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| Sunday,
August 26, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Case registered against 30 persons for duping
LIC Ludhiana, August 25 The division no. 5 police has booked 30 persons on the charges of cheating the LIC as well as conspiring for swindling. Police sources said this was the highest number of persons booked in one go on the complaint of the LIC. Police sources said as the fraud was of a serious nature, the involvement of some employees of the Corporation could not be ruled out. The fraud has been unearthed by an internal inquiry of the LIC, conducted over the past few months. After being convinced about the swindling, the LIC, in a lengthy statement of about 15 pages, based on its inquiry report, complained to the police. Police sources said the economic offences wing of the city police has been entrusted the investigation into the case. While the accused could not be contacted, sources said several of them, through local politicians and some property dealers have met the police officials concerned and claimed they were innocent. They have reportedly claimed that the LIC was falsely implicating them in the case. They also approached senior officials for an impartial probe into the matter. A case in this regard is likely to be filed in some court. All persons have not been booked by
name. According to a copy of the FIR, the persons have been booked in the name of Vinay Arora and party, Pritam Singh and party, Sarvan Singh and party, Sunil-Sony and party and Sunil Dhir and party. The FIR states that all five cases have almost similar modus operandi. One of the accused had availed a loan from the LIC for constructing a house. The accused completed all formalities and even returned the instalments in due time. However after a few months, the accused stopped paying any instalment to the LIC. When LIC officials inquired from relatives or persons associated with the loanee, they were shocked to learn that the
loanee had “died” and there was none to clear the debt. The LIC had initially believed the report but after a few months, it came to know that the person were very much alive and even present in the city. According to the police, the LIC then confirmed the information through an internal inquiry, and then lodged a formal complaint with the police. The police said no persons could be arrested so far. Sources said the investigation would not concentrate only on the fraud played by the complainant but also on the possible involvement of some LIC employees. |
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The tale of a ‘lost’
boy Ludhiana, August 25 The boy who gave his name Santosh claimed he was a resident of Bhagua, Mugalsarai, Bihar. He said he “got lost” last night at the local railway station, when he stepped out of Howara Mail to have water. When he came to step in the train, it was not at the platform. He said he was coming back to home with his parents from Amritsar where he had gone to spend holidays. But the appearance of the boy confused many. He was wearing white dress, a part of dress code in many schools on Saturday. Moreover, he was wearing a school belt bearing the name of Shiv Shakti High School, Ludhiana. It appeared he had been planning to run from home. When he was asked about the school belt, he said he used to study in the school two years back. The boy was looking quite confident while answering the questions of railway officials, which confused everybody as to what was the truth. The railway authorities could not ascertain whether he wanted to run from house or was actually a victim of circumstances. However, the railway authorities took immediate action and informed the Ambala railway station about the boy. An announcement was made this morning at the Ambala railway station for the parents and relatives of the boy to take him from the Ludhiana railway station. But the possibility of any response was remote as the train must have left the Ambala railway station last night. At last the confused railway authorities handed over the boy to the Government Railway Police (GRP) for necessary action. The GRP is trying to locate the school to find out his address. |
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‘PAUTA chief eligible for contesting’ Ludhiana, August 25 He said, though the general body of PAUTA had resolved that the PAUTA President and the Secretary could not fight elections after being in power for three years consecutively, but the resolution was to be implemented from January 2000, which made these persons eligible for candidature. A controversy had been brewing for the past many days on clause 4(d) of the PAUTA constitution, according to which, the PAUTA President and Secretary could not contest elections for more than three consecutive terms. Dr Hari Singh Brar and Dr M.L. Gupta, PAUTA President and Secretary, respectively, were holding the office for the past three years. Meanwhile, 27 teachers of the university filed their nomination papers for posts