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| Saturday, January 12, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Burglars strike at LIC office Ludhiana, January 11 Incidentally, a special police checkpoint, under the continuing red alert and night domination exercise to control crime, exists just below the building. The burglars climbed up to a rear window of the building and broke into the office by unscrewing a grill. No one noticed their activities. The incident came to light at about 10 am in the morning, when LIC employees reached the office. The employees found the office ransacked. The safe was broken and the amount kept in it was missing. The rear windowpane and the grill were missing. There was some confusion over the amount lost in the burglary. According to sources, the police was informed at 11 am. A team of fingerprint experts and a dog squad was called, but not much clues have been found. The incident has once again brought into focus the efficacy of security measures taken by the city police in the wake of sudden increase in crime incidents in the first week of new year. While the police was following a special night domination exercise apart from a round-the-clock red alert to control crime and discourage criminals, burglars continue to strike at will. The fact that the burglary took place near the Miller Gunj police post, puts a question mark on efficiency of the police. Meanwhile, the new year continues to bring bad luck for LIC. First, a robbery was committed at its branch office in Sham Nagar, then an LIC development officer was found dead in mysterious circumstances and now this office was found burgled. |
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Traders to enter electoral fray Ludhiana, January 11 A meeting of the mandal, headed by Mr Jagmohan Sharma, was held at Focal Point here. Members criticised all major political parties for undermining neglecting traders. Mr Som Nath Grover, senior vice-president of the body, who presided over the meeting, said none of the parties in the election fray had nominated a trader or member of industry as its party nominee. He said while political parties depended upon members of trade and industry for election expenses, this important segment of society was treated with utter contempt and neglect when it came to allotting party ticket. “This is a well thought out conspiracy since no political party wants representatives of traders in the Assembly and in the government. Mr Madan Lal Kapoor, who also heads the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, asked traders not to nurse any hopes from the political parties and instead field their own candidates. Prominent among others who attended the meeting were Mr Bimal Gupta (Faridkot), Mr Vinod Kumar (Abohar), Mr Narsingh Das Chanana (Malout), Mr Dev Raj Bansal, Mr Karnail Singh Bhatia, Mr Arun Mehta (Jalandhar), Mr Kuljit Singh, chairman, Ludhiana Electrical Dealers Association, Mr Amarjit Singh Happy, president, Akalgarh Market Association, Mr Harpal Singh Arora, president, Chaura Bazar Association, Mr Gurmider Singh Batra of the Ludhiana Citizen Council, Mr Raman Nayyar, Mr Mohan Mehta and Mr Y.C. Jain. |
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Biomedical waste not going in bins Ludhiana, January 11 The Union Government has made the Punjab Pollution Control Board its prescribed authority for granting authorisation and implementing the rules. The PPCB can take legal action against owners of hospitals and nursing homes who fail to follow these guidelines. The board has already issued notices to owners of various city hospitals and nursing homes, asking them to strictly follow the rules. However, only a few have reacted positively. The board has excluded managements of clinics, dispensaries, pathological laboratories and blood banks where less than 1,000 patients receive treatment every month from following these guidelines. This is only for now and these places, too, would be covered in the next phase of the drive. The callous attitude in dealing with biomedical waste, that is seen in most city hospitals, is causing the spread of infectious diseases, as this waste is often thrown in streets. The government guidelines say that the general non-infectious waste comprises paper waste, cartons, packaging material, waste food items, plastic sheets and newspapers etc. All such waste should disposed of in bins lined with blue polythene bags and its final disposal has to be along with the disposal of municipal waste. All human anatomical waste like human tissues, organs, body parts generated in the OTs and pathological laboratories should be disposed of in bins lined with yellow polythene bags and should finally be incinerated. According to the guidelines, the microbiological and pathological waste like patient samples, culture media, swabs etc should be collected in bins lined with red polythene bags and should undergo autoclave within the laboratory itself before it is disposed of as non-infectious waste. The guidelines say that needles should be burnt in needle burner, syringes and the other sharps should be broken to prevent reuse before these are disposed of for recycling. Outdated, contaminated and discarded medicines should also be incinerated. However only owners of four-or-so city hospitals claim to have been following these guidelines. They said they had incinerators in the hospitals. Owners of many other hospitals and nursing homes here showed their ignorance regarding these guidelines. They also denied having received any notice from the prescribed authority. Some of them, however, said they were aware of the guidelines, but had been lax because hardly any inspection had been done, so far, by the prescribed authority. Many senior officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board in Patiala and Ludhiana were contacted to know what action was being taken against defaulters, but they refused give any information. |
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Teachers threaten to gherao DPI Ludhiana, January 11 Stating this in a press note, Prof Jaipal Singh, president, said the teachers were assured the benefits of past service, feeder grade as per UGC notification of December 1998, relaxation of participation in refresher or orientation courses up to December, 2002, and incentive increments in left-out cases. However, progress in the implementation of these demands was too slow to satisfy teachers, he said. He further blamed the DPI office of harassing and blackmailing teachers on various issues, including fake complaints, fixing wrong pay on senior or selection scales, not sending GPF statements for years, undue delay in clearing CAS cases and not responding to queries.
