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April 8, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Villagers to approach President
Ludhiana, April 7 The decision to meet the President and seek his intervention was taken at a meeting of several villages of the region held at Issewal today. Giving a statement to the Press, Mr Gurdial Singh, Sarpanch of Issewal village, said a number of MPs had informed them of their support. However, as all of them have resolved not to make it a political issue, they were not disclosing the names of the MPs. Mr Gurdial Singh said the villagers were peeved at the treatment given to Air Marshal Sekhon, a proud son of the village by the Centre and felt that only the President could come to their aid. He said the villagers had called the meeting as part of a series of moves to air the villagers' grievance in the case and their demand to recall him. The meeting debated several measures like starting an agitation involving dharnas in the state or outside the Parliament but agreed on the peaceful move to meet the President first. It may be mentioned here that Air Marshal Sekhon belongs to Issewal village which is also known as a village of martyrs. The villagers, shocked at his ouster, had organised a rally at his village under the leadership of Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, Member Parliament and President Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar) a few days ago. Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, yesterday criticised the former Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for his reported statement that Air Marshal, Manjit Singh Sekhon had never written to him. Talking to The Tribune here today, Mr Mann pointed out, had Mr Badal come out with this statement earlier, it might have saved Air Marshal Sekhon from the humiliation he was made to suffer. He said, Mr Badal owes an explanation to the people of Punjab on why he maintained "criminal silence", while Air Marshal Sekhon was being implicated. Mr Mann also ridiculed Mr Badal's helplessness over the reported attitude of the police officials including the SHOs. He said, Mr Badal is reaping the whirlwind. "He was no different himself, now he is expecting quite otherwise", Mr Mann said about Mr Badal. He disclosed, "Mr Badal during his Chief Ministership was himself not prepared to listen even to a Member Parliament like me". Mr Mann reminded Mr Badal of having supported the POTO, which vests the police with immense powers. "Mr Badal has supported the POTO and now he should be prepared for the police excesses as they do not spare anyone", he pointed out.
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Encroachments on rise in Focal Point area Ludhiana, April 7 The Focal Point area was planned more than 20 years ago as a modern satellite town of the city having wide roads, boulevards, shopping centres, spacious parks among other facilities. But the encroachers have spoilt the whole plan and the area is already beginning to resemble the old congested city. Suddenly, an area that had been neglected for so many years is developing at a fast pace as a result of which the prices of land and buildings are registering an upward trend. A house in the HIG/MIG colony for which there were no takers at a price of Rs 35,000 about two decades ago, can fetch anything between Rs 10 to 20 lakh these days depending on the location. According to the master plan , no commercial activity is approved on the Metro Road which is the arterial road of the area which winds up from the Chandigarh Road to the Sherpur area and is supposed to be a highway . While the market meant for the area residents houses one non-vegetarian eating joint and there are no takers for other shops, residents of the HIG Colony along the Metro Road have set up various shops by breaking open the rear walls of their residences on the Metro Road side. Not only that, they have also occupied the wide boulevard , originally meant to be left for the strollers, in such a manner that customers visiting the unauthorised market have to park their vehicles on the road itself. At the intersection that connects the Metro Road with the Singh Sabha gurdwara road in the Urban Estate area, about a dozen minor accidents take place everyday because of the congestion caused by the shopkeepers. The intersection would become further congested due to the recent arrival of another roadside seller of lemon soda who parks his vehicle by the roadside there in the morning and does brisk business throughout the day. Opposite him on the other side of the road is an ice-cream-cum-kulfi vendor. Because of the encroachment on the whole of the boulevard portion, the customers at the ice-cream shop with their