Dust blanket blinds
Tribune News Service

At the countryside the farmers were panic stricken as they felt that the falling dust would ruin their already wilting crops as it would block the respiration in the vegetative parts of the plants. A farmer of Alamgir village said that he was worried as a layer of dust had formed on the paddy plants. He said that it was already not raining and this would cause wilting of the crop all the more.

Agricultural experts, however, ruled out this possibility. They said that a light shower of rain would wash the dust layer off the plants. They appealed to the farmers not to panic in this situation.

Metrological experts attributed the formation of dust storms to the dry weather and delayed monsoon. They said that the dry winds blowing during these days carried dust particles to a certain height. The heavier particles settled down but the lighter ones remain suspended in the air for longer durations and formed dust clouds.

According to Dr Sukhdev Singh Hundal, Professor of Agrometerology in PAU, the same phenomenon had taken place in the district that had led to the dust clouds. He said that the dust would settle down only after rain showers. He said that there was nothing for the farmers to panic as the dust would not do any harm to the crops.

He said that these clouds had, however, increased the suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the air that would definitely lead to respiratory problems.

Dr Hundal also ruled out any possibility of rain in the coming 48 hours in the district. He said that the cloud mass was concentrated in the eastern part of the country. Isolated clouds were, however, visible over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana where the rains would be experienced in next two or three days. 

2 more DMCH employees reported missing
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 22
The mystery regarding untraceable employees of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) remains unsolved as none of them has yet been traced by the district administration.

Members of the faculty and the union of the DMCH have said that two more people have gone missing, taking the figure of missing employees to four after the violence on July 13. The two other employees reported missing now are Gurdeep Singh of Akalgarh village and another person whose name could not be established as the driving licence found in his pocket has the owner’s name rubbed, while it has the name of the person’s father and his address of Ayali Khurd village.

Some senior doctors said according to eyewitnesses, this untraceable man was among those taken in the police custody on the day of the incident. He was bleeding profusely from the scalp wound as his skull was probably fractured. Female employees were asked to clean his wounds. He was then taken away from there by the police and had been missing since then, they said.

The faculty urged the district administration to trace all these employees if it claimed that no one had died during the incident.

Meanwhile, the Action Committee and the faculty of the DMCH alleged that the imbroglio continued as the administration had not withdrawn frivolous cases against the innocent employees. Even the hospital management had so far not taken any conciliatory measures apart from few verbal assurances towards the welfare of the employees.

The doctors maintained that the management wanted the faculty to resume hospital duties and that each of them should persuade some employees to come to the hospital. The members said the conflict was between the union and management, but the faculty was concerned about the physical and mental humiliation of the DMCH employees and was attempting its bit to secure their welfare. “How can the hospital work be carried out without employees? What would be the use of coming back to work, if the situation remains as inflammatory as ever?, they asked.

Some senior doctors were of the view that the high court should take suo motu notice of the happenings and order an enquiry into the whole affair. The faculty urged the hospital management to appeal to the administration and the state government to release all arrested employees and withdraw all cases pending against them.

Meanwhile, employees of the DMCH continued their dharna at the park near the hospital today. They said they would not join duties till their demands were met. They also demanded an early release of their colleagues.

BJP, SAD workers hold rally
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22
Activists of the district units of the BJP and SAD held a rally in protest against the alleged ‘terror campaign’ being pursued by the Congress government. They alleged that innocent workers were being implicated in false cases and humiliated for their political affiliations.

The protesters staged a dharna in front of the DC office and raised slogans against the government. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the DC. Those who addressed the gathering included Mr H.L. Sethi, BJP president, Mr Avtar Singh Makkar, SAD chief, Mr J.S. Garcha, MLA, Mr S.P. Gosain, former deputy Speaker, Mr B.C. Kapila, BJP vice-president, and Mr Rajinder Bhardwaj, general secretary.

Speakers condemned the alleged ‘terror campaign’ unleashed by the government wherein innocent workers were being framed in frivolous cass to settle political scores and to demoralise the rank and file of the party. “The police has been directed to round up their workers and not to entertain any local leader,” they alleged.