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Convoy car crushes child Ludhiana, January 11 The convoy was speeding away on the road amid a heavy traffic near a village. The child was on one edge of the road when he was crushed. The Sahnewal and Doraha police sources, however, said such an accident had happened, but not in their area. |
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SHO suspended Ludhiana, January 11 Police sources said that Mr Dharampal, SHO, Vardhman police station, has been suspended for not present on an earmarked spot on the VIP route. A senior police official conducted a surprise checking and ultimately suspension orders were issued by SSP H.S. Sidhu. |
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Valmikis stake claim to Cong ticket for Assembly poll Ludhiana, January 11 Among others, Mr Chander Shekhar Sahota, Mr Fateh Singh Mann, Mr Jagsir Singh Bangi, Mr Surinder Kalyan, Mr Madan Lal Khosla and Mr Prem Singh Khabra comprised the deputation. Ms Gandhi was requested by the visiting activists of the AIFMC to allocate at least 15 of the 29 reserved seats in the Punjab Assembly to the nominees from amongst Valmiki Mazhabi Sikhs. Mr Sidhu and other members of the delegation also rued that the Valmiki community was not provided due representation in the allotment of the Congress ticket in the last assembly elections, which had stood in the way of social and political development of the community. The discriminatory treatment had also given rise to widespread resentment among members of the Valmiki community and its Mazhabi Sikh component. According to Mr Sidhu, the AICC President assured the delegation that sentiments and claims of the community would be given due consideration during allotment of the party ticket. “The members of the Valmiki community should work with dedication and diligence to further the prospects of Congress candidates in the ensuing poll,” Ms Gandhi impressed upon the members of delegation. |
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Women activists call for drug-free elections Ludhiana, January 11 Awareness campaigns to mobilise womenfolk were organised at three places — Sarabha, Sareeh and Model Town Extension in Ludhiana district. Women pledged to take this awareness campaign to the womenfolk in every nook and corner. According to Principal Satnam Singh of the Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha Institute of Human Resource Development, activists belonging mainly to the Majha region comprising Qadian (Gurdaspur), Raiya (Amritsar), Baba Sang Dehsian (Jalandhar), Ludhiana, etc. were trained to spread the campaign in rural areas. The use of intoxicants process to lure the voters was a big threat to democracy, he stated. A similar pledge function was organised in Sarabha village, about 25 km from here. As many as 200 girls took a pledge to usher in a drug free society. Mr Surjit Singh, zonal secretary, Ludhiana zone, disclosed that a massive march was held in Sarabha village. The participants raised the slogans — “jago jago nashe tiyago, “sharab charas afeem tambaku, desh, dharam te sehet de daku” etc. Speaking on the occasion of the prize distribution function held at Government High School, Sareeh, near Alamgir, 20 km from here, Dr Deepinder Singh, Medical Officer, Aas Kiran, discussed the ill-effects of drugs on the physical, mental and emotional aspects of a persons and society as a whole. He exhorted the school students to spread the message of drug-free elections. |
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Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) to contest 50 seats Ludhiana, January 11 The party president, Mr Pawan Gupta, who had earlier presided over a state-level meeting, said in a statement here today that the names of the party nominees would be finalised in a meeting of office-bearers to be held at Patiala on January 11 and the list would be submitted to party supremo, Mr Bal Thackray, for his approval. The seats, which the party intended to contest, included Ludhiana East, Ludhiana North, Ludhiana Rural and Ludhiana West in this district, Amloh and Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district. According to Mr Gupta, he, accompanied by party spokesperson, Mr Pawan Sharma, secretary, Mr Niraj Verma, and Mr Parveen Kaushal, had undertaken a tour of all districts. |
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Foodgrain distribution reviewed Ludhiana, January 11 Mr Parveen Vij, District food and Supplies Controller, informed that wheat was being given to reserved categories only. As many as 36,895 families were identified and they were being supplied with 21 kg of wheat per month at the rate of Rs 4.27 per kg every month. Under another scheme, Antyodiya, 5,910 families belonging to the poorest of the poor were being provided 25 kg of wheat at the rate of Rs 2 per kg. The meeting was attended, among others, by Mr A.K. Sinha, Additional Deputy Commissioner (D), Mr N.K. Gupta, Assistant Manager, FCI, Mr Parkash Kaur, District Education Officer (P), Mr P.M. Sinha, District Manager, PUNSUP, Mr J.P. Singh, Secretary, Zila Parishad, and Mr K.S. Brar, District Social Security Officer. According to the DEO (Primary), Mrs Parkash Kaur, under the mid-day meal scheme of the Human Resource Development Ministry, 100 gm of wheat was being supplied to each primary school student free of cost. In all, 4,250 quintals of wheat was being supplied every month under the scheme. The Secretary, Zila Parishad, Mr J.P. Singh, said that two new schemes had been introduced on the pattern of food for work under which free foodgrain would be issued to the beneficiaries. Under the EAS scheme 6,100 quintals of wheat and under the JGSY scheme 6,100 quintals of wheat would be issued to the beneficiaries. Mr Sandhu directed all concerned that the foodgrain distribution under various schemes be carried out in a just and fair manner. It should be ensured that the beneficiaries received what was due to them. |
