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August 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Safeguard hard-earned freedom, Ludhiana, August 15 Functions were organised at various places by political parties and associations of trade and industry. In some of the functions, the organisers had engaged orchestras, DJ’s and dancing troupes to attract the crowd and hold it till the arrival of the VIP’s. Addressing the main function at Government College grounds here, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal exhorted the people to dedicate themselves to safeguard the hard earned freedom by strengthening unity and fraternity among the different sections of the society. Paying homage to the martyrs and patriots of the freedom movement, who had laid down their lives and suffered hardships to liberate the country from the British yoke, he said it was only because of the sacrifices made that the country was enjoying freedom and the country was heading to become a formidable power in the world. The minister said the martyrs had created a new spirit of patriotism and revolution among the people to make the struggle a mass movement. He said under the leadership of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, the state had been put on the fast track to development. He said projects like oil refinery, International airport, science city, new rail links, completion of Thein Dam had been accomplished. Besides, loan of Rs 8,500 crore had been waived off and special attention was paid towards the upliftment of Dalits and weaker sections of the society. Mr Badal claimed that due to the efforts of the Punjab Government, the centre had provided a package for the Punjab farmers under which Rs 350 crore were disbursed for the distress sale of paddy. Several other incentives like free water and power had been granted to the farming community. The government, he added, had set up 237 rural focal points to generate more employment opportunities for the unemployed youth. The minister announced that a master plan for diversification of agriculture at a cost of Rs 200 crore was being formulated and Rs 50 crore would be spent on agricultural marketing and export promotion. He said Rs 15 crore would be spent on the agriculture research, bio-tech green house and bio-tech agriculture park to be set up in Punjab. On the occasion, the minister presented 17 sewing machines to needy women and 13 tri-cycles to handicapped persons on behalf of the District Red Cross Society. Four families of Kargil martyrs were honoured on the occasion. A colourful cultural programme and a mass PT show was also held. Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, Technical Education Minister, Lala Lajpat Rai, Member Parliament, Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.S. Arora, District and Sessions Judge, Mr Suresh Arora, DIG, Ludhiana Range and Mr H.S. Sidhu, SSP The District Youth Congress (DYC) president, Mr Parminder Mehta presided over the party function to mark Independence Day at Islam Ganj Kusht Ashram, Subhash Nagar and Namdev Colony. He called upon the people to mobilise themselves to safeguard the freedom from internal and external threats and to engage in a relentless fight against terrorism and corruption. The Congress activists distributed sweets at a function before flagging off a large convoy of vehicles, carrying party functionaries to Issru for the state level Independence Day celebrations. Among those present at the occasion were Mr Krishan Kumar Bawa, Chairman, Labour and Employment Cell of the PPCC, Mr Pawan Diwan, Mr Sushil Malhotra and Mr B.K. Rampal. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) observed the day at its state-level function at Dholewal here. The state president, Mr Swarn Singh, unfurled the national flag. Mr Rajinder Sahota, president, Valmiki Naujawan Sudhar Sabha, was the chief guest at a function to mark the 55th Independence Day, organised by shopkeepers of Valmiki Mohalla and Society Cinema Road here. The Clock Tower Shopkeepers Association also held an impressive function at the occasion. The Lions Club International Region 6 Distt 321F celebrated Independence Day at Lions Bhavan, Udham Singh Nagar. Members had arranged a free diabetes detection camp and seminar. The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and Punjab Peace and Development Council organised a function at Kwality Chowk, Bagh Suffian in Industrial Area, where the National Flag was hoisted by Dr Subash Chander Sharma, President, INTUC, Punjab. Mr Om Prakash Angrish, Councillor and president, Peace and Development Council was the chief guest at the occasion. The City Mayor Mr Apinder Singh Grewal, Akali Dal legislator Mr Hira Singh Gabria and Mr V. S. Srivastava, General Manager, Telecom were among the dignitaries present at a function organised by Urban Vihar, Punjabi Bagh Welfare Association. Ek Prayaas-a school for children with special needs, celebrated Independence Day by making tri colour flags and marched around enthusiastically carrying these flags. Khamano: Independence Day was celebrated here with great enthusiasm. Mr Nirbhai Singh, SDM, unfurled the National Flag