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October 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Youth castrated by gang
of eunuchs Ludhiana, October 24 The man’s saviour incidentally proved to be another eunuch, Seema, who got him released from his over two-month confinement at eunuch Shinde’s house in Haibowal last night, and suffered injuries in the process. The man was handed over to his parents who took him to the civil hospital. The police is meanwhile, yet to register a case in the matter. While the family claimed that it had reported the matter to the police, the Haibowal police station denied it. SP(city-I) Harish Kumar said he had not received any complaint. A team of Ludhiana Tribune met the victim and the harassed family at the Mini-Secretariat where they could not meet any senior official as none was available. The medical examination of the man conducted at the Civil Hospital has confirmed the alleged castration. The fact that the man was married and had a child also proves that he was leading a normal life before castration. The man’s complaint has set alarm bells ringing as this is the second case of forcible castration by a gang of eunuchs. The victim, Bholli, accused eunuchs — Raju, Kranti and Shinde — of kidnapping him and getting the castration done. These persons were also the main accused in a previous complaint filed by a youth Sukhdev Singh (Sukha), who had also claimed that he was forcibly castrated. The Phillaur police had registered a case in this regard. The name of a city hospital on the Hambran road, where the alleged operations were done, figures prominently in both complaints but the police is yet to take any
action in the matter.
He protested but was given drugs and could not do anything. He was ultimately rescued by Seema last night. Seema said she could not see his plight. |
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200 cr earmarked for development works Raikot, October 24 He was in the city today to lay the foundation stone of the first of such projects — the Rs 4.91 crore water supply and sewerage works. He also laid the foundation stone of a 4 km-long circular road on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said after the completion of the project , the entire city would have sewerage and drinking water facilities. In addition, Rs 25 lakh would be spent on constructing the circular road. The projects would be completed as per schedule, he pointed out. The CM would also inaugurate 42 new tubewells sunk by the Municipal Corporation. Taking a cue from Delhi, Ludhiana had gone in for drinking water projects and following the new tubewells it would become the second city in the country to supply potable water to all its residents, he added. He reiterated that the state would carry on with all works as per the mater plans of all the towns and cities. Quality control would be the buzzword for executing all the works, he stressed. Commenting on the ongoing anti-corruption drive, the minister said the Akalis had allegedly institutionalised graft, but the Congress was committed towards rooting it out from the state and that no individual, however highly placed, would be spared. Reacting to a query on the lack of development activity in the state, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh said the state coffers were empty due to the mismanagement of the Akali regime. Measures had been initiated to stabilize the economic situation and once the position was okay, more projects would be started, he said. He said the government was in the process of sending Rs 15 crore to those committees that were in dire need of financial assistance. On the foreign trip of four mayors of the state, he said they had been sent on tour to study the development activities being undertaken there so that their model could be replicated here, he said. Ridiculing the setting up of several focal points in the state by the previous regime, he said the government was not in the favour of setting up areas that could not provide any special assistance to the entrepreneurs. Even the common man could not derive any benefit from such projects, he added. The Congress would undertake only those projects which would not only look good on paper but
On the employment front, he said several plans were afoot to generated more employment avenues for the unemployed but the precarious financial position of the state did not allow them proceed in that direction, he added. Later on, he distributed development assistance cheques to villagers amounting to Rs 3 lakh. Others who addressed the gathering included Ludhiana Mayor Nahar Singh Gill, MP G.S. Galib, MLA M.S. Dakha, former MLA Harmohinder Singh, besides other eminent personalities of the town. Earlier, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the minister said the Municipal Corporation was in the process of sinking 42 new tubewells under an ambitious programme to extend coverage of water supply to 100 per cent population in the city. Similarly, the project had gone under way for sinking of 10 more tubewells in