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Young Voice
IN Punjab where animal husbandry is a vital part of agriculture, the responsibility of a veterinarian becomes manifold. He has to protect the animals from various diseases and at the same time make the farmers aware of the dangers of the dreadful diseases. So feels Dr Harpreet Singh of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Punjab Agricultural University. He has been honoured with the Young Scientist Award at the national conference of the Indian Society of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology (ISVPT) held recently at Sardar Krushi Nagar, Gujarat. He presented a paper ‘Toxicokinetics and toxicological studies of lead’ in the congress. “Half of the diseases can be prevented by vaccinating the animals. But the biggest problem in Punjab is that farmers tend to postpone the vaccination and when the symptoms of diseases appear they start running helter-skelter”, he says. His motive in life is to make the country free from all diseases like many western countries. “This is only possible if all veterinarians, farmers and the government vow together to eradicate the diseases completely”, he maintains. |
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30-year-old cycle
shed razed Ludhiana, January 11 According to information, the land belonged to a bank and the ‘stand operator’ had been in litigation with the bank all these years. The details of the case could not be ascertained immediately but following a court judgement favouring the bank, a posse of bank officials, accompanied by a court bailiff and some policemen, descended on the stand this morning and demolished the structure after getting the place vacated of all cycles and scooters parked therein. The whole exercise continued till the evening. |
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Two ‘satta’ operators held Ludhiana, January 11 During special checking, the Division Number 3 police seized Rs 4,600 and some slips of ‘darra’ and ‘satta’ from Sher Singh Chand, son of Mr Gurditta Mal, a resident of Kamla Nagar, Dhuri Lines, and an amount of Rs 525 along with some ‘darra-satta’ slips were seized from Monga, son of Mr Chaman Lal, a resident of Islam Ganj. Poppy husk seized: The Division Number 6 police on Thursday arrested Jasmel Singh alias Jassa, son of Mr Khazan Singh, a resident of Tajpur, and seized 11.5 kg of poppy husk from his possession. The three-wheeler (PB-10AF-9718) in which the contraband was being transported has also been impounded. A case has been registered under Section 15 of the NDPS Act. Frauds alleged: The Division Number 5 police has registered a case under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC on the basis of a complaint by Mr Sunil Puri, son of Mr Naresh Puri, a resident of New Kundan Puri, Civil Lines, against Anil Datta, Preet Datta and Naval Dutta. According to the complainant, the accused had taken Rs 2 lakh from him for sending his son abroad. But he neither sent his son abroad nor returned the money. An investigation is on. In another case, Mr Sukhwinder Singh, son of Mr Tarlok Singh, a resident of Guru Nanak Colony, Gill village, alleged that Jasbir Singh and Amarjit Singh, sons of Mr Tarlok Singh, residents of the same locality, an advocate named Tarsem Sharma and some other persons had got his property transferred in their names on the basis of forged documents. A case under Sections 419, 420, 467, 471 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered and handed over to the economic offences wing for an investigation. Beaten up: The Model Town police on Thursday registered a case under Sections 323, 427, 503, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC on the statement of Mrs Amarjit Kaur, wife of Mr Avtar Singh, a resident of Dhandra Road, Dugri, against Gurmail Singh, Daljit Singh, Karamjit Singh, Baljit Singh, sons of Gurmail Singh, Pritam Kaur, wife of Gurmail Singh, all residents of Dhandra Road, Dugri. The complainant had alleged that the accused, who were relatives of her husband, prepared a forged registry of her plot, beat her up and damaged her household goods. No arrest has been made so far. Liquor seized: The Model Town police on Thursday arrested Harpreet Singh alias Fauji, son of Mr Charan Singh, a resident of Shimla Puri and seized nine bottles of illicit liquor from his possession. He has been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. Doraha |