The leaders also condemned the local administration for brutally cane charging the DMCH employees, along with women and innocent bystanders and shopkeepers of the locality, who they claimed were justified in pressing for their long-pending demands. In the past there had never been an instance where an employee agitation was put down so ruthlessly,” they said. Dharnas and rallies would continue in the days to come, they added.

Ish Garg stands sixth in Punjab PMT
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 22
Ish Garg, a Class XII pass-out from BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, has topped among city students in Punjab Pre-Medical Test by securing an overall sixth position in the state. The test was conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences yesterday and the results were declared on the Internet late last night.

Aditi Gupta from Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, has attained 47th rank. Next position has been shared by Hardeep Singh from DAV Public School and Mukul Mohindra from Kundan Vidya Mandir, both getting 58th rank. Aaina Markan from Guru Nanak Public School has stood on 75th position.

The 86th rank has been shared among Supreet Khurana from Kundan Vidya Mandir, and Hanish Bansal and Aditya Kapoor, both from DAV Public School. Meenal from Guru Nanak Public School has got 105th rank. Bhumika Sharma from Kundan Vidya Mandir and Priyanka Bansal from Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School are sharing 126th position.

Gajinder Pal Singh and Aastha Saggar, both students from DAV Public School, have got 147th and 178th ranks, respectively. Ichcha from Guru Nanak Public School, Kanika Goyal from DAV Public School and Jasmeen from Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School have shared 221st rank. Anupreet Bagga from Guru Nanak Public School has obtained 469th position.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Ish Garg said he was quite amazed to know that he had got sixth position in the test. He said before declaration of this result, he was in a dilemma as to which institute he should join for MBBS. He had earlier got 16th rank in test conducted by the Christian Medical College, 33rd position in Banaras Hindu University PMT and 395th rank in test conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education. He wanted to get admission in colleges at Delhi but he was getting admission in Mumbai. Now, he said he had made up his mind to get admission in Dayanand Medical College (DMC), the counselling to which is likely to be scheduled in first week of August. He was inspired by his two elder sisters, both doing MBBS in DMCH, he added. Son of a businessman, he aims to become a cardiac surgeon.

Aditi Gupta too wants to get admission in the DMC. But she said that if she fails to get a free seat here, her second option would be Government Medical College at Patiala. She said she was sleeping last night when she received a call from Ms Usha Tyagi of Aditya Institute congratulating her on her success. At first it seemed to be a dream and it took her at least half an hour to realise that she had actually made it, Aditi said. She owes her success to her grandfather, parents and elder brother, who are all in the same profession.

Aspiring to become a cardiologist, Mukul Mohindra said he got inspiration from his senior, Kamal Bali, who had topped in AIIMS in 2000. Besides, he owes his success to his father working as anaesthetic at Mohan Dai Charitable Cancer Hospital. He too said that he would prefer getting admission in DMC.

Aaina Markan said she was very desperate to get admission in the MBBS but when she did not get good rank in CBSE PMT, she was much disappointed. From that day onwards, she said she started working hard for the Punjab PMT and was feeling much satisfied to have finally attained her goal.

Aditya Kapoor wants to become a neuro-surgeon while Supreet Khurana, who was the topper among medical stream students from the city in Class XII examination, aims to become a paediatrician.

Rapist next door nearly kills child
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22
A 5-year-old girl had a 24-hour battle for life after she was raped by a neighbour. Doctors in civil hospital said here today that she was out of danger, but under observation. The girl’s father and the other persons of Parbhat Nagar here caught the neighbour, Ramesh, and handed him over to the police after giving him a sound beating.

A case under Section 376 of the IPC has been registered against Ramesh and the medical examination of the girl has confirmed rape. Swabs have been sent to forensics experts for further tests. The girl had been bleeding profusely last night and doctors were not sure that she would survive.

Her parents, who are migrant labourers, were shocked that their neighbour could do this to the girl. They were worried about her condition and what affect the abuse would have on her.

