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| Sunday, January 13, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Gang manufacturing arms busted Ludhiana, January 12 Interestingly, instead of staying away from the nabbed suspects or denying his patronage, the Akali leader was in the city yesterday trying to influence police officials to cover up the case. Though suspects claimed that they had just begun manufacturing weapons and had not sold these to anyone so far, police sources said they were investigating their statement. The police suspected that the gangsters were involved in robbery and snatching incidents or had sold the weapons to other gangs. The presence of the factory and the activities of the gang have once again shown that criminals are active in the city. A police official said the unearthing of the factory could be a headache for them, as earlier criminals were bringing weapons from other districts or states. The police sources disclosed that the kin of the leader was one of the key accused. Four members of the gang, who were nabbed by a police party of the Division No. 6 police station last night, have been identified as Mukesh Kumar, Ramesh, alias Johny, Harvinder Singh, alias Raju, Dinesh Kumar, alias Pritam. The police this evening unearthed the factory. A number of guns of .303, .762 and .38 bores have been seized from them. Ramesh, the kingpin of the gang, is the kin of the leader. He has been accused of bringing some country-made pistols. The police has also seized a number of iron grinding and milling machines from the factory. The factory has been sealed. According to an FIR, the SHO, Mr Paramjit Singh, along with the police party arrested four members. The fifth accused, Imran, managed to escape. On the information provided by them the factory was unearthed and weapons and cartridges were seized. |
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Illegal road blocks lead to clash Ludhiana, January 12 Early today, there was a clash between a group comprising some former owners of the land and another group led by present plot owners and a land developer. Some rounds were also fired in the air, but no one was hurt. The clash took place in the morning, but the police registered a case in the evening only. It was registered against Kartar Singh and others for trespass and creating mischief. The delay was because the police was trying to make the two parties reach a compromise. Kartar Singh and others were the original owners of the land, who had entered into a partnership with K.L. Chabra, a land developer, for selling the land for developing a colony on it. The deal was finalised several years ago and the colony, called Sarabha Nagar Extension and Chabra Housing Colony, was being developed according to norms laid down by the PUDA. However, the partners developed some differences over payment to the former land owners. Chabra had got a case registered against Kartar Singh for snatching away vital documents of the property. According to the developer, the police, allegedly under
pressure from a senior state-level police official, had taken no action on the complaint. The police denies the allegation. Meanwhile, Kartar Singh and others allegedly erected a number of walls on several roads of the colony, affecting hundreds of plot owners and residents of
According to the FIR and the statement to the Press by Mr Chabra and the other plot owners, Kartar Singh and others allegedly began constructing more walls on the roads at about 4 am today. A heated argument began between the two parties when the present plot owners reached the site. The police said, Kartar Singh and his supporters, finding themselves outnumbered, had fired in the air to frighten the mob. While the accused could not be contacted, the
police said the former owners of the land had alleged that they had been cheated in the land deal. They also said they were still the rightful owners of the land. No arrest has been made so far.
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Confusion over petrol price Ludhiana, January 12 A number of customers in areas like Dugri, Link Road, Campa Cola Chowk and GT Road complained that after reading the news of fall in prices in newspapers, they rushed to petrol pumps. But to their utter surprise some of the pumps refused to charge the revised rates by saying that ‘they had not received the instructions of revised rates’. A resident of Urban Estate, Dugri, said: “At 9.30 am he went to the filling station at Dugri to get his car filled. The attendant refused to give petrol at new rates”. Mr Yuvraj Dada, president, Ludhiana Petroleum Dealers Association, when contacted, maintained that the consumers might got the petrol at old rates in the early morning due to lack of information and communication. Mr Raju Sharma, its secretary, said such step was taken for the first time by the government. He said, “There are nearly 30 petrol pumps in the city and on an average 30-40 kilolitres of petrol stock is maintained by each pump. The cut in prices will result a loss of Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 for each dealer”, he added. |
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Water