of executive member and concillor of PAUTA. Today was the last day for filing the nomination papers and tomorrow is the last day for withdrawing the papers. Two members of the outstation research centers of PAU were elected unopposed and one was elected unanimously. The Brar-Gupta group had fielded 15 candidates and the Brar-Batra group had fielded only 13 candidates in these elections. No nomination paper has been filed by any independent candidate. The Brar-Batra group has fielded Dr R.S. Brar for the post of the PAUTA President, Dr H.S. Baddesha for the post of the PAUTA Vice-President, Dr S.C. Sharma for the post of the PAUTA Secretary, Dr B.S. Bhullar for the post of the PAUTA Joint Secretary and Dr J.L. Sharma for the post of the PAUTA Treasurer. Their opponents are candidates of the Brar-Gupta group. They include Dr Hari Singh Brar, Dr A.S. Joshi, Dr M.L. Gupta, Dr Ramesh Kumar and Dr A.S. Sohi for the post of the PAUTA President, Vice-President, Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Dr B.D. Sharma and Dr Anupam Singh of the outstation research centers and members of the Brar-Gupta group, have been elected unopposed. Mr Sarabjeet Singh of the College of Agricultural Engineering, has been elected councillor unanimously. Candidates for the posts of councillor fielded by the Brar -Gupta group are Dr S.S. Thind, Dr L.B. Rishi, Dr Jagjit Singh, Dr J.K. Sangha, Dr K.S. Sandhu and Dr Rajandeep Singh Sekhon. Candidates of the Brar-Batra group who have filed nominations for the posts of councillor include Dr K.N. Sharma, Dr Satish K. Gupta, Dr V.K. Randhawa, Dr J.R. Kaushal, Dr M.S. Aulakh, Dr S.K. Sharma and Dr V.K. Vashisht. The candidate of the Brar-Batra group for the post of the PAUTA President, in a press note issued here today, alleged that the present PAUTA body was misusing the constitution, clause 6(d) of which clearly said that the PAUTA President and Secretary could not hold their position for more than three consecutive years. After that, a break of one year was required to be re-elected to the PAUTA executive body. Dr Brar also said Dr Hari Singh Brar and Dr M.L. Gupta, PAUTA President and Secretary, respectively, were contesting elections for the fourth consecutive year. He said, while the office-bearers had enforced all other amendments in the constitution (dated January 4, 2000) they were not implementing this clause in letter and spirit. |
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PSEB officials booked for fraud,
cheating Ludhiana, August 25 The complainant, Mr Sat Pal Puri, Councillor (Ward No 66), has charged these PSEB officials with making out a false case of power theft on account of slow running of meter against him and raising an unlawful demand of Rs 53,483. The accused officials, in connivance with each other, had allegedly threatened the complainant with disconnection of his power supply and further issued a receipt on a plain paper for Rs 49,000, paid by him in cash on September 9, 2000, (which
incidentally was a holiday). The money collected from the complainant was reportedly not deposited in the PSEB accounts and the officials, later refused to acknowledge the payment. According to Mr Puri, the PSEB officials were acting in a vindictive manner and their intentions were malafide due to the reason that he, being an elected representative of the public in the locality, had been exposing the misdeeds of the PSEB officials and had even led public demonstrations against the 'corrupt' and unresponsive PSEB officials of the area. He told Ludhiana Tribune that the fabricated case of power theft, was a well- thought out conspiracy to 'teach him a lesson' for publically speaking against the PSEB management. “The PSEB officials had not only made an attempt to implicate me in a false case to tarnish my image but had also falsified their own records by claiming that the sanctioned load of the said power connection was 1.3 KW as against the actual 8 KW.” The police was investigating the matter but no arrests had been made so far. |
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Paddy starts arriving in
mandis Ludhiana, August 25 The state government has been claiming that all arrangements for the procurement of paddy have been made, yet official agencies have not announced the minimum support price for paddy and secondly the union government has fixed the deadline to start paddy procurement as October 1. The Punjab Government has been pressing the Centre to advance the date of procurement to September 1 but the Centre has not agreed to the same. Last year the Centre had advanced the date of procurement to September 21 under pressure from Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. This year again the Chief Minister and his counterpart in Haryana have called upon the Centre to chance the MSP and also advance the date of procurement. The delay in the announcement of MSP and the start of procurement of paddy will force the farmers to resort to distress sale of the grains, which will result in resentment among