The girl’s father said Ramesh had been close to the family. He used to often take out the girl to play and bring her sweets. Yesterday, he took the girl to his room at about 5.30 pm and did not return for long. The worried father of the girl went to his room and found her lying naked and unconscious on the bed and Ramesh hurriedly putting his clothes back on. Ramesh confessed to having raped the girl and begged for mercy. He said he had lost his mind.

The angry parents raised an alarm, following which the mob thrashed Ramesh and called the police. The girl, bleeding profusely, was rushed to a private hospital in Model Town, where the doctors referred her to Civil Hospital.

The Division No 6 police said Ramesh had given it a statement of confession. He had been living alone and watching adult cinema lately.

Autopsy again after protest
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22
A post-mortem examination that showed a man having died of tuberculosis and not injuries sustained in a scuffle triggered protests from his agitated relatives. Five persons had, allegedly, beat him up two days ago.

The relatives staged a sit-in for more than five hours on the premises of Civil Hospital here, forcing doctors there to form a panel of four for a second post-mortem examination. The second report would be available tomorrow. However, the protesters said they would leave the place only after reading the report.

The trouble began when a man named Mohan Lal of Kailash Nagar died in the hospital here today. Five persons, including a man called Raju Gujjar, who had allegedly assaulted him, have already been charged with attempt to kill.

When the first post-mortem-examination report came, the shocked relatives started raising slogans against a doctor who had conducted the examination. They said the doctor had been bribed to give a report that favoured the accused. The protesters said Mohan had injury marks all over his body.

The doctor, however, denied the allegations and gave the TB as the cause of death. “The lungs and the heart of the man were damaged. There were injuries on his body, but these had not been the cause of death,” he said.

Meanwhile, more protesters gathered in the hospital and over 50 women joined them by the evening. The hospital authorities were, thus, forced to order a second post-mortem examination.

Power crisis boosts generators, inverters’ sale 
Naveen S. Garewal
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22
Unabated heat coupled with frequent and unscheduled power cuts has caused a spurt in power generators and power inverters’ sale in the region. The city, in particular, has seen a tremendous growth in this sector this year due to the prolonged dry spell because of an eluding monsoon.

Local power generator and power inverter dealers have never had it so good in terms of sales that have touched new heights. Power cuts lasting nearly 24 hours at a stretch sometimes have forced almost every household to go in for an alternative form of power generation. The situation is worse in the rural areas on the outskirts of the city where there has been hardly a night without power breakdown over the past two months.

Mr Roshan Lal, a power inverter dealer in the Clock Tower area, says that he had been selling on an average two to three locally-manufactured power inverters everyday compared to the same number over a week up to last year. ‘‘With the cost of a power inverters coming down to about Rs 6000 with locally manufactured batteries, almost everyone has started considering power inverters as a necessity rather than luxury’’.

On the other hand, Mr Gautam Sarup, a manufacturer of diesel generators, says that long power cuts have rendered power inverters inoperative as power supply is not long enough to charge the batteries, so people have started opting for diesel generators that can supply power to all gadgets of the house and also run air conditioners depending upon the capacity of the generator.

Though for obvious reasons, none of the manufacturers or dealers of both generators and inverters, do not want to disclose the boost in revenue as compared to previous years, but everyone is unanimous in saying ‘‘for us the season has been good this year’’. It is estimated that the sales of power generators and power inverters has tripled this year touching several crore of rupees in turnover.

‘‘Daily power cuts, breakdowns, tripping, fluctuations and low voltage have forced us to buy an inverter that at least provides is a good night’s sleep for the next day’s work’’, says Mrs Manju Gupta, whose family recently got one such inverter installed.

Most of the inverters in the market are locally manufactured and brands like ‘Kundan’ have got well established in the city. At the same time multinational brands like ‘Su Kam’ have become immensely popular due to their superior technology that backs them up as uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for delicate equipment like computers.

