 |
|
| Sunday,
September 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India
|
|
||||
|
Is your vehicle safe at a parking lot? Most of the city residents often park their vehicles at one parking lot or the other at least once a day. But rarely anyone gives a close look to the receipt given by the contractor. It clearly announces that he will not be responsible for the loss of any accessory of the vehicle and, if the vehicle is stolen, he will not pay full price to the owner, and even that will be paid after a month or two. While the parking lot contractor is not concerned with the
value of the parked vehicles, he is very much concerned with his receipt. If you happen to lose it, you will have to deposit a fine of Rs 10. “Then why should we park our vehicles at these authorised parking places if these are not safe there?” asks Gurpreet Singh Mandiani, a resident of Mullanpur Dakha. He had parked his vehicle at the SP parking stand at the Mini Secretariat and was shocked to learn that his vehicle was not safe there. The parking lot contractor did not allow him to park his vehicle outside the stand. The parking contractors argue that they have been given the parking contract and could not be held responsible for the theft of a vehicle. One of the owner argues who would assess the value of a stolen vehicle? If the vehicle is old, why should he pay the full price? The authorities who have awarded the contract could not be contacted. Mr Inderjit Singh, another city resident, had in a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, the SSP and the Commissioner, MC, raised the question that the condition on the receipt could induce the contractor to steal the vehicle and then settle the issue at one-half or
one-fourth the price. Moreover, it is nowhere mentioned on the receipt whether the vehicle is new or old. Further, the receipts do not carry either the licence number or the address of the contractors. |
|
ORP promotions: 10 cases to be ‘reviewed’ Ludhiana, Sept 1 The DGP said although the High Court had given its judgement about many such police officials, the Punjab Police was reviewing the case of these 10 as they were still fighting the cases in the court and had got stay orders from there. The DGP was in the city today to inaugurate certain new schemes of the Ludhiana Police. He said these police officers would not be reverted till it was decided by the two-member inquiry committee. He said the Home Secretary and the DGP himself had been appointed by the High Court to inquire into the entire case and make suggestions. The reversion of police officials of various ORP ranks had created a controversy recently and many police officials were reverted to their original posts. The DGP also announced today that almost all police stations would be computerised within a year. He said this was a new proposal and the infrastructure would be provided in the police stations within a year. Speaking about the Baba Thakkar Singh case he said the police could not take any action against him as an inquiry by the police had revealed that the children were living in his dera of their own will. He said the inquiry had further revealed that there was no violations of human rights that had come into light in the dera. Moreover, he said every individual had a freedom to religion and way of life and if the children wanted to adopt this lifestyle then nobody could prevent them. He said that the parents of the children had also got no objections as far as the lifestyle at the “dera” was concerned. The DGP also said the Ludhiana DSP had also conducted surprise checks at the “dera” yesterday morning and he could not find anything that indicated violations of human rights. |
|
PAU teachers
divided on molestation issue Ludhiana, Sept 1 While a group of teachers is trying to pressurise the Vice-Chancellor to consider the case against the accused sympathetically, members of the other group are adamant that they would not support them as the VC had already initiated an inquiry into the case and they would at least wait till the filing of the inquiry report. According to sources in the university, the decision to appeal to the Vice-Chancellor, stating that the teacher concerned who had been allegedly accused of molestation by the victim was innocent, was taken at a meeting of the faculty members in the department yesterday. Later, a typed letter was circulated among the teachers for getting their signatures on it. It mentioned that the teachers strongly felt that the accused teacher was innocent. The letter, however, was opposed by many teachers of the department who declined to sign it on one pretext or the other. The sources said that out of around 60 teachers of the department about 30 to 32 refused to be a member of the appealing party. Sources said a group of teachers was visiting such teachers and some of them had even signed the appeal as they could not refuse to sign fearing that they would be branded to be belonging to the ‘opposing camp’. The situation become tense after certain teachers refused to toe the line of those teachers who had already signed in favour of the accused teacher. Many teachers said they wanted that the case was solved amicably as the episode had already brought a bad name to the department. One of the teachers even asked this correspondent not to publish the news again and again terming the incident as the most unfortunate one. The teachers, however, avoided to make any comment about the girl. They said the students come and go and the teachers were going to stay at the department a much longer time. |