vehicles occupy almost half of the Metro Road , particularly in the evening hours. The cops have allegedly been seen enjoying kulfis and lemon soda at these joints. To Add to this confusion are a number of other fast food rehriwallahs who block the roadside with chairs and tables in the evening. They also do not charge any money from the cops for a plate or two of noddles or some other favourite dish. Though the police is trying to make the Metro Road free of parked vehicles of all kinds, it is not proceeding against the roadside encroachments in the absence of any official request by the MC authorities to do so. The chaos created by roadside rehris and other vendors in the area is also on the rise as their numbers are growing at a fast pace. The Gurdwara Singh Sabha Road which stretches from the Metro
All building bylaws have been flouted with impunity in the area, thanks to corruption in the Municipal Corporation. Three-storeyed structures have come up in the area in which even the construction of a second storey is not allowed. Residents of MIG/HIG colony which was originally the baby of the Panjab Housing Department and was later transferred to the PUDA have built concrete structures on areas meant to be kept free. The trend is on the rise for which the PUDA officials concerned are responsible. Recently, when a resident of the colony had to get the house registered in his name, he was asked by PUDA officials to demolish the concrete boundary wall on the encroached portion in front of the house with the assurance that after the deed he could re-build the boundary wall. A three-storeyed private hospital in this residential colony has encircled the open area around the building with steel mesh. Some residents living nearly have also done the same. It appears that only those residents have not encroached upon the open land near their houses who allegedly cannot afford to grease the palms of PUDA officials. A number of demolition operations were carried out by the Municipal Corporation recently in various parts of the town. several unauthorised structures were demolished. Heavy fines were also realised. But it seems that the exercise was motivated only by fiscal reasons because after March 31, it has come to an abrupt halt. This makes one think whether it is because of the approaching civic poll that the bull-dozers have been parked in the backyard? |
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Poor traffic sense adds to chaos THE increasing number of vehicles in the city has not only led to traffic chaos but has also highlighted the poor traffic sense and utter disregard for the fellow citizens among Ludhiana residents. Driving instead of becoming a pleasure these days is a nuisance, which creates a number of scenes on the roads every day. Perhaps may be you are the one of them. How many times have you left your car near a shop and someday parks a scooter behind it, and there is no other way than to wait for the person and then leave? Last evening it took a scooterist half-an-hour to take out her scooter out of the parking lot near her office building in Bahadur house area. She parked her two-wheeler in the morning and nobody cared that she had to go back home after office. Notwithstanding the norms of society, the people in Ludhiana seem to have low or no civic sense. The basics of driving and parking are found nowhere. There are a number of instances which show that there is no parking sense among the vehicle and car owners. “You are going to park a car and you will find that a person on a scooter pushes himself into the place. If you argue, people start shouting at you, there is no solution,” says Mr R.S. Aggarwal, city-based businessman. Some banks, hotels etc are located near the residential areas. The unplanned nature of these places create messy situations for the residents. A troubled resident in the Civil Lines explaining the problem said, “Every month a number of senior citizens come to collect their pension. They park their cars just in front of the mouth of the road and even a scooter cannot pass. On asking why they have done this, they say they went for only five minutes” Every place you see, whether it is Chaura Bazar, Ghumar Mandi, Bahadur House area, the Clock Tower area or in the front of any school or college, parking problem is there. No doubt, there is dearth of parking space in almost all busy areas of the city but a proper parking sense can solve the problem to a great extent. The government should try to come out with some parking rules similar to the traffic rules. Proper management of the available parking space in a judicious way will end the messy situations created for the commuters. The huge rows of the scooters around big buildings is a common scene. People park their cars wherever they find place no matter anybody gets place to take out his or her scooter or not. SA
