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| Friday,
November 8, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Akali leader’s brother, nephew booked Ludhiana, November 7 Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia, vice-president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), is missing for the last week or so and is reportedly camping somewhere out of the state with other pro-Badal members. He enjoys a good clout in the Akali party and has influence over a sizeable number of SGPC members. Darshan Singh, brother of Mr Bhatia, and his son Charanjit Singh Pannu have been booked by the Sarabha Nagar police under sections 452, 323 and 506 IPC. Darshan Singh has been arrested while Charanjit Singh is said to be absconding. The case has been registered on the complaint of Mr Jagir Singh of Barrewal. He has accused the father and son duo of attacking his family and beating him up. Some monetary dispute between the two parties is said to be the cause behind the alleged attack. The registration of the case comes close on the heels sealing of Mr Bhatia’s hotel near the Bus-stand in the city. The hotel was sealed by the local Municipal Corporation on the plea that building bylaws were violated in the construction of the hotel. Mr Bhatia had reportedly accused the MC of playing in the hands of the congress government to harass him into leaving the Badal camp or to keep him away from casting his vote on the election day. The SP city-I, Harish Kumar, however, said police had no knowledge that the accused were related to Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia and the registration of the case at this juncture is just a coincidence. He said he had received the complaint and recommended registration of the case purely on merit. He said Jagir Singh had taken some money on loan from the accused but due to poor financial condition could not repay the debt in time. He said he was requesting the accused to give him some more time or take the money in installments but this was not acceptable to the accused. Mr Harish Kumar said the accused then attacked the family of the complainant to allegedly intimidate him. Reacting strongly to the police action, Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia talking to TNS over the phone from an undisclosed place alleged that the congress government had first used the MC to harass him and had now got a false case registered against his relatives. He said the police high-handedness would achieve no purpose as he was loyal to Mr Badal and would remain so. The booking of Mr Bhatia’s relatives also comes a day after Mr Kewal Singh Badal, another Badal-confidante was virtually rendered house arrest by Jagraon police in Jagraon. |
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Funds for sinking tubewells siphoned off ? Ludhiana, November 7 The MC spent over Rs 5.50 crore to add 50 tubewells to augment the water supply in the city during the past year with each tubewell involving an expenditure of about Rs 11 lakh. However, the contractors now offered bids to install similar tubewells at a cost of Rs 6.5 lakh each, which means that the about Rs 2.25 crore extra expenditure was incurred on tubewells alone during the past year while several crucial development works were stalled for want of funds. According to the MC Commissioner Mr S.K. Sharma, 45 new tubewells are to be commissioned in the city to complete the ‘Water for All’ project by March 2003, which was formally launched by the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh here on November 1. He said the tenders received by the civic body for sinking of 12 tubewells in the first phase of the project, were explicitly clear that the same kind of equipment and components, used earlier, would be utilised and the tubewells would be sunk to a depth of around 400 feet where safe drinking water was available. Work will commence on installation of new tubewells after the tenders were formally approved by the Finance and Contracts Committee. While refusing to elaborate if the MC would ask the government to order a probe into the alleged misutilisation or misappropriation of funds, Mr Sharma did indicate that once work started on sinking the new tubewells, the matter would be referred to the state government for appropriate action once the responsibility was fixed, somebody would have to face the music. Apart from the installation of tubewells, there are several other instances where MC funds were recklessly used or rather thrown away in
connivance with officials who must have shared the spoils. Last year, a sum of Rs 66 lakh was spent for desilting of Budha Nullah, which was carried out by the Irrigation Department, whereas the same work was done before the onset of rainy season this year at a cost of Rs 26 lakh only. Similarly, open drains in the city were got cleaned by employing contract labour at an expenditure of Rs 5 lakh while the work was carried out this year by civic body without any additional cost.” Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, MC sources pointed out that these glaring examples of misappropriation of scarce resources of the MC were not even the tip of the iceberg and many a skeleton would come tumbling out of the cupboard if a thorough inquiry was conducted. The alliance between certain councillors in the previous house of the MC and unscrupulous officers had virtually looted the civic body, skimming off funds worth crores of rupees in execution of routine development works. The modus operandi, according to sources, was creating a pool between contractors as a result of which the particular work was awarded at abnormally higher rates to a chosen contractor, who invariably happened to be the favourite of the area councillor or the officials concerned. The profits, made at the cost of the civic body, were shared proportionatly, the sources said. |