Many farmers have got their diesel pump sets converted into power generators by getting locally manufactured dynamos attached with the authorities failing to attend to complaints promptly. With senior officials such as the Superintending Engineers, Executive Engineers and SDOs’ remaining preoccupied with maintenance work, consumers in the city are a frustrated lot with no intimation of the power supply schedule.

Police shielding culprits?
Our Correspondent

Khanna, July 22
Mr Jarnail Singh, a resident of the Amloh road area, Khanna, has alleged that police is shielding the persons behind a robbery attempt at his house.

Two alleged robbers were arrested by the police from the Amloh road immediately after the incident. They were identified by him, but the police had released them, he alleged. The complainant, who was injured in the incident alleged that a kin of Vigilance Bureau Director Chander Shekhar, Sanjay Ghai, was exerting pressure on the police for the release of the alleged accused. Sanjay Ghai, however, denied the charge and said he had no connection with the case.

The SHO (Sadar), Mr Davinder Singh, said the police was establishing the involvement of the alleged accused and the charges seemed to be baseless. He said no one would be spared.

It may be mentioned here that on the night of July 12, two robbers entered the house of Mr Jarnail Singh. When he challenged them, he was attacked. The robbers fled from the site after injuring him.

The complainant alleged that his statement was recorded by the investigating officer and he had identified the accused. He has demanded the arrest of the alleged accused.

MC employees defer strike
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 22
The proposed one-day strike by employees of the Municipal Corporation here was deferred today after the MC Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sharma, assured the representatives of the civic employees' unions that the issue of manhandling of the employees by a team of the Vigilance Bureau in the Zone C office on Friday would be taken up at the appropriate level and action initiated against the erring police personnel.

All the MC employees' unions as well as the Safai Workers Union had served a notice of a day's strike for today to raise their voice against the manner in which Mr Jasdev Singh Sekhon, a building inspector, and Mr Sarbjit Singh Grewal, a sevadar, were allegedly maltreated, manhandled and even threatened at pistol point by the Vigilance Bureau team at the time of the arrest of the duo on the charges of taking a bribe of Rs 7,000.

As the civic employees, including those posted in the zonal offices, assembled at the main gate of the MC and held a rally in the morning, they were persuaded by Ms Sharma to resume work as the matter was already being taken up with senior officials of the Vigilance Bureau, who had assured to make thorough inquiry and take suitable follow-up action.

Prominent activists of different MC unions, including Mr Sunil Sharma, Mr Devi Sahay Tandon, Mr Tarlochan Singh Lochi, Mr Vijay Danav, earlier addressed the protesting employees and alleged that the arrested employees were framed by the Vigilance bureau and on the top of it all, the manner in which the arrest had taken place was most objectionable and uncalled for. They demanded that the government should take effective steps to ''discipline'' the Vigilance personnel and make sure that the authority and power with the Vigilance Bureau was not misused.

MC, PWD workers ' rally on July 26
Our Correspondent

Amloh, July 21
The Class Four Employees Union of Fatehgarh Sahib district, at a meeting chaired by its president, Mr Hari Chand, here today decided to hold a protest rally in front of the SDM office at Amloh on July 26 in protest against the inaction of the administration against 17 persons who were allegedly involved in an attack on PWD and Municipal Council employees while they were removing encroachments on July 12.

A truck of the PWD was also damaged in the incident. Mr Hari Chand alleged that the police had not arrested any person named in the FIR lodged by Mr Rajesh Khokar, Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, on July 12. Consequently, the employees had decided not to cooperate with the administration in its campaign against encroachments till their demands were met.

Members of the union also decided to hold a protest rally in front of the office of the District Manager, Panjab Warehousing Corporation, at Fatehgarh Sahib on July 23 and submit a charter of demands to be forwarded to the Managing Director of the corporation in Chandigarh.

Unpoliced route in big jam
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22
A two-hour-long traffic jam from Domoria Bridge to Master Tara Singh Chowk here on Saturday evening exposed the unpreparedness of the traffic police. Hundreds of vehicles were stuck in the jam, but no traffic policeman came to the commuters’ rescue till some newsmen caught in the jam called the police.