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People with connections Ludhiana, April 7 In the meantime, while the driver was busy picking up the numbers of his choice, a Tata 407 truck appeared on the bend of the road, but stopped due to the parked auto. The truck driver started honking. But the auto-driver, instead of moving his vehicle told the driver that he had enough space to negotiate the bend. The truck soon sped away. A cop with a walkie-talkie appeared on the scene and ordered the auto-driver to produce the papers at which the auto-driver made a U-turn without starting the engine. Then, with all leisure in the world, he unwound the engine-starting rope from the side of the vehicle and with studied movements started the engine and then closed it. All this while the cop stared at the rear of the vehicle which incidentally had no registration number. The cop does not pester the driver to show the documents of the vehicle to him any more and watches helplessly as the auto-driver restarts the engine with the same nonchalance and drives away. Intriguing, isn’t it? Enquiries revealed that the auto-driver and the passenger have connections with the underworld. |
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Dilip Thapar goes on fast Ludhiana, April 7 He said, “I have no vested interest, as what would I get if the memorial of the great martyr would be constructed and given due respect.” He further said, “I appeal to every commoner and leader to take a serious view of the problem. Those who have laid their life for our freedom could not be ignored. |
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Cong camp jubilant over Malout win Ludhiana, April 7 Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bawa claimed that the victory at Malout was the endorsement of the policies adopted by the Congress government led by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. He pointed out that the way in which the Chief Minister had launched an assault on corruption, it was clear that the government was doing what it had promised. "And people acknowledged it by rejecting the Akali candidate in Malout", Mr Bawa claimed. Addressing the gathering senior Youth Congress leader, Pawan Dewan congratulated the Congress leadership for coming out successfully in Malout. He criticised the opposition parties, particularly the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) for levelling "baseless charges" against the Congress government. He observed that the victory in Malout reflected the peoples' appreciation for the policies adopted by the new government. Hailing the Congress victory, the vice-president of the Pradesh Youth Congress, Mr Amarjit Singh Tikka claimed that the Akali Dal had been ousted from its last bastion. He alleged that the Akali leaders had created fear and terror among the people which had been removed by the Congress government. He also pointed out that the Congress had shown the unity in Malout and succeeded. Mr Varun Mehta, executive member of the PYC, also hailed the Congress victory. |
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‘Allot tickets to
councillors’ Ludhiana, April 7 At a district-level party meeting held here today, the General Secretary, PPCC, Mr Nahar Singh Gill, said for giving clean administration it would be necessary that the candidates should be of clean image and have experience to work for the welfare of the residents. On this occasion, the president of the District Congress Committee (Rural), Mr Gurdev Singh Lapra, said only those candidates who are well-educated and well-aware about local problems and issues should be given a chance to contest.
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Cong leader seeks jobs for lawyers Ludhiana, April 7 Mr P.D. Sharma, ex-chairman, PPCC legal cell, and Mr Dharamjit Singh Khera, chairman, PPCC legal cell, Ludhiana welcomed the MLAs and lawyers and also thanked them for their cooperation. Mr Khera said young lawyers may be placed in suitable legal cadres of the government so that they get a comfortable start. Mr Hemant Kalia, ex-president, District Bar Association, demanded an early completion of lawyers’ chambers and also demanded a sum of Rs 75,000 recovered from them should be refunded. Among others, who facilitated the MLAs included Mr Ashok Bhakhri, convener, legal cell, Mr Surinder Singh, Mr B.N. Sehgal, Mr S.S. Johar, Mr Vijay Goel and Mr Pradeep Sharma, President, Young Lawyers Forum, Punjab. Mr Tej Parkash Singh, Transport Minister, Punjab donated an amount of Rs 10,000 from his discretionary quota for the welfare of Bar members.