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YOUNG ACHIEVER Ludhiana, November 7 Overjoyed on being declared the best glider. Harleen says,‘‘ Never did I dream that I would win the gold medal. I thought I would get second or third position. Everyone congratulated me very warmly and the language barrier that existed as we girls were from different states, just melted away. What a marvellous day it
was! My parents were even more overjoyed and the minute I landed in Ludhiana , they gifted a gold ring with a diamond to me.’’ Ms Harleen Kalsi represented the four Directorates of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Punjab. She says,
‘‘I think I am fortunate as a first year NCC student, I got opportunities to glide at Sahnewal Airport. There Sqn Ldr P.P. Singh had nick-named me ‘‘cable breaker’’ as once when the cable of my glider broke just as it took off and I had to make a reciprocal landing’’. Notwithstanding these minor hiccups, she did Punjab proud by bagging the gold medal at a gliding competition organised in Bangalore at Jakoora Air Base. Seventeen Directorates from all over India had participated in the competition, but there were only 14 competitors in the fray.’’ She says,
‘‘On the final day, the weather was very rough. There were cross winds so the competitions were postponed for the next day. Never did I feel so nervous. When the instructor was seated next to me, I was very confident. I never experienced any fear though it was for the first time I was gliding at the height of 1000 ft in the 70 sorties that I had
flown. In Ludhiana, we could never fly at such a height. It was a moment of pride for me when as a gold
medallist after gliding, I had to land and present a bouquet to Mr P.K Bopanna in Bangalore. Now, I am looking forward to presenting a bouquet to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee on January 27 on Prime Minister's rally.’’ Harleen Kalsi wishes to join the Indian Air Force as a pilot. She has intense love for flying and cannot think of any other career. She said if she failed to make it to the IAF, she will become a commercial pilot. Her 'alma mater' is proud of her and so are
Ludhainvis. |
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Cash reward for tracing girl Ludhiana, November 7 Sources in the Division No. 2 police station said the police had left no stone unturned to trace the missing girl and an ASI of the police station has even toured almost all northern states of the country in search of the girl. Police sources said the case was not the usual one in which a girl had eloped with some youth and later her parents got a case of kidnapping registered against the youth. Unable to trace her, the local police today announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 to any person who gave clues about the whereabouts of the missing girl. The police has pasted posters of the girl in all police stations of the district and had released it to the media also seeking help of the public in solving the mystery. According to police sources initially, it was thought that the young girl might have eloped but investigation had revealed that she had no such affair and it was a genuine case of disappearance of a girl. The police had questioned the girl’s friends, relatives, teachers and neighbours to find clues but nothing was established. Police sources conclude that someone had actually kidnapped her.
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Trader’s
killers identified Ludhiana, November 7 The police, however, has not achieved any significant breakthrough in the dacoity incident at Bapu Asa Ram Ashram, where about Rs 3.5 lakh, besides other valuables, were looted. Talking to reporters after attending a meeting of senior police officers, chaired by the DGP, Punjab, Mr M.S. Bhullar, Mr Sidhu said the case of the industrialist’s murder had almost been solved but the Press would be informed after the killers were nabbed. He said the investigation in the case would be seriously hampered, if the identity was disclosed now. Forty-year-old Rakesh Goyal, proprietor, Suman Cycle Industries, was shot dead outside his factory. Two persons riding a two-wheeler snatched a bag containing Rs 2 lakh from him and shot him dead when he tried to resist. |
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CM to attend workers’ convention on Nov 18 Ludhiana, November 7 According to the District Congress Committee (DCC) president, Mr K. K. Bawa, the convention is being organised for the first time after the party came to power. A meeting of senior leaders and workers of the party was held in this connection, here today. It was attended by the Ludhiana MP, Mr Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, the DCC (urban) president, Mr K. K. Bawa, the DCC (rural) president, Mr Gurdev
Lapran, the District Youth Congress president, Mr Parminder Mehta, and others. Addressing the meeting, Mr Ghalib exhorted the party workers to ensure maximum participation in the convention. He said the convention would serve as a forum for the workers and the leaders to provide a feed back about the functioning of the government. He said the Congress workers had to act as the eyes and ears of the government and make all officers, ministers and legislators accountable to the public. Mr Bawa said the workers, on this occasion, would reaffirm their faith in the leadership of Capt Amarinder Singh, who had waged a war against corruption. He said the workers were committed to provide support and assistance to the Chief Minister for providing a clean and people-friendly administration. Other speakers also extended their support to the Chief Minister. They sought to dispel the notion that no development work was going on and the government had confined itself to the anti-corruption drive only. The results, they claimed, would be before the public very soon and those levelling such charges would stand exposed. The convention holds significance in the backdrop of possible reshuffle of the DCC(urban) and the DCC(rural) as announced by the PCC president. Mr Bawa and Mr Lapran have busied themselves to mobilise the supporters and the workers to strengthen their case for continuing in their respective posts. The PCC is learnt to be not inclined towards bringing any major change in the party set-up at the district level here. However, nothing can be said with certainty, a party leader told this reporter. |