mills closing down gradually Ahmedgarh, January 12 An informal survey has revealed that most of the water mills installed on nearby canals have either been closed down or are on the verge of closure. According to sources, the company, which had undertaken the construction of the micro-hydel plants, was supposed to allow re-opening of the mills, which had been closed down to facilitate the installation of these plants. However, even after the commissioning of the plants, the water mills have not resumed functioning. The Jagera water mill (at mill no. 12) on the Bathinda branch has not been functioning for around past six years. PEDA was supposed to install a micro-hydel plant here but neither the plant has been constructed nor the mill has started again. A plant has been started near the Chubki bridge at mill no. 10 on the Abohar branch but the re-opening of the water mill has remained only on papers. Dolewal and Banbhoura mills (on mill nos. 3 and 12, respectively) on the Kotla branch have also been closed down though locations of the proposed micro plants are yet to be precisely earmarked. Holding the state government responsible for the closure of the water mills, Mr Jatinder Bhola, a member of the district committee of the CPI, showed concern over the annual loss of state revenue to the tune of Rs 3 crore due to this. He said that besides being a revenue earner, the mills helped conserve power and check pollution. He added that even the flour ground by these was more nutritious. He urged the Canal Department officials to make an effort to run the mills and micro-hydel plants simultaneously in view of the energy crisis and financial constraints. |
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Man kills mother Khanna, January 12 |
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A long wait for correct voter’s I-cards Ludhiana, January 12 All the family received in return was apathetic officials, terse replies and repeated visits to the government offices dealing with election work, while two of the three voter cards were still to be issued. It all started in 1995, when a polling party came to Kitchlu Nagar for the preparation of voter ID Cards in Ludhiana West (Ludhiana 58) assembly segment that one of the residents, Mr M.L. Sood, approached them for seeking voter cards for himself, his wife Mrs Uma Sood and daughter Ms Sumita Sood. To his dismay, Mr Sood was informed that the names of his family members did not find mention in the voters’ list, supplied to them. Mr Sood, however, maintained that the names were included in the original voter list and also produced a copy of voter registration form (book no. 5327, sr no. 50) in support of his claim, but to no effect. After a protracted communication with government officials and numerous personal visits , Mr Sood was asked to submit his particulars and that of his family members in form 8 so that voter ID cards were issued. While Mr Sood rightly thought that the matter was over and he would get the cards in due course, the government machinery had something else in store for him. Mr Sood found that instead of three ID cards, the department had issued only two cards — for him and his daughter Sumita while the application for a similar card in the name of his wife Mrs Uma Sood appeared to have been lost in the maze of officialdom. As if this was not enough, the card issued in the name of Mr Sood had a wrong address while the other one bore incorrect name of the voter as well as her father. Once again, Mr Sood had to undergo the tortuous exercise of writing letters to district and state elections officers, pointing out the fact that voter ID card for his wife was not issued and those made out in his own and his daughter’s name carried numerous mistakes. He also urged the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, to fix responsibility for issuance of incorrect voter ID card and penalise the firm concerned, entrusted with the job of preparation of these cards. Fatehgarh Sahib: A large number of people may not be able to exercise their voting right during the ensuing Assembly elections in the Sirhind constituency of the district, as they have failed to get their voter identity cards. As elections have been announced in the state, voting would be done through EVMs and only those having voter identity cards would be allowed to vote. The office of the Election Tehsildar is flooded with applications from many villages of the constituency, alleging that the visiting teams of the Election Commission making I-cards have not taken their photographs and those who succeeded in getting photographed have now received faulty I-cards. Mr Rajeshpal Singh Lalli, a senior Akali leader of the area, today presented a large number of residents of different villages like Dadiana, Fatehpur Araian, Sadikpur, Mulanpur, Lattour, Jadhpur, Gadhera, who have not been delivered the I-cards though they were photographed by the teams. In Dadiana village 104 voters are without I-cards and in Gadhera village more than 50 residents are without the cards. A large number of villagers showed faulty I-cards to this correspondent. People have urged the State Election Commission that fresh teams to make photo identity cards should be sent in the constituency so that the people may not be deprived of their voting right. They also alleged there is no one in the election office to heed to their request. |