Amritsar. He stated that the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, would lay the foundation stone of a major water supply scheme in Ludhiana on November 1. He said work was on for the early completion of Rs 229-crore Sutlej Action Plan and so far an estimated Rs 100 crore had been spent on the project. Work was in advanced stage for construction of seven treatment plants, including three in Ludhiana, one in Jalandhar, two at Phagwara and one at Phillaur. Further, all the four municipal corporations in Punjab had taken up the work for setting up solid waste management plants in order to improve the environment and proper handling and treatment of solid waste generated in the major towns, he added. |
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IHRO report flays trust members Ludhiana, October 24 These are the findings of the International Human Rights Organisation (IHRO), an independent registered organisation based here, that had sent a fact-finding team to the village in the first week of this month. The report takes to task Bibi Sohanjit Kaur and Bibi Sandeep Kaur, the two women who had formed the trust to look after the children. It has also critcised the role played by some organisations, both in Punjab and abroad and a self-styled dera head at Kalar Bhaini village, who claimed to be solving the crisis “but were actually fuelling the fire”. The report also accuses the Patiala police of siding with Bibi Sohanjit Kaur and taking action against Bibi Sandeep Kaur. A three-member committee of the IHRO, including Dr Kanwaljit Kaur Bal, Inderjit Kaur and Anmol Singh Grewal led by its chairman D.S. Gill, in its report said that the children were disturbed over the continuous fighting and it may have a harmful effect on their physical and mental health. The report comes down heavily on the interference of the outsiders in the trust affairs. The Akhand Kirtani Jatha, a committee headed by a retired justice and some persons settled abroad, has also invited some adverse comments from the IHRO report. The report claimed that the Patiala police had played a biased role in favour of Bibi Sohanjit Kaur. The police acted only on her complaints and demands and ignored the viewpoint or grievances of Bibi Sandeep Kaur. The issue of managing the funds was one of the most contentious issues between the two women, the report claims. From 1996 to 1999, the accounts of the donations received and expenses incurred were not made. This led to allegations of misappropriation of funds by both women against each other. It said Bibi Sandeep Kaur was, however, willing to give all accounts after 1999, when she started giving attention to the expenses but Bibi Sohanjit Kaur was unwilling. The self-styled saint Baba Nachhattar Singh allegedly bought a car from the trust money for his personal use. The IHRO report cautions that if due care of children was not taken now, their condition would deteriorate. |
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Paid parking in city markets Ludhiana, October 24 According to Mr S.K. Sharma, Municipal Commissioner, the Sarabha Nagar main market has already been covered under the scheme and the parking lot is to be allotted through open auction in next couple of days. This facility will now be extended in other commercial centres like Mall Road, College Road, Ghumar Mandi and Cemetery Road in the Civil Lines area where quite a few commercial complexes have come up in the recent past. Giving details, the Municipal Joint Commissioner, Mr Prem Chand, said on Mall Road, where a median existed, parking facility would be available to shoppers on both sides of the road within the yellow line to be marked in front of commercial buildings. However, on College Road, Ghumar Mandi and Cemetery Road, where central verge was not provided, the parking would be restricted only in front of the commercial buildings and would shift to either side of the road on alternative days to facilitate smooth flow of traffic. The district administration had also taken a serious note of the issue of parking problem in these area, which had assumed alarming proportions with traffic movement getting difficult with each passing day. Upset over the chaotic traffic conditions on both sides of Mall Road, the district authorities had served notices to shopkeepers under Section 133, CrPC, to create adequate parking spaces for themselves and the customers within one month or face consequences, including closure of their establishments. The administration had observed that most of the commercial centres had come up without any parking space at all which had resulted in indiscriminate parking of vehicles on both sides of the road during the day time and hampering movement of vehicular traffic on one of the busiest roads. |