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Apathy writ large on Samrala roads Samrala, November 7 The road from Khanna to Samrala is in good condition up to Sacred Heart Convent School in
Ottalan. However, from there onwards, a stretch of 5 km is full of potholes and ditches, resulting in inconvenience to residents and traffic hazards. Due to this, most of the people going from Samrala to Khanna prefer to go via Chawla, even if it means taking a longer route of more than 12 km. Every time a vehicle passes, a cloud of dust engulfs the road, causing traffic hazard for other vehicles. Prof Harish Kumar Saddi of
Ottalan, a lecturer at Malwa College, Bondli-Samrala, fell from his motorcycle near Shahi marriage palace, 2 km from here, and was bedridden for more than a month. ASI Rajesh Kumar Sharma of Ottalan village fell from his scooter near Sacred Heart School. This resulted in a fracture to his left collar bone and he was bedridden for more than two months. The plight of animal-driven carts on these pot-holed roads is still worse and one cannot help but sympathise with hapless animals. People of the area are sore with the Public Works Department and feel let down for having voted for the Congress in the last Assembly elections. This stretch of the road is part of a national highway from Delhi to Nawanshehr via Machhiwara and Samrala. The company, responsible for its construction, has reportedly disappeared and despite many surveys conducted by the authorities, the condition of the road remains unchanged. The stretch of the road, falling within the municipal limits, is also in deplorable condition. Same is the condition of the links roads from Samrala to Lopon and Samrala to Bharri via
Ottalan. |
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Flouting
Drugs Act with impunity Ludhiana, November 7 Dr Deepinder Singh, Assistant Professor, Lord Mahavira Medical College, said considering current pattern and trends of drug abuse, most commonly abused substances are legal drugs, which constitute about 92 per cent to 94 per cent of total drug
use. Illegal drug use is just 6 per cent to 8 per cent. Among legal drugs, prescription drugs are most frequently abused. Prescription drugs are those which are prescribed by a medical practitioner. Their sale, distribution and storage is monitored under the drugs and cosmetics act. A chemist on condition of anonymity admitted that they sell cough syrup and other scheduled drugs without the prescription. “Why should only we be blamed. The entire system is working like that. There are approximately 1300 chemists in the city and hardly anyone comes to check this menace. I know it is wrong but in case I stop entertaining people without prescription, other chemists will continue this practice and I will stand to lose”. A senior teacher of a reputed school here said that senior children consumed different types of cough syrups in the school. “We find many empty bottles in play-grounds and bathrooms. We try to keep a check on them but we are not successful every-time”, she said. Most of these cough syrups are also abused by the youth as they contain codeine, another alkaloid of opium. These powerful cough suppressers produce symptoms similar to opium. Certain anti-diarrhoeal drugs containing codeine as an important constituent are also abused. Slowly and gradually as the tolerance for the drug increases, some abusers reach to the level of 300-400 anti-diarrhoeal tablets a day. Pain relieving capsules containing dextro-propoxyphene salt are also very popular among the drug users. “This is a narcotic analgesic and abuser may reach to the level of 40-60 capsules in a day. Behavioural effects of these drugs are euphoria drowsiness, loss of appetite, hypoactivity and change in personality”, said one of the doctors. The use of sedatives and
tranquillisers has become a fashion especially in the affluent class of society and almost everybody is shifting the responsibility of their abuse on to their stressful life style. Easy availability and over the counter sale of drugs is another cause of their abuse. Dr Rajeev Gupta, a city-based psychiatrist said many anti-depressant drugs were habit-forming drugs. The doctors prescribe these drugs to the
patients. The strongest depressant drugs are hypnotic which induce sleep. “We prescribe drugs to depressed patients but when they get used to it, they do not feel like leaving them as they get relief from anxiety and depression”, said Dr Gupta. Some of these drugs are sold under various street names like red devil, purple hearts, blue dragon etc. Dr
S.N. Tiwari, Civil Surgeon, however, claimed that large number of chemist shops were raided from time to time. “We also intend to take action against certain chemists as they are guilty and the department has written about it to the state government”, said Dr
Tiwari. |
