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| Sunday,
September 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Decks cleared for solid waste project Ludhiana, August 31 In fact, most of the preliminary work on the project had already been done and the MC had gone ahead with inviting bids on a national basis for the MSW facility to be set up on ‘build, own and operate’ (BOO) system by a private agency. Four companies had responded to the bid last month but during a comprehensive review of the project at a meeting, convened here by the Director, Local Government, Punjab, Mr B.R. Banga, it was found that several loose ends had still to be tied up, which prompted the MC to form a sub-committee and revise the detailed conditions and terms of reference. According to the MC Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sharma, the MSW treatment plant for disposal of around 850 MT daily garbage, generated in the city, has to be set up as per standards laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board and the Punjab Pollution Control Board and would be based preferably on manure or electricity generation technology. The proposed project being on BOO basis, the agency would be responsible for designing, constructing, instaling, commissioning and operating the MSW treatment plant at its own cost, manpower and finances. The revised terms of reference for the project provided that the responsibility of the MC would be limited to providing land up to 20 acres on lease or sharing basis for an initial period of 30 years and to arrange for collection and transportation of entire MSW to the plant site on daily basis. Further, the agency would make arrangements for sale of the end product — fertilizer or electricity — at its own level and would also ensure that waste or residue is carried out and dumped as per laid down procedures. The project, according to the terms of reference, will have to be commissioned within nine months from the date of agreement. The bidders will have to deposit an earnest money of Rs 10 lakh and the successful agency would be required to furnish execution guarantee equal to 20 per cent of the project cost, which would have to be followed by 10 per cent performance guarantee after the project is commissioned. The MC would be entitled to a share from the sale of end product at the rate to be mutually decided. |
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Canal breach: authorities
suspect sabotage
Ludhiana, August 31 The authorities have filed a complaint with the Dehlon police in which they have accused some unidentified farmers of sabotaging the banks of the canal for watering the fields or to damage the banks for some ulterior motives. The police has filed a DDR on the complaint. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, a number of farmers of the area, wishing not to be quoted, counter-alleged that the canal authorities were trying to cover up their own lapses in maintaining the canal banks. The farmers said several village panchayats had been requesting the canal authorities in the past to repair its banks but nothing had been done. Confirming the filing of complaint, Mr Karnail Singh, In Charge, Malaud police post falling under the Dehlon police station, said he had started investigations on the complaint filed by the canal authorities. He said the complaint claimed that some unidentified persons had tried breach the bank for watering the fields. Sources in the department stated that a large number of cases of theft of water from the canal or its branches had already been registered. The cases support the department’s theory that the breach was the result of a sabotage by some farmers. The authorities also suspect that some anti-social elements might also be behind the breach. Mr Karnail Singh, however, said he had so far found no information or evidence to suggest the involvement of the farmers. He said, on the contrary, farmers had told him they would not do so they won’t be able to handle the fast flow of the canal. A breach had developed in the bank of the canal three months ago also but had gone unreported. Later, on August 14, the breach near Jhammat, near Jagera bridge, had inundated many acres of agricultural land and the situation could have taken a serious turn had the villagers not offered their help and plugged the breach. But the department concerned maintained that there was no laxity on the part of their staff. But investigations by the TNS revealed that both the banks of the canal in the area were in bad condition and certain points were so weak that they could give way anytime, posing a threat to the villagers