them. According to official information available here today, the price of paddy in mandis of Amritsar district was quoted from Rs 400 to 570 per quintal. Only sharbati variety, which is known as grade A variety, is fetching higher prices and the rice millers are asking the purchase at the moment. The price for paddy was fixed at Rs 510 and Rs 540 per quintal for the grade A and grade B varieties of paddy last year by the Union Government. This year the Punjab Chief Minister has sought an increase of Rs 50 per quintals for the same. Enquiries reveal that private traders may not make much purchase of paddy this year compared to the level of purchase made by the same last year. The traders purchased about 25 per cent of paddy, which arrived in the mandis for year. Officials of the state agencies estimate that this year, the trade may not buy more than 10 to 15 per cent of the total arrivals. Last year, there was distress sale of paddy in the districts of Jalandhar, Amritsar, Kapurthala and some mandis of Malwa. This year there is less possibility of distress sale of paddy as the ruling alliance will ensure that the farmers get the minimum support price of the product. The Central Government has also not yet announced the levy price of rice, which will also discourage rice millers from making bulk purchase of paddy from the markets. Meanwhile, the state government has made alternative arrangements for the storage of paddy and there will not be dependence on rice
millers. The official procuring agencies have been earlier storing paddy on the premises of the rice miller which have been exploiting the situation. Government agencies have acquired panchayat lands and other government lands, including the army camping grounds in the state, to store procured paddy stocks. The pucca yards in the mandis of Punjab have also been got vacated for storing paddy. |
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Man gets life term for killing son Ludhiana, August 25 Delivering the verdict, Mr S S Arora, Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, held that prosecution had proved the guilt of accused. The accused was booked on a statement of his mother Gurnam Kaur, an eyewitness (grandmother of deceased), by the staff of police station Sadar, Ludhiana, under Section 302 of the IPC. Gurnam Kaur had told the police that two years before the murder, Inderjit was turned out from the house by Gurdev Singh as he was addicted to drugs. After that Inderjit remained away from the home. On the day of murder, Inderjit had
come to village and was resting in the fields at Beelewal Road. Upon hearing the arrival of Inderjit, the accused got infuriated and started abusing him in drunken condition, alleged complainant. Then the accused took the spear and went towards the fields. Gurnam Kaur said that she feared that Gurdev Singh would do some wrong and went to the fields along with Zora Singh. “When we reached there, we saw, Gurdev was inflicting spear blows on Inderjit mercilessly. Upon seeing us, he fled away from the spot. Due to grievous injuries my grandson died”, added the complainant. The accused pleaded not guilty and alleged false implication. But failed to prove his innocence and was awarded with severe punishment. |
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Assembly
elections on schedule: Dalam Ludhiana, August 25 Mr Dalam, while addressing a news conference here in the capacity of a spokesperson for the SAD-BJP coalition government, remarked that the opposition parties, including the Congress, were raising the bogey of snap poll just to keep their flocks together. “The Congress and other opposition parties are badly divided and plagued by fierce factionalism which forces them to keep the election issue alive.” Replying to a question on the possible adverse effect of panthic morcha on the electoral prospects of the ruling combine, he maintained that panthic morcha was a group of persons, who had been rejected by the masses and barring a little difference in the victory margin of the SAD-BJP candidates at a few seats, the morcha would, in no way, cause any damage in the elections. “Consecutive byelections in the state had proved that the people of Punjab were solidly behind the Shiromani Akali Dal, headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and other Akali factions had failed to create any kind of impact.” Mr Dalam, who was apparently here on an image-building exercise, in preparations for the elections, observed that when the SAD-BJP government took over, the state was facing a huge deficit of over Rs 600 crore. It was only through vision and expert financial management that the government was not only able to tide over the grave financial crisis but massive funds were made available for undertaking development works all over the state. Listing the achievements of the government during the last four years, the minister claimed that as a result of atmosphere congenial to industrial activity and investment, several major projects, involving an investment of around Rs 50,000 crore were allotted to Punjab and work was in various stages in many of these projects. Among these were an oil refinery and a cement plant at Bathinda, an international airport at Amritsar, Science City at Jalandhar and an IT park at Mohali. Further, the government had granted many concessions to various sections, including farmers, workers, traders, employees, the Dalit community and the minorities. The government employees in the state were among the highest paid in the entire country and it was perhaps for the first time in the history that the government had effected a wage hike of up to 40 per cent, which involved an annual burden of Rs 1700 crore to the