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‘SAD-BJP raising bogey of terrorism’ Ludhiana, January 12 Addressing a meeting of the party executive committee at the Congress Bhavan here, the DYC President, Mr Parminder Mehta, observed that the ruling coalition had left with no worthwhile issue to woo the electorate in the coming elections and in desperation, it was resorting to mislead the people. “The real contribution of the Badal government is unprecedented price rise, rampant corruption and mounting unemployment,” he said. The meeting was attended among others by Mr Inderjit Singh, Mr Nirmal Singh, Mr Amarjit Bhatti, Dr Pardeep, Mr Raj Kumar, Mr Vinod Teena, Mr Vicky Ahuja, Mr Nek Chand, Mr Anil Kareer and Mr Harwinder Bhatti. Charging the government with opportunism, Mr Mehta said during its entire tenure, the SAD-BJP combine had maintained a studied silence on the pending demands of Punjab like river waters and territorial disputes despite the fact that the BJP, was leading the ruling coalition in the Centre. Taking strong exception to senior BJP leader Madan Lal Khurana’s observations made in Jalandhar that the state might witness communal violence if the Congress came to power, the DYC chief retorted that it was the BJP which based its politics on religious and communal lines. He said the people of Punjab were wise enough not to fall in the trap of the BJP and misled by their provocative and motivated propaganda. Meanwhile, many DYC activists, Mr Sarbjit Singh Bunty, Mr G.S. Arora, Mr Rajinder Nihala, Mr Ashok Arora, Mr Sabhajit Pandey and Mr Varun Mehta have announced that the proposed fast to press the demand for high-level probe into alleged irregularities in construction of Mini Rose Garden in Kitchlu Nagar locality had been postponed on the advice of senior party leadership. |
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Kites make market colourful Ludhiana, January 12 The kites give different effects and delight to the viewers in the evenings. Even those who do not fly kites do not mind to buy a few for their
dear ones. One can see great rush, especially after dusk, at kite shops. People throng the main markets of the mega city like Ghumar Mandi, Chaura Bazar, Dandi Swami, Sarbha Nagar, Kochar market and Model Town in the evenings to buy kites. The shops are full of customers and one has to wait for his/her turn. Irrespective of the price of kites and strings, no customer wants to compromise with quality as it is a matter of pride for him/her to fly the kite from the rooftop. Some of the famous kite shops in the city have been set up more than 30 years ago. These are Bodh Raj Di Hatti and Gulshan Di Hatti in Field Ganj Area, Ladho Di hatti in Iqbal Ganj Chowk and Surjit Kite Shop in Meena Bazar. Those desirous of buying kites and strings in bulk, visit these shops for quality and variety. Suresh Mangal, a shopkeeper, says every year he converts his grocery store into a perfect kite house because he knows the pulse of Ludhianivis who never lag behind to celebrate Lohri festival with zeal and enthusiasm. He says over the years, he has earned a lot by selling kites only for a few days and it is quite a lucrative business. He says he has doubled his investment this year and is confident of heavy sales. According to Mangal, the maximum size of a kite is two square feet. But there are people who give special orders for kites up to the size of 5 square feet. This kite costs about Rs 75 each. As it is difficult and also costly to transport big kites, these are made by local craftsmen to cater to the needs of special customers. Favourite kites like Jaipuri Chajja, Tukal, Lukhnow Khat, Bombay Khat are also in great demand this year. As always, the string of Barely has attracted a large number of customers as they do not want to take chance while enjoying ‘cut kite’ plays. The prices of kites range from 50 paisa to Rs 75. Kites which are available for Rs 5 are in great demand. At the same time, people also buy big and colourful kites of different shapes and sizes which cost between Rs 6 and 15. One can get a 30-meter long string for Rs 7, but if someone really wants to beat a formidable rival in kite flying, he can purchase a 6,000-meter long string for Rs 700. As the sale and purchase of kites are on, children and teenagers are eagerly waiting for the day when they would keep themselves busy in flying kites while the elders spend the whole day in watching kites and giving the youngsters some tips to remain winners throughout the day. Saurab Jain, a keen lover of kites, says he is looking forward to Lohri festival which is time for great fun and enjoyment. He says like every year he will not waste even a fraction of second and avail himself of this opportunity which comes once in a year. He will go with his family to his ancestral home in the old city and fly kites till dusk. Park Plaza, a local hotel, could not ignore the importance of kite flying on the occasion of Lohri and has decided to open the terrace grill for the sport. According to the general manager of the hotel, arrangement, have been made for the first time to cater to the cultural needs of the mega city. Keeping in mind the passion of people for the festival, a wide variety of strings and kites would be made available for the people free of cost, he says.