It was an ordeal on the route from 7.30 pm onwards. It seems that the problem began when a three-wheeler and a car broke down on a road near Lucky Bakery. As drivers tried to take the wrong way out, a jam began to build up. The absence of traffic police at the place virtually made everyone free to break the rules. Abuses and blows flowed freely.

Meanwhile, another traffic jam was building up at Master Tara Singh Chowk on the GT Road. As a result, the road from here to Domoria Bridge became clogged with vehicles. It took the police two hours to know that there had been a jam.

For persons living along the route, such jams have become a routine, as traffic policemen deployed there usually leave as the sun sets. Every evening, noise pollution decreases on the route, bringing them some relief, but this jam made noise like never before. Now, everyone living here wants that some traffic policemen be deployed here permanently.

Dharna by Kisan Sabha members
Our Correspondent

Amloh, July 22
Members of the tehsil unit of the Punjab Kisan Sabha sat on dharna in front of the Subdivisional Magistrate's office here today to draw the attention of the government towards their demands.

The demands included 15-hour power supply to farmers, 24-hour domestic power supply, supply of canal water up to the tail of minors, grant of old-age pension, revival of the shagun scheme, declaration of Punjab as draught-hit state, an end to harassment of non-Congress sarpanches and announcement of the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy.

A memorandum was given to the SDM who assured them to forward it to the government.

Among others, Mr Gurmeet Singh, district secretary of the sabha, Mr Sukhdev Singh Tibbi, general secretary, and Mr Kulwant Singh, secretary, Amloh tehsil, and Mr Kulwinder Singh Rana, general secretary, Janwadi Naujwan Sabha, Amloh, participated in the dharna.

CRIME

Murder case solved
Our Correspondent

Jagraon, July 22
The Sudhar police has claimed to have solved the murder case of Lok Nath with the arrest of Varinder Singh and Gurprit Singh.

According to the information, a former Subedar Nachhattar Singh had lodged a report with the Dehlon police that his son Lok Nath (24), accompanied by his cousin Gurprit Singh, Sarbjit Singh, Kulbir of Gujjarwal and Varinder Singh, had gone for a bath at a canal. There his son allegedly drowned while taking bath. This was informed to him by Khura and also that his son’s clothes were lying near bridge canal at Ballowal village. The father alleged that no efforts were made by his son’s friends to save him.

A post-mortem examination was conducted and a case was registered under Section 304 -A, IPC. But family members of the deceased, who met SSP M.S. Cheema, alleged that Lok Nath had been murdered and not drowned. The SSP then directed the Sudhar police to investigate the matter. SI Balbir Singh during investigations recorded a statement of Bahadur Singh of Lohgarh who informed about a conflict among Gurprit Singh, Bindar Singh and Lok Nath before taking bath in the canal. He said he had overheard Lok Nath saying that Gurprit singh was trying to push him in the canal and thereafter an altercation took place among them. Gurprit Singh alleged Lok Nath deliberately married a girl with whom Gurprit’s marriage was to be performed. Bahadur Singh further said in his statement that Gurprit and others threatened that they would not spare Lok Nath, but the altercation ended on the intervention of Bahadur Singh.

According to a press note issued by SSP M.S. Cheema, during investigation it was found out there were negotiations of marriage between Gurprit Singh and a girl Devinder Kaur, but she later had been married to Lok Nath. He said the family of Lok Nath went to meet Devinder Kaur and there a simple marriage ceremony was performed and Lok Nath’s family brought the bride to their house. Gurprit Singh had been feeling annoyed since then.

According to the police, on June 13, Gurprit Singh, along with his friend Varinder Singh, who has relatives in Gujjarwal village, called on Lok Nath and took him along for a bath in canal where they murdered him by pushing him in the canal.

During investigation accused Gurprit Singh admitted that he wanted to bring back Devinder Kaur and had eliminated Lok Nath for the purpose. The police has added Section 302/34 along with Section 304-A, IPC. 

Murder case registered
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 22
The Division No 6 has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC in connection with the alleged murder of Ashok Kumar whose body was found in his rented room in Guru Arjan Dev Nagar yesterday.