and took salute from Punjab Police, NCC, and Scouts and Guides, who took out a march past on the occasion. A cultural programme was also presented by students of various schools. Freedom fighters of the area and son of Kargil martyr Dilbag Singh Panaichan were honoured at the function. Amloh: A sub-division-level function to mark Independence Day was organised at Anaj Mandi here on Wednesday. The National Flag was unfurled by Mr R.S. Jangu, Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Schoolchildren presented a cultural programme on the occasion and NCC cadets took out a march past. At Mandi Gobindgarh, the National Flag was unfurled by Mr Dharam Paul, vice-president of the Municipal Council. Samrala: Independence Day was celebrated on the grounds of the local ITI here on Wednesday. Capt S.S. Brar, SDM, Samrala, unfurled the National Flag. Families of Kargil martyrs and freedom fighters were honoured on the occasion. Students of various schools performed 'giddha', 'bhangra' and also presented a choreography. Mementoes were given to prominent personalities of the area, including Mr Amrik Singh Dhillon, an MLA, Mr Kirpal Singh Khirnian, a member of the SGPC, Mr Hari Singh, Tehsildar of Samrala, Mr Devinder Singh Grewal, executive officer, Mr Raj Paul Singh Sekhon and Mr Rajesh Nehra, Naib Tehsildars, Mrs Asha Mehta, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division), and Mr Virinder Kumar Mehta, Civil Judge (Junior Division). Jagraon: The 55th Independence Day was celebrated with fervour at the Government Senior Secondary School. Mrs Satwant Kaur Sandhu, a Cabinet Minister of Punjab, unfurled the National Flag. Later on, she, along with Mr Jaspal Mittal, SDM, and Mr Balkar Singh, SSP, inspected the guard of honour presented by police personnel, Home Guards and NCC cadets. After the march past, freedom fighters and kin of Kargil martyrs, including Ms Amarjit Kaur, mother of Lieutenant Manpreet Singh Goldi; Mrs Sukhwinder Kaur, wife of Naik Balbir Singh Pabian; Mrs Jaswinder Kaur, wife of Hav Jaswant Singh Talwandi Kalan; Mrs Ranjit Kaur, wife of Naik Ravinder Singh Bassia Bet; and Mrs Harjinder Kaur, wife of Sepoy Laimber Singh Sherpura, were honoured. Students were also given prizes on the occasion. The function concluded with 'giddha' and 'bhangra' presentation by students of various schools. |
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Civic body collections nosedive Ludhiana, August 15 Not only this, most of the incoming consignments of merchandise were not being brought inside the city for the past few days in anticipation that octroi abolition might become a reality by August 15 and a large number of trucks, carrying goods, were waiting outside the city limits. Rather than paying octroi, the trading community was keeping its fingers crossed and waiting for the government move. In the process, the transport companies were reported to be making some quick money for non-clearance of the goods and keeping their fleet of trucks in waiting. Senior officials of the Municipal Corporation, though reluctant to comment on the hectic political activities on the issue, were almost in a state of panic and visualised a dismal scenario in case octroi was done away with. Figures officially made available to Ludhiana Tribune indicated that as against an average daily collection of Rs 30 lakh from octroi, the income had dropped to around Rs 15 lakh during past few days. According to MC sources, normally octroi income used to register a quantum jump from August to October in preparation for the coming festival season. But the current trends were negative for the obvious reasons of expected abolition of octroi. The government decision on the matter, notwithstanding, MC officials revealed that the civic body had to incur a monthly expenditure of around Rs 7 crore on salaries, electricity charges for streetlights and the operation and maintenance of other civic amenities like water supply and sewerage. As against this, the income from all other sources and local taxes, except octroi, was not more than Rs 5 crore. "We don't know how the MC will survive and from where would funds for development come if octroi goes," said a senior civic official. The shape of things to come in an 'octroi-less' civic regime were amply displayed when all MC contractors here took a collective decision not to offer tenders for the civic works, which were scheduled for August 9. The contractors genuinely apprehended that their payments might be held up if octroi was abolished by the government. MC circles strongly felt that the populist decision, if brought into effect, would do more harm than good. The immediate casualty would be development works in the city and unrest among workers for the simple reason that the civic body would be spending more than it would earn. In the long run, the financial crunch and poor repayment capacity could seriously affect outside funding and loans for the projects that were in the pipeline, MC officials pointed out. |