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LSS to launch agitation against govt inaction Ludhiana, January 12 At a meeting held recently at the sangh office in Rupa Mistry street, the sangh members observed that the state government was ignoring the high court directive regarding school fees because of the rampant corruption in the state administration. The meeting observed that in spite of a 95 per cent grant being given to the private-aided schools, these schools were charging fees far in excess of the stipulated fees. And as such, these schools were capable of functioning even without the government aid and the government was wasting huge public finds by aiding such schools. Mr Deepak Gupta, secretary of the sangh, said the sangh would soon hold public meetings at Khanna, Jagraon, Raikot and Ludhiana to make the public aware about the school fees as stipulated for the government-aided schools and the government’s inaction in implementing the court directive. The meeting was attended, among others by Mr Suresh Gupta, Mr Mangal Passi, Mr Inderpal Malhotra, Mr Ashok Dhiman, Mr Kamaljit, Mr Dharam Pal and Mr Rajiv Chauhan. |
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Burgled office not of LIC Ludhiana, January 12 The police says that a burglary indeed took place, but the rear window was too small for anyone to pass through it. The police has,
nevertheless, registered a case. The police officials concerned told reporters yesterday that the burglary had been committed in a branch office of the LIC, whereas, it had actually been in a branch office of the United India Insurance. Several newspapers, today, erroneously reported that the burglary had taken place in the LIC office. The insurance office had closed down by that time, due to which, company employees could not be contacted for their version. A senior Division Manager of the LIC also said the burglary incident had not taken place in the company’s Miller Gunj branch. A police official said he thought a “beema company” was always the LIC. |
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Young
Voice
IN this era of cut-throat competition when youngsters are interested in vocational education and want to settle in life as soon as possible, here is a girl who is interested in solving psychological problems as stress and tension have become part due to urban lifestyle. For Rohini, an undergraduate student of the Government College of Women, the main aim of her life is to serve the people by solving their mental and emotional problems. She wants to become a psychologist. She thinks that for development of any country, it is necessary that its people must have good mental and physical state to work for the nation to the best of their ability. She says that, however, in our country, people are shy and they do not freely disclose any such problem. But now with the increasing literacy rate in our country, people have started taking it easy to tell their problems to a psychologist. She thinks that there is a great scope of exploration in this field.
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Kite-flying competition Ludhiana, January 12 Mr Surinder Jain was the chief guest on the occasion, while Mr Kishore Lal Shroff distributed the prizes. Mr Jackson Sharma stood first, Nitin Dhawan second, Gaurav Sood third. |
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Smuggler booked Ahmedgarh, January 12 The preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused has been indulging in smuggling narcotics for a long time, and convicted for similar crime earlier also KHANNA Constable booked: A police constable has been booked on the charges of attempt to murder. According to the police sources, constable Sagar Singh of the IRB, posted at the State Bank of Patiala in Ludhiana, hired a rickshaw at Doraha for his village, Balala, on Friday night. On reaching near Begowal, he instructed the rickshaw-puller to be fast, but when the latter failed to do so, he fired at him, injuring him seriously. The victim was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana. A case has been registered against him under Section 307 of the IPC. The accused absconded from the spot. |
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‘Drunk’ cop
fires at rickshaw-puller Ludhiana, January 12 The Payal police has registered a case against the unidentified policeman, suspected to be belonging to a reserve battalion. The victim said he was returning home late last night when the cop, in uniform, stopped him and sat in the rickshaw. He alleged that the cop stopped him near the village and accused him of stealing a magazine of cartridges. They entered into an argument at which the cop took out a gun and shot at him in the stomach. |
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Mixed reaction to move on excise duty Ludhiana, January 12 Expressing his concerns over the government move, Mr P.D. Sharma, president of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( Punjab ), said, “Even before enemy’s bombardment, the government seems to have started bombing its own industry. The proposed ordinance on Central Excise rates has come as a bolt from the blue. Industry is already reeling under recession and any hike in excise rates will totally cripple it.” However, some other industrial leaders were of the view that the government may just increase duty on petroleum products, without affecting the consumer much. Mr S C. Ralhan, chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council ( EEPC) North India, said, “As far as exporters are concerned, we do not see any scope of increase in excise duty during the period of recession. However, in an emergency situation of border conflict with Pakistan, the countrymen should be ready to pay the price. Moreover, there is a big scope to increase duty on petroleum products without affecting the consumer much. Oil companies are making huge profits due to lower prices of petroleum in the international market.” Mr Sharma, however, pointed out that there was a leakage of revenue both in the customs and the excise departments. The government should first take effective steps to plug the loopholes. The government should not increase excise duty on other products at this juncture as it would badly affect the recession-hit industry. It might further aggravate the problem instead of solving it, he added. |
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