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Former Navy chief flays foreign policy Ludhiana, April 7 Admiral Ramdass was critical of India’s foreign policy,
particularly its relations with the neighbouring countries. “India’s neighbourhood management has always been poor,” he said, while emphasising, “we, the Indians should honour the political commitments we have made.” Only dialogue will lead to the solution of Kashmir problem. “We should realise that lakhs of poor Kashmiris are suffering and their future is at stake and we need to resolve the issue,” he observed. Admiral Ramdass stressed that violence had no place in civilised society and the weapons of mass destruction on earth could cause immense loss of life. Former Naval Chief also said incidents of violence in Gujarat were unfortunate disaster. He blamed the ruling party for “destroying the secular fabric of the Indian society”. He said, “The present government has sent shock waves to minorities and people are rejecting their governance. The coming back of the Congress in the states of Punjab is the recent example of people’s rejection of the ruling party.” Admiral Ramdass also criticised the civil servants and police officials for allowing themselves to be politicised. “They work under political pressure and forget their duties towards the nation and we are living in a completely paralysed society,” he remarked. In his inaugural address, Admiral Ramdass said medical profession had always struggled to eliminate pain. “And most of the pain is caused by the violence,” he pointed out. He stressed the need to change the basic psychology of violence and hatred. Peace, love and brotherhood is the only alternative if mankind is keen to survive, he added. Delivering the keynote address, Dr Ian Maddocks, Chairman of the board of the International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), said India had been known to be the land of peace and non-violence. He said South Asia was turning tense and the message of peace had to start from this region only. Dr Herman Spanjaard from Netherlands, the vice-president of the IPPNW, Europe, said despite so many agreements, there were so many weapons which could cause unprecedented damage. He said at present the threat of biological and chemical weapons was much more than it was before. He criticised the decision of US government to go ahead with National Missile Defence (NMD) Programme. Dr N.N. Wig, former Head of Psychiatry Department, PGI, in his address said the terrorists were basically not violent people but the circumstances led them to perform such acts. Suicide bombing squads were a reflection of this, added Dr Wig. Dr Imrana Qadeer, Professor, Department of Public Health from Jawahar Lal Nehru University, said after the process of globalisation, health services in developing countries, including India, were being run as a business. She added that environmental degradation was causing serious health disorders and called upon the medical fraternity to come forward to promote healthy environment. The conference passed several resolutions on health for all, population control, for scrapping the NMD Programme and appealed for a complete elimination of practice of female foeticide. The conference was presided over by the IDPD president, Dr L.S. Chawla. He said the movement would be taken forward by doctors. Amongst others who attended the conference were Dr Arun Mitra, Dr M.K. Mahajan, Dr H.S. Sidhu, Dr Surinder Singla and Dr Bharati Uppal. |
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Interior decorator with
silk and satin touch Ludhiana, April 7 Hema is attached to famous architects and landscapists in New Delhi. She along with Sanjeev Goyal have brought flowers, trees, green patches of grass from many countries. After touring different countries, they have tied up with best companies making flowers, tress and twigs with materials as varied as silk, organza and satin. Hema has a passion for flowers. She says: “In the beginning clients were rather skeptical about the survival of the potted plants in homes.” Since fresh flowers are expensive, she went for the artificial ones. Hema says: “We wanted the flowers that are easy to maintain and look replica of real orchids and other exotic flowers. Sanjeev and I have collaborated with flower manufacturers of Spain, Canada and Greece so far. Soon we will be having a tie-up with more countries. We have introduced real silk flowers. Moreover, since we are distributors, our prices are affordable for middle-class housewives. Either we make bouquets or sell flower by each stem.” She said she had introduced a new concept in flower arrangements. She chooses the same colour and same fabric for different flowers like wood roses, orchids or sweet sultans. Even the vases are unique. She says: “Bring me any broken pot or any kind of vase and I can make flower arrangement in it. The other concept that has found favour is arrangement of two different fabrics. The artificial trees can make the lobby look dramatic. Our grass patches are perfect to turn a dull room green. The beauty of these flowers and trees is that they can be cleaned with a static duster or washed. Strings of garlics, red chilies, onions and mushrooms could be hung in the kitchens just like the Italians hang them or can be used along with the flowers for the dining arrangements.
