Navneesh
Malhotra. |
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Phoolan’s killing
condemned Ludhiana, July 26 In a statement issued here today, the samiti president, Mr Vijay Disawar, said the way she was murdered could jeopardise the honour and lives of millions of ordinary women in the country. He further said the withdrawal of “Z” category security to the slain MP was the key factor for the murder. He stated that Phoolan Devi stood against repression At another meeting held here yesterday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal condemned the murder.. Mr Rakesh Verma, chairman of the traders’ cell of the party, and Mr Vijay Mahajan, president, Yuva Rashtriya Janata Dal, said in a press statement that it was the result of the wrong security policies, which were being pursued by the NDA government. |
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YRJD deplores repression against migrant workers Ludhiana, July 26 Addressing a news conference here today, he said the incident in which a large number of migrants were forcibly packed into a train at Bathinda by a senior police officer and ordered to be taken out of Punjab was ample proof of the kind of inhuman treatment meted out to migrant population. To add insult to injury, the state government, far from taking action against the erring officials, refused to even listen to the victims. Mr Mahajan said he, along with the state RJD chief Mr Rakesh Verma, had apprised the national President of the party and former Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr Laloo Parsad Yadav, and other senior party leaders, the way the migrants were being discriminated against in Punjab. Mr Yadav, he added, had taken a very serious notice of these developments and had vowed to remove the “corrupt and anti-Dalit” government in Punjab. The RJD supremo, Mr Laloo Parsad Yadav, who was earlier scheduled to visit the city and address a “sankalp rally” here on July 29, would now arrive in Ludhiana on August12 as the rally had been put off till that date. According to Mr Mahajan, the party rally here would mark the commencement of a relentless campaign against government-sponsored repression against the poor people, Dalits and the migrant workers. The party units from state level right up to the ward level were being mobilised to carry out a mass contact programme in preparation for the rally. |
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Release POWs: Bitta Ludhiana, July 26 Interacting with a group of freedom fighters at here today, Mr Bitta observed that Kashmir was not an issue to be discussed between India and Pakistan. “The real issue, which needs to be sorted out, is vacation of occupied Kashmir’ by Pakistan so that the people of Kashmir could live in peace.” The Pakistan Government should also be told that any future talks could only prove fruitful if cross-border terrorism was stopped. Mr Bitta discussed several problems of freedom fighters on the occasion. He said the front would organise a rally at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on August 14 in which freedom fighters from all over Punjab would be honoured. |
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Dharna outside police station Ludhiana, July 26 |
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Father killed, son hurt in mishap Doraha, July 26 |
Fake freedom fighters booked Ludhiana, July 26 According to the police, Tarlok Singh and Tara Singh, residents of Dabba colony have been booked under Sections 181, and 420 of the IPC. They have been charged with posing as freedom fighters for availing pension offered to them by the government. Police sources said the two accused had submitted affidavits to the government claiming that they had spent some time in a jail during the freedom struggle of the country. |
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Truck crushes sleeping labourers Ludhiana, July 26 The incident took place at about 4 a.m. Some construction work was in progress in the park and the truck had entered the park to download sand. The truck driver apparently could not see the labourers sleeping in the open and ran over them. Paryag Kumar died on the spot while Uday Mahato suffered serious injuries and was admitted to the CMC. Other labourers escaped with minor injuries. The division number 6 police has registered a case against the truck driver, who is absconding. |
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Two booked for youth’s murder Ludhiana, July 26 According to the police, the labourer used to live with the two alleged accused in one of the several rented quarters in a labourers colony in Dhandari Kalan. The neighbours told the police that the room was locked for the last three days. Last evening, a pungent smell started emanating from the room and when they opened it they found the body. The Focal Point police said they suspected that the two roommates of the deceased could have murdered him because of some altercation or for money. The roommates Vijay Mishra and another unidentified person were also reported missing for the last three days. Both have been booked under murder charge. However, none of them has been arrested so far. |
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2 pick-pockets nabbed Ludhiana, July 26 According to a case registered at the Kotwali police station, Muna and Deep Singh picked pocket of a constable Major Singh in the market and fled with the wallet which had Rs 770. . The constable suspected two persons and with the help of two policemen on duty, he questioned the two who tried to flee. However, they were soon overpowered and the stolen amount and the wallet were recovered from their possession. Both have been arrested and booked under Section 379 of the IPC. |
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