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Workshop on environment
pollution Ludhiana, August 25 Growing population, transportation and industrialisation had not only created a negative impact on the district, but also brought about environmental pollution. “The need of the hour is strict implementation of a thorough masterplan, which will save havoc-like situation in the city”, said Mr Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary Environment, Science and Technology, Punjab. Industrial pollution has the potential to cause irreversible reactions in environment and hence is posing a major threat as the environment cannot be polluted indiscriminately, he added. Mr Vishwajeet Khanna, Special Secretary, Science and Technology, Punjab, said all industrial units in the residential areas would be shifted from next year to protect environment in the city. He said industry clusters should be regularised thoroughly, and for that adequate infrastructure was needed. Unplanned and haphazard siting of industries was a major threat to the environment in the city. Mr Ajay Mahajan, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board, said the Zoning Atlas For siting of industries, a World Bank-funded project and nationally coordinated by the Central Pollution Control Board is underway throughout the country in selected districts with the aim of facilitating environment-compatible industrial siting. He said the ‘Zonal Atlas’ will encourage the aggregation of industries, facilitating cost-effective combined waste treatment and disposal facilities. Mr S.S. Sandhu, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, stressed the need for legally enforcing masterplan in the city. He said the level of air pollution in the city was worst in the state. Mr H.S. Bhogal, Chief Town Planner, Punjab, said multiplying problems have come up due to regular increase in urban population. The experts said that Ludhiana was chosen as priority district for Zoning Atlas for siting of industries due to a number of reasons including the haphazard growth of industrial and residential belts in the interiors and periphery areas of the city, increasing level of suspended particulate matter (SPM) due to emission from industries. |
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Scribes
condemn police misbehaviour Ludhiana, August 25 Mr Rajesh Bhambi and Mr Harinder Singh Kaka, president and chairman, respectively of the LPJA said, the unsavoury incident took place this morning when mediapersons and photographers were covering the VIP visit were manhandled and pushed around by Punjab police men. They said an official of the rank of a DSP used derogatory language and forced the mediapersons to leave the station. The DSP even ordered his men to snatch equipment of a cameraman of a local cable company. Mr Sanjeev Mehta, correspondent, Ajit Samachar, also complained of misbehaviour by the police. Condemning the incident as an attack on the freedom of the Press, the association has urged SSP Harpreet Singh Sidhu to take action against the erring police officials and restore the dignity of the police-press relations. The Ludhiana Journalists Association also submitted a memorandum to Mr Natha Singh Dalam, Public Relations Minister, Punjab. A delegation of mediapersons also met SP (Headquarters) Naunihal Singh in the afternoon and submitted a memorandum in this regard. |
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Cancellation
of WTO agreement sought Ludhiana, August 25 Mr Jodhan said while the Congress plunged the country by signing the GATT agreement, the NDA government had kow-towed to the World bank and signed the
WTO. He said the present government was implementing the WTO verbatim and before the stipulated period. Mr Raghbir Singh Benipal, general secretary, Kisan Sangarsh Committee, in his address, expressed solidarity with the labourers. Com. Amar nath, state general secretary, Lal Jhanda, FCI Palledar Union, also supported the demands of the labourers. All these allied unions would fight for the cancellation of the GATT agreement, free electricity to the very poor, subsidised ration shops for labourers, free education and health services. Other demands include unemployment allowance in the absence of work. |