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DCC plans rally on November 1 Ludhiana, October 24 This was announced by the DCC (U) President, Mr Krishan Kumar Bawa, while presiding over a workers meeting at Congress Bhavan here today. The meeting also chalked out detailed programme for the proposed party rally here on November 1, which is to be addressed by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. Mr Bawa said specific duties had been assigned to mobilise people for the rally to the ward and block presidents as well as other senior party leaders. Mr Malkiat Singh Dakha, MLA, urged the rank and file to propagate the message of secularism, peace and communal brotherhood among the masses. “The party workers need to fan out in their respective areas and take the message of the party leadership to the people. The focus has to remain on anti-corruption drive by the Congress government in Punjab so that the real face of erstwhile SAD-BJP leadership is exposed.” Mr Balkar Singh Sidhu, Mr Malkiat Kaur, Mr Palwinder Singh Taggar, Mr Gurmel Singh Mela, Mr Jasbir Singh Chadha, all councillors, Mr Pawan Diwan, Vice President, Punjab Youth Congress, Mr Parminder Mehta, District President, Youth Congress, Mr Ashok Makkar, Mr Pritpal Singh Ghayal, Mr Vidya Sagar Rampal, Mr Sham Sunder Malhotra, Mr Hans Raj Jassa, Mr Surinder Chhinda, Mr Mohan Lal, Mr Surjit Singh, Mr Rana Mohindra, Mr Gurbhej Singh Chhabra, Mr Raman Lal Sharma, Mr Amarjit Sharma, Mr Kuldip Chand Sharma, and Mr Paramjit Singh Grewal, were present at the function. |
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The ill-effects of fire-crackers
Divali days are cracker days. Saying no to crackers not only has environmental reference, but health implications as well. The extensive use of fire-crackers during Divali causes serious pollution and health problems, especially with the increase in urban wealth and population and growing atomisation of society. Divali adds pollution in a big way and literally turns our towns and cities into gas chambers apart from totally disturbing the peace with maddeningly high level of noise pollution. It is important to understand the health impact of the air and noise pollution caused by Divali. To study the chemical composition of crackers, particularly its metallic and non-metallic components, samples of sparkles (phuljari) and pots (anars) were analysed. Laboratory reports reveal presence of highly toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead in addition to other metals such as copper, manganese, zinc, sodium, magnesium and potassium in fire-crackers. As compared to other metals, huge quantities of magnesium were found. Copper, found in fire-crackers, is poisonous to humans by ingestion. Copper dust and fume causes irritation in the respiratory tract. Absorption of excess copper results in ‘Wilson’s disease’ in which excess copper gets deposited in the brain, skin, liver, pancreas and myocordium. Cadmium can be poisonous to humans. Its absorption can damage the kidneys and cause anaemia. It is also a potential human carcinogen. Cadmium causes increased blood pressure. The study also revealed the presence of four acidic radicals — nitrate, phosphate and sulphate — in the samples. Among these, the oxides of sulphur, phosphorus in the form of sulphate and phosphorus in the form of phosphate were detected in the samples. Sulphur dioxide is readily soluble and dissolves in larger airways of the respiratory system. At high levels of concentration, severe contraction restricts the breathing process. Nitrogen dioxide is less soluble and so penetrates the airways and into the lungs. It destroys the lining of the respiratory surface, thereby reducing the intake of oxygen for the body leading to respiratory allergies like asthma. Carbon monoxide, one of the oxides of carbon, is an extremely poisonous gas that can lead to choking to death. According to a report, there is a threat of exposure even from unburnt material. Anil Dheer
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Bandh call withdrawn Mandi Gobindgarh, October 24 Mr Harbans Singh Tiwana a local transporter stated in an affidavit, photo copies of which were distributed among media- persons here on Thursday, that on the night of October 19, an officer of the mobile wing of sales tax from Chandigarh along with some armed persons dressed in police uniforms, came to his house located in Shastri Nagar Mandi Gobindgarh at about 11pm. They asked about the whereabouts of his brother Davinder Singh and entered the house. Mr Tiwana further stated that his brother Davinder Singh was sleeping on the upper storey on the house. The armed persons picked up Davinder Singh, andhit him. They pushed him forcibly into the vehicle waiting outside. When family members raised objections and asked the reason for such an act, they too were abused and manhandled. Later, they threw a seriously injured Davinder Singh on the Sirhind side of the G.T. Road near the Bank of Punjab. He was admitted to the local Civil Hospital and has been undergoing treatment there since then. Replying to a query Mr Harbans Singh Tiwana said the sales tax authorities had not informed the local police before conducting a raid at the house. |