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Woman commits suicide Ludhiana, January 11 The police has taken action into the incident under Section 174 CrPC. Police sources said the woman, Vijaya Sharma, had been under acute depression for the past three years when her husband, Ashok Sharma, had died a natural death. The couple's only son, Amit Sharma, an employee with a hosiery factory, was in the house when the incident took place. |
LSE decides to divest subsidiary shares to brokers Ludhiana, January 11 Mr Jaspal Singh, president of the LSE, informed that the board has taken this decision to fulfil the aspirations of the members and the potential threat to the interests of the members in view of the fast changes that are being announced by SEBI these days. SEBI had recently put a notice on its website that no broker would be able to become a office bearer of the exchange. According to Mr H.S. Sidhu, GM of the exchange, though the management had not received any notification so far, it was expected to reach in the next few days. Regarding the implications of this notification, he said,‘‘ No broker would be able to become president or any other office-bearer of the exchange from now onwards. The decision has been taken to separate the functions of the administration from that of trading.’’ Among other decisions, the board also decided to form a committee to work out the allotment of the shares to the members. He asserted,‘‘ We have just officially rectified a clause about the status of ownership otherwise it would not affect the trading in any way. The earlier decision was taken in view of the SEBI’s guidelines that the exchanges could own 100 per cent subsidiary for trading at the national stock exchanges. Later, it had allowed the exchanges to divest up to 49 per cent shares. The
Bangalore and other exchanges already divested their shares to members. We have now taken the decision, which would be implemented in the next few days.’’ However, he clarified that the management control would remain in the hands of the LSE. The board has decided that there would be total 11 members in the board of directors, including five representatives of brokers and six directors to be nominated by the LSE. But the chairman and vice-chairman would be elected from the brokers only. The brokers said that the decision was pending for long. It has not only changed the nomenclature of the management, but has also strengthened the voice of the members in the management. One of the members said,‘‘ We had invested about Rs 5 crore to build up the company, it was natural that the shares of the company should have been granted to us.’’ |
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Handtool exporters dissatisfied with policies: study Ludhiana, January 11 These are the findings of a study on ‘Problems and procedures in exports: a case study of handtool exporters of Ludhiana and Jalandhar’ conducted by Yadvinder Singh Dhiman, a student of the Punjab College of Technical Education, under the guidance of Prof Khushdeep Dharni. The study was based on 40 exporters from Ludhiana and Jalandhar. It was found that around 65 per cent of companies were operating exclusively in foreign market and a majority of them procured their orders through agents, who took a commission of 3 to 10 per cent. Participation in exhibitions and trade fairs was the most preferred method of export promotion, followed by direct mail and use of Internet. It was also found that an average of 5 per cent of total export turnover was spent on advertising. The study revealed that major problems of handtool exporters were high rates of interest and inadequate incentives by the government. They said this resulted in increase of prices of Indian products in the global market. The exporters also insisted that documentation process was time consuming and needed simplification. The exporters also said since most of them were getting their goods booked at the Ludhiana dry port, they wanted the facilities to be improved. Non-availability of containers, irresponsible attitude of the officers and delay in sending goods were some of the problems being faced by them at the port. |
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Biggest exhibition, huge expectations Ludhiana, January 11 Mr Narinder Mohan, organiser of the four-day exhibition, said more than 80 companies, mostly European, were participating in this biggest ever exhibition on knitting machinery. World leaders in knitting machinery, including Steiger of Italy, Mayer and Cie, Voltas Terrot, both of Germany, and Camber of England are participating in the show. Mr Mohan also said about Rs 350 crore of business was expected to be generated at this exhibition, compared to the Rs 250 crore business generated at the show last year. Then, it had attracted more than 15,000 manufacturers of the region. Participants said the best part of the exhibition was its emphasis on circular and flat machines. Mr S.K. Batra of New Delhi, who was here, said, “I am impressed by the exhibition, as it provides me with an opportunity to gather information on processing and related machines.” According to the organisers, the past success of the exhibition has encouraged them to organise it in such a big way. However, the lack of adequate space in the city for this purpose is a big constraint, though, the abolition of octroi has helped them bring in major manufacturers here. |
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