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CITY SCAN In this age of commercialism and personal promotion through self-advertisement by any means, it is nearly impossible to reconstruct a situation of the early 1930s. The situation refers to a business house of Lahore of yore and Ludhiana of now. Ask a friend or relative in England to write on a duly stamped postal envelope only your name and ‘India’ and mail it. We shall wait till eternity to see that it reaches you. A consignment was booked from a UK port. The destination mentioned on the cargo was just ‘Doaba House, India’. It reached Alexandra Docks of Bombay and was detained for as there was no specific mention of a destination on it. The expert advised: Try Lahore. The expert, being a real expert, hit the right place — Doaba House — which, by its commercial image in the book world, had earned a name. The man behind this image-making was Ved Prakash Puri of Sultanpur Lodhi in the Kapurthala State of Doaba. He was a proud Doabia who did his best to be number one in the heart of the commercial world of Lahore, especially on Mohan Lal Road, Book Street of the East. Lahore, then, had more colleges than all colleges affiliated to Panjab University now. The signboards in the streets bore names like Khwaja Book Depot, Bharti Bhavan, Atma Ram and Sons, Malhotra Book Depot, Students Own Book Depot, Doaba House etc. Lahore had four most crowded areas — Railway Station, Anarkali, Nisbet-Road-Macleod-Road Cinema Centre and Mohan Lal Road — that were frequented by students and teachers. Atma Ram Puri and Baru Mal Puri were cousins who belonged to Doaba. The former founded Atma Ram and Sons and the latter became a sub-postmaster. Baru’s wife died when he was 28 and he never remarried. He got transferred to Lahore and later resigned his job to put his sons in business. At the advice of his father, Ved Prakash Puri, established Doaba House in 1924 when he was not even a matriculate. Though, he had never been a college student, he used to visit colleges often to supply books and was a keen reader. Ved Prakash Puri found time to meet popular school teachers, learned lecturers and professors. He met them more to seek knowledge than business. I have discovered only two under-matriculates who created a niche in the world of publishing — Babu Rao Patel, MP, Editor of Film India, man of the ‘Mother India’ fame, the proud ‘banjara’ of Girnar; and V.P. Puri, an equally proud Doabia of Lahore (Majha) and Ludhiana (Malwa). V.P. Puri lived in style. Puris had a house in Sant Nagar where they had kept a trainer for the horse, a ‘raeesi’ tonga with a Pathan as a coachman. Owning a green and brass-plated tonga used to be a status symbol in Lahore of that time and it was exempted from carrying a Municipal Corporation number plate. Puris used to enjoy their tonga rides to the bank of the Ravi and the Mian Mir Canal. Puri was an Arya Samaji and a patron of the RSS, but he was not anti-Muslim, though a bitter opponent of the Pakistan movement. The family used to prepare meals that were served at the ‘dargah’ of Data Ganj Bakhsh, a 10th century Muslim mystic, on every Thursday. He was deeply touched by the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. He was among the thousands who made their way to Husseiniwala at the bank of the Sutlej in 1931 to pay homage to the martyrs. The Partition shattered him. He could bear temporary separation from his Lahore, but not a permanent loss of his Doaba House there. V.P. Puri always preached moral values, due to which, students of Lahore’s DAV School had nicknamed him Ved Paath Puri. He made up for his lack of education with his enthusiasm. Once, a young poet named Surjit Pattar visited his shop to get a Hindi book by Muktibodh. Pattar, by a slip of tongue, asked for a book by Mirtyu Bodh (an angry youth of naxalite days). Puri corrected him and gave a long lecture on academics, poetry and phonetics. Many Muslim who had migrated from Delhi, Agra, Lucknow and Aligarh wanted Doaba House to be allotted to them. The final allotment made a big news and was broadcast on Radio Pakistan. “He was blunt by tongue, but a saint at heart. His anger proved his pain and sincerity. I am lucky to be his son-in-law. I wish I could be his son to be more close to him,” says O.P. Tandon, a former principal of Arya Senior Secondary School. His daughter, Aradhika Grover, carries on the legacy of Doaba House the first site of which was opposite the railway station before the present one in the bylane of Book Market. V.P. Puri died on February 12, 1980. Together with Jiwan Singh and Lala Sunder Das, he his known as a pioneer of book culture in Ludhiana. |
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Traffic