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Fluids good for summer Ludhiana, April 7 Dr Molly Joshi, chief dietitian, Christian Medical College and Hospital says,‘‘In summer months due to a lot of sweating, the body needs more fluids. To meet the body’s needs, one ought to drink minimum of 10 glasses of
fluids. The best is water, but a lot of juices will do. Instead of milk, drink buttermilk as it is lighter and easy to digest. Fried food like ‘poories, pakoras, and paranthas’ should be avoided. These are difficult to digest. Moreover they cause excessive thirst. People should switch over to cereals and fruits. Fruits provide a lot of fibre which is good for colon. Sprouted gram and lentils provide Vitamin C and can be eaten for breakfast. For lunch a lot of green salad , including cucumbers, ‘kakris’ cabbage and tomatoes should be consumed. In the winter we need to consume more calories as body requires more calories to keep warmth. So nature supplies man with delicious and fortified energy foods like cashewnuts, almonds and raisins etc.’’ Another dietitian, Mr Kapil Verma also says, ‘‘The intake of fat should definitely reduced. One should increase the intake of fresh vegetables and reduce intake non-vegetarian diet. It is better to steam or bake food, so that nutrients are saved and food is easily digested. Instead of drinking soft drinks, one should drink fresh lime with salt and water. Soft drinks besides being expensive give additional calories and are harmful for teeth. In case one is a diabetic, one can take sugar-free tablets. Similarly the diabetic persons can add sugar-free tablets in ice-creams. The ice-creams can be made at home. For making ice-creams for children, mangoes can be used with whole milk whereas for adults use skimmed milk for ice-creams.’’ Dr Samsahad, a physician says, Some precautions must be exercised if people want to avoid gastric problems. 1) Do not drink juices if they are being prepared under unhygienic conditions. 2) Don’t eat cut fruit like watermelon, papaya or salad sold in open 3) Avoid eating stale food and over-ripe fruit.
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Kashmiri Pandits get together Ludhiana, April 7 And it was this nostalgia that marked their gathering here today. They had assembled to celebrate the coming of the new year, Navreh. Although the Navreh, according to the Bikrami Calender, falls on April 13 they celebrated it jointly today. It was not just an event for sharing of feelings and emotions, it involved a lot of fun and entertainment, which included intellectual discussions and quiz. Where the elders dwelled on everything concerning their plight, the children were subjected to a brain storming quiz that focussed mostly on the Kashmiri history, culture and tradition. Over 200 Kashmiri Pandit families are settled in Ludhiana, while a number of others are working here. The official directory of the Kashmiri Sabha Ludhiana was also released on the occasion. The directory carries the names and addresses of most of the members of the community living and working in Ludhiana. Speaking on the occasion, president of the Kashmiri Sabha, Dr M.K. Mam, currently working as the Head Department of
Orthopaedics, Christian Medical College and Hospital, praised the members for taking part in community festivals. He pointed out that it was essential for the community members to build up good rapport and communication with each other. Prizes were distributed among the winners of various competitions like children’s quiz, race and Kashmiri songs. Mr Mam said it was a heartening experience that the community members were keen on preserving their culture, identity and mother tongue. Prominent among those present were Mr M.L. Peer, former principal, Prof J.N. Kaul of Punjab Agricultural University, and the other office-bearers of the sabha. |
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Parivar Divas celebrated Ludhiana, April 7 According to SSP Harpreet Singh Sidhu, members of the force participated with enthusiasm in the event, organised for the first time in Ludhiana and only twice in the state. About 3000 officers and men along with their families participated. Ms Anita Punj, IPS, SP (Vigilance), Ferozepore was the chief guest and distributed prizes and Mr Parveen Sinha, IPS, SSP, Ferozepore was the guest of honour. Mr Sidhu said in view of the response to the day, the Ludhiana police has decided to make the meet and Parivar Divas an annual feature. |
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Plea to regularise