|
Fighting
to get death certificate Ludhiana, Sept 1 The harassed woman approached Ludhiana Tribune and narrated her tale of woes. A team of reporters decided to verify her claims and undertook to get the death certificate on her behalf. After a week and over a dozen visits to the Civil Surgeon’s office, the death certificate could still not be procured. Despite the fact that Ludhiana Tribune team did not hide its identity, every time this reporter visited the office, the officials asked her to produce some new document. And finally she was ‘politely’ told that she would not be able to get the death certificate before two or three months. It may be mentioned that the body of Sukhwinder’s husband was found near a canal last year after which the murder hit headlines for several days. All, including staff at the Civil Surgeon’s office, is aware of the case and recollect the man was murdered, a postmortem conducted and FIR lodged by the police for murder. Yet, they are reluctant to issue a death certificate. Interestingly, some people outside the Civil Surgeon’s office were willing to help for a consideration. Ram Nath (actual name concealed) said that he could procure the certificate the same day, as some staff members always obliged him for a gratification. Sukhwinder Kaur, who is unable to pay any gratification charge, said that every time she visited the Civil Surgeon during the past year, she too was asked to produce some new document by the person on duty at the office. It took her over nine months to complete the formalities. She felt really dejected when after submitting all the documents, including the photocopy of an FIR, the post mortem report and a copy of cremation issued by the sarpanch of the village, the officials did not issue her the certificate. During her first visit to the office, the correspondent was told that there was no record in the office about the said person and denied knowledge that any application was ever received from the lady. When the Ludhiana Tribune team showed a set of documents submitted by Sukhwinder at the office, the officials made another excuse and said that the death certificate had already been issued to the lady. On her third visit to the office, the correspondent was asked to bring an affidavit in her name to affirm that the person has died. She was assured that the certificate would be issued to her within 15 minutes after getting the said affidavit. The correspondent again called Sukhwinder Kaur from her village for getting the affidavit. To her dismay, the documents were again handed over to the reporter and the official said, “You can take these to the Sub Divisional Magistrate, who will forward the case to tehsildar. The tehsildar after clearing it will forward the case to patwari, from where the documents will again come to the Civil Surgeon. I’m sure within two months time, you will be able to get the certificate.” |
|
City police goes hi-tech Ludhiana, Sept 1 The modernisation, in simple terms, means that no longer would a traffic cop be helpless in catching the traffic violators, who most oftenly, jump the red light knowing that the traffic policeman could not catch him due to non-availability of a vehicle and also as the latter cannot inform anyone in the absence of communication equipment. The scheme will go a long way in bringing down the crime rate in the city. The Director General of Police, Punjab, Mr Sarabjit Singh, today inaugurated the computerised traffic control room and 40 traffic junction points in the city. The DGP said with this launch, the traffic cops would be well connected and available to each other with a web of walkie-talkie sets, 15 motor cycles, and an independent computerised traffic control room with the facility to process the traffic data and traffic related offences. The scheme has been brought out by the computer and wireless wing of the Punjab Police. Giving details about the scheme, Mr G.D. Pandey, DIG, C and W, said the wing has provided repeater stations at the police station Sahnewal, Jodhewal, Sarabha Nagar, Focal Point and the Police Station Division No. 3. Separate high band frequency has been provided to avoid jamming. The network would be operational round the clock and would provide faster communication and reaction time, which would lead to better traffic regulation, saving the lives of accident victims and creation of a data bank of traffic violators apart from helping in the law and order and criminal investigation. The DGP said the scheme would be soon launched in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Mohali. He said a state of the art ‘Radio Trunking System’ has also been planned to be introduced in Ludhiana in the next phase of the modernisation scheme. He said during 2001-2002 it had been proposed to spend Rs 3 crore for the upgradation and replacement of wireless sets and accessories under the police modernisation scheme. |