park, computer centre inaugurated at PPA Phillaur (Ludhiana), August 25 This was announced here today by Mr Sarbjit Singh, DGP, Punjab, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune after inaugurating a mini but attractive Traffic training park at the PPA Academy here this afternoon. The park in which training could be imparted on cycles or toy cars only was filled with colourful lights, road signs, well marked and carpeted roads. Addressing the cops under training as well as those in the service, the DGP said one of the most dreadful challenges in our society was the alarming high frequency of road accidents taking place daily. One of the reasons of such high degree of accidents was lack of awareness and proper adherence to traffic rules and regulations. For this there was a dire need to educate the road users about various traffic rules. The police personnel dealing with traffic management were also needed to be systematically and scientifically trained. DIG Suresh Arora said the park had been designed keeping in view the latest traffic management techniques and also according to the directions given by the High Court from time to time. The recent changes made in the Motor Vehicle Act had also been introduced in the special traffic training procedures. Giving details about the newly established traffic training park, Mr D.R. Bhatti, Director, Punjab Police Academy, said that traffic training at this academy would be open to police drivers, other police personnel and schoolchildren. Efforts would also be made to encourage students and members of the public to make them aware about road related traffic issues. Mr Sarabjit Singh also inaugurated a newly set up Computer Training Centre in Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur. The broad objectives to be achieved by this centre were to introduce computers to non-computer professionals, to inculcate a basic understanding about the functioning of computers, to enable the participants to reach a level of proficiency so that they could use the computers as a productive tool, to develop in the participants an appreciation for the use of computers in police. The course contents would be computer basics and fundamentals, MS-office, Internet and e-mail, cyber-crimes and legal provisions, net working, and police applications. The various special courses, which would be undertaken, would be computer appreciation course for NGOs, computer training for basics and promotional courses. Mr Bhatti, said that many new parameters were being introduced in the police training which would make police working more effective and field oriented. Emphasis was also being laid to make training methodology more scientifically and technologically oriented. |
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Patwar
Union serves ultimatum Amloh, August, 25 It was alleged in the meeting that the tehsildar did not take any action against the person. The union decided to issue an ultimatum to the tehsildar to take action against the person by August 29, else the union would stage a dharna the next day at the tehsil complex from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Woman held for flesh trade Khanna, August 25 According to sources, she had been maintaining the call girl house for the past 15 years. The Sangrur CIA police has also rounded up three persons from Khanna including a halwai and a petrol dealer. |
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One killed two hurt in group
clash Doraha, August 25 According to the reports, Sharanjit Singh of Dhamot village was returning home from Payal in the evening with his son, Sehajpal Singh, 22. On the way, they were attacked by Gahana Khan, Baloi Khan, Najjar Khan, Sher Khan ‘Guddu’ and Butta Khan. An injured Sehajpal died on way to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana. Two other persons — Pawan Sharma and Ashok Sharma — were also injured when they tried to save Sehajpal during the scuffle. A case under Section 302, 324, 323, 48 and 149 of IPC has been registered against the accused. No arrest has been made so far. Robbers strike: Three armed scooterists robbed two cement dealers of a motor cycle and Rs 80,000 at Saharanmajra on Thursday, according to an FIR that has been registered at Payal police station. Sources said Naresh Kuamar of Seehan Dod village, who was travelling on his motor cycle (PB-28-A-7724) with his companion after recovering some money, was robbed by three unidentified armed scooterists near Saharanmajra village. A case under Sections 382, 34, 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against the unidentified scooterists. SAHNEWAL Thieves caught: The Forest Range Officer of Mattewara has lodged a complaint of attempted theft with the Sahnewal police, on Friday. He has said that two of his guards — Kulwinder Singh and Bhupinder Singh — were on duty in the forest of Mand Chaunta on the night of August 22 when they found Mohinder Singh, Dodo, Jagir Singh ‘Pamma’, Balbir Singh, Darshan Singh and Harjit Singh stealing wood from the forest and loading it on a bullock cart. When the guards gathered some more persons for help, the thieves ran away, leaving behind the wood and the bullock cart. A case has been registered under Sections 379, 353, 148 and 149 of the IPC and ASI Jagroop Singh, head of Mattewara police station, is investigating this case. |
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