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Noise pollution
fumes residents Ludhiana, October 24 Fed up with making rounds of departments concerned, the residents have now written complaints to the Punjab Human Rights Commission, the Chief Minister and the Deputy Commissioner. While officials of the Pollution Control Board and the Municipal Corporation were not available for comments, the SP (City-II), Mr Naunihal Singh, said the police could take action only if the Pollution Control Board verified that the level was more than the permissible level. Dr Ashwani Verma, a spokesperson of the residents, said a number of houses had developed cracks and the residents were upset over the attitude of the administration. |
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Telecom
officers’ dharna continues Ludhiana, October 24 Addressing the protesters, Mr Inderjit Singh, senior vice-president, TEOA, alleged that the government was deliberately delaying settlement of pending demands. In a note of warning to the government and the BSNL management, he said if there was no response to the strike, the agitating officers would further intensify the stir. Mr Sanjiv Gupta, its general secretary, rued that the BSNL had come into being for more than two years, but till date no decision had been taken about JTOs, SDOs and DEs by the management. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Mr A.P.S. Chawla, Mr Lachman Das, Mr Sital Singh, Mr Gurpreet Singh, Mr Jasdev Singh Grewal, Mr Nardeep Singh Grewal, Mr Gurdev Singh Begowalia, Ms Anita Dhanda, Ms Rajwinder Kaur Sandhu, Ms Neelu Vohra, Ms Parminder Kumari and Mr Kanwaljit Shankar. |
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Ex-UK Mayor gets welcome Machhiwara, October 24 Mr Thind, son of Mr Gian Singh of Rachhin village in Ludhiana district, went to Tanzania (Africa) in 1967, and after that settled in Slough (UK) with his family. He was the Mayor of Slough City from 1997 to 2000. He was welcomed by Mr Gurmukh Deep, Director of the Punjabi Sabhyacharak Kender, Machhiwara. Mr Deep presented him with a cutout of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and some CDs of Punjabi songs. Later, Mr Thind visited the site of a de-addiction centre-cum-charitable hospital and an old-age home being constructed by the International Medical Helpline and the Anti-drugs Society at Jharaudi village, near here. He assured the society of financial help from NRIs. Office-bearers of the society presented Mr Thind with a
siropa. |
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Guru Ram Dass’ birth anniversary celebrated Ludhiana, October 24 Meanwhile, students of the academy laid the foundation stone of a club today on Rajpura Road, adjoining the academy. The club, to be spread over 16 acres, will have, among other things a restaurant, a bar, a banquet hall, card rooms and indoor facilities like table tennis, billiards, a health club, a swimming pool, squash courts, a department store and a conference hall. |
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4 gangsters nabbed Ahmedgarh, October 24 According to Mr Paramjit Singh Saraon, Senior Superintendent of police at Khanna, five members of the gang were conspiring to attack some houses near the Barewal bridge. On receiving information, Mr Amrik Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Payal, directed Mr Gurdip Singh Gosal, SHO, Payal, to raid the place. The police nabbed four gangsters, along with one toy pistol, iron rods some and sharp-edged weapons, while one person fled under the cover of darkness. The gangsters were later identified as Shiv Kumar of Machhiwara, Jaswant Singh of Meharban village, Manjit Singh of Meharban village and Kamal Kumar of Kuldip Nagar Ludhiana. The fifth gangster who is absconding, has been identified as Ramanand, alias Kala. Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang had been active in surrounding towns. A couple of houses attacked by the gang in recent past had yielded substantial amounts including cash and jewellery. Machhiwara and areas on the periphery of Ludhiana had been the centre of its activities. The gang had looted goods worth Rs 70,000 from a cloth emporium at Jodhewal Basti. Mr Gosal said the modus operandi of the gang was to visit and survey localities during day and strike their target at the night using crude weapons and a toy pistol. The Payal police has registered a case. |