|
City cops
given pagers Ludhiana, Sept 1 The special plan for this innovation was approved by the Home Secretary and the DGP Punjab. As many as 594 pagers at the monthly rental of Rs 210 per month per pager would be provided. The hardware is being provided free of cost by a pager company. All field officer have been given comprehensive training regarding the use of pagers and the operators of the easy call have been trained to cater for special requirements of the police. The police claims that with the distribution of pagers the field police officers in the district will be in contact with each other regardless of their location. This will reduce reaction time of the police in an emergency . |
|
Cops donate blood Ludhiana, Sept 1 In his inaugural address, the DGP lauded the participation of police personnel in the noble cause and exhorted them to make maximum contribution in this endeavour with a voluntary and selfless spirit. Mr Suresh Arora, DIG, Ludhiana Range, while extending welcome to the DGP and the other guests, expressed the hope that this initiative would go a long way, not only in saving the precious lives of the trauma patients, but also in strengthening the bonds of trust and fraternity among the police and the public. Mr Harpreet Singh Sidhu, SSP, Ludhiana, explained the objectives of the programme and assured that the Ludhiana police would continue to be involved in such humanitarian activities in future, as well. Dr J. Jacob, Director, Christian Medical College and Hospital, who was the guest of honour, and Dr Sunil Singh, Medical Superintendent, CMC, also spoke on the occasion and clarified some common doubts associated with blood donation. The camp was organised in collaboration with the CMC , Ludhiana, as a gesture of goodwill, the CMC has extended the facility of provision of blood free of cost to the Ludhiana Police personnel and their family members admitted in the CMC in emergency cases. It was decided that in future also such camps will be organised by the Ludhiana Police in association with the CMC. A target of 300 units of blood was fixed for the camp. |
|
Illegal
sand mining goes
on unabated Ludhiana, Sept 1 When this correspondent reached the bundh at around 10 am the other day, a tractor-trailer filled with river sand was on its way to the city by crossing over the bundh. On walking further towards the bank of the river, three more tractor-trolleys were noticed. Right under the railway bridge, sand was being loaded onto these trailers. These vehicles were seen passing over the damaged bundh portion on their way towards
Enquiries by Ludhiana Tribune revealed that the sand-mining activity being carried out was illegal. The cops of the PAP and the GRP entrusted with the security of the vital rail bridge were virtually ignoring safety norms with regard to the rail bridge which prohibited any kind of activity within a specified limit on each side of the bridge. Residents of the nearby Ladhowal village said the cops were charging anything between Rs 150 to Rs 200 per tractor- trailer load and anything between Rs 300 to Rs 600 for a truckload. According to sources, the miners enjoy the backing of a couple of political leaders. While one of them belongs to the Congress, the other belongs to the Bahujan Samaj Morcha. The mining activity , apart from posing a threat to the Dhussi bundh, is also not conducive to the bridge from the security angle. The issue was highlighted earlier also, but the activity goes on unabated.
|
AISSF blames Cong for ‘misrule’ Ludhiana, Sept 1 Blaming the Congress for misrule of more than four decade in Punjab, he said the state was virtually ruined during this period. The poor became poorer and the weaker sections were exploited by the erstwhile ruling party. Mr Ranike also charged the then Congress government with ‘engineering’ 1984 riots and demolition of Sri Akal Takht. According to the AISSF activist, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had developed close rapport with the people of Punjab through development oriented programmes. He assured the ruling coalition that the Sikh youth were fully mobilised and geared up to play a significant role in the coming elections. He said grassroot workers had fanned out in all the rural and urban areas to propagate the achievements of the government and different schemes formulated for the welfare of all sections of the people. Mr Ranike announced that a large number of AISSF activists, led by Mr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Director, Markfed, and Mr Avtar Singh Makkar, acting president, District Akali Jatha (Urban), would descend at the Mela Chhapar to attend the political conference of the SAD on September 2. Prominent among others present at the meeting were Mr Manjit Singh Raja, Mr Harpreet Singh Shehnai, Mr Gurpreet Singh Dharampura, Mr Tejinder Singh Pinki, Mr Kulwinder Singh Bhullar, Mr Harjinder Singh Kanda, Mr Gurdev Mohi, Mr Neeraj Chugh, Mr Ashok Manocha, Mr Ravi Gumbar, Mr Satish Kumar, Mr Amit Kumar, Mr Sunil Kumar and Mr Raghbir Singh. |