The case has been registered on the statement of Mr Swaran Singh, owner of the house, against unknown assailants who, sometime before 4.30 pm, inflicted multiple injuries on the head of the deceased. No arrest has been made so far.

One held with ganja: The Shimla Puri police yesterday arrested a Bihari migrant Vinod Kumar, now living in a slum near the Gill canal bridge and recovered 200 gm of ganja from his possession. The recovery was made at a naka on the bridge last evening. The accused has been booked under Sections 20,61 and 85 of the NDPS Act.

Revolver seized from migrant: The Salem Tabri police yesterday registered a case under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against Anuj, a migrant from Bihar, after he was arrested and a .12 bore revolver of English make was recovered from his possession. He is being subjected to further interrogation.

Cases of fraud: The Division No 5 registered three cases of fraud under various Sections of the IPC yesterday. The first case was registered under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC on the statement of Mr Chaman Lal, a resident of Lande Rode village in Moga district, against Kuldeep Singh. The complainant had alleged that in March , 2001, he gave Rs 1,25,000 to the accused to enable them to send him abroad. But the accused neither sent him to a foreign country, nor returned the money. No arrest has been made so far.

The other case was registered on the statement of Mr Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Fateh Garh village, under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC, against Mohinder Singh, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Mohan Lal, former councillor, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, Swaran Singh, lambardar of Mangli Nichi village, Manjit Singh, Gurmit Singh, Sukhjivan Singh, Karanjit Singh, lambardar of Gill village, Kuldeep Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Jatinderpal Singh, Karnail Singh, Harpreet Kaur and Harmit Singh, a resident of Model House, Ludhiana. The complainant had alleged that the accused had forged the paper of his house and got it transferred to another person. No arrest has been made so far.

The third case was registered against Ram Chander, a resident of Talwandi Kalan village, and Mohan Lal under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC on the statement of the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana , who stated that the accused executed a registry for three kanals but tried to get an ‘intkaal’ entered in revenue records for 63 kanals of land. No arrest has been made so far.

The Model Town police yesterday registered a case of fraud under Sections 406,420 and 506 of the IPC on the statement of Mr Balwinder Singh, a resident of Chamb Jeera village in Ferozepore district, against Kaka Singh, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar on the Dhandran road. The complainant had alleged that he had given Rs 2,75,000 to the accused to get settled abroad but the accused neither sent him abroad nor returned his money, he added. No arrest has been made so far.

The Sadar police also registered a case of fraud under Section 420 of the IPC yesterday on the statement of Ms Surjit Kaur, a resident of Bhai Himmat Singh Nagar, against Surjit Kaur, a resident of Manakwal village. The complainant had alleged that the accused sold off a plot belonging to someone else to her. No arrest has been made so far.

Cases of beating: The Sarabha Nagar police yesterday registered many cases of beating under Sections 323, 341,506 and 34 of the IPC.

The first case was registered on the statement of Mr Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, against Pardeep, Baljinder, Gulab and Kudha. The complainant had alleged that the accused intercepted him on the night of July 20 and beat him up. The accused also threatened him before running away, he added. No arrest has been made so far.

The other case was registered on the statement of Mr Vijay Kumar, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, against Vinod Kumar, Raj Kumar and two of their other cronies. The complainant had alleged that the accused intercepted him near the railway crossing in SBS Nagar on Sunday afternoon and beat him up. The accused also threatened him of dire consequences, he added. No arrest has been made so far.

The Focal Point police yesterday registered a case under Sections 341, 323, 324 and 506 of the IPC on the statement of Mr Amarjit Singh, a resident of Kot Mangal Singh, against Mohinder Singh, his brother and mother as well, all residents of Muslim Colony, Sherpur. The complainant had alleged that the accused intercepted him on Sunday while he was passing through Sherpur , beat him up and also threatened him. 

2 attacked with sharp-edged weapons
Our Correspondent

Doraha, July 22
Two residents of Nizampur village, near Payal, were allegedly attacked by around 15 persons armed with sticks and sharp-edged weapons on Saturday evening.