ad hoc safai workers Ludhiana, April 7 Ms Suman Pame, president of the women wing of the party, said in a statement here yesterday that several Congress leaders had promised during the election campaign that the Congress, if voted to power, would regularise the ad hoc safai workers. However, except for recent appointment of 169 workers on daily basis on the rates fixed by the district administration, no further action seemed to have been taken in this direction and around 600 other safai workers were still facing uncertainty of employment. The party also urged the councillors to mount pressure on the government for taking up the matter on priority basis before the coming civic elections in the state so that the Dalit section of the electorate could continue its
unstained support to the Congress as it did in the recent assembly elections. |
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Against all odds Ludhiana, April 7 Later, her second son, her only hope, was put behind the bars after being implicated in a criminal trespassing case and under the NDPS Act. Subsequently, he was booked, while in custody, for the alleged murder of his own brother. Her younger daughter-in-law turned her out of the palatial house built by her husband. Unfortunately for her, she has not been able to grieve the death of her husband or the son. She has been embroiled in a number of litigations and is desperately fighting to save her son. She has also given an application to the crime branch to reopen the murder case of her son. In fact, she has been accusing her younger daughter-in-law of hatching conspiracies to get her son implicated in false cases. She pointed out that her son was implicated under the NDPS Act for allegedly possessing narcotics. The case was cancelled after investigations. But her son was jailed for several months. He was also booked for the murder of his brother. In a complaint filed on an affidavit, she has accused her daughter-in-law of grabbing her plot by forging signatures and preparing forged documents. She also alleged that huge cash was withdrawn from her bank account after her signatures were forged on the cheques. |
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Borlaug award for Dr Johl Ludhiana, April 7 The decision was taken in a state-level meeting of the AGTAC held here today. In a statement Dr H. S. Cheema and Dr R. P. S. Aulakh, representatives from AGTAC, said leading mentha-oil distillers of Punjab, Mr Jagjit Singh, Daler Singh and Manjit Singh, have given their farms at Ladhowal, Kakka and Kulewal village in the district to the Agricultural Department for conducting farm participatory and adaptive researches in the light of changing world scenario. According to chairman and co-chairman of the organising committee Dr Satnam Singh and Mr Manjit Singh Kakka, respectively, the Nobel laureate, Dr Norman E. Borlaug, had visited this farm last year and had appreciated the research work being carried under the leadership of Dr Daler Singh District Agricultural Officer. The chairman of the reception committee, Dr Kesar Singh Panag, Chief Agricultural Officer, said that the moral of the technocrats had been boosted with the visit of a world-renowned agricultural scientist Dr Borlaug at the JDM Farm. Dr Amarjit Singh Samra, State Minister Revenue and Agriculture Punjab, will be the chief guest and Dr Mohinder K. Rinwa, Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab Government, will preside over the function. Dr S. S. Johl, economist and chairman of newly constituted committee for diversification and re-origination of Punjab agriculture, will be given the Dr Borlaug Award for his services rendered to farm sector to uplift agrarian economy. The meeting was presided over by Dr H. S. Cheema, general secretary, Punjab Animal Husbandry Services Association. It was also attended by AGTAC leaders, including Dr Satnam Singh, Dr C L Vashishat, Dr Gurkamal Singh, Dr Daler Singh, Dr J P Singh, Dr B S Brar, Dr B S Butahri, and many others from all over Punjab. |
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Husain sketches for sale Ludhiana, April 7 The proceeds from the sale will go towards building the PFA hospital-cum-shelter in Khwajke village, near here, added the note. |
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Two rifles recovered Jagraon, April 7 Truck owner arrested: The police has arrested Balwinder Singh of Ballowal village, an owner of a truck, under Sections 25, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act as his truck was involved in a case under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act on January 20, 2002, in which two persons were arrested. Khamano |
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Bucks stolen Ludhiana, April 7 One turbaned and other clean-shaven persons came to Amandeep’s shop and asked for the buck. They took them out to show it to someone and suddenly ran away. A complaint has been lodged with the Sarabha Nagar police. The police said it had informed Spice Telecom about the buck number. |
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