|
Mann to take up Bhullar’s case Ludhiana, Sept 1 Referring to the death sentence pronounced against Devinder Singh Bhullar, Mr Mann said the sentence was pronounced by a TADA court on the confessional statement of the accused. He claimed that the statement was taken by the police on a blank paper under duress. Mr Mann disclosed that he had met Bhullar in the Tihar Jail. He said Bhullar would appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court through his lawyer. |
|
MCPI condemns
Surjeet’s statement Ludhiana, Sept 1 In a press note, the committee stated that it was surprising that Mr Surjeet had supported general amnesty because he has all along been a supporter of Mr KPS Gill and was instrumental in getting extension to Mr Gill in those times. The committee also noted with satisfaction that all democratic parties had rightly opposed the general amnesty to the cops. The MCPI has condemned the false implication of MCPI politburo member and former Mayor of the Dum Dum Municipal Corporation for 32 years in a criminal conspiracy case of the murder of the present Mayor by the CPM-led Left Front government. This was a case of vendetta. The state MCPI urged the West Bengal Government and CPM leadership not to indulge in mean and low type of politics and withdraw the false case against Sudhir Bhattacharya, according to Mr Kuldip Singh, state secretary, who released the resolutions to the Press. By another resolution, the committee has demanded immediate and adequate announcement of MSP (minimum support price) of paddy. |
|
NRI Sabha for action
against cop Ludhiana, Sept 1 Col. R S Sohi (retd) general secretary of the local wing of the NRI Sabha, said in a press note that the Sabha was shocked at the
behaviour and misconduct by the suspect cop Mangal Dass. He said the case was of a serious nature and exposed the tall claims of the state government and the police department about the safety of the NRI’s in the state. |
|
CITY SCAN A
mound confirms two facts: site of a town or city, victim of the human demon or some natural calamity. Sunet is no exception in this regard.
Sunet, Sunit or Soonet, as spelt by several scholars and western archaeologists, is commonly known as Uchcha
Pind. Several mound-based villages still retain ‘uchcha pind’ as an additional indicative for clarity, such as Uchcha Pind -
Sanghol. Sunet is the highest and the broadest landmark feature of the present Ludhiana. It is surrounded by the sprawling Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar. Once it was conspicuous as a tall feature in the countryside, now it is visible from tall buildings as an imposing site supporting houses. What the Nile is to Egypt, is the Sutlej to north-west Indian subcontinent, particularly to
Malwa. Ropar, Sanghol, Sunet, Hathoor, Ferozepore owe their existence to it. Even Sirhind, Bathinda,
Shatrana, Samana, etc owe their rise to the Sutlej as the Ghaggar is its tributary. Ancient geography confirms this fact. Sunet was earlier called
Sunetra. Perhaps, its people had sparkling eyes. Sunet also went through the epic glory of the Budhist period. It came in the limelight in the Kushan age when the ethical, political and cultural impact was at its zenith in Afghanistan and beyond. This region had spells of Rajput feudal regimes. Sunet gained prominence as later researches in archaeology confirmed this fact. Sunet was the central link between Kabul and Mathura of Kushan time. Historians are considerate to Alexander of Macedonia and call him Alexander the Great. However, archaeology records the arrival of another Alexander. Though, no historian calls him great. Actually, this dark, deep and heavy mound was studied by Alexander Cunningham. General Cunningham was a remarkable man. Very few people equal him in curiosity, patience and devotion. Despite all odds, he covered maximum areas, inspected countless sites, watched emergent excavations, studied urgent situations and wrote about priceless relics. He made serious and meaningful deductions. He visited Ludhiana during the years 1878 and 1879. He studied bricks, a few sculptures and a number of coins. He prepared his report which throws light on the above finds. It forms an important part of his monumental research work, ‘Archaeological Survey of India’. Sunet report forms part of Vol XIV, pages 65-67. About the age of
Sunet, he writes, ‘‘The town Sunet was in existence before the Christian Era, as evidenced by the coins of Uttamadatta and
Amoghabhuti’’. He makes another significant observation about it, ‘‘It continued to flourish during the dominion of
Indo-Scythians and of their successors who used Sassanian types down to the time of Samanta
Deva, the Brahman Shahi King of Kabul and Punjab.’’ It may be relevant to recall that the rulers of Kabul and Zabul in and around Afghanistan where also known as Hindu
Shahi. Kushans were perhaps the ancestors of the vast tribe of Jatts or Jats of Sind, Rajasthan, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh. Sunet provides a crossroad linking residues of Indus-valley,