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SPEAKING OUT Ludhiana, August 15 “This Bill is an initiative to curb widespread corruption prevailing in our political system. The Lokpal would be the first institution to investigate any complaint against the mighty politicians of any level”, opined a retired bank officer, Mr Ram Avtar Gupta. Mr Gupta was of the view that, “ The Lokpal should be like the FBI in the USA which is empowered to investigate any complaint of the common man, even against the President of the country. But in our country the top most government agency, the CBI, does not even have the authority to lodge a complaint against the MP as they have to get the permission of the government”. He suggested that the Lokpal should be vested with the judicial power to get better results. However, Dr Ashok Singal thinks that without judicial powers the Lokpal would of no use. According to him this is a political stunt to allure the innocent countrymen to get the mileage in elections. He said, “The appointment of the Lok Pal would probably be based on the political affiliation of a Judge rather than his competency since the Lokpal would be appointed by the President on the recommendations of the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Home Minister, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and Opposition leaders of both the Houses. Despite his divergent views, Dr Singal supported the Bill and stressed on giving judicial powers to the Lokpal. A senior advocate, Mr Sudesh Mahajan, is of the view that this much-awaited Bill should be passed as soon as possible. He thinks that with institution of this government agency, the common man could disclose truth against the people holding high offices of profit and enjoying special status. This would put a check on politicians holding high offices, he added. A businessman, Mr Mohit Gupta, favours the Bill. He says that the Bill which our countrymen have been waiting since 1966 when the Administrative Reforms
Commission had submitted a report on ‘Problems of redressal of citizen grievances’ and
recommended the setting up of the Lokpal. After that the Bill was introduced in 1968 in the fourth Lok Sabha and since then this concept of making the people accountable is in doldrums, he added. He thinks that it would be better to give judicial powers to the Lokpal to make it more effective otherwise it would act like an inquiry commissions set up by the government. Another senior citizen, Mr Ajay Bhandari, is in favour of passing the Bill to control politicians who think that their action could not be regulated. He thinks that it is very necessary to set up such an institution. However, Mr Bhandari does not approve the idea of appointing the Chairman and members of the institution by the politicians. |
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36 Shiv Sainiks rounded up Ludhiana, August 15 Groups of Shiv Sena activists disrupted a function organised by a group of Youth Congress where an activist, Mr Anil Vij, hoisted the party flag. The protesters, raising slogans, objected to the ‘dance show’ by professional artistes and scuffled with organisers. In the melee, one of the dancing girls, Anjali, sustained injuries. The same group of Shiv Sainiks again descended upon another Independence Day function near Fire Brigade Station in the Miller Ganj area and disrupted the proceedings. But before the Shiv Sena workers could fled, the police arrived on the spot and took in custody 36 activists. Later, Congress activists staged a dharna in front of the police post in Miller Ganj, demanding that a function organised by BJP functionaries near by should also be called off for the same reasons that the functions held by the party were disrupted. Police officers, present on the spot said, some more Shiv Sena leaders in the city might be arrested for instigating the workers to take law in their hands. |
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2 killed as truck overturns Ludhiana, August 15 According to the police, a mini Tata 407 truck, full of men, women and children, was on its way from Dhandari to a ‘satsang’ at Mundian village when it suddenly overturned near the power station in Phase VII of the Focal Point industrial area, probably due to sudden application of brakes by the driver. Two young labourers from UP, Pankaj (18) and Manoj (19) , who were walking along the road were crushed under the vehicle. Both of them died on the spot. As many as 30 men, women and children travelling in the ill-fated vehicle were also injured, some of them seriously. The driver of the vehicle fled the spot soon after the occurrence of the accident. |