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Gastro cases touch 200 mark Ludhiana, August 31 Although no fresh death had been reported, the number of gastroenteritis patients had touched the 200 mark. Sources at the Civil Hospital confirmed the admission of more than 20 patients at the hospital in the past 24 hours but said the condition of the patients was normal. While the health officials blamed the Municipal Corporation for supplying unhygienic water in the Upkar Nagar area, the corporation officials said the contaminated water was the result of illegal water connections passing through the drains. Mr Prem Chand, Zonal Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, said he had visited the area along with area councillor Jai Prakash and officers of O&M wing of the MC. The water samples from two localities were taken and the chlorine test was positive. There was no source of contamination in the samples. “I had consumed the water from the area and it was not unhygienic”, claimed Mr Prem Chand. The Zonal Commissioner said they had disconnected all illegal water connections in the area. Meanwhile, the health Authorities today claimed to have visited several localities in the city, including Kila Mohalla, Fatehgarh Mohalla, Daresi Ground and Rajkarni Public Senior Secondary School, for spreading awareness about diseases like gastroenteritis, cholera, typhoid and jaundice among residents. The authorities also claimed to have constituted special teams for dealing with the alarming situation and distributing medicines among the afflicted. It may be mentioned that the affected area is situated on the banks of Budda Nullah and several migrant labourers are living in unhygienic conditions. |
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Begging racket: police registers case Ludhiana, August 31 A team of railway police from Ludhiana went to Chowki Mann police post today and brought the accused to the railway police station here. The accused, caught on the spot at Railway Chowki Mann, had been under the detention of the Jagraon police for the past two days. He was formally taken into custody by the railway police. Interestingly, confusion over whether the railway police or Jagraon police would handle the case continued. The Sections imposed on him were 307, and 326, IPC, which do not include the charges of kidnapping, illegal detention and sodomy, as levelled by the boy. Sources said the railway police had taken cognisance of only those allegations or incidents that occurred in their area, the incident of throwing the child from the train. Railway sources said other allegations should be handled by the police of the area in which they had allegedly occurred. However, Mr Darshan Singh, SHO, railway police station, only confirmed that they had brought the accused here. He said the police would investigate first and then disclose anything. Mr M.S. Cheena, SSP, Jagraon, has already stated that the Jagraon police took suo mottu action on news reports of the case and rounded up the accused before handing him over to the railway police. The medical examination of the child to ascertain the sodomy allegation was yet to be carried out. The alleged victim while reiterating the allegations of kidnapping, beating and sodomy at the hands of the accused to the railway police added that he had spent some days as a beggar at Ludhiana railway station for three or four days before being shifted to Jagraon. A maternal grandmother of the child came to take care of him at the Civil Hospital, Jagraon. The old woman said the boy had been missing for the past over a month. She said the boy had left school long ago and was not kidnapped from there as reported in some papers. Meanwhile, the Ludhiana Tribune office received several calls from concerned residents of the district, who were aghast at the incident. Some parents of school-going children, wishing anonymity, said their children had reported seeing such suspicious gangsters near their school premises. Mr Gurpreet Mandiani, general secretary, Circle Akali Jatha, Dakha, in a press statement here today demanded a thorough probe into the begging racket in the district, especially the city. He said the number of beggars had increased considerably in the city in the past few months. |
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1 killed in acetylene tank blast Ahmedgarh, August 31 According to information, Nanha (25) was working at the welding shop of Gulam Mohammad. All of a sudden, the acetylene tank burst injuring Nanha and Harful, another assistant, seriously. Both the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital by the owner of shop, where doctors declared Nanha dead and referred Harful to a Malerkotla hospital. The police has initiated process under section 174 in which statement of Harful is yet to be recorded. |
Charge against Dehlon cops to be probed Ludhiana, August 31 Relatives of the accused smuggler, Balor Singh, had in a representation to the DIG, Ludhiana, alleged that the Dehlon police of the Jagraon police district had raided their house in Chappar village on August 17 and taken away Rs 60,000 from their house, misbehaved with women members of the family and falsely implicated their relative, Balor Singh, by planting a case of liquor bottles in the house in front of the family members. Police sources said the DSP Mullanpur Dakha, Mr Tarsem Lal, has been entrusted with the inquiry. Sources said the Dehlon police officials concerned with the alleged case have denied the allegations. They said the police had raided the house on exact information that the accused Balor Singh, who regularly indulges in liquor smuggling as per the police records, was in the house with a consignment of bottles. They said the police caught him with the smuggled bottles. A case under the Excise Act was already registered against the accused in Dehlon police station. Sources claimed that the family members were making such allegations to pressurise the police to get some concessions for the accused. Sources said the accused cops were determined to face the inquiry claiming the allegations were totally false. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the alleged victims, Mr Bikkar Singh and Ms Sukhdev Kaur of Chappar village, said they lived peacefully in their house until August 17, when about 15 or 16 persons, including four in police uniform, barged into their house. They started searching all the almirahs and trunks and found Rs 60,000. The money was withdrawn from a bank on that very day by Mr Bikkar Singh. The couple alleged further that they were beaten up when they tried to resist. The woman were manhandled. Their daughters were also pushed around. They alleged that the intruders then brought some cases of liquor bottles into their house and took away their relative, Balor Singh, accusing him of liquor smuggling. The police showed the cases of bottle as evidence. The couple showed bank receipts to prove they had withdrawn the money. They have demanded action against the cops and recovery of their hard earned money. Ms Sukhdev Kaur said her husband was ill for the last several days and they had withdrawn money for his treatment. |
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Buffaloes die of mysterious disease? Khanna, August 31 According to information last week two other cases of such type were reported in Kulewal village near Samrala and in Bhatian village near Machhiwara. In Kulewal the buffalo of Sher Singh had died and in Bhatian village the buffaloes of Amarjit Singh had died in the same manner. Harminder Singh of Rajewal village told this reporter that when the buffaloes of Bachittar Singh of his villages suffered from this disease the doctor was called who advised the farmer not to give green fodder to the cattle as it may be harmful to them due to drought like condition. The samples of the fodder has been sent to the laboratory for checking. The report is awaited. The farmers stopped giving green fodder to the animals but despite the treatment these buffaloes could not be saved. Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal general secretary of the Bharti Kissan Union, has demanded compensation and urged the state government to take necessary action to check this disease. |
Gang of thieves busted Jagraon, August 31 According to a press note by Mr Mukhwinder Singh, SSP, police district Jagraon, a police party put a naka on a tip off at ‘T’ point Mandiani, and signalled two persons coming on scooter (PB54A 2386) to stop. A .315 bore pistol and three cartridges and a .12 pistol along with one cartridge were recovered from Jagdev Singh and Saimber Singh, respectively, and cases registered u/s 25/54/59 of the Arms Act. During investigations, Jagdev Singh confessed to having snatched a scooter from a person from Rauke village, where an FIR under Section 382 of the IPC was registered on August 7. The police also recovered from Jagdev Singh a “karra” and two rings of gold, which he had allegedly snatched from one Balwinder Singh of Bhaini Arora, and in the said crime Saimber Singh was his accomplice. An FIR under Sections 382 IPC/506/34 of the IPC was also registered. From the other accused, Saimber Singh, a gold “karra” and two gold rings were recovered. He had snatched these from Balbir Singh of Nathowal village and a case under Sections 382/34 of the IPC was registered at Raikot. The police also claimed to have recovered scooter (PB-10-AQ-7313) from the accused, which they had snatched from Bhupinder Singh of Raikot who runs a furniture shop at Mullanpur. The scooter was taken away in February 2002 and a case under Sections 379 of the IPC was registered at Dakha. |
Man booked for bigamy Jagraon, August 31 According to the complainant his sister, Surinder Kaur, was married to Avtar Singh of Dalla village on March 17,1990 and the girl’s family had spent a huge amount on the marriage but only after 20 days of the marriage Avtar Singh left for the UK and in his absence the in-laws of his sister had started harassing her for bringing less dowry and also demanded a car from the girl’s family. They also threatened her that they would perform the second marriage of Avtar Singh. The complainant has further alleged that they had come to know that Avtar Singh had married again without obtaining a divorce form Surinder Kaur. As when the complainant and his sister went to Dalla village, they found that another woman was present in the house and she claimed to be the wife of Avtar Singh. The in-laws of Surinder Kaur also refused to return her dowry items to her. The police has also booked Beebo, another sister of Avtar Singh, in the case. |
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Illicit liquor seized Jagraon, August 31 The Sudhar police on the statement of Ms Hardev Kaur, of Sudhar, has registered a case under Sections 436 and 427 of the IPC against Amritpal Singh, her son, as he put the fodder room in the house on fire and later ran away. The police has arrested the accused and produced him before the court of Mr Tejwinder Singh, SDJM, who remanded him in judicial custody till
September 13. |
LIC anniversary Ludhiana, August 31 According to a press note issued by Mr P.K. Rath, Senior Divisional Manager, Divisional Office, Ludhiana, the LIC plans to launch special services counters at branch offices and divisional offices during the Insurance Week. Special camps will be organised for servicing of salary saving policies at campus of private reputed institutions. |
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