Indo-Scythians and Aryans. Kushans also had urban culture. Gen Cunnigham’s study of coins bear historicity. He writes, ‘‘From the total absence of coins of the Tomar Rajas of Delhi, as well as different Mohammadan dynasties, it appears that Sunet must have been destroyed during one of the invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni and thereafter it must have remained unoccupied for many
centuries.’’ T. W. Tolbort, as per proceedings of Asiatic Society, Bengal (1869-70), puts forth the possibility of its destruction due to an earthquake. He wrote, ‘‘It is likely that Sunet was the headquarters of some Hindu kingdom, small or great and we can deduce safely that Mahmud had looted and devastated
Sunet.’’ Its coins have been critically studied by experts. Journal of the Numismatic Society of India (Vol
IV, Pt. I, pp-1-2) records about Sunet: ‘‘It is in ruins in the district of Ludhiana, Punjab, situated three miles south-west of Ludhiana.’’ Time has changed, Sunet was away, now Ludhiana has taken it over and expanded beyond! Look at the fast moving corporation limit! A few baked clay seals bearing the legends ‘Yau dhayaganasya Jaya’ or ‘Yaudheyanam, Jaya mantra
dharanam’ were studied by eminent scholar, Alterkar, who thought the legend pointed to celebration of victory over
Kushans. The town in the time of Samudra Gupta (4 AD) was a flourishing one. During the Rajput feudal period it existed till the Turkish invasion. Turks dealt it a destructive blow. Though ruined, mound stands as a tablet of the past. According to Horace, ‘‘Time will bring to light whatever is hidden, it will conceal and cover up what is now shining with the greatest splendour.’’ |
|
Ailing
bear sent back to zoo Ludhiana, Sept 1 The bear is suffering from the cancer of blood vessel in the nasal passage and has developed a tumour. Experts are of the opinion that the bear would now be able to live longer. Experts of the Veterinary Clinic told Ludhiana Tribune today that they kept the animal under their supervision and administered chemotherapy after tranquillising it. According to Dr N.S. Saini, Veterinary Surgeon, PAU, the veterinarian at the Chhat Bir Zoo has been suggested to administer chemotherapy to the bear for a month and then the PAU experts would decide on the future course of treatment. |
Farmer murdered Ludhiana, Sept 1 According to police sources, there were sharp-edged weapon marks on the throat of the victim. The murder was discovered in the morning when other family members woke up. The number of people involved in the crime and their possible motive has not been ascertained as yet. The murderer or murderers dumped the farmer’s body in a corner of the house before making their escape from the scene of the crime. A case has been registered and further investigations are on. |
|
Two youths snatch gold chain Ludhiana, Sept 1 The youths came on a scooter and were wearing helmets. The police has registered a case.
Scooter stolen Jagraon The local police has registered a case under Section 379 of the IPC, and has started the investigation into the matter.
Woman missing Amloh |
|
CA not involved
in fraud case Ludhiana, Sept 1 It was learnt that the company had taken a loan of Rs 6.25 lakh from Mr Aggarwal on February 5, 1999. The company returned the first installment of Rs 3.2 lakh after the loan. However, the remaining amount still remains to be paid. |
||
‘Ministry proposes grant for apparel park’ Ludhiana, Sept 1 This was disclosed by Mr Atul
Chaturvedi, Joint Secretary, Department of Textiles, here yesterday. He had come to the city to participate in a seminar on ‘Trends in international marketing of man-made textiles.’ He said the department would provide a grant of Rs 10 crore or up to 75 per cent cost of the infrastructure development for the apparel park within one month after receiving a project proposal from the state government. He said, ‘‘The department has identified Ludhiana to develop as a future textile centre for its product diversification and rich fabric base. The department would further provide a grant of Rs 5 crore to set up an effluent treatment plant and Rs 2 crore for training purposes.’’ He added that the state government would have to send a project proposal to avail this Rs 17-crore grant, besides providing a piece of land for the project. He disclosed that under the programme, the state governments of Karnataka, UP, West Bengal, Kerala and Gujarat had already submitted their proposals and the grants would be released in the next few days to them. The Tripur Exporters Association has submitted a proposal to build the park itself by utilising that grant. Incidentally, the state government recently proposed a textile complex at Ladowal in 1250 acres. However, the project has failed to get adequate response from the industry due to high prices of the land. Now the PAU is demanding that land for research purposes. Industry representatives say that the state government is not taking interest in developing Ludhiana as a modern textile city and it may lose the grant. They said that some lobbies in the state government were working to scuttle the project and the chances were that the land might be offered to the PAU. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Ludhiana, Sept 1