Nostalgic memories of the first Independence Day Ludhiana, August 15 Mr Bhalla was 24 at the time of Independence. He graduated in 1944 from the Government College Lahore. Remembering those days he said although the Independence and the Partition unfolded a sad saga of violence and bloodshed between Hindus and Muslims, till the Independence there was no animosity between Muslims and Hindus. The relationship between different communities was very cordial. And he feels nostalgic about that. He fondly remembers Prof Jehangir Khan and Prof U Karamat, who served as Principals of the Government College for Boys, Ludhiana for their egalitarian and secular outlook. Later, Jehangir Khan’s son Mahjid Khan became a famous cricketer, while U Kramat’s son General Karamat rose to become Chief of the Army Staff in Pakistan. There were other Muslims also who were opposed to fundamentalism. But unfortunately Partition reversed it all, said Mr Bhalla. The great Urdu poet Sahir Ludhianvi was one year senior to him and they were all members of the Tagore Society, an organisation which performed cultural activities. The other prominent members included Jaidev, his teacher Mr Barkat Ram and others. They would also organise regular concerts. Mr Bhalla owned the Windsor Hotel, which was first hotel in Ludhiana. The hotel had just 16 rooms and was among the biggest in the city. People like Mr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee also stayed in the hotel way back in 1944. Ludhiana is now a city of many a millionaires. Looking back, Mr Bhalla remembers at the time of Independence there were not many people who would claim to be ‘lakhpatis’ In fact, he said, till late eighties, Ludhiana was not as affluent as it is today. “It was like a cloud burst that hit Ludhiana with the widespread affluence. Not even the big names dominating the business world today were counted to be too big only two decades back”, he observes. These days Mr Bhalla is leading a retired life. And does he feel nostalgic about the past. The past 50 years? “Nostalgia is the favourite hobby of old age”, retorts back. Despite the phenomenal progress made during all these years, he misses the days that have gone by, while hoping that the Independence Day will bring a new dawn.  |
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Ex-servicemen feel neglected, hold rally Ludhiana, August 15 Brig P.S. Toor (retd), president of the league, lamented that the corruption had increased manifold in the country. Those who had fought for the freedom of the country and against corruption in different spheres of society were being treated badly by politicians and bureaucracy, he said. He regretted regrets that despite tall claims by the state and the Centre Government, only 56 families of Kargil martyrs have been paid compensation of whereas 206 families needed to be compensated for the loss. He said families of the earlier war victims should also be compensated on the same pattern as was followed for the Kargil war heroes. The association demanded the acceptance of their demands which include one rank one pension, 50 per cent of the last salary as pension to the retired military personnel, 35 per cent pension to their widows, re-employment and adequate medical facilities on the pattern of the state government pensioners. The Speakers at the meeting deplored the manipulation of judicial system by the rich. They regretted that the politicians involved in the tehelka scandal had not been punished despite the proof of cases shown on television. Later, members of the league marched to the statue of Maj Bhupinder Singh and raised slogans in support of their demands. They paid homage to the war hero of 1965 war by garlanding the statue. The association warned the government to accept its demands or it would launch an agitation. |
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Smuggled goods much in demand Ludhiana, August 15 You name any international brand and it is available in the Ludhiana market. Goods like watches, perfumes, mobile phones, pens and cosmetic material are available with the wide range of the known brand names. The shopkeeper would not hesitate to tell you that this is smuggled material. Whenever you visit a shop with the intention to buy imported goods at any cost, generally the shopkeeper has both smuggled and imports good due to the higher profit margins. He tries to sell the smuggled good first. The sale of these illegally imported goods is a common practice. The customers also know that these goods are illegally imported and there would no guarantee or warrantee on the quality of the goods. Moreover, the shopkeeper does not give the bill for sold goods and as such if something goes wrong, he cannot be held responsible for that. But our countrymen are so crazy to have these goods that they do not care for the consequences. Many foreign companies have set up their canters to monitor the sale of their products. But the retailer is the least interested to take goods from them. The profit margin on the goods purchased through proper channel is just 15 to 20 per cent while on the other hand they earn 35 to 50 per cent on the same brand got through illegal channels. According to well-placed sources, only big departmental stores are selling goods imported legally. But perhaps this is not the right and lucrative way to do business for small retailers. A retailer who did not want to disclose his identity said: “The sales at big departmental stores are higher as compared to us. They can afford to do business on such profit margins but it is difficult for us to survive by doing business this way. Moreover, every brand is not available here, and importing these good legally for retailing is not a lucrative business.” The retailer disclosed: “I get a mobile phone for Rs 3,000 of international brand like Nokia, Panasonic and Sony, which I can sell for upto Rs 6,000, depending on the negotiations with the customers. But if I have to import the same through proper channel, I would get it for Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 but I have to sell it for Rs 6,000. Some of goods like pens and perfumes have 20 to 25 per cent margin if these are smuggled. Otherwise the profit margin is just 10 to 15 per cent. Importing goods through proper channel is time-consuming and less profitable business.” |