According to sources, Paramjit Singh and his brother were travelling by a bus. They were near Kishangarh (Nawapind) when Dharminder Singh of Nizampur, Bhonder Singh of Dhamot, Kala of Puni and Shamsher Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Daler Singh, all of Nizampur village, along with some other identified persons, attacked them inside the bus with sharp-edged weapons and sticks. Both of them were injured. They were admitted to the Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. Some personal dispute is said to be the reason of the attack.

A case under Sections 326, 324, 341,148 and 149 of the IPC has been registered at the Payal police station. All the accused are still at large.

Industrialists resent cancellation of CM’s visit
K.S. Chawla

Ludhiana, July 22
Resentment and disappointment prevails among the local industrialists over the last-minute cancellation of the visit of the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to Ludhiana yesterday. The Chief Minister was to meet the representatives of the industry at a meeting which was being organised by the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings, Ludhiana, to discuss the their problems. The cancellation of the visit of the CM was conveyed yesterday when the chamber had issued more than 250 invitations to the representatives of the industry and senior officers of the Punjab Government including the financial institutions.

The sources close to the chamber suspect that the Chief Minister cancelled his programme on the complaint of local Congress leaders who felt that they had not been consulted by the Chief Minister before fixing the meeting.

It is learnt that the local Congress leadership, including some MLAs, met the Finance Minister, Mr Lal Singh, who was in Ludhiana yesterday and complained to him that the Chief Minister had not consulted them before fixing the meeting. Mr Lal Singh is understood to have conveyed the feelings of the Congressmen to the Chief Minister who cancelled the visit.

Mr T.R. Sarangal, Director, Industries, Punjab, informed the president and secretary of the chamber on phone about the inability of the Chief Minister to come to Ludhiana owing to some important meeting in Mumbai. Mr Inderjit Singh Pradhan, president, and Mr Avtar Singh, general secretary of the chamber, said today that they had nothing to do with politics.

They said the meeting had been fixed in consultation with Mr Ajit Singh Chatha, former Chief Secretary and Chairman of the Industry Revival Committee set up by the Chief Minister. Earlier, the meeting was fixed for July 9 which was postponed to July 21 at the request of the Chief Minister.

The regretted that the agenda of the meeting had been discussed and 10-point programme was chalked out for discussion at the meeting. The agenda included problems faced by the industry pertaining to the Punjab State Electricity Board and proposal for revision of power tariff, problem of sales tax and finances for the sick industrial units. Even the industry representatives had been allocated the subjects and time for speaking at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Mr Malkiat Singh Birmi and Mr Surinder Dawar, Congress MLAs, when contacted denied having made at complaint to the Finance Minister.

It is learnt that Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Mr Malkiat SIngh Dakha, MLAs, and Mr Gurcharan Singh Galib, MP, were present in the Circuit House when Mr Lal Singh came here and the issue of the meeting of the Chief Minister meeting with the industry was discussed.

It may be mentioned here that this was going to be CM’s first interaction with industrialists after becoming the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Meanwhile, local leaders of the Congress said today that no motive should be attributed to the last-minute change in the schedule of the Chief Minister. Mr K.K. Bawa, president of the District Congress Committee (DCC), and Mr Pawan Dewan, senior vice-president of the Pradesh Youth Congress, said the CM’s office had told the administration much in advance about the change.

The leaders denied that any of the local partymen had advised the CM not to visit the city at the invitation of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU). A section of the Press had reported that some legislators had told Mr Lal Singh, Finance Minister of Punjab, that Mr Inderjit Singh Pradhan, president of the CICU, had been close to a former CM, Mr Parkash Singh Badal.

Mr Bawa and Mr Dewan said the CM was sincere towards solving the problems of the industry and would visit the city soon to consult various sections of the industry in this regard. Capt Amarinder Singh has visited the city five times in the past five months after taking over as the CM. “He has been visiting Ludhiana more frequently than any other city,” the leaders said.