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2 killed, 12 injured in accident Ludhiana, October 24 According to information, Paravjot, his mother, Balbir Kaur, and Ms Amarprit Kaur of Avtar Nagar, Gali No. 1, Jalandhar, along with Mr Pritam Singh, his wife, Nachattar Kaur, and their daughters — Pritpal Kaur and Jasbir Kaur — and their son, Jaswinder Singh, accompanied by Mr Harbhajan Singh, Inspector, Punjab Police, and his wife, Gurmit Kaur, and Tarlochan Kaur were on way to New Delhi in the tempo. Paravjot Singh, Ms Balbir Kaur and Mr Kuljinder Singh were to fly to Canada. Ms Balbir Kaur, Mr Pritam Singh, Ms Nachattar Kaur, Ms Gurmit Kaur and Ms Tarlochan Kaur have been admitted to a hospital in Ludhiana and others admitted to the Civil Hospital, Jagraon. The police has registered a case against the truck driver. |
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Mystery
shrouds death of child Ludhiana, October 24 The police is on the lookout of Vijay Kumar, who lives some where on the Chandigarh road and had admitted the baby to the Civil Hospital last night but did not return. The child had burn injuries on her feet and had fever too. |
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8-yr-old boy kidnapped Ludhiana, October 24 Ms Bimla Rani, mother of the boy Arjun, said her son had gone to a playground near the house last evening and did not return. The police has registered a case. |
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4 held
with poppy husk Ludhiana, October 24 |
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Dera chief charged with rape Ludhiana, October 24 She has complained to the Division No. 4 police that the dera head called her to his room and raped her. The police has registered a case. |
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CM told to examine state’s excise policy Ludhiana, October 24 In a meeting held here on Thursday, members of the association resolved that the implementation of the ‘exim form’ from the Excise and Taxation Department of Punjab Government from November 1 would cripple the business in the state. Mr Charan Singh Kohli, general secretary of the association, said that business men were left with no option but to come together under a joint the action committee. This decision to take joint action by industrialists was taken because of no response on the issue from the state government. Mr Kohli dubbed the attitude of the Finance Secretary (Industry, Excise and Taxation) as “anti-industry”. He said two meetings were held with Mr Mukul Joshi, Finance Secretary (Industry, Excise and Taxation), but he was not ready to listen any of the grievances. |
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Exhibition
held at ladies club Ludhiana, October 24 Many stalls were put up for the women. Ms Winky Singh, a young designer from Delhi said, “I have come to Ludhiana for the first time. City women are really fashion conscious. They want everything unique and different. I am getting a good response here. We have bought all pure crepe, chiffons and georgette stuff which is in these days. Women want combination of odd colours and keeping that in mind, we have designed these suits. The range starts from Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000. This is all formal and semi-formal range”. Ms Bhavna Jalota, a city resident had put up a stall of designer bedcovers. She said, “Women do a lot of shopping during festival days. We have designer bedcovers, bedsheets, dining sheets etc. The range starts from Rs 595. We are also booking orders”. Muhurat- a stall depicting products of Indian art and culture, got a lot of appreciation from the visitors. There were also various stalls of mehndiwalas for the club members and their guests. Members got different kinds of mehndi, including shaded and traditional, applied on their hands. Meanwhile, officers’ wives organised a function in connection with Karva Chauth today at Satluj club. Members were dressed in their best wearing bright coloured sarees and suits with heavy jewellery. Ms Tripathi was given the title of Karva Queen while Ms Kanchan Sharma got prize for her ‘best mehndi’. Many other surprise gifts were also given to the members. In another function students of Master Tara Singh Memorial College participated in a mehndi competition organised in connection with Karva Chauth. The participants showed their artistic skills in drawing intricate patterns. Mr S.K. Sharma, Municipal Commissioner, was the guest of honour. As many as 35 students
participated in the contest Ravinder Kaur, Anita, Harvinder and Deepti were adjudged first, second and third, respectively. Ms Sharma distributed the prizes. |
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