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CPI alleges police high-handedness Ludhiana, November 7 Mr Kartar Singh Bowani, secretary, and Dr Arun Mitra, assistant secretary of the district unit of the party, said in a statement here today that the Haibowal police had booked an active member of the party, Mr Gurnam Singh Sidhu, a human rights and social activist, in a case under Section 306, IPC, in a bid to settle a score since Mr Sidhu had during the course of time exposed misdeeds of several police personnel. According to party functionaries, Mr Sidhu had intervened to sort out a family dispute in Rishi Nagar locality where an old man was being harassed by his family members. However, the person concerned committed suicide and rather than investigating the case and bringing real culprits to book, the police registered a case against Mr Sidhu and his family members. Going one step further, the police had also illegally detained Mr Saroj Kumar, who had come to meet Mr Sidhu in the police station, for two days. A deputation of the party activists, led by Mr Kartar Singh, met the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr H.S. Sidhu, here yesterday and apprised him of the truth. The SSP, they added, marked the inquiry to the DSP concerned. Expressing confidence that truth and justice would prevail, the CPI leaders have demanded immediate withdrawal of the case against Mr Sidhu. |
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CITY SCAN There is no direct rail or road, air or sea link between Ludhiana and Busan. Distance separates, some facts unite. Punjab hosted the XXXIst National Games last year. Good many events took place at Ludhiana. Fans of sports persons recall several faces. Keen watchers have names on tips. Some display photographs of the opening ceremony. Punjabis know notable members of Indian contingent for Busan. Space separates, human spirit unites. Time separates, human mind as memory unites. Ludhiana and Busan are linked by time. Events of 51 years make history. A point to ponder : Ludhiana produced the seed of Asian Games. Sports games as means of human evolution was seen afresh in the context of new imperatives after Independence. Great minds think alike, they say. The real great persons wisely collaborate. Great minds of pure intention corroborate. They pool the joint resources to materialise dreams. The Asian Games is the manifestation of great minds. Birds of feather flock together is a common place idiom applicable to mere birds. Men of vision arrive at history-making decisions. Principal G.D. Sondhi (Government College, Lahore) and Principal H.C. Kathpalia (Government College, Ludhiana) were good friends, rarest of men, proven great men. Sondhi was academic and philosophic . Kathpalia was dynamic and a sportsman. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as interim Prime Minister was occupied with the Partition-plan. After Independence with its effects and after-effects. He had both good and poor advisers. The ablest was Sardar Patel who integrated princely states to consolidate Partitioned India. The nation was bleeding, sports being out of question. None celebrated Dasehra or Divali in 1947. Wounds healed slowly. India during the Raj was the brightest jewel of the British Crown. It symbolised the imperial might of the rulers. Indians took part in the Olympics. Hockey and India stood as synonyms. The government was advised by Dewan Anand Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, to take part in 1948 Olympics, despite Partition, rehabilitation and the on-going undeclared war with Pakistan over Kashmir. We did well. Sondhi , Kathpalia and others felt that there is a big gap between the rich western nations and the new emerging nations of Asia and Africa. To make a new start, Asian Games was conceived. Pandit Nehru gave a go-ahead. G.D. Sondhi and H.C. Kathpalia accepted the responsibility of holding the first-ever pre-Asian Games. Ludhiana with its Government College, having field -track infrastructure, looked promisingly suitable. The excellent team work of the organising team conducted XVIth All India Amateur Athletics in 1951. Workers were electrified. Participants surcharged. College looked an oasis of Olympian dreamland. Prof. Thakar Singh worked as organising secretary with Prof Sohan Singh as marshal. Lahore-Lyallpur-Multan-Montegomery-trained professors did their best. Noted film personality David Abraham held the mike. Prof Mohan Singh contributed his share. The 1951 Indian contingent was readied. Delhi hosted debut Asiads in 1951. Again in 1982. In the chain we find Manila, Tokyo, Jakarta, Bankok, Teheran. Besides, Seoul, Beijing, Hiroshima and Busan, the latest. See the torch that brights Asian lands far and wide. It is a journey in time. Thus, Ludhiana and Busan meet. We did and do well at the Commonwealth Games. The trying stage is Asiads. The exacting one is Olympics. Stages are hop, step and jump. Ludhiana produced the seed which grows and flowers. The fruits of Busan have roots in Ludhiana. Government College is that historic nursery. M.S. Cheema
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Youth snatches gold ring, bangles Ludhiana, November 7 According to information, Ms Sushila Devi, 65, a resident of B-block of the locality, was returning home on a rickshaw along with her daughter-in-law around 3.15 pm when the scooter-borne youth accosted them near the Ram Darbar mandir and engaged them in a conversation. He made the elderly woman unconscious and took away her gold ring and gold bangles. The daughter-in-law tried to stop the youth but he fled, leaving his scooter. According to the police, which seized the abandoned scooter, the vehicle bore no registration number. Among the documents seized, the police has found a registration book bearing the address of a place on the Tajpur Road and an affidavit regarding the sale of the scooter, which is in the name of a Sangrur resident.