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PWD workers to launch stir Ludhiana, August 15 In a press note issued here today, Mr Ranbir Singh Toose, press secretary of the union, said that a decision to this effect was taken at a state-level meeting of the daily wage workers and the regular workers’ action committee held recently at Ludhiana. A flag march and protest rally would be held prior to the setting of a permanent morcha at Chandigarh that day. He said while every other day, the Punjab Government was announcing that all daily wagers who had completed three years of service till December 31, 1999, would be regularised, workers who had been working for the past 17 years were struggling to get regular employment. They had staged a rally at Chandigarh on July 24 in this connection. But the government, instead of regularising their services, ordered them to be lathi-charged. Tear-gas and water cannons were also used to disperse the agitating workers, he added. The union leader further stated that till date the number of daily wagers who had completed three years of service in the Public Health Department was 4,387, 68 in the Building and Roads Department, 1,800 in the Irrigation Department, 1,200 in the Sewerage Board and thousands others in the Forest Department. Those who attended the meeting included Mr Balbir Singh ( Kathgarh), Mr Ram Murti and Mr Tarsem Singh (Gurdaspur), Mr Roor Singh (Mukatsar), Mr Baljinder Singh (Lohgarh), Mr Surjit Singh Bath (Sangrur), Mr Jasbir Singh (Nawanshahr), Mr Balbir Singh (Ropar), Mr Balwinder Singh (Amritsar), Mr Makhan Singh (Mansa) and Mr Sukhdev Singh. |
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citizens submit memo Ludhiana, August 15 Mr Rattan Lal Pambi, its secretary, presented a memorandum to him. The association demanded that a parliamentary committee may be constituted to consider the matters relating to them; provisions may be made in the Constitution so that the Centre/ states may take keen interest for their welfare and security; in the Nomination Clause of the Constitution of Part XVI, an amendment may be made so that one elderly person may be nominated as a member in the Rajya Sabha and appoint a commission to investigate their problems; 50 per cent concession in the Railways, bus fares and telephone bills; extend age limit from 70 to 90 so that the senior citizens may get the benefit through insurance; and free legal aid. However, the MP assured them that the memorandum would be forwarded to the authorities concerned. |
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Joyrides losing charm Ludhiana, August 15 But much to their chagrin and dismay, the owners this time were not allowed to set up joyrides near Krishna Temple at Model Town Extension. Here the Janmashtami celebrations last for about 10 days and lot of devotees throng the temple during this period. Joyrides used to be a big attraction for the young and the old alike. But this year due to the alleged influence of a politician, the owners were not allowed to pitch up their ‘mini fun fair’ there. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the sources revealed that the ‘jhoole
walas’ this year had suffered big losses as they had to install joyrides at places not much frequented by children and holiday
revellers. ‘‘ Moreover, children these days are not fascinated by outdoor activities. They prefer to play computer games or watch movies at home. Earlier people had to wait for their turns for a ride on a ‘giant wheel’ or a ‘merry-go-round’. Moreover, various fun-parks offer joyrides throughout the year and thus children now no longer crave for such rides during the festivals. We have suffered losses for the first time’’, said
Ramesh, an owner of one such company. A visit to such a mini fair at Sarabha Nagar presented a deserted look. There were almost no takers of joyrides.
Ashutosh, a student of Class VI, said, ‘‘I do not know what has happened to my friends? They like to sit at home after tuitions. They seem to have lost the spirit of adventure. I do feel sorry for the owners of joyrides as they are plying the rides even with a few people.’’ ‘‘Gone are the simple joys of life’’, said Rajesh wistfully. |
Minor raped, suspect at large Ludhiana, August 15 The victim in her complaint to the police stated that Toti raped her on that day around 7.45 pm and fled after committing the crime. The police has registered a case. Dowry case Breach of trust Spurious kerosene Trader booked One shot One beaten up Polygamy case Booked for murder Harassment for dowry Bag stolen Arrested for gambling Doraha
Robbers arrested |
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