Minor raped, uncles booked The division No 7 police has registered a case of rape against two brothers living in Jamalpur Police Colony, one of whom is employed in the IRB as a tailormaster, on the complaint of a home guard posted at the Janak Puri police post. According to the FIR lodged with the police, Jagtar Singh and Avtar Singh, the suspects, were living with their aged mother. Their 14-year-old niece used to help them in household chores. About a month ago, when their mother went to Jagraon to collect her pension, Jagtar Singh raped his niece and threatened her that if she disclosed the incident to anyone, he would kill her. About a week before Divali, Avtar Singh also raped her while she was alone in the house. According to the police, the accused are absconding.
In-laws booked The Shimla Puri police has registered a case under Sections 304-B,306 and 34 of the IPC on the complaint of Ms Kulwant Kaur, mother of Mandeep Kaur, who died under mysterious circumstances on July 11 at her in-laws’ house, against Mandeep’s husband Dharamvir Singh alias Raja, and other members of his family. According to the FIR, soon after Mandeep got married on April 14, her in-laws started harassing her for more dowry. The complainant, a resident of Gurpal Nagar, stated that the family got a telephone call from a well-wisher on July 11 that Mandeep was being beaten up by her in-laws. But when the family members reached Shimla Puri the next day, they came to know that Mandeep had been cremated without getting an autopsy done on her body. |
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Transporter, Akali leader’s kin booked Ludhiana, November 7 The bus No PB-10 AX-3913 belonging to Kewal Singh, owner of Jhujar Transport Company was impounded under Section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act on
November 2. On verification from the District Transport Office, it was found that the bus was not registered anywhere in the state and was running on fake documents. |
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Woman dead Machhiwara, November 7 The father of the deceased, Darshan Singh, had sent her daughter to her in-laws’ house on November 5, 2002. She had stayed with her parents for one month after being harassed by her in-laws for dowry. Recently, she was asked to bring a motor cycle as dowry, which her parents failed to provide. Consequently, she was burnt alive. The police has registered a case against her husband Pritam Singh, father-in-law Karnail Singh and mother-in-law Harnam Kaur after recording the statement of the deceased. |
Vardhman becomes Cotton Gold partner Ludhiana, November 7 According to a Cotton Gold press note issued here today, this was announced by Mr William B. Dunavant, III, President of Cotton Council International (CCI). He said, “Cotton plays an important role in contemporary Indian life and is in many ways the true fabric of India. Our close working relationships with the Indian Textile Industry over the past several years has paved the way for the launch of the CGA programme, which will represent a new paradigm in cotton promotion in India. It is our pleasure to announce that Vardhman Spinning and General Mills Ltd, Patspin INdian (GTN Group) and Ashima Group Ltd, will be our first partners in this ground breaking initiative”. Mr Dean B. Tuner, senior vice-president, Global Product Marketing, Cotton Incorporated, added, “Cotton has historically dominated other fibers, and Indian consumers have shown a strong preference for cotton. After over three decades of successful cotton demand building in the USA, Cotton Incorporated is now introducing the use of the Seal of Cotton to companies in India. This is the first time that the seal of cotton is being made available for promotions outside North America. The Seal of Cotton is an internationally
recognised trademark which will bear testimony to the high standards and the superior quality of 100 per cent cotton products in India. The CGA aims to increase consumer awareness, appreciation and preference to build demand for cotton, thereby boosting the sales of cotton products from qualified participating Indian firms Mr Turner also commented. “The Cotton Gold Alliance programme, while being consumer focused, will also work with its partners to support and influence product and marketing decisions that benefit cotton.” The long-term goal in the Indian market for the Cotton Gold Alliance programme is to increase the demand for cotton among consumers. The Cotton Gold Alliance will also ensure that alliance partners are recognised as market leaders for their high-quality cotton textile products. CGA members will be encouraged to utilise the Seal for Cotton (owned and to be licensed by cotton incorporated) in their own promotional and advertising efforts. The Cotton Gold Alliance is a new initiative of Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated, US-based non-profit organisation, with the mission of promoting cotton. The interests of the CGA in India are being represented by KSA Technopark, a leading global management consulting firm, and J. Walter Thomson, India’s premier advertising agency. |
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Workshop
on ISO certification Ludhiana, November 7 Ms Sarita Rana, a consultant engineer on ISO certification, outlined the requirements for achieving this certification. She also described the benefits on